Caravelle Boat-Show Bound, in 1962 

At the London Boat Show in 1959, Freddy Heineken convinced Carlo Riva that if he wanted to design larger yachts than the typical runabouts that Riva was and remains famous for, he should only cooperate with Feadship. The name for the limited series of Riva-designed, Feadship-built yachts 'Caravelle' was unanimously decided by both parties after […]

Serena Refit 2020 

Since the sailing season in New England was becalmed by the COVID pandemic, Serena made a run down to West Palm Beach. Once there, she started her planned 10-year survey and electrical refit a couple months early. Our yacht’s arrival in Florida looked poorly timed when Tropical Storm Isaias began its trajectory up from the […]

Winter Cruising in the Islands 

Serena arrived in the Caribbean in November as deck cargo in St. Thomas, USVI. (See “Heading South, Serena Hitches a Ride.”) Once underway, she sailed east through the British Virgin Islands and across uncharacteristically placid seas to a winter home base in St. Maarten. Subsequent cruising took Serena south to St. Kitts and Nevis, and then to Antigua, farther east.

Caribbean Cruising Begins 

Serena arrived in St. Thomas by ship and soon motored east and south through the islands towards Antigua. One early stop was in Virgin Gorda's North Sound in the British Virgin Islands in a quiet anchorage in front of Prickly Pear island. When the anchor hit the sandy bottom of the sound, Serena's Caribbean cruising season was officially underway.

Heading South, Serena Hitches a Ride 

When summer ended in New England, Serena’s crew prepared her to sail for the U.S. Virgin Islands, and arranged to hitch a ride aboard the Schippersgracht of Amsterdam. The boat-toting vessel arrived in Portsmouth, R.I., on November 5th, lifted Serena high out of the water and secured her on deck. The ship was expected to make stops in Philadelphia and Freeport, Grand Bahama, before arriving just outside of Crown Bay, St. Thomas, in mid-November.