Where We Are Now — Beau Vrolyk on Buying ‘Mayan’

Wind in Their Sails: Death and Resurrection is a documentary is a documentary celebrating the classic yachts that have survived the ages, and the people who have dedicated their lives to maintaining them. In researching and working on the film, producer Vincent Casalaina interviewed Beau Vrolyk of the Alden schooner Mayan and Mark Sanders of the 1924 Charles Nicholson ketch Hurrica V. Both sailors shared the stories of purchasing their own piece of sailing history. Here we share Beau Vrolyk’s story about buying David Crosby’s wooden boat, Mayan.

“We had started out thinking we would buy a power boat in the Pacific Northwest. As we flew home from Seattle, I said, ‘There is no way I’m gonna be burning 30 or 40 gallons an hour just to get there a little bit sooner. If we slow down to seven knots, which is what we were ending up doing, we might as well get a sailboat!'”

“I had always wanted an Alden schooner, but I had never managed to find one, nor a wife who was willing to go along with buying one.

“We looked at 12 Alden schooners throughout Europe and the United States, and they were in various states — from great to terrible. You know, boats of that vintage have to have been rebuilt at least once or twice, or maybe three times.

“I had an offer in on a 64-ft Alden in San Diego. But during the survey, it became obvious that there were some things wrong. A good friend of mine suggested I talk to a boat builder named Wayne Ettel. I asked Wayne to come down from Los Angeles to advise me about this Alden.

“Wayne showed up in white pants and a nice collared shirt. I thought, ‘Well, he’s not going to climb around inside the boat dressed like that.’ He didn’t even go aboard. He just said, ‘I know this boat. Why don’t we go to lunch?’

“At lunch, he said, ‘You know what you’re looking for?’ I told him, ‘I’ve got four grandchildren. I want something that’ll haul kids, something that sails well enough that it’s interesting to them, but is not so exciting that it’s dangerous for little kids.’ So he said, ‘Well, this is ridiculous. Why don’t you buy David Crosby’s boat, Mayan?’ Wayne had gotten to know Mayan and therefore David because from 2003 to 2005, he had completely rebuilt the hull and deck of Mayan. So he knew the boat was rock-solid, and it still is.

“I told him, ‘I haven’t followed up on Mayan because David was asking three times what the boat was probably worth.’ Wayne said, ‘Just write David a letter with your sailing résumé attached. You might be surprised.’ He also said, ‘Send it on paper. Don’t send it electronically.’ Two days later, David called me. He said, ‘Come down to Santa Barbara and let’s talk.’

“There were a few hiccups, but the rest is history. I bought Mayan and have both cruised and raced her for many years.”

Vincent Casalaina is aiming to begin draft-editing the film in September and to complete a rough cut early next year. Until then, he will be focusing on raising the funds needed for this process to occur. To learn more about this documentary visit windintheirsailsdoc.com. To add your support to the project visit the donation page here.

Watch a video interview with Beau Vrolyk on buying Mayan here.