A Thoroughly West Coast Cat

There was a big splash in the Pacific Northwest at the end of July, as the new 65-ft O’Neill Sea Odyssey catamaran was launched at Schooner Creek Boat Works.

This is a thoroughly West Coast cat — she was drawn by the Newport Beach-based Morrelli & Melvin Design, built at Schooner Creek in Portland, Oregon (a yard that we featured in our West Coast Boat Builders series), and the boat will explore the waters of Monterey Bay. In 1996, wetsuit pioneer Jack O’Neill started a marine education program for school kids and community groups based out of Santa Cruz. In its 22 years, the O’Neill Sea Odyssey has gotten over 100,000 kids onto the water and has been a strong advocate for ocean conservation. Jack O’Neill — who passed away last year at the age of 92 — called the Sea Odyssey his "greatest accomplishment." 

In 2015, Schooner Creek founder Steve Rander sold the company to Kevin and Shauna Flanigan — this is the first cat launched under their ownership, and there are plenty more to come, including a new boat for Adventure Cat Sailing Charters here in the Bay Area. "We are excited to be part of such a great project, helping teach the public how to respect the oceans," a Schooner Creek press release said. "We also want to thank the O’Neills for having us build this amazing boat."

We look forward to seeing the new O’Neill catamaran loaded with kids and cruising Monterey Bay.