Jump quickly to a specific name by clicking a letter below:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Alaskan Rover (ex Gypsy Rover, ex Blue Moon)

The Alaskan Rover is from the Merry Rover design.  She sailsunderthe flag of Sailing, Inc. of Seward, Alaska.  During the summer season she sails on three hour tours to Resurrection Bay.

 

American Rover

American Rover was built by Marine Engineers of Panama City, FL, for Rover Marine and put in service the spring of 1986, at that time she was one of only two schooners certified to carry 150 passengers under full sail and to sail after sunset.  She was the largest three masted topsail passenger schooner under U.S. flag.  She sets sail daily from the WATERSIDE in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia.

 

Cover photo for AAA, Today, Tidewater Street Map, Real Estate Digest, PORTFOLIO magazine, Norfolk Visitor's Guide.

Anvil Cove

The Anvil Cove is certified by the Canadian Coast Guard to carry overnight passengers on multi-day adventure tours into the waters of Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia, Canada.  She is owned by Keith and Barb Roswell.

LOA	60' 0"
LOD	53' 0"
LWL	40' 0"
Beam	14' 8"
Draft	5' 9"
Displacement	52,000 lbs
Sail Area	1531 ft2 designed
Passenger capacity	8 overnight

Blackbeard

The schooner Blackbeard, based on the Merry Rover design was last reported to be day sailing out of Destine, Florida.  At this time ownership is unknown.

LOA	54' 0"
LOD	44' 0"
LWL	32' 6"
Beam	12' 6"
Draft	4' 6", some models 5' 0"
Displacement	31,000 lbs
Sail Area	800 ft2
Passenger capacity

Blackbeard II (ex Flying Eagle)

The big sister of Blackbeard, the Blackbeard II was last known to sail on day trips from A. J. Restaurant in Destin Harbor, Florida. She was one of the many schooners built by Willis A. Ray's yard, known as W.A.R Ships in Panama City, Florida.

 

Bones   (ex Eagle)

Bones, based on the Bonny Rover design, was built under the supervision of Dan Hlowick for a prominent orthopedic surgeon from Cleveland, Ohio.  She was sent to the US Virgin Islands in the charter trade and was later sold to a Florida concern.  There she plied the trade until 2005 when she was bought by a charter company and re-outfitted for service back in the US Virgin Islands.  Bones is currently in St. Thomas  with her new owner, Martyn.

LOA	68' 0"
LOD	53' 0"
LWL	40' 0"
Beam	14' 6"
Draft	5' 6"
Displacement	49,000 lbs
Sail Area	1,883 ft 2
Passenger capacity

Bonnie Lynn

Earl MacKenzie and his wife, Bonnie, own the Bonnie Lynn.  They have the ideal life, can be seen chartering summers in Maine and winters in the Virgin Islands.  Their boat is finished to a high degree of yacht finish.  August 2000 issue of Cruising World featured the Bonnie Lynn under a heading of Great Boat.  She was built by Treworgy Yachts of St. Augustine, Florida and finished off under the supervision of Earl.

 

Cover photo for Latitudes and Attitudes, feature article in SAIL Magazine 2002

LOA	69' 0"
LOD	57' 0"
LWL	48' 0"
Beam	15' 3"
Draft	5' 0"
Displacement	69,000 lbs
Sail Area	1285 ft2
Passenger capacity	36 day / 8 overnight

Bonny Rover

Bonny Rover was built by Mac Makee and Dick Reynolds in Newport News, VA, in 1970 as a yacht for Merritt and Bonny Walter.  The couple lived aboard for fourteen years, before bidding farewell to the most favored and greatest sailing schooner of the Rover designs.

LOA	66' 0"
LOD	50' 0"
LWL	40' 0"
Beam	14' 0"
Draft	5' 6"
Displacement	46,000 lbs
Sail Area	1600 ft2
Passenger capacity	Six-Pac

Bonny IV Rover

Bonny IV Rover is the personal yacht of Merritt Walter.  She was the last schooner to be built by Shon Walter of Rover Yachts Inc., many unusual feature that only a designer like Merritt would dare to incorporate.  She is a single masted schooner. Think of her as a staysail schooner with the foremast removed and all stays running to the main.

LOA	52' 6"
LOD	40' 6"
LWL	36' 0"
Beam	12' 10"
Draft	2' 6"
Displacement	24,000 lbs
Sail Area	876 ft2
Passenger capacity

Capt Kidd

Captain Joe Stump had the Capt Kidd built by A&M Manufacturing of Oldtown, Florida for the day sailing trade.  She is operated by Tropical Express Charters, Kemah, Texas.

Capt Kidd opened on the cover of the Texas highways magazine.

LOA	55' 0"
LOD	44' 0"
LWL	32' 6"
Beam	12' 6"
Draft	4' 6"
Displacement	30,000 lbs
Sail Area	800 ft2
Passenger capacity	28 day

Coast Rover

Merritt was privileged to be captain of a little ship plying the Pacific.  He enjoyed passing the day leaning on the teak cap rail of her bridge wing, just like the one on the Coast Rover.  The commission for designing her came from and east coast salvage company owner who wanted a boat to live on, capable of earning her own keep.

Conch Pearl (ex Distant Dawn, ex Star Rover)

Built in 1988 by Treworgy Yachts, owners Denny Webb and Holley Whitley runs charters for the Boy Scouts in the Florida Keys on multi day adventures.

Down East Rover (ex Bonny Jean Rover)

Down East Rover was built as a yacht by master builder Shon Walter, Rover Marine Yachts, in Norfolk, Virginia for Merritt and Bonny Walter.  After seven years of great sailing along the east coast and the Bahamas under the name of Bonny Jean Rover, she was sold and entered the day sailing trade, first at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, and then out of Manteo, NC, where you can find her still sailing daily.

Amongst her claims to fame, the Down East Rover appeared as the luxury schooner belonging to a bank robber in an episode of Matlock called "The Heist".

Cover photo for NC Coastal Boating Guide, Cape Fear Leisure.

 

Freedom (ex Island Rover, ex Norfolk Rover)

Norfolk Rover was built by Rover Marine Inc in Norfolk, Virginia for the day sailing trade.  She was the first sailing tour boat to be certificated under sub-chapter 'T' to carry passengers for hire since the great days of sail.

Cover photo for St. Augustine Travel Planner.

Great Atlantic

The Great Atlantic Rover was designed for Rover Marine Lines, Inc. to be a day sailing "boat and breakfast". The design called for ten double staterooms for overnight guests and 149 day passengers. The extreme shallow draft of 6' 8" would allow her to operate in protected shallow waters and was originally planned for the Corpus Christi, Texas area. The staysail rig on four masts would require fewer crew than if she were all gaffs. After receiving plan approval from the Coast Guard the project was abandoned for the 1920 steamer style motor vessel Bonny Blue. Sure wish the Great Atlantic were sialing these days.

Heritage of Miami (ex Virginia Rover)

Heritage of Miami, built by Marine Metals, Norfolk, Virginia, spent her first season sailing day trips from Hampton, Virginia, under the name of Virginia Rover, then sold in 1988 to work from Miami, Florida, on Biscayne Bay.  Summers are spent sailing scouts in the Keys.

 

Cover photo for Scouting Magazine, Florida Rural Electric News.

LOA	85' 0"
LOD	65' 0"
LWL
Beam	16' 0"
Draft	6' 0"
Displacement	77,000 lbs
Sail Area	ft2
Passenger capacity	49 day / 22 overnight

Island Rover

The last known use of the Island Rover was a floating machine shop, plying the Caribbean.  

Jadip

Jeanie B (ex Jennifer Marie)

Docked in Beaufort and owned by East Carolina University biology professor Lee Sutton of Greenville, NC, the Jeanie B is  a trade rover design. 

John Pike

 

The John Pike, owned by John Crane, was launched in the spring of 1986 for service in the San Juan Islands under the banner of Windjammers Northwest.  She is of the Bonny Rover class.  Current owner and service is unknown.

Jolly Rover

Jolly Rover was built by Rover Marine Lines in Norfolk, Virginia by master builder Shon Walter for Capt. Ward Walter of Rover Tours, Inc. She sailed her first five seasons in the day sailing trade out of Lewis, Delaware, then transferred to Georgetown, South Carolina where she now sails on the Winyah Bay.

 

In 1982, at age 19, Ward was the youngest schooner captain in the trade.  Over the years Ward skippered the schooners American Rover, Virginia Rover, Bonny Rover, Norfolk Rover, Jolly Rover and the Jolly II Rover.

 

Cover photo for  Mid Atlantic magazine, Spin Sheet magazine.

 

Jolly II Rover

Jolly II Rover, sister ship to the Jolly Rover, was built by Bock Marine of Beaufort, North Carolina for Capt. Ward Walter of Rover Marine Lines.  She has seen a varied service, from Lewis, Delaware, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Philadelphia PA, and New Orleans, LA.  Currently she is sailing boy scouts out of their Sea Base in the Keys and day sailing from Key West.

LOA	73' 0"
LOD	56' 0"
LWL
Beam	16' 6"
Draft	5' 9"
Displacement	68,000 lbs
Sail Area	ft2
Passenger capacity	49 day / 20 overnight

Merry Rover

Merry Rover was a custom design for a New Jersey couple who never built her.  Along came Ron and Harriet Hale, a delightful couple who crewed on the Norfolk Rover, just for the experience in anticipation of a life afloat after retirement from the Navy.  The hull was built by Denis Schriber, and  finished by Brumitt Boats of Cobbs Creek ,Virginia.  She was launched in 1984. 

 

The present owner is unknown, although she was spotted in the spring of 2005 at a marina in Beaufort, South Carolina.

 

Nathaniel Bowditch

Norfolk Rebel

The Norfolk Rebel was Merritt's most unusual design commission. 

The first Coast Rover was launched on National Maritime Day, 27 May 1980 in Norfolk.  Mayor Thomas was the guest speaker.  His wife christened the vessel the "Norfolk Rebel" as Captain Jacques Cousteau's wife looked on.  The design is important because she is the only vessel to receive a federal grant for sail power.

Patricia Devin

Pirates Lady (ex Phoenix)

In 2008 the Phoenix was bought by her new owners, Cpts. Skip and Debbie Bradshaw and renamed Pirates Lady.

Built in 1984, Pirates Lady's new home port is Key West, Florida, where she plies 'the boy scout trade' during the summer. Come October, she can be found participating in the Great Chesapeake Schooner Race on Chesapeake Bay.

As the Phoenix, she was owned by Coastal Ecology Learning Program, a not-for-profit educational corporation providing ship-board marine environmental education programs to the students of the area as well as sail training.
 

Salty Dog Rover

 

The Salty Dog Rover is currently under construction for Captain Ward Walter of Rover Tours, owner of the tour boats Jolly Rover and Carolina Rover.  She is a modified Merry Rover design for use as his private yacht.

Shanty (ex Free Spirit)

Scott Rogers purchased the schooner Shanty, ex Free Spirit, from John Vining of Panama City, Florida, where she was built.  John was foreman on the schooner American Rover construction project for Marine Engineers also in Panama City.  Free Spirit sailed the Caribbean before relocating to Rebel Marine Services, Norfolk, Virginia, home of the schooners Jadap and Norfolk Rebel.

Shauna Renee

 

The Shauna Renee is a modified version of the Bonny Rover design.  Built in 1987 by Richard Fox and his son, Rick Fox.  Her last known owner was Jennifer Ann Weber out in Soquel, California.  In 2005 she was for sale with a current survey.

Silent Lady

 

The schooner Silent Lady is one of many Rover designs built by Willis A. Ray's company in Panama City, Florida.  Skip Price, her original owner, sailed her the world over carrying day trippers in the far off Cook Islands, South Pacific to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  Allen Laird now owns her and day trips from AJ's Restaurant in Destine, Florida.

LOA	64' 0"
LOD	52' 0"
LWL
Beam	14' 9"
Draft
Displacement
Sail Area	ft2
Passenger capacity

Viking Elizabeth

Wolf

Captain Finbar, had the Wolf built by W.A.R. Ships, Panama City, Florida.  She sailed one season for Rover Marines Inc, Norfolk, Virginia then down to Key West, Florida as the flag ship of the Conch Republic where she sails daily, to the delight of so many.

LOA	74' 0"
LOD	63' 0
LWL	49' 0"
Beam	16' 0"
Draft	6' 6"
Displacement	35 tons
Sail Area	2,500 ft2
Passenger capacity	44 day

Wounded Spirit

Yankee

Yankee is one of the Seattle Rover designs from which several have been built.  Dan Hlowick was her builder in 1982 at Atlantic City, New Jersey, for his own use as a 49 passenger day sailer.  For several years she sailed from Cape May, New Jersey, in the summers and Ocean Reef Club, south of Miami, Florida, in the winters.  Presently her status is unclear, except that she is working the Boy Scout Sea Base trade during the summers.

Owner operated by Captain Dave Franchetta and his wife 
Peggy

The Yankee

was on the cover of Florida Rural Electric magazine.

LOA	80' 0"
LOD	62' 0"
LWL
Beam	16' 0"
Draft	6' 6"
Displacement	80,000 lbs
Sail Area	ft2
Passenger capacity	46 day