Calypso is a Bristol Channel Cutter, hull #6, built by the Sam L Morse yard in 1976. We are her third owners. She’s 28’ on deck, with a 6’ bowsprit and 3’ of boomkin, making her 37’ overall. With a beam of just over 10’, she seems more spacious down below than many boats of her size and vintage. She was designed by Lyle Hess.

We have owned her since 1992, when we bought her in Kemah, Texas, from Mike Firestone. She carried us on a 3-year jaunt through the Eastern Caribbean down to Venezuela and back up the US East Coast. Then, from 2009-2010, we cruised her as a family of 4 to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic before returning to the Chesapeake Bay. Winter 2022-2023 saw us exploring parts of the Eastern Caribbean after an offshore passage from Beaufort, NC, to Tortola, BVI, in November.

Currently, in the early part of November 2024, Calypso is in south Florida with us aboard. We’re waiting for a weather window to get to the Bahamas and then Panama.

Both boats?

We love this boat so much we added a second one to the fleet. Mischief (hull #67) will be the “East Coast” boat while Calypso is the “Go Far” boat. We’ve successfully completed the fairly daunting task of making her cruise-capable; we escaped winter 2023-2024 in the Bahamas aboard Mischief.

DINGHY: In mid-October of 2022, we said goodbye to the beloved 10.5’ fiberglass AB RIB we’ve had since 1995. Instead, we now have a 310 Achilles rollup we’re calling Roti, powered by either a 2.5 hp Suzuki 4-stroke or a 9.8 hp Tohatsu 2-stroke depending on the harbor and distance from shore. We’ll miss the workhorse stability of Chutney, the old dink, but are already appreciating the ease with which we can stow this new dinghy on deck. There are some compromises to be made when you’re sailing a small sailboat. Mischief has a salty-looking 8’ Fatty Knees, called Marauder, as her tender.