CHEERS
Flag: Canada
Homeport: Maders Cove, Nova Scotia - Lahave River Yacht Club
Rig: Marconi Schooner
LOA: 37 ft
LOD: 33 ft
LWL: 26 ft
Beam: 9 ft
Draft: 4 ft 5"
Built: Bart, Fran, Brian and Liam Shea Bridgewater, Nova Scotia - 1983-1986
Designer: Bart Shea
Have you ever had neighbours who started to build the sailing craft of their dreams. Well here’s just such a case. This one happened in Bridgewater. Bart and Fran Shea and their sons Liam & Brian spent the winters of 1983-86 building a schooner named CHEERS. The design is theirs, from half-model to finished product.
Close friend and mentor David Stevens who probably tried to convince the Sheas to forget the “double ender” design, was their telephone mentor. The trees that would become a schooner were selected from the South Mountain near Springfield in the company of Mr. Stevens who always believed a schooner deserved the best. He also watched over the lofting, lead keel pour, steaming of timbers and of course the launch
CHEERS has much of her standing rigging and ironwork from schooner Abegail, once owned by Ted Lane, a founding member of the NSSA. Since her launching in 1986, CHEERS has performed very well, much to the chagrin of schooner owners with longer vessels.
CHEERS!!!