1965 Pearson 28 Hard Top Express Cruiser

This was a nice, comfortable boat. The flare to the bow was so exaggerated that she was incredibly dry and it seemed the worse the seas, the nicer she rode. All glass (even the engine stringers), she was as solid as the rock of Gibraltar, and probably heavy as it as well; the single Chrysler 250 couldn't get it up on a plane without overheating. My cousin owned one with twin Chryslers; it planed very nicely. She originally came with a single Chrysler 210 hp, and was also available with twins. 6+' headroom below, and berths that even I could fit in comfortably. We kept her in Long Island Sound (Norwalk, CT) for 15 years or so, where we cruised extensively as far East as Block Island, and even made the trip West to the Big Apple and then North, all the way up the Hudson to Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain with her. We recently learned that she was reborn and lived in Texas for a while. After refitting her, and cruising around Galveston Bay, he put her up for sale in 2007, and that's when I lost track of her.

How I earned a living without doing much.

I don't think anyone but forms designers will find this the least bit interesting, but here goes anyway.

I like to think that I had the oddest job on earth during my working life. I analyzed and designed FORMS for a big, major Wall Street firm.

The forms you get. The forms you fill out. The forms you sign. If it was a FORM, I designed it. Your brokerage confirmation. Your monthly statement. Your client agreements. All the little bits of paper that departments passed among themselves to do STUFF that had to be done. I had to meet with the people who either needed (or THOUGHT they needed) or wanted the forms, listen to them try to describe what they thought they needed or wanted, and then have to understand what they REALLY wanted, or what the company REALLY needed. Then, I'd execute the design I'd create in my mind, and start the approval process. I was really good at this job. It took a thorough knowledge of my company, its products, federal regulations plus a flair for graphic design and typography. Being a bit of a nerd didn't hurt, either.

I started this career in 1969, at a firm that merged in 1980 with another Wall Street firm. At that time, I physically drew the forms by hand on a big drafting table, with the help of a parallel rule, a couple of triangles, and a set of Rapidograph pens. If I could, I drew them double size to cut the blobs and sloppiness down by 50% when they were shot in the print shop.




Patches and corrections were made with an X-Acto knife, or razor blades, a light box and white tape. Type was set on an IBM Selectric Composer (Like a Selectric typewriter, but proportional spaced letters, and 3 escapements which gave me sizes from 7 to 11 points.






Large type was set with a Varityper Headliner, a monster of a machine which set photographic type on 35 mm white photo print paper, and had a tank with photo printing chemicals. I used a WAXER, which laid a coating of wax on the back of the paper to stick it down to the mechanical. Man, THOSE WERE THE DAYS!! All that, and the forms still looked like shit, as well. I can't tell you how many times I sliced a piece of fingertip off on that light box.

Every now and then, the company would change its logo, or name, or merge with another company, and I'd have to change ALL of the company's forms (there were usually around a thousand active forms at any time). By hand. This task fell to me on an average of once every 18 months - a phenomenon that ABSOULTELY GUARANTEED my employment for 33 years. In all those years, I never had more than two people working for me and usually, it was just me and (if I were lucky) a part-timer.

In 1983, after almost 15 years of cutting and pasting, I was given an Apple LISA computer, which had the first page layout system created (by Compugraphic) for a mouse-driven WYSIWYG computer. The Macintosh came out the following year, and my first "real" Mac came a few years later in the form of a Mac II. For years I designed forms using MacDraw (a program that was GREAT for forms layout, too!) and MacDraw II. Later, FormsExpert II came along, and I was in HEAVEN!

MY LIFE WAS CHANGED.
I really enjoyed analyzing and designing forms. There's a small cadre of people who do this professionally, probably numbering under 500 in the whole country. I'd bet there aren't 1,000 in the whole WORLD! We're even organized, and have an annual symposium for and by the professionals in the field. Hmmmm. Now that I think of it, since there are so FEW of us, we really should be paid a LOT more than we get!

I think a good form design is one that leads you gently through the form without your knowing you're even working with it. The form guides your eyes and moves your pencil gently but firmly, and you don't have to guess what you're doing, what data is expected, or what's expected of you. It isn't ambiguous. It's how I earned my living.

Man, I loved that job.
After 9/11 I asked to be RIF'd, and "they" turned me down. Finally, I had to prove that my "department" (me and a part-timer) was staffed "adequately," and they were finally kind enough to let me go. "They" were afraid that things weren't covered, and immediately hired me back as a consultant. I finally left after 4 days of "consulting." Man O Man. I came, I saw, I did, I left, I wonder just what I did for 33 years to make them feel this way! I made a real good buck, and never had to eat hot dogs every night. Life was good. Like I said, Man, I LOVED that job!

old skills on a slow news day

Today I bought another 100 feet of anchor line for my little boat. The previous owner only had 100' total (of only 7/16", too) -- enough for anchoring in 15 feet of water on a calm day. The new line (1/2") came with a galvanized thimble installed, but I wanted another at the other end, so I bought a thimble, too. At the boat, I did whatever boat stuff I had to do, and sat down with the new rope and thimble. This must have been the fastest splice I've ever made, because the rope was very lightly laid. I guess it's been almost 10 years since I did any marlinspike work, and I was pleased that I still knew how. It came out quite well, too! The old line seems much tighter laid, and hard. I would have preferred to connect the two with a short splice, but a 1/2" shackle through the 2 eyes will have to do. I don't think I want to fight with that old stuff.

Edit: Summer, 2007. Screw it. I cut the thimbles off and connected the two lines with a short splice. Came out well. Never liked that old rusty thimble anyway. Picked up a 3# Northill on eBay. Overpaid, too, but it's great. I's almost New Years Eve, 2007 now. Summer seems a long way off.

Edit: March, 2011. Sold the boat. New owner very happy. Wife very happy. I have mixed emotions. Will I buy another boat? Highly unlikely. Since the M-I-L got sick, we see the need for simplifying our own lives, and clearing out extraneous things. Boats are extraneous things. We had 40 years of boating; that's enough. Time to move on. Here in New Jersey, there are plenty of party boats for a day of fishing. But my Springtimes will be boring, and I won't be able to bitch about my poor fishing skills any more. I think I'll still remain boatless.

April 2011. The boat is sold. Third boat gonzo. Will there be another? I'm trying to say NO! but, what the hell, if the right boat came along at the right price... who knows? I'm appreciating the bump in my cash flow, though, but I still have that farken' salt water coursin' thru my veins...

a dreary day

rain and rain and rain. Rain in Free Acres brings me back to my Summer days here as a kid. The beating of the drops on the roof and the darkness, accentuated by the heavy shade brings it all back.

Back in 1950, one night, we had a huge storm. Lightning and thunder, like the hammers of hell were let loose. We had an outhouse then, and my father needed to use it. He had lights strung under the eaves, and flipped 'em on, ran like hell around the bungalow, and when he returned, he was soaked. "THAT'S IT!" "NEXT YEAR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE INDOOR PLUMBING!" he yelled. And we did. In 1951, we added a john, and another room, too. From shack to mansion.

July 4th on Maryland's Eastern Shore

We had a spectacular fireworks display in the tiny town of Rock Hall on the night of July 3rd. Somehow, the town got a fighter plane flyover to start things off, and followed that with 45 minutes of nonstop pyrotechnics. In previous years, we just stood on the dock at the foot of Sharp Street, by the Waterman's Crab House, but this year we thought we'd sit on our little boat (named the T3) at her slip and hope for a good view. What a surprise! The view from the boat was unobstructed. We had a full view of the entire fireworks barge, and got to see everything better than we had hoped. Being on a boat, we also felt the rumbling beneath us.

Rock Hall, MD has a year-round population of 500 or so. This swells to 1500 in the Summer, and being a peninsula, has marinas all around it. There are over 2,000 boat slips in Rock Hall.

BOOM!

Romany Boats

The Romany was built in England in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mine was a lumbering 6 - 8 knot tub, but unbelievably good looking.



These two photos aren't publicity shots. They were taken by friend John Lindholm ca. 1972 on our trip from Norwalk to Block Island

A few of these were imported by McMichaels - a large yacht dealer in New York. My in-laws were associated with McMichaels Yacht Brokerage in Connecticut, where I bought mine new in 1971. The fourth owner completely refitted the boat to better-than-new condition.


Here's a shot from the original Romany Works in Poole, Dorset. England. They made quite a few of these beauties. The site still exists with that name, although now it's an industrial park.



In mid-December 2007. I got an eMail from the fourth owner. After 7 years of being owned by the Romany, and completely rebuilding her, she's been sold to owner #5, in Albany. I wish him (or her) good fortune with the old girl, now pushing 37 years of age. I'm sure he'll love her as much as all us former owners did.

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As good looking as the Romany was, she had some issues.
The rope was attached to the hull with copper wires running through pairs of vertical holes and then twisted together inside. On mine, they didn't seal these holes before gluing the vinyl-on-foam liner to the cabin's interior. Water on the rope followed the copper wires in and came out behind the liner, which absorbed it like a sponge. This made a mess, eventually resulting in all the liner having to be removed.

The original steering mechanism was a sprocket and chain and cable arrangement ("chain-and-wire"). Unfortunately, the sprocket was lightly attached to the steering wheel shaft with only a single set screw that loosened at very inopportune times. After being towed in by the police, I had a keyway machined in the shaft and sprocket and the problem was solved. A better arrangement would be hydraulic or Teleflex steering. The chain/cable assembly was good inasmuch as the boat came with a tiller as originally outfitted, and could be steered from the stern with the tiller. Of course, you couldn't reach the engine controls from back there. Anyone looking at one of these boats should look at the steering that's on it, and avoid the sprocket/chain arrangement if no keyway has been installed.

The 21 is NOT self bailing, either. One or two electric pumps are needed, especially if the boat has no cockpit cover. The boat came equipped with a Henderson diaphragm pump that was excellent! The boat also had an old-fashioned (and now illegal in the U.S.) through-hull overboard discharge head up forward, just aft of the chain locker. But... it was situated in such a place that your legs had to stick straight out and across a bulkhead to sit on it! So a woman couldn't sit on it, nor a man kneel in front of it! The 2 holes for the head should have been glassed up somewhere along the line. We ripped it out and simply put a Porta-Potty between the bunks; we moved it to the wheelhouse when we slept aboard. THAT worked!

We also had a 3-panel drop curtain made for the back of the wheelhouse. This is absolutely necessary if one intends to sleep aboard. Originally, the Romany came with a large cockpit cover (see the photo below).

There was a teak step on each side glassed to the inside just aft of the pilot house. The steps were small and glassed in poorly. I removed both of them and designed and made two very nice battery boxes out of 1/2" teak plywood with 1" solid teak tops. These were excellent additions, although they took up a couple of square feet of cockpit space. But the battery shelf under the engine box made a nice place for a more permanent box for tools and spare parts. I still have one of the original steps here (just the step, not the mounting block that was below it), so if you need it, make me an offer. It's 10" X 3 7/8" X 7/8" solid teak.

The original fuel tank was a 20 gallon terne-plated steel tank (lead plating over steel) across the stern. This tank has a limited life and should be replaced if still in place. There was also a nice folding teak slatted seat across the stern (in front of the tank and under the stern top deck) that folded down to give more cockpit space for fishing.

The bow rail was vinyl coated steel. This had to be replaced once it was nicked and rust started to form (Take a look at the POPEYE, below).

The cabin needs ventilation! I installed a Vent-O-Mate, but it wasn't adequate to keep the mildew down. Originally, there was a small round butterfly vent in the door -- too small for the space. We kept a spray pump filled with Clorox aboard and used it regularly. Water accumulated in the bilge below the cabin sole, and there was no limber hole in the bilge bulkhead for the water to drain aft. I put a hole in there, and also a round threaded 6" access hatch in the cabin sole between the berths so I could get to it and pump it dry with a hand bilge pump. Deck water always got under the teak between the cockpit and the cabin. Caulk-Tex was the only thing I ever found to seal the joint, but I don't believe the product is available any more. I bolted two teak rails to the bunks and cut a plywood bunk filler to fit, and had three 4" cushions made. There was plenty of sleeping room once the bunk filer was in place.
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Here's a scan of the 1971 brochure, a bit worse for wear.



































And here's the builder's certificate that came with my Romany. I think all of these boats had the same hull number, though...









They also made a 26 footer. I never saw one, except in a print ad. I thought the boat below (on a mooring, with the cockpit cover) for sale in England was a 26, but Mrs. Parsley (see the comments) stumbled on this blog and has informed us that TEMPEST was their old boat and it's indeed a 21. The original 21 RBI has 2 round ports forward, as shown in a photo (but not the drawing) in the brochure. I wondered about this here, but then learned that the Parsleys added the third portlight during their restoration (see the comments below). My thanks to Mrs. Parsley for this information.

This is the Parsley's Tempest.

And here's the POPEYE, In San Francisco











And here's one in Rhode Island, for sale 1/2010. Looks pristine!
P.S. I knew a guy named Ev Dunn who bought a Romany and moved down East. He had repowered it with a 65 hp Perkins back them. I wonder if this was HIS boat.

Sundance for sale in Dover...

and Colette for sale in Cowes...

and one with an I/O and trim tabs.

This was advertised as a Romany 30. Really?? They made a 30? It does indeed have Romany lines -- look at the bow and how the deck is angled back, and there's the groove where the rope is supposed to go, so I guess, yes. Looks like mid-1960's design.




THIS is a real Romany 31 (built 1975, and refitted/restored 1985 on.). The builder's plate calls it a 30, but it measures out to 31, I'm told. Chris LeBrocq was kind enough to send me these photos, and I'm delighted he did so. Please read his comments below. Great restoration, and the loving care really shows. Note 7/14/10... I noted that it was up for sale, and on 7/19 I got a note from Keith Hardy that he bought it -- the day after it was first listed. Keith promised to send us pics as he refits her.

And here's a real 26 for sale in June 2010:

At least the advert says Romany, but I'm not really sure. Could be, of course. Maybe the owner will find this site and email me with more information.

Here's a boat that LOOKS like a Romany but isn't. It was built of plywood by a guy who loves teak as well as Romanys! Nice
job!













You came here because you're interested in the Romany 21. Drop me a line and tell me WHY. Do you have one? Are you thinking of buying one?? C'mon. share.

Leave us a comment or share your Romany experiences here.