Schooner, 65-year-old owner finish 1,700-mile maiden voyage

FRIENDSHIP – The maiden voyage of a replica of a 19th century schooner came to a successful end on Sunday when it sailed into harbor after a 1,700-mile trip that began last month in Florida.

The S.S. Grace is a replica of a San Juan island schooner and was built by John Rynne, who is from Oakland and has a winter home in Naples, Fla. For the 65-year-old Rynne, the trip was a personal triumph after surviving cancer and spending 21/2 years building the 47-foot boat.

Rynne made the 23-day trip with Bath native Jim Knight, 33, and 29-year-old Aaron Benbow of Wenatchee, Wash. When they got to shore, one of them got a trumpet and played “Amazing Grace.”

“We had the time of our life,” Rynne said. “I’m elated.”

The voyage didn’t come about without a struggle.

When he started planning the boat, Rynne didn’t have the money or the expertise to complete the job.

But, he said, whenever it looked like his plans would fall apart, a friend would chip in or good fortune would turn his way. That was how the Grace got built, he said, and why Rynne named it so.

For the sail itself, the crew faced inhospitable weather, a leak and engine failure. At one point early in the trip, a crewman quit amid doubts about the seaworthiness of the schooner.

“She’s a fair sailor – not great, but fair,” Rynne said. “Under certain conditions, she’s excellent. That’s what happens with these old designs that are reproduced. We’re going to be modifying and perfecting for another year.”

A small group of friends gathered in Friendship to welcome him home.

Among them was Ray Loubier of Winslow, who helped rewrite the boat’s plans and donated stainless steel hardware, and Norman and Elaine Poulin of Waterville, who contributed a blue spruce tree from their property that became the boat’s booms and spars.