The Louison-Callahan family is excited to introduce to BHYC the new boat they purchased this fall, in Wrightsville Beach North Carolina. The ‘LUCY’ is a 37’ classic fly bridge sport fisherman built in Havana, Cuba in 1960. Built of Cuban Mahogany and sheathed in fiberglass, the boat has undergone a complete rebuild and restoration, including new twin Yanmar 315hp diesels, a Northern Lights genset, new electronics, holding tank and top to bottom cosmetics.

Known as a Cubavich, only 13 boats were built in the late 50’s – 60’s before the Cuban revolution. At the time, Havana was a prime destination for American sport fishermen. In West Palm Beach the Rybovich Yard was building highly sought after sport fishermen boats. In Havana, there was an American businessman named Howard Anderson who didn’t want to wait the two years for a Rybovich to be built. So, during a tournament in which one of the Rybovichs was on the dock and the owner otherwise distracted, the boat was hauled under cover of darkness, all its lines and dimensions copied, and the boat put back in the water with the owner no wiser. The local yard then built an exact duplicate with Cuban craftsmen. Thirteen boats were ultimately built with some design changes creeping in to respond to local conditions. Because of their design origins, they came to be known as ‘Cubavichs’. Most are practically indistinguishable from their Rybovich cousins.

All of the boats made it over to Florida before and soon after the revolution. Unfortunately, Anderson was arrested by Fidel Castro and executed as a CIA spy.

The LUCY was rebuilt in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. She has been in the water all winter as work has progressed and the family has periodically gone to visit and get acclimated to the boat.

Current plans are for her to come North in early May via the ICW stopping in Boston before coming home to Boothbay.

Submitted by Douglas Louison