"Ryokosha" M32

The history we have only goes back 10 years, from June 5, 1989,where the boat was purchased by Karl Thielsher through Ventura Yacht sales in Oxnard. (File #1881.) At the time, her name was Pop-in-Jay. Karl kept a detailed file on the boat which demonstrated a considerable amount of work on her from 1989 to 1997. The work done included: overhaul of engine, new sails, new 1200 Maxwell windlass, Autohelm, battery charger, radar, Garmin GPS, and new settee cushions. In 1997 Pop-in-Jay was then purchased by William and Jeannette Fitzgerald, who renamed her the Sonata. They repainted the outside, and spent a year doing bright work. The end result was a boat designed for day sailing - not yet ready for blue water cruising. After several months of boat shopping, and seeing some beautifully maintained yachts to the "fixer-uppers", we were delighted to be introduced to the Mariner design. We saw other Mariners, but none as well appointed or maintained as the Ryokosha. Kathi and I then purchased her in March, 1999 through Bud at Yachtfinders in San Diego. The date of manufacture is unknown, possibly 1972. We have found several differences compared to other Mariner 32's we have seen : two 25 gal. glassed-in water tanks in keel (see picture), fiberglass cockpit with teak, fiberglass winch supports, round opening portholes, and a single Simpson post. We are now in the process of outfitting her for ocean cruising, in 2001. Our plans for cruising are south - no definite destination, just south and beyond. We were a bit underprepared for the daunting tasks ahead of us in upgrading and refitting her for cruising. We began the process with a small notebook, which quickly grew to a large file notebook. We now have 5 pages of "to do" items before leaving, which are prioritized #1, #2 or #3 , in order of importance to be done - safety first, boat handling second, and cosmetics third. Many of the #3 items will be accomplished during the cruise. She is shaping up nicely, with deck fittings rebedded, new plumbing, portholes resealed, dry rot in cabin top eradicated, cleaned keel water tanks of bilge (left over from previous owner). At this point, we have invested in safety equipment : harnesses, SOS vests, spotlights, dual fuel Raycor 500 filters, developing our hard dinghy ("BOB") into a life raft, and jack lines. Plans for the next year include : adding refrigeration (?); all new rigging; adding a wind vane; developing cockpit box (next to mizzen) for radar, GPS, engine gauges; rewiring engine systems (the last wiring must have been done by a spider); securing dinghy to cabintop (on a trip to Catalina, with the dinghy hanging from davits, the following seas hit us so emphatically that we felt the dinghy would end up in the cockpit with us!); upgrading batteries to two type 30, and one 27 for engine starting; and a lot of sailing! Our adventure began 12 years ago, when Kathi said "yeah! let's start saving now for our boat". Now that our daughter has reached adulthood, we are on our own - beginning life anew in our mid 40's. We're ready for a new adventure - on the open seas -

March, 2008

I recently purchased Ryokosha, a Mariner 32 ketch, from previous owners Paul and Kathi Marak. This is listed as Hull No. 1, 1970, on this website, with all the history that I am aware of. I will keep the name, at least for the time being. The boat is presently on the hard in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, and we are going on our shakedown cruise in the Sea of Cortez in April, 2008. After some serious rebuilding, Paul and Kathi did some extensive Mexican coastal cruising in Ryokosha, and I hope to live up to their example. My longer-range plans are to base her in La Paz, which is a bit easier for people from the San Francisco Bay Area to travel to.

I also notice that there are several Mariner 32s in San Francisco Bay, e.g., Kathryn Grace and Unicorn. There are likely other Mariners as well. As you will see below, I live in San Rafael, in the North Bay. I would greatly welcome the opportunity to meet the owners of other Mariners, and would be thrilled to sail with them and learn their boat's characteristics. Any way I could get in touch with them would be appreciated. Mariners, and ketches in general, are brand new to me. Thanks.