WOW, where's my boat really been all her life?

Before I even set up this blog a few years ago I established an email with the boat's name.  All the were all suppose to be forwarded to my main account.  OOPS ... either I forgot to set up mail forwarding or ... who knows or at this point even cares.  Anyway, today I was looking into setting up a new blog account and needed to verify the chasingsummer.s42 email account.  Hmmmm ... I can't get into it ... oh oops, I was trying chasingsummer without the s42.  Anyway, long story short I finally got into the account and found 6 wonderful emails that blog viewers, like you, had written to me from the "Contact Me" page link.

One of these emails was from the original owner of the boat, Lt Martin.  That's all that was listed on the Spencer Owner's website.  He had followed for a while but since the current owner hadn't kept up on the Spencer site he'd lost touch with the boat.  The following is the email that he sent me.  It fills in all the gaps from: oh, some one bought a boat to 30 years later when I found her abandon in a boat yard in Oceanside, CA.

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Xxx Martin.   I am the original owner of Hull #17. How I dislike referring to Hull # 17. I always refer to her as TANE’ or now CHASING SUMMER. I recently discovered your blog, and naturally find it very interesting. You appear to be doing quality work.

TANE’ as far as I know last sailed in 1988 in San Diego. I sold her fully operational, but with some incomplete finish work interior, and some exterior rework desirable, to the harbor master at Fiddler’s Cove in 1988. He intended to live aboard with his wife, but never did. She was anchored in the cove unattended for several years. On the transom was TANE’ and the hailing port, Freeland, WA. Probably Freeland, WA was removed per Federal Requirements as her home port had to be changed from Seattle to San Diego. She was later sold and towed, as I understand, to Oceanside. Supposedly she was to be renamed ASSYLM, but as your photos show the name TANE’ was never removed from the Transom. That is where, if I read correct, you found her. She was supposedly converted to a center cockpit design, which again never happened.

I bought her hull, deck, major bulkheads, cabin sole, and engine mounts in 1969. I was in Vietnam at the time of order in 1968. Carole, later my wife (and still is) did all the admin work while I was overseas. TANE’ was trucked to San Diego where I began work. Not yet ready for sea, she was again trucked to Vallejo, where for a brief time she was floated. Trucked back to San Diego Navy Auto Shop Yard where I continued to work. Finally in the water and moored at the Coronado Yacht Club, but not yet rigged and ready. Loaded onboard USS RANGER for transport to Bremerton. In the water, rigged and ready. Really enjoyed Puget Sound. Transit to San Francisco and sailed extensively in the Bay, but found the Bay somewhat restrictive. Transit to San Diego and with more shore free time, enjoyed San Diego. Moved back to Vallejo, actually Fairfield, and planned to move TANE’ north, but didn’t, so I sold her. I followed her as much as I could on the Spencer Website, and a couple of visits to Fiddler’s Cove. Had trouble with getting on the website with passwords, so hadn’t found out about you until recently.