” We love to take cruises around the harbors in Marblehead and Manchester-By-The-Sea, and to tie up with friends in Little Harbor and Sand Dollar Cove, where the kids will spend the entire day swimming and exploring the nearby islands.”
Blue Heaven, CW Hood 26’
Interview with the Captain – Erik Weibust & Kate Schmeckpeper
About the Boat
Why did you choose to buy a CW Hood Wasque 26?
We love the classic design, the size and layout, and the fact that she was built in Marblehead.
What other kinds of boats did you consider before buying this particular model (and how did they compare)?
We looked at all different types of boats before deciding what to buy. We really didn’t know where to start, so we worked with a broker, Sam Pollard at Sailboats Northeast, who was invaluable. He asked a few questions and quickly knew exactly what type of boat would be best for us. Nothing else we saw even came close to the Wasque 26.
How did you come to find/locate her before purchasing (and what’s the boat’s history if you know it)?
Sam sent us dozens of links to boats for sale and we just kept coming back to the Wasque 26. We found Blue Heaven (then “Tego”) in Falmouth, Maine, and drove up one weekend to look at her and immediately fell in love. According to Chris Hood, Blue Heaven is hull #12 (out of 44) and originally hailed from ‘Sconset on Nantucket. When we bought her, she only had 125 engine hours.
What features/improvements have you added or do you plan to add?
We put her right in the water last summer without doing any work so that we could maximize our time on the water and figure out what was most important for us to do in terms of improvements. This past winter we refinished all the brightwork, painted the topsides “Stars and Stripes” blue, and changed the name and hale and had them painted by hand, in goldleaf. The engine didn’t need any work, fortunately. This winter we plan to add new electronics and otherwise just maintain everything.
What are the features you like most about your boat?
She is the perfect size and layout for our family, which includes four young kids ages 3 to 11, and we love the way she looks and handles on the water.
Do you belong to a yacht club or other boating/sailing organizations?
We are members at the Dolphin Yacht Club, which is just a few blocks from our home.
What boats have you previously owned?
Blue Heaven is the first boat either of us has ever owned.
How do you typically use your boat over the summer, and where do you go?
We love to take cruises around the harbors in Marblehead and Manchester-By-The-Sea, and to tie up with friends in Little Harbor and Sand Dollar Cove, where the kids will spend the entire day swimming and exploring the nearby islands. We haven’t ventured much further quite yet, but eventually we would love to take her down to Boston.
Do you have any notable boating resources you use?
There’s no better resource than Chris Hood and his team; Sam Pollard was invaluable in finding and purchasing Blue Heaven, and we have several friends who have much more experience than we do who are always willing to lend a hand.
Do you have any advice for those looking to buy a CW Hood like yours?
Talk to Chris Hood; there’s no better resource than the man who builds them.
What’s the story behind the boat’s name?
We initially had a lot of trouble coming up with the right name. The night before we had to have a final decision (because the painter was starting the following day) we were driving to dinner in Captiva, Florida and passed a home called Blue Heaven, which reminded us of one of our favorite all time restaurants, in Key West, Florida, with the same name. Given the color we were painting her and how spending summer weekends on the water is our version of heaven, it was the perfect choice.
As an aside, we had a running joke with our neighbors and good friends Greg and Louise Wager that we were going to name her “First Chance” because they bought a Wasque 26 just a month after us and named her “Second Chance.”
CHECK IT OUT
Click the gallery below for more photos and information about Blue Heaven!
