The sailing yacht, Butcher Boy of 1902, is more than San Diego’s oldest yacht. It’s also the oldest working watercraft, a veteran of the first Lipton Cup Race, and a storied flagship of San Diego Yacht Club.
Having said all that, when you look at it as it sits now…you’d wonder. It’s in pieces. Literally.
That’s because the Maritime Museum of San Diego is preparing for a complete restoration. They will return Butcher Boy to her sailing condition.
This restoration is undertaken as a public exhibition and educational project the Museum’s former San Salvador build site.
Butcher Boy was commissioned in 1902 to be the fastest thing on water. She needed to be. Before the bay had its deep-water channel, large ships coming into San Diego were often forced by their draft to anchor outside the bay in Coronado.
Servicing these ships required a fast, seaworthy boat to make daily runs from the downtown waterfront. Butcher Boy was designed based on the Columbia River fishing vessels and served as a sailing delivery platform. She took supplies to those ships anchored in the harbor. She was also attractive enough and fast enough for yachtsmen to charter her for weekend races.
One day…she’ll look as good as she did in 1902. With a few modifications, of course