201 Simmons St NW
Olympia
The October 11th South Sound Sailing Society will feature Matt Steverson and Janni Petersen who are working to restore Duracell, a racing boat that circumnavigated the world.
Matt and Janni quit their jobs in 2017 as a shipwright and middle school science teacher and set sail on their 39-foot sailboat for two years. The cruise took them from Seattle south to Baja, across the Pacific to French Polynesia, North to Hawaii, and back home. They are now settled in Port Townsend where they have begun a maritime adventure of a different kind: bringing back to life the legendary racing boat, Duracell, into a comfortable and fast cruiser. With a storied past and a 25 year pause on the hard in a backyard outside of Seattle, Duracell’s story now continues with them.
Within just a week of returning from our cruise, Matt was surfing a local sailing forum when he came across a post with the title: “MIKE PLANT’S OPEN 60 ‘DURACELL’-What Next?” In the post, John, went on to say: “I love that boat. I can’t imagine a more easily handled, sea-kindly, safe, proven, shorthanded boat capable of sailing anywhere on earth.”
Matt saw this post and without a moment’s hesitation he knew he had found their next boat and the boat that he knew was worth the considerable effort it would take to get it back on the water. He always knew he wanted a big boat project, but he never dreamed he would get this particular boat.
Duracell is not just any boat. It was designed by Rodger Martin and built by Mike Plant back in the 80’s. After building it, Mike Plant sailed around the world on it twice, beating the American record, at 135 days, for circumnavigation of the planet during the first Vendee Globe. Mike Plant (and Duracell) are featured in the documentary, Coyote: The Mike Plant Story.
They are now one year in to giving this legendary race horse new life as a comfortable-and, yes, FAST-cruising home and are documenting every step of the project on their new YouTube channel: The Duracell Project.
Matt first discovered his love for sailing and boats when he was a student at The Evergreen College and spent many afternoons on Budd Inlet.
Meeting Details
The meeting will be in-person at the Olympia Yacht Club located at 201 Simmons St. NW on Oct 11. If the number of COVID-19 cases in late-September is high, we will provide a Zoom option and will send out the Zoom link via email.
Doors will open at 6:30 pm and the meeting will begin at 7:00 pm. The meeting is open to both members and non-members, so invite your crew, dock mates, neighbors, and others who are interested in sailing.
Non-OYC members may park in the parking lot on the corner of Simmons and 4th Ave, which is to the west of the Oyster House.
We hope you will join the South Sound Sailing Society for what promises to be an enjoyable evening.
Bob Butts
SSSS Program Chair