Varua’s restoration story began when Brian Larkin was talking with a longtime client of Brooklin Boat Yard. The subject of making a change to the client’s small fleet of boats came up. The client was contemplating the idea of consolidating two sailboats, those being Katrinka and Vixen, and transitioning to one boat that would be easier to handle for one sailor. Brian recommended a boat he knew about down in Chatham, Massachusetts. "She's about to be cut up, but you could save her," Brian told our client.

Will Sturdy, BBY's Chief Designer, joined our client on a drive down to Chatham to have a look, and they were pleased with what they saw. "She was in remarkable condition," Will said. The boat had been abandoned by a client of the Chatham yard, and she'd been sitting on the hard for years. It appeared they had arrived just in time. Our client decided to take on the project of restoring her, and so his downsizing venture began.

(Katrinka and Vixen are available for sale here.)

The vessel, named Varua, arrived at the shop, and our boatbuilders got to work. The owner said about the scope, "This isn't a full restoration like we did on the other two. We are aiming to fix structural issues, but she's in remarkably good shape!" Additionally, Varua's owner was adamant about maintaining the boat's patina. "In many areas, we aren't replacing old with new. I want to keep the patina." A stroke of luck was that the previous owner had purchased all new sails before he left the boat sitting on the hard in Chatham, so there were new sails to be broken in when the restoration was complete. Still, the owner and the BBY design team assessed the deck plan and came up with a simple sail plan that includes a smaller headsail.

Varua was built in 1951 by a captain in the Royal Canadian Navy named Jack Braidwood who was a passionate sailor and racer. After racing a six-meter on Lake Ontario, Braidwood decided he wanted a boat of his own, but he wanted a boat that "had the length of a six-meter and the beam of an eight-meter." He built Varua in 1951 and named her after the Tahitian word for "spirit," inspired by his travels to that part of the world on a schooner.

Another interesting part of Varua's history? She was featured in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, and the two stars signed the cabin ceiling. The owner says he'll leave that surprise addition there; it'll serve as a nice conversation starter, to be sure!