A few weeks ago, Mike offered an old brochure he had found for the Pied Piper 28 Mark III built by Liberty yachts in Leland, NC (outside of Wilmington). I quickly responded and Mike kindly sent it to me. I scanned it and added to my photo collection on Rosebud - see the link below.

I really appreciated getting this brochure since I was closely involved in the evolution of the Mark III design. I had stars in my eyes when I began the search for my dreamboat. I was going to build my own 75' schooner and sail off into the Pacific; Adventures in Paradise. Practicality kept whittling the dream down until I decided to purchase a hull from Liberty Yachts near where I worked. The builder, Ron Mercer, proposed that we work together with a designer, Wayne Canning, to develop a new deck design. The result was the Mark III. I think he managed to sell only five more after mine. A base price of $47,500 was a lot for a 28 footer in those days and it probably total out more like $70,000 when complete.

Ron let me finish the boat in his yard with a lot of help from him and Raeford. I put $45,000 in the hull, deck, equipment and materials plus six months of my own labor. She turned out beautifully and I enjoyed three years of cruising the east coast, the Keys and the Bahamas. I met Victoria while in Key West and we enjoyed our first year together on Rosebud.

Later, during another period in my life, I sold her; a move I sometimes regret. Hmm, I just had an image of my last whispering breath... Rosebud.