Courtesy of Ian Weedman (both)
Left—The Thomas Gillmer–designed Blue Moon cutter TANSY LEE is hauled out at Sea Marine in Port Townsend, Washington. Right—Guided by friends including Lin and Larry Pardey, Mike Anderson built a marconi cutter rig instead of the gaff yawl that designer Thomas Gillmer had drawn for the 22′10″ LOA boat.
After spending $1,800 for a neglected bare hull at auction in 1983, Mike Anderson—with help from many relatives and friends, including sailors Lin and Larry Pardey and designers Robert Dorris and Lyle Hess—spent the next three years finishing it. The hull, built to Thomas Gillmer’s Blue Moon design, had been started by Grant Anderson (no relation), then abandoned. Mike ended up having to construct the modified deck layout, build the spectacular interior from scratch, install systems, and make up new spars, rigging, sails, and a whole lot more.