This is a story of turbocharged serendipity and a sailing couple whose plans to ease into empty nest suddenly went awry. 

One short afternoon sail sparked a multi-year plan. An old friend asked Tom and me, to sail his Cape Dory 25 from Tiverton to Newport in the late spring of 2020. Covid-19 restrictions were in full swing.  Our friend needed to move his boat but was hunkered down several states away and a chance for a “social distanced” adventure was a welcomed opportunity.  The familiar feeling of the wind in our sails, the lines passing through our palms, and the sound of the water along the hull awoke our unwittingly suppressed sailing addiction. I suddenly, and almost uncontrollably, blurted, “Let’s get a little classic boat.” The remaining beam reach down Narragansett Bay was spent mapping it out and a short 6 weeks later, WREN, our newly acquired 1969 Marshall 22-foot gaff-rigged catboat, was sitting on a mooring at the end of Stone Pier in Newport Harbor. End of story, right? Hardly.

You know that feeling when you need a break from the daily monotony, so you venture off the beaten path and you discover something that feels really right and you wonder why it’s not part of your everyday life? Sometimes you just dream what it would be like and sometimes, if you dream really hard, that dream turns into a reality. 

For us the dream has always been getting back to living life on the water, on a catamaran.  YachtWorld had many, and one whose price had recently dropped was looking very promising. Covid 19 made an in-person inspection impossible so, in perfect pandemic form, we hovered in front of a What’s App screen, watching the local boat broker in Grenada give a thorough virtual tour. Promising indeed, we were really gonna do this. That’s when the turbocharger kicked in and five months later, we signed a purchase and sail (grammar intended). The boat in Grenada? Nope!  We bought ZEN….again!  For those who know us, you’re smiling.

ZEN she was ours, then not, then she was back and then gone again...let me explain. After cruising the Caribbean with our 2 toddlers on ULIAD, a Kanter51 aluminum cutter, we felt a little more speed was in order. We decided an Atlantic 48 catamaran would be perfect. After seeing the sketches for Hull #2, we sent a deposit to her designer, Chris White, in 2002. Suddenly both our dads were diagnosed with cancer so, understandably, we let Zen go mid build. Five years later, Hull #2 was for sale.  Zen was now known as s/v Katzenjammer, named after a vintage cartoon strip. Remove “Ka”, remove “jammer”. ZEN. Sold. She was ours, for real this time, and she took the Burgess Family halfway around the globe. Upon return to the USA in 2011 she was sold. She had been our home for 3 years and 30,000 miles of unforgettable adventure

“ZEN’s rightful owners are the Burgesses,” was what the most recent owner said to his boat broker. Remember the Grenada boat, well, with one phone call and some quick negotiations that program was over and in October 2020, ZEN was back!. The closing docs for ZEN were signed on the front steps of Newport City Hall with the help of Kathi Dunn, our salty friend who is also a notary public 

Over the past 8 years, ZEN sat out of the water and barely used. Some upgrades were done, but a list of maintenance items are now underway, along with a mini-refit. The boat is not the only thing receiving some upgrades. The blog is slowly being transformed and reactivated. If you’re in the wanderlust club or fan of adventure, stay tuned & follow our social account. Favorite posts from our 2008-2010 global journey will be highlighted. 

ZEN has a new purpose in life, she will be our floating second home, stationed well South of the frigid North East winter weather.  This winter, she will enjoy TLC and pampering, in the summer return to Newport Harbor, then about a year from now, sail southward to the Caribbean.

The simple sail, check. The steps of City Hall, check. But cartoon strip?

So, get this… our two boats are siblings. WREN’s original owner in 1969, is none other than the Katzenjammer cartoonist for the comic strip. Full on serendipity. Needless to say, we will keep both boats in the family. ZEN will live in the tropics. And WREN will live in Newport.