Reader Boat: DS20 "After School"

Article by Eric Van Andel

About five years ago, in my early forties, I was a beginning sailor. I bought a 15-foot dinghy to learn on and sailed it on a tiny reservoir north of Woodstock, my hometown in southwestern Ontario. After one season, I knew I wanted something a little larger. It had to be trailerable, maybe about 20 feet in length. Oh, and I wanted a fixer, and it had to be cheap. Knowing very little about sailboats, those were really my only criteria. I started looking online at used boats.

I found a 1973 DS20 in a town three hours north. It was red—and ruined. I loved it. He wanted $1500, and I offered him six. He scoffed, suggesting I purchase a canoe. I was devastated, but not as devastated as I am stubborn, so I left. A week later another red DS20 appeared online. Same year, same price, different boat, different seller. Again I make a long drive. Again, it’s perfect: bad bulkheads, sketchy sails, rough rigging, tattered trailer, and profound potential. Again, I offer the guy $600. I wince, but he’s not offended. He seems to be considering it. Now’s my chance, I think. I sweeten the deal, just a little, while pointing out its condition. He sighs, but I can see he trusts me. He knows she will sail again, and to a sailor who has had countless hours of joy on a small sailing vessel, the thought that his vessel might bring joy to another has value that is not expressed in dollars. He agrees, and it’s mine, for $750.