Seeking S/V Sabrina

[Adodero]

I discussed this a bit with CapnK when I first joined in July, but I figured it's time to be a little more aggressive in finding information.

This past summer, I saw some posts here that were in regards to the state of Sabrina, the Flicka 20 that Bruce Bingham used to own. The only information I have on her is from people on this board and seems to indicate she was in South Carolina a year ago.

I have been looking for her since this past summer, browsing Craigslist and forums on a regular basis, hoping she'd pop up, but nothing has shown up. I've posted ads on the local Craigslists here and there, but gotten no responses. We have the capability and desire to restore her, if we can find her and get her down here. The problem is that there is very little information on her whereabouts and I've had no leads.

If anyone has any information as to her whereabouts or can give me any guidance, please let me know!

[CapnK]

I hadn't been able to find out any more than I knew previously, which is that at last I heard/knew she was stored, perhaps in the owners yard (of his house) up in Murrells Inlet...

Prior to 10 minutes ago, because I never thought to look him up on Facebook by the one name I knew... ::) Here he is:

https://www.facebook.com/conrad.conrad.3

...and here is a pic from his FB page of Sabrina, in summer of '11. Best of luck!!!

[Adodero]

Wow! I have to admit, I didn't expect it to be that easy to find her. Here is to hoping he responds to my message :)

Will keep you guys posted!

[Kettlewell]

Neat! Best of luck. I've frequently been tempted to search out old boats I have owned, but then I realized that my memories might be better than today's reality. Sort of like seeking out that girlfriend you had in high school--could be scary!

[s/v Faith]

I met Bruce Bingham in St. Petersburg a few years ago.  I had a long conversation with him.  He was living aboard a Cape Dory 28 at the time, and we talked about a lot of things... Ok, he mostly talked.  ;D

Near the end of the conversation I mentioned having seen Sabrina at Georgetown.  The mention of the name seemed not only to upset him, but he was so disgusted with her present state the entire mood of the conversation changed.  He said he really did not what to hear about her again.

Would be really cool for that to change, if someone made her right again.

Good luck!

[Kettlewell]

I have had to learn to let go emotionally of previous boats, having bought and sold quite a few of them. It always hurts to see them, whether I have good or bad memories. I always find myself thinking, "Why did they do that to her?" One boat we sold and the new owners were very green, but also way overconfident. We were worried, and rightly so. They managed to lose the boat in a New England hurricane within a few months. Another beloved boat we heard about through the grapevine. Apparently the new owner didn't use her much and she gradually deteriorated to the point she was last seen rotting away ashore in a boatyard--I have never wanted to find out exactly what happened to her. One boat we bought old and cheap and began to restore her, but eventually sold her to someone who spent a ton of money on her, and then he subsequently sold it back to the son of the man who owned her before we bought her! Today tons of money has been lavished on her and she is worth four or five times what we paid for her eons ago, but it is still sad to see her for some reason. I'm too nostalgic I guess.

[boblamb]

Does anyone know if Bruce Bingham has a website?  I'd sure like to read or listen to him for a while.  I have long been intrigued by his "Sailor's Sketchbook," and the Lady Sabrina.

Still Blest B'yond B'lief
Bob

[s/v Faith]

He used to have an email list he sent out occasional articles on.  I had given him my address and asked to be signed up but I never was.  My buddy, who was with me when I met and talked with Bruice (who did not ask about Sabrina) was signed up and got the emails for about a year until he changed his email.

I have no idea if he still sends out the emails or not.

[Adodero]

As a quick update:

I reached out to the owner on Facebook and I got no response. I sent him a message and a friend request, neither of which got responses. Unfortunately, Facebook dumps messages from non-friends into a barely visible folder and does not send a notification regarding them, so he probably didn't see it.

I would still love to get her down here, but we just bought another boat (a Golden Gate 30). I'm sure we can make something happen if he's willing, but I more or less gave up hope of hearing from him. I will keep trying off and on, but we have to focus on our new boat for the time being. I'd still love to see it happen, though, and can probably make it work if he is willing :)

I'll update the thread from time to time and let you guys know if I hear anything from him.

[Sea Rover]

I know Bruce Bingham fairly well and used to work and sail with him. He can be pretty eccentric and most people here either love or hate him. He doesn't talk much at all about Sabrina or Flickas in general. I'm sure he's tired of living in his design's shadow. If you really want to piss him off just bring up the Fantasia 35 or the boat building industry.

I haven't ran into him in quite a while but I saw him returning from a sail a few weeks ago while I was anchored out in Gulfport, Florida. He lives anchored out in Boca Ciega Bay just outside of the main anchorage, or at least he used to. If I had a decent dinghy I'd have ran him down to say hi. As far as I know he still doesn't have a site, though he does contribute to cruising guides and magazines on a regular basis.

I hope the guy who owns Sabrina takes care of her and brings her back to prime condition. I've always loved those boats. I saw one sitting slightly neglected outside a bar in St Croix on Salt River and had to suppress a minor urge to slip the lines and take it for a quick sail. She was just begging to be set free.