Built in England in about 1964 or 1965 by
Signet Marine, Ltd., of London. "RIGEL" nearly came to her end as an
abandoned cast-off in the back lot of a San Francisco boat yard. She
was named "Rigel" by her former owner John Ingram (information from a
radio license found in her lazarette compartment). He sailed her
single-handedly in the San Francisco bay area, to Hawaii and back, and
in the Baja California area, according to statements made by his son
several years after John's death.
John's son sold Rigel to an Idaho man and his
son-in-law, who trailered her to Meridian, near Boise. He quickly
became discouraged at the amount of work needed to bring her back to
useable condition. I was scanning the boat classified listings in the
Boise paper by chance. The mention of "auxiliary engine" in the
description of a 20-foot sloop caught my attention, as this is very
unusual in sailboats this size. One look at her lines captured my
heart. I spent three years and much labor and money to bring this tiny
blue-water cruiser back to life. Sailing her is a joy; cruising in her
is the fulfillment of a long-time dream.
