SURF & TURF
Most yacht refits result from a meeting of the minds between two partners. One might say, “I can’t live with this any longer,” and the other will say, “Let’s fix it.” Both agree on the changes.
In the case of Belle of the West, a 2001 48-foot Kadey-Krogen North Sea trawler, the success of their antenna-to-keel refit was the result of two diametrically opposed viewpoints.
Luke Carpenter is a former tanker captain and fire chief with immense experience on the water. Cynthia Carpenter, an architect, had no boating background but equally immense design experience. The refit this couple oversaw is fascinating, both for the points of view and the points of intersection.
Luke and Cynthia had been married decades before, found each other again and, because Luke wanted to live aboard and cruise, started searching for the boat. They went aboard a Kadey-Krogen at the Seattle Boat Show, and Cynthia said, “This
