Sailing boat fire - 30 years of memories lost

by Sail-World Round-up on 22 Nov 2010 Those who build their own boats in order to go sailing have a special relationship with the vessel. So losing his home built sailing boat this week after thirty years of memorable cruising was the saddest of blows to ex-Pentagon worker and Washington resident Dan Van Sickel.

This week the boat fire that destroyed Dan's yacht Second Love was already well established when he opened the engine compartment door, and he had only time to save himself from the choking smoke that invaded every part of the boat.

The Van Sickel family has owned this boat for over 30 years and it’s traveled all the way from Cape Cod to Mexico over the years. It was not only the boat that the family lost, but 30 years of memories.

The fire happened in Parker in North Western Florida where the family kept the boat, and the smoke flooded the neighbourhood. 'I don't know how it started, but I think it must have been electrical,' said the distraught owner.

Dan made it off the boat and onto shore with the help of a friend but felt helpless as he watched Second Love burn away.

For him, the boat represents years of adventure with his wife, who required the boat be equipped with modern amenities. Dan built it by himself '…the hull and deck were molded together in southern England and then I brought it over to Baltimore on a container ship.' For two years, Dan spent every evening after work constructing his boat, piece by piece.

And what will he do next? '…you mean…what are my plans? My plans are to start making new plans. At this point I couldn’t tell you how this is going to turn out. But we do have some insurance so I’ll probably have another boat within a few months.'

But one thing the Van Sickels know, a fire cannot burn away decades of memories, and perhaps it's an opportunity for a new chapter.