Skookum Traveler: Cayucos

The spot on the ranch where Destiner was built.

The last sailboat my dad built was Tiare o te Moana, a 50-foot ketch, for a couple in San Luis Obispo County in the mid-1970s. I’d tracked them down while researching Dad’s boats and arranged to meet them after sending Dad’s ashes out to sea (below). They were no longer a married unit, so I first caught up with Margaret who still lived near Morro Bay. She was going to help me find the ranch where Dad and Clarice built Destiner. We planned to meet late morning on May 3^rd.

I had some time to kill before our rendezvous and grabbed breakfast at The Coffee Pot, a great little spot on the waterfront, which I’m certain Dad and Clarice would have frequented back in the ‘60s. From there, I drove over to Atascadero to meet Margaret. We had a most excellent day together, with some surprising turns. But this also happens to be a key part of the story of Destiner, and since I’m about to finish a book about my long search for the schooner, I don’t want to give too much away to my friends quite yet. I will say, however, that we found the ranch where Destiner was built—on the same day that Jenny and Russel helped me say goodbye to Dad. It was a great pleasure meeting Margaret, who just happens to be a fabulous quilter as well. She told me stories about the Wilcoxes and what things were like at Morro Bay a half century ago. She also gave me a picture of my dad that I’d never seen before. And she told me stories about Tiare. Her ex, Warner, still had the sailboat and I would visit him in Santa Barbara the next day.

We enjoyed a late lunch before I dropped Margaret at home. I wanted to see the place where Tiare had been launched in 1975 and made the scenic drive over to Port San Luis. It looked very much like what I’d seen in the photos from the launch. Even the giant wheeled lift seemed to be the same. A raft of sea lions nearby barked like a welcoming committee.