Bill Siebert wanted to use the Pious Puffin II as a charter yacht, but the U.S. does not permit boats with foreign built hulls to be used for charter. However, since the Pious Puffin had supposedly been owned by the Secretary of the Navy, Siebert attempted to pass a Bill through Congress, "Private Bill; To permit the vessel Pious Puffin to be documented for use in the coastwise trade." (H.R.2522 1/18/73 - scroll down to find it) to waive the restriction. It failed when further investigation found that James had already died by the time his wife had purchased the vessel.
A number of friends and relatives of the Sieberts have sent stories:
We had some memorable times on board her. She was like a living being that took care of us in so many ways. My Dad and his 2nd wife Pat got married on the poop deck. He was living on the boat at the time and they stayed on board for a while after they got married.
When I first saw her, the Puffin was docked at a marina in Kinsale, on the Yeocomico River in Virginia. We sailed her to Norfolk to have new sails fitted, then later on to Richmond where she stayed tied up in the city locks (she was too big to go into the canal).
Since the early 90’s, when the Internet as we know it came into existence, I’ve also searched for something – anything – about the Pious Puffin. (I’ve been a computer consultant since the late ‘80s). It was just this past October that I found anything at all – that was your site.
Finding your site spurred me to continue the search for that album. After about a week, I chanced upon the details for the ‘right one’, which was issued in 1962 by Polydor in Germany. A short time after that, I found a copy in very good condition (via the web, of course), in a rare-records shop in Canada. The memories evoked from hearing those songs again! It seemed the perfect music by which to sail the Puffin.
John Anderson, who also shares these photos.
Here’s a couple of sites with the music: The original album and sound clips of some of the tracks.
I was a young child, probably only 10 or 11 years old. The boat at the time was docked in Jacksonville, FL. We spent the whole Christmas vacation traveling around that area, seemed everywhere we went, some sort of disaster befell us or those around us. Crazy things like being docked at a small resort and plugging in on New Years Eve and causing the place to loose all power because we drew to much amperage and blew the circuits. I can tell you the restaurant was not happy with us. The next morning they where out there yell at us and of course it would be low tide and the boat was stuck in a sand spit. I remember all of us pulling on ropes trying to slide her off so we could get away from the irate cooks.
Christmas was so fun though, we put a small tree in the lounge, spent many hours string popcorn and cranberries. As children (6 of us) we wanted to know how in the world Santa would find us on a boat, my father was quite clever and he said Santa would come in a dingy from shore. So we went to bed and sure enough we heard a boat bump up against ours, then looking out our tiny port hole we could see big black boots walking by with a HUGE white bag, (we where sure it was filled with toys). That sail bag surely kept the story of Santa going for at least one more year in my mind!
There where other stories, like when they sailed it up from FL to some where in the New England area. It was my father's honeymoon, now that trip was filled with disasters as well.....
I remember the old organ or piano, don't remember which, but knew I wasn't allowed to play on it. The old stain glass windows and the bunk beds up front. The engine room was very impressive. Anyway, just thought you'd enjoy the memories of one small child aboard the Pious Puffin.
