Brought back, piece by piece

When Paul Johnson passed in 2021 he left Cherub to Angie. But in his last years the boat had not been kept up the way she needed. The paint was gone, fittings were corroded, and the years showed everywhere. Severe delamination to the hull, water in the keel.

There was next to no budget for a boatyard refit, no crew waiting in the wings. Just one person and a boat that needed everything.

The haul out

At one point Cherub sat on the hard with her masts and rudder down and the engine pulled out. Looking at her like that, it seemed impossible that she would ever float again, let alone sail.

But that is what happened. Friends stepped in — a hand here, a part there, someone who knew about diesel engines, someone else who could restore the masts and mast steps. Piece by piece, the boat came back together.

Back in the water

Getting Cherub off the hard and back afloat was not one dramatic moment — it was months of small victories. The engine went back in. The masts went up. The rudder was rehung. One system at a time, the boat became a boat again.

By the time Cherub left the boatyard and set sail for the first time under Angie's watch, she had been rebuilt with whatever the islands could spare — and a stubbornness that matched the boat's own.

This page will grow with photos and the full story of the refit. Follow along on Instagram for the latest.