There she was—sitting across the channel, alone and rocking slightly with the current. I sat and stared at her over the course of several weekends. It wasn’t that I desperately wanted her, but she certainly had my attention. And attention is what she desperately needed. After more than thirty years on the water, her once bright, shiny yellow coat had faded to what might be best described as a shade of “Grey Poupon.”

When one contemplates buying a boat, you might think motoryacht, or skiboat. However, currently owning a Reinell speedboat and a 36-foot Bayliner, the only reasonable thing for me to do was to make this Guppy 13 mine. Bright and early Friday, May 25, 2007, I became her proud owner.

After purchasing her, I realized the first challenge was a trailer. I had a trailer for the jetski, (did I mention I also own a jetski?) but without any dimensions for the Guppy, I turned to the internet for any information I could find. I learned that trailers specifically for Guppy 13s were not available. So after a visual examination of my little Guppy, I began to modify the trailer I had. In my search for general Guppy information and trailer dimensions, I was extremely fortunate to find Cleon McClain from Oklahoma, another proud Guppy 13 owner who has been most helpful and encouraging in my renovations. He spent what I can only imagine was a substantial amount of his time to make drawings with exact measurements from all angles and views of his trailer to assist me in building mine. Cleon was a complete stranger who I now call a friend.

Within a week I completed the trailer, confident it would be a perfect fit. On Sunday, June 3, I drove to Huntington Harbour to load her on the trailer and bring her home. Like a little boy with a new toy, I drove home while plans and concepts for the transformation played out in my head. And I told myself this was a little project, with no time frame to complete her. More about that later.

Arriving safely back at home, I couldn’t wait to get started. As I mentioned, she was weathered, but I was determined to restore the charm and character of a beautiful little sailboat. I stripped her down, removing all the hardware, the rudder, the portholes, the mast and sails. Every screw, nut, hinge and cleat carefully laid out and cataloged to see what I could use.

With a counter full of parts, I paused momentarily to reflect on the task. I have always had the opinion there was no job too big or too small. But now I had to figure out what parts I would be able to clean and use, versus which I would need to replace. Remember, I kept telling myself and Gina, there was no need to hurry in bringing this project to an end. But I couldn’t wait to see this Guppy with a facelift, and pull up her sails once again.

I raced home every day after work to do as much as possible before the sun went down. With a brief stop for dinner, I quickly returned to the garage and worked until it was pitch dark outside. At times, the only light I had to work by inside the cabin came from a camp lantern. The cabin itself was a bare shell. First, I replaced the compression post with a new, more sleek looking one. Then I decided to install a piece of carpet on the floor and line the port and starboard sides with padded vinyl. At the bow I secured a board covered with the same padded vinyl and had it embroidered, Guppy 13. To class her up a bit more, I made custom seats for the cockpit seating area using the same embroidered vinyl.

Night after night over the next several weeks and weekends, I would be found in my garage aboard Gina Jo. The quiet brushing while sanding, the fumes from the thinners and the smell of the paints, oddly enough, put a smile on my face. I knew I’d ultimately reach my goal of completing her and putting her on the water. I must add that when taking on a project like this, or any for that matter, there is a greater peace and enjoyment when you have the support and encouragement of your First Mate. I mentioned I had no time frame for renovating this Guppy. The reason was this—my idea is to have her sitting on a private lake where I plan to build a home. Right now I have the lot, and first things first—you know—the Captain must have his vessel to be aboard while he builds his house. I expect to start construction next year.

Back to the job at hand. After three coats of primer and six coats of red perfection, she began to take on a new appearance. I repaired the porthole covers and installed new plexiglass. After sanding the original rudder to a smooth finish, I determined the teak was in great condition and I’d be able to save the rudder as well. After several coats of epoxy, it too looked brand new. Final touches included varnished trim pieces on the outside of the cabin entry and 2-inch accent white striping around the top of the hull. The last step was to order a new mainsail. After giving Gina Jo a final once over, I announced to Gina, “Here she is—ready to sail.”

To mark the end of the project and the beginning of a new adventure, we prepared Gina Jo for sailing. With life jackets and a picnic basket aboard, we launched Saturday, September 15, at Huntington Harbour. We didn’t have any sustained winds, but we enjoyed a quiet sail in some gentle afternoon breezes. •SCA•

Captain E. Diedrich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1958 and moved to Southern California in 1978. He has enjoyed boating for over 25 years and has owned four boats, including a 34 ft. Trojan, a 36 ft. Bayliner, a 19 ft. Reinell and the fabulous 13 ft. Guppy, GINA JO.