Ninety-year-old BERNICE came to Rockport Marine for a complete restoration. After many years of racing, then cruising, she needed some new frames, planking, deck and interior. She was restored for a family of four, and the focus was on classic good looks and comfort.
The Hodgdon yard of East Boothbay, Maine launched the 55-foot “P-class” gaff-rigged sloop in 1916. BERNICE was designed by George Owen, a contemporary of Nathaniel Herreshoff. Owen was known for producing consistently excellent racing yachts, and for his work developing rating systems.
BERNICE is considered to be the last remaining Owen designed P-class boat. She sailed only a few years in the salt water of the east coast before moving to the Great Lakes. In the late 1920s or early 1930s she was re-rigged to a fractional marconi yawl and an engine was installed to facilitate cruising.