Cygnus II: A Classic Yacht Who Actually Earns Her Own Keep

In the early morning hours of January 7, 2011, Mike and I were asleep in our home in upstate NY when two state troopers arrived at our front door. “Did you own a boat in North Carolina?” they asked. Our hearts sank. Our beloved and beautiful 1925 56’ Elco Flattop, Hermione, was lost in a marina fire of undetermined origin along with 28 other vessels, including several antiques. We were devastated to lose our incredible boat, but we had also booked a number of charters after three years of building the business.

Then we met Cygnus II, a custom flattop motor yacht designed by Louis Krumholz and built by the Jakobson and Peterson yard in Brooklyn, NY – also 56’ in length. After scouring the east coast from Rhode Island to Fort Lauderdale trying to replace Hermione in time for the 2011 charter season on the St. Lawrence River (short and sweet), we were convinced by a trusted broker that we had to look at Cygnus II. If another candidate hadn’t been docked on the same dock in Jacksonville, we probably wouldn’t have seen her. But once we saw Cygnus II, there was no way we could buy any other boat. The purchase was a long story, and almost didn’t happen. But it did and she’s ours. Since we lost most of our charter gear from life vests to silver serving pieces in the fire, we furnished Cygnus II for charter on the trip north from Jacksonville, in stores ranging from Pier One to flea markets to antique stores along the ICW like Beaufort, SC. Many stores along the ICW and points north take pride in their part in furnishing Cygnus II. The following summer, we did get north to the St. Lawrence River and restarted our charter business in the 1000 Islands, some of North America’s most beautiful waters, and a mecca for working wooden boats of all descriptions. Most of our friends who purchased wooden yachts when we did for the purpose of charters had already gone belly up. But we were lucky: The 1000 Islands, which spans Canadian and US borders, is at the juncture of the St. Lawrence River with Lake Ontario. Littered with beautiful islands, many of which are parks, this is a miniature version of the San Juans. But without the tides, the salt and mostly the fog. I’ve cruised from the southern windward islands to northern Maine, all through the Great Lakes and parts of the Pacific NW, and this is hard to beat.

Editor’s note: This story ran in spring 2017, while Cygnus II was finishing her rebuild. The charter business and her future are described as they stood then.

The 1000 Islands

Our charter area was a classic boaters’ niche: it was a geographically manageable and reachable market, and locals loved our boat. They had large tour boats, and the museum’s woody, but no private elegant yacht for higher end custom charters. The 1000 Islands has two major boat shows, a major classic boat museum and two castles which are extremely popular for weddings. We arrived mid season 2012, but due to a combination of PR, marketing and foot work, not to mention our floating billboard, Cygnus II was a hit from Day 1.

Unlike most charters – one size fits all group tours or extended charters, we specialized in custom cruises with finger foods and cocktails based on customers’ preference. Most of our clientele are boat owners, many who live on private islands and enjoy leaving the driving to someone else as they entertain their guests. We also do weddings, engagements, reunions … corporate events and social gatherings. Our boat becomes their boat, and they love it. No two charters are alike. The only problem we have (and one of the reasons we have so little competition) is the short duration of the season, which doesn’t truly begin until the 4th of July and ends on Labor Day Weekend, when they roll up the sidewalks and it’s time to head south to other charter venues.

An 85-year tuneup

This was our plan 2 ½ years ago, but heading across a frisky Lake Ontario (long fetch to the west), Cygnus II more or less let go. With all the bilge pumps running merrily and steadily, it was all we could do to stem the incoming tide. Fortunately at the north end of one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY, only about 55 miles from our home, there is a wooden boat restoration yard, and that’s where she’s been ever since, getting what Mike refers to as her “85 year tuneup”. With her new ribs, planks, floor timbers, stem and partially rebuilt keel, Cygnus II will be back in business this season, earning her keep once again. We’ve already begun booking charters. Unfortunately, we will probably have to sell her to recoup some of our costs. It’s been long, hard and overwhelmingly expensive, but Cygnus will be a solid, dependable vessel that should survive at least another 85 years.

About the authors

Mike Wright and I both hold 100 ton master captain licenses and between us we have well over a century of boating experience. Formerly a merchant marine with 26 roundtrips across the Atlantic, Mike is a classic yacht surveyor, delivery captain and wooden boat consultant. I recently sold my office building business, but keep more than busy writing articles for boating publications, and working with Mike to match classic wooden yachts with owners. We also provide clear eyed consulting advice to yacht publications, cruisers, brokers and prospective charter companies. We met in 2006 delivering a Trumpy from Palm Beach to Annapolis, and purchased Hermione together the following year. To say we share a passion for beautiful wooden boats would be a classic understatement. When he’s not rebuilding Cygnus II, Mike is addicted to building O scale train scenes and structures in a building that, I thought, was going to be my studio.