RPCV Jaime Canfield has started The Golden Ball Project, a program to restore the wooden yacht into a charter boat to teach sailing and learn about the natural environments along Florida's coast
Boat owner eager to see project sail
CARL MARIO NUDI
Herald Staff Writer
CORTEZ - She could help him fulfill his dream.
When Jaime Canfield saw an article in the WoodenBoat magazine about a one-of-a-kind ketch, he knew it was the one.
The Golden Ball, a 46-foot, 6-inch sailboat, was featured in "Save a Classic," a monthly column in the October issue of the magazine for wood boat sailing enthusiasts.
"I got to have that boat," Canfield said of his reaction to the article that described a sailing vessel that drafts only two feet and was designed to explore the nooks and crannies of the Florida coast.
Having spent time working with youth, the real estate broker dreamed of using a sailboat as a vocational teaching tool.
Reading about the Golden Ball, he saw an opportunity to make that dream a reality.
"I was working for the Outward Bound program (in eastern Manatee County) at the time," Canfield said, "and thought it would be a perfect project for kids."
When he called about purchasing the boat, 30 other people already had inquired about it, he said.
"People from South Africa and Newfoundland were asking about it," Canfield said. "It was built for the Gulf Coast. I couldn't let it go to any place else."
To own the Golden Ball was like an obsession for Canfield, said his wife, Robin.
They spent a day in the Florida Keys looking at the boat, and a week later they owned it.
"He's so in love with that boat," Robin Canfield said. "It's like having a mistress to compete with."
She said her husband has great plans for the 42-year-old boat.
"He's worked so hard with organizations to get the project going."
Restored for teaching
The Golden Ball made it to the Outward Bound campus in Myakka City, but the wilderness program for delinquent youth was discontinued before Canfield could get the educational project started.
Now the one-time Peace Corps volunteer has started The Golden Ball Project, a program to restore the wooden yacht into a charter boat to teach sailing and learn about the natural environments along Florida's coast.
Canfield had the Golden Ball taken to a Cortez marina last week, where he plans to begin restoration.
"The Golden Ball Project is one of the most exciting things to happen," said Roger Allen, director of the Florida Gulf Coast Maritime Museum at Cortez. "It's a famous yacht designed by a famous marine architect."
The combination of the seafaring traditions of the village and the plans to conduct educational nature charters is a perfect match for Cortez, Allen said.
About 30 percent of the wood needs to be replaced, and Canfield expects to have the restoration completed by the fall of 2005.
All the inside cabinets and cabin furniture were removed, and replicas of the original design will be installed.
Canfield has been in contact with youth and boating organizations, such as the Manatee High School Key Club and the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, to become involved with the restoration of the Golden Ball.
Those volunteering in the restoration will earn credits toward charter trips.
"Whether it be a sunset sail, a full day cruise to Egmont Key or Cayo Costa or overnights into the Everglades or the Dry Tortugas, the Golden Ball will honor those who bring her back to life . . . ," Canfield wrote in the project fact sheet.
Raised around boats
The Connecticut native was raised around boats. As a child during the summers, Canfield and his family lived on an island off the coast.
"Then in 1960, my family moved to St. Croix (Virgin Islands), and I got a job at the Buckeye Underwater National Park as first mate on a touring catamaran," he said.
With a degree in Latin American history from the University of North Carolina, Canfield moved between working with young people as a teacher, athletic director and coach, along with marine-related careers. In his 20s, he owned a company that restored boats.
He moved to Miami in 1992 and got into real estate, then moved to Manatee County in 2000 and opened his real estate firm, The Florida Realty Group, in Palmetto.
While in Miami he kept his hand in boating by building a couple of wooden boats from scratch.
The Canfields have a 28-year-old son, Joshua, who followed his father's footsteps and is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, and a daughter, Zoe, 22, who is will graduate from Florida State University this year.
"Living with Jaime is always an adventure," said Robin, who said she looks forward to sailing in the Golden Ball "as long as I can come home again."
MORE INFORMATION
For more information on The Golden Ball Project call Jamie Canfield at 722-4000.
THE GOLDEN BALL'S HISTORY
The Golden Ball, a 46-foot, 6-inch boat built in 1962, was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff. The design evolved from the fictitious Tranquillo that Herreshoff wrote about in his book, "The Compleat Cruiser." The name Golden Ball, according to current owner Jamie Canfield, refers to a story by the original owner, known only as Mr. Gibbs, whose father was a clipper boat captain, sailing the China to America trade route in the 19th century.
"When the owner of the clipper ship was on board," Canfield said Mr. Gibbs told him, "the crew would hoist a golden ball up the mast."
Carl Mario Nudi, government reporter covering the islands and Cortez village, can be reached at 745-7027 or at cnudi@bradentonherald.com.
