Grebe Yachts of the 50's and 60's

Grebe Yacht Full Moon

Hi

The Full Moon is a 65' Grebe Yacht completed in 1950. It currently charters in Boston. See fullmoonboston.com

I have crewed on it for several years and we are restoring it.

Feel free to contact me if you want additional information.

Ed

Don,
Amalia D is safe, sound and doing well. My wife and I purchased her last November and are in the process of bringing her back to her original beauty. We would love to know more about the building of her. This picture was taken by a friend of ours as we came out of the Baltimore Inner Harbor September, 2014 Regards, Chuck

Thank You! That is "Amalia D". The men that purchased her in the spring of 2013 changed her name to "Leona Mae". We purchased her in Cambridge Novermber of 2013. She is now berthed in Middle River Md. We returned her to her commissioned name of "Amalia D" and are restoring her to as close to original condition as possible.

Are you still researching the Grebe Yachts. I had the privilege of working on the Gon Waki III originally the Gallant Lady V. She was built in 1957 and was 67' overall. I have a couple pictures of her, she was gorgeous! One of my loves now is building model boats. I would love to build a model of her, but my limited photos and more limited design skills make it very daunting.
Love to hear from you,
Bill F

I found two 65 ft. Grebes recently. One is the Gon Waki III...she was renamed the "Laelannie" when she was sold to a bank president back in the 70's. She was then sold to the heir of King radio/TV in Seattle. Unfortunately, he had an untimely death when he went swimming while he was aboard her. I think she was sold again and I last heard she was in Tacoma. Beautiful vessel when she was the "Laelannie"...Just found a second Grebe "Sam's Place". She is offered for sale through Frasier Yachts in Southern California. I am not sure where she is presently moored. TM

Sam's Place is beautiful. Someplace I saw a note saying she is or was owned by Jerry Lewis. The Gon Waki III was nearly identical except she did not have the beautifully finished and enclosed aft deck area. If my memory is correct, the Laelannie burned and sank in Lake Union in the early 70s. I've attached a shot of the Gon Waki III at anchor somewhere along the inland passage to Alaska. I am still hoping to build a model of her. My biggest issue is that I can't remember the bottom design. I only saw her once out of the water. She was round bottom and only drew about 4.5' of water and rolled like crazy in a trough.

Yes Bill, I agree the aft deck was beautifully finished on "Sam's Place"...I did, however, like the aft area on the Laelannie too. I was aboard her on many fishing trips on Puget Sound and it easily accommodated a large group of anglers. My boss, a Bank CEO (now deceased) sold the Laelannie to a 24 year old man from a very wealthy Northwest family. In December 1981, he with his girlfriend anchored the yacht just off Madison Park on Lake Washington and he apparently went for a swim and drowned. His body was never recovered. Several years after this incident I remember being told the Laelannie was sold and moved to Tacoma. I still am in touch with the family of my old boss. I will telephone them today to see if they have any pictures of the bottom design. I know one of his sons ran the Laelanne aground in the Canada San Juans. I would imagine they would have pictures of her out of the water when several planks and a bent shaft were being replaced. Will let you knew if I get any further information. Terry

Hi Terry,
I sure would appreciate any photos you find. It sounds like you are from the Seattle area. My wife and I lived there all our lives. We moved to Southern New Mexico when I retired. We love the year round golf.

If you would like to get hold of me via email, my address is bfrench21@comcast.net.

Have a great day; I am off to the golf course.

Bill French

Wow, what a looker, that is an absolutely gorgeous classic look that never goes out of style, the proportions are perfect!

Hello Bill...I went through my archive of pictures and was able to find this one (see attached). This picture was on the front of my boss's Christmas card. Unfortunately I do not have the date...Would guess it to be late 70's or early 80's. My boss had 5 children...4 sons and 1 daughter. You guessed it, her name was "Laelanne". Please note there is no "i" like I had originally thought. I think this picture was taken somewhere in the Canadian San Juan Islands. I have always loved it. When you first look at it the "bow" portion of the yacht does "throw you" a little but then you realize the bow extends beyond the shadow. Anyway, I will continue to try to get you more pictures. If I remember correctly aren't you planning to do a painting of the yacht? New Mexico huh? Nice spot for unlimited golf. I lived in Palm Springs several years ago but after 6 years the "Sun" finally did me in...I have very thin, white Irish skin! Anyway Napa is a perfect location for me now. Where in Seattle did you live? Well I think I was able to get some pieces together for you. Hope I can turn up some more! My e-mail address is: [deleted, use PM] Regards, Terry

The 65' Grebe's just really had it all together on the classic lines.

Hi Terry,
What a great photo, thanks. It really brings back some memories. I'm not doing a painting. I want to build a model of her. It will be about 45" LOA for a 1/18 scale.
The difficulty of doing this from scratch is the frame layouts. There is a lot of trial and error getting the hull fair and true. I've attached a photo of one of my latest models. This is the Aphrodite. A 70' 1930 commuter yacht. She was drug out of the Florida mud and completely rebuilt. We raised out 2 daughters in the Richmond Beach area the moved to the Sammamish Plateau. Where were you?
Have a great day,
Bill

PacBlue....You have excellent taste...The classic look of the yacht is timeless!

Bill...Thank you for the picture of your "work"! WOW your model is absolutely superb. I wouldn't have ANY idea how to start such a project. Definitely Museum quality! How long does it take for you to complete such a project? Truly a labor of love...Was happy you enjoyed "the picture"'. It has always been my favorite. I am still trying to acquire some more pictures. Seeing your work has made me more determined! My Father was retired military...We had a home built in Mukilteo. I was raised around the Everett area and once I was on my own I bought a home on Capitol Hill...Always loved to be near Lake Union and Lake Washington...Spent a great deal of my time walking the docks in those areas including the locks, fisherman wharf and Shilshole where I moored a small sailboat. Very fond memories...Well thank you again for sharing...I will be in touch. Terry

Hi Terry,
Thanks for the kind words. The Aphrodite took about a year of fairly diligent work time. Again, a small world, I grew up on Capitol Hill and graduated from Garfield. During the summers I worked at Seaborn's Marina at Leschi on Lake Washington. In college I worked one summer on the Gon Waki III and one summer running boats for the YMCA Camp Orkilla on Orcas Island. I also loved to walk the docks. Any pictures you can find will certainly be appreciated. I have had no luck finding a set of Grebe plans so pictures and memory will have to do.
Bill