How many of us out there think that owning and running an open boat is the dream job? Being on the water, soaking up the sun, and taking people fishing every day sounds great, but the reality is that uncontrollable factors like weather, fishing regulations and unfair competition from neighboring states all have a say in your destiny. And then there are times like this.
AN OPEN LETTER FROM CAPT. DESI O’SULLIVAN
I wasn’t sure if I should share publicly about what has occurred with our boat this winter but now that our fluke season has been delayed, many are asking questions. What happened to the Celtic Quest IV? Sometimes heartbreaking events occur. We are challenged to reach within ourselves to seek understanding and acceptance. This winter was one of those times for us. We were blindsided by a shocking act of vandalism which has had exhausting and expensive repercussions. All I can say is, thank goodness for the love of friends and family to get us through.
The winter started out with a laborious construction project on the Celtic Quest IV, which we had been planning for two years. This entailed a total rebuild of a section of the waste/bulwark – an area that had become worn from the constant pounding against the dock over the years. That alone would have been a massive project to handle – entailing untold hours of carpentry, fiberglass and epoxy work, sanding, fairing and painting. We began the project in earnest as planned. The crew rallied together, as they always do, to make sure we were able to complete this complicated project in time for the season.
About a month into our project, the unthinkable occurred. I got a phone call from our amazing mechanic Captain Jared telling me that something devastating had happened to the CQ IV. We learned that over the winter someone had broken in to the boat. They completely sabotaged one of our engines and transmissions by filling them with sand, rocks and seawater. Though the act was simple, the damage was so extensive that there was no way to save them.
Upon hearing the news, my heart just sank. I didn’t really know what to feel. Never in all my life have I, nor my company had such hate directed towards us. It is a dark and bewildering event. Though we have wracked our brains, we cannot fathom who would commit such a callous, cowardly act. It was exacted with complete disregard for the innocent people affected. This has impacted our customers as well as the livelihood of our crew and our families.
The police continue to investigate, but to date they have not found those who did this to us. We can only hope that one day the truth will surface. Though it was tempting to fall into a spiral of anger and suspicion, the situation ahead was so overwhelming that we had no choice but to just soldier on and pray we could finish repairs in time for our opening day.
And so the repair project began. After the initial wallop of discovering that our engine was destroyed, there came a secondary blow of realizing that most of the painstaking carpentry we had spent all winter on would have to be completely dismantled. All those hours of work from my crew just evaporated. The only way to remove a 3,500-pound engine is with a crane through the top of the boat. We had to cut a 6 foot by 12 foot hole in the top deck, take down the ceiling in the cabin (including the lights and wiring), cut all the roof rafters, and even remove the wheelhouse. We had to take out the freshly installed dinettes and rip up the new floor. Then we had to cut a hole above the engine room, dismantle the engine, disconnect all the wiring and plumbing, and crane the engine and transmission out of the boat.
Thank goodness we had our fantastic mechanic Jared (who many of you know is also a captain with us). The mechanics from our shipyard, Shellfish Marine in Sayville, also worked tirelessly to handle this task and crane the engine and transmission out safely. My crew and I, along with our great customer Bill Adesso, (who is a highly skilled carpenter and craftsman) all stepped up to make it happen. This heart-warming team effort was invaluable and a much appreciated contrast to the cruelty that caused the situation.
It seemed that luck was on our side when we located a reputable dealer who could have a 1271 Detroit diesel built and sent to us within two weeks .We also found a mechanic to rebuild the transmission, but he was way up in Maine. God bless Captain Chris who went above and beyond and drove the tranny all the way to Maine just to ensure that we would get it back in time (One of the countless gestures from my amazing devoted crew who rallied to do whatever it takes to get this issue fixed!).
We still had the starboard side of the boat all cut apart in the midst of all this debacle. In addition, we still had to do all the normal annual maintenance of the boat – sanding and painting from top to bottom, fixing all the odds and ends that you always have, cleaning up all the compartments, readying the boat for Coast Guard inspection etc. Thankfully we had a few good breaks of sunny weather which allowed us to really move along.
Bill Addesso was total aces, saving us countless time with the carpentry. He helped us fit and install much of the wood, built us an entire new mahogany cap rail, fit a whole new rub rail, and guided us on many other projects along the way. Another great customer and friend, John Grynn, jumped in as well to help with all the painting which came out great. We are so grateful to him. My crew, Captain Mark, and Captain Chris all worked their fingers to the bones to pull this off. It was an exhausting whirlwind, but somehow we managed to get everything done before the new engine came.
With little over a week to go till opening day, we exhaled with relief as the guys from Shellfish Marine craned the new engine into the boat. The transmission, freshly back from Maine, was then lowered down and bolted to the back of the engine. Jared and the mechanics began expertly reassembling the beguiling amount of parts that needed to be connected before running the engine. My crew and I, along with Bill, jammed for several solid days. Somehow we defied the odds and completed all the carpentry, fiberglass work, new flooring, and dinettes. We painted all the surfaces and miraculously had the boat ready with only a few days to spare to make our season.
We did it! When the endless tasks were completed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. We headed home that day feeling victorious and desperately in need of rest.
I so badly wish the story ended here. Sadly though, things took a turn for the worse.
Later that night, I was home trying to recuperate when Jared called. While running some tests, Jared found that the new engine had fatal issues from the manufacturing. He informed me that it was just a matter of time before this engine would completely break down. It had to be removed again. This means that ALL of our work had to be undone and redone. Again. You can’t imagine our heartbreak. All of our painstaking work, our exhausting hours, our heroic triumph and our hopes just evaporated. It was too staggering to wrap my brain around. What was going on?
I cannot express enough gratitude to my loyal crew. They dutifully reconvened the next morning at the shipyard with no choice but to cut apart the boat again, slowly destroying all the beautiful work everyone had done only days before. We thought we would be resting and celebrating, but instead we were back to square one. I wish I had a happy ending for this story. I know we will eventually. But currently this is where we are. This is why we had to delay our season. Right now the boat has holes in the roof and floor. We are awaiting the arrival of our new engine for the second time. If all goes well, we hope to be back within a short time. Please keep us in your prayers and cross your fingers.
I know many of you were so excited for the fluke fishing out of Mattituck and are disappointed that we had to delay our trips. Trust us, we were too. It’s a bummer. We did everything in our power to make it happen for opening day. Doubtless, despite the demoralizing turn of events, we will get the CQ back out there running better than ever!
In closing, I speak from heart in saying that this hardship has reminded me once again that there is always a silver lining.
There are moments when my mind wants to get the best of me and focus on how unjust, unnecessary and hateful this whole ordeal has been. My anchor has been to remember how many incredible people I am surrounded by. I am so humbled by how many of you truly care about me, my family, my crew and our company. How blessed we are for that. I can’t thank you all enough, each and every one of you!
Especially I would like to send sincerest gratitude to:
Our Captains Chris, Mark and Jared who worked day after day after day after day. Their unwavering loyalty and dedication are incredible. How lucky I am to have them by my side, running this company. I simply could not imagine doing it without them. Our deckhands Nicole, Finn, John, Ryan, Donald, as well as Jim, Mike and Brian, the gang from the Laura Lee, for the endless hours of cleaning, sanding and painting. Bernadette and our terrific office staff who worked so hard to hold down the business for us while we were consumed with the shipyard follies. Bill Addesso, our great customer and friend who gave up countless days of his time to support us. We couldn’t have done it without Bill! John Grynn who showed up day after day to paint. What a tremendous help! Chuck Ladenheim, another great friend and customer who thoughtfully brought us all down a satisfying lunch when we most needed a boost. Nothing like hot food on a cold day. Shellfish Marine and John Eberhardt for their dedication and incredible expertise. They are the best in the industry and we are so lucky to have their support year after year.
Lastly, I want to thank all of you too, our amazing CQ Family who have shown us such kindness and support. You lifted us up in our darkest hours. We appreciate you more than you will ever know!
Thanks to this marvelous community, we will get through this ordeal. One of these days very soon we will be back out on the water again. We look forward to seeing you there.
God Bless you my friends. I love you all!
