Hosted by Maynard Bray, Co-Founder of OCH
Part III of this story ended with KALMIA and the Bakers heading home after wintering in the Bahamas. Here, we conclude this incredible story of how a young couple, working alone, transformed a mud-soaked, near-dericlict into a glorious and useable yacht. For those of you who missed the first three parts, here’s a repeat of the introduction to help you make sense of what follows:
If you love small boats, surely you’ve heard about the late Robert H. Baker who loved them too, having designed, built, and restored a great number of them. But, between 1962 and 1968, he and his partner Anne enjoyed a remarkable affair with the grand old 83-foot motor yacht KALMIA. The following is excerpted from Anne Baker’s yet-to-be-published book Robert H. Baker – A Legend in Small Craft which the Baker’s daughter Sarah graciously offered to us, along with the remaining parts of the KALMIA story, feeling that OCH members would enjoy the yarn and be inspired by it as well. It’s a perfect example of what passion, elbow grease, good taste, and a bit of derring-do can achieve. We’ll keep posting, a piece at a time, until you get the entire story.
Bob Baker died in 1983 and Anne (aka Pete) in 2011, both leaving behind an enviable record of restored old boats (Bob) and old houses (Anne). In her 2003 book Collecting Houses: 17th Century Houses – 20th Century Adventure, Anne describes her life in houses. She was able to chronicle Bob’s life in boats, too, but not get it published. KALMIA is but a small part of that book that Sarah is moving forward on.
Here is the conclusion (Part IV) of Anne Baker’s story of KALMIA:
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Roger Johnson says:
Such an amazing story. And such a sad ending. I’m looking forward to the book.
It would be great if you guys could communicate to us when the book is out, and ready to purchase.
John Hooge says:
So many possible responses to such a wonderful story but with a sad ending. What an incredible amount of imagination, hard work, and perseverance it took to save Kalmia. Without Bob and Anne, she would have been lost much earlier. Bob, Anne and Sarah’s lives were obviously greatly enriched by the restoration of Kalmia. And it sounds like Bob and Anne accomplished so much more in their work with old houses and other boats. They must have enhanced the lives of many others. All we can do is use the time we have well and I’d say Bob and Anne certainly did that. Very interesting and inspirational. Thank you Sarah and Maynard for sharing this.
Ben Mendlowitz says:
This a great four part story, not to be missed! Thanks Sarah for letting OCH share it, and thanks to Maynard for pulling the posting together.
Sarah Baker says:
Thank you Maynard and OffCenterHarbor.com for hosting and offering the story of Kalmia to your readers. It is wonderful to see to response from readers. I know my mother would be pleased to know the story is well received.
Sarah