Sailing with Spirit

There are lots of treasures scattered among our monthly Classy Classifieds. As you look through the boats, you find each has a story and heritage, as well as a future waiting to happen.

While looking through the ads this past month, we noted one of the Bay Area’s most traveled and storied boats is up for sail. If her hull could talk you’d have stories to last several lifetimes. Built for George Kiskaddon Sr. in 1960, the wood 33-ft Sparkman and Stephens Spirit is now for sale (despite the pun in the ad) by his son George and former crew, who’ve owned her for the past five years.

Spirit was possibly the first Northern California boat to race in Europe, and was sailed by folks like Doug Peterson, Ron Holland, Tom Wylie, Derek Baylis, Robert Flowerman, Gary Mull and Bill Green. In the 60s she was sailed engineless to the East Coast and in the Transatlantic Race. Later racing with George Sr. and Jr., 11 year old brother John, Doug Peterson, Jim Leech and Ron Holland the boat did the 1970 Tahiti race before going on to New Zealand! Since then, and under many owners, including Bay Area legend Peter Sutter, she sailed countless more miles around the planet. 

You might have spotted Spirit in our October classifieds in the middle of page 137. You can also check out some photos here, or see her at her berth in Richmond. 

George says she has plenty more miles to sail on the Bay, or to follow in the wake of her many earlier exploits.