When I bought my Monty, I had no idea of her place in the History of the 17. I also did not learn until very recently of her original name or home port. Maria Jorge, who owned her as "Halcyon" spoke of buying her in Connecticut and trailing her down to Florida. The gentleman I bought her from was in Long Island off of Fire Island. He mentioned buying her in Miami and bring her north. Somewhere along the line between Maria's ownership and my own, all her upgrades went missing. All that was left was a lonely stern light, a lot of empty screw holes, and an ugly piece of plastic over the hole where her switch panel once sat.

Now at the southern reaches of New Jersey where the water is thin and choppy, I am getting ready to embark on bringing her back to glory and upgrading even further from the work Ms. Jorge has done 20 years ago.