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A Word With...Jack W. Sarin
One of the best-known naval architects in the United States, Jack Sarin has almost four decades of experience designing sleek cruisers and stately megayachts. After working with legendary architect Ed Monk for 12 years, Sarin launched his own firm in 1980. Based on Bainbridge Island, Washington, Jack W. Sarin Naval Architects has designed more than 400 boats to date. PMY recently caught up with Sarin to discuss his career and love of boating.

Q: Do you remember the point when you first decided to enter this field?

A: Vividly! On a Saturday morning in January 1966, I walked into the shop at Stephen’s Marine in Stockton, California, to interview for a position in the design department, and suddenly my future became very clear to me. I was surrounded by six beautiful wooden yachts in various stages of construction, and immediately I knew I wanted to be part of this.

Q: What advice would you give someone who wants to be a naval architect?

A: Well, this is a tough question. After all the math, science, and engineering courses, you then have to add in all the art and design background you can acquire. Put in as much time on the water as possible. How can you design a boat without hands-on experience?

Q: How do you enjoy your own time on the water?

A: My wife and I love our boat and the time (when we can find it) we have cruising and fishing. We are lucky to have thousands of miles of cruising waters between Puget Sound and Alaska with many beautiful protected anchorages, abundant wildlife, and many interesting small towns for shopping and supplies. Throw in the crabbing, the clam digging, and oyster picking with a good bottle of wine, and we’re living the good life!

Q: What do you enjoy most about the world of boating?

A: The people and their common bond of the love of boats. It doesn’t matter if they have all the money in the world or are living on a shoestring, you can always see that they have the same purpose—to enjoy the experience of boating.

Seaworthy Saloon
Here’s a bar that taps the spirit of boating and offers its own boating spirits.

When you walk into Michael’s Room, a cozy tavern in Los Angeles, it’s like climbing aboard a 1920’s Chris-Craft. The proprietor, Michael Moore, turned his love of the sleek, old-style boats into a nautical-theme gin joint—complete with highly polished mahogany planking, teak trim, and a collection of old grainy photographs of his family and him aboard their Chris-Craft.

The bar is in the trendy Los Feliz section at 1745 North Vermont Avenue. With eight booths, two tables, and a lovely wooden bar, the place is warm and enveloping.

The bar’s signature drink is called The Chris-Craft of course. It’s a vodka, amaretto, and lime juice affair that’s poured into a martini glass. The kicker is it’s served with a single coffee bean floating in the middle—representing a lone Chris-Craft at sea.

Newsclips
What’s in a name? According to the new marketing strategy at Grand Banks, quite a lot. In May, the builder announced it would no longer market its Eastbay and Aleutian Class boats as separate brands. To “promote an image of unity and strengthen the company name,”; all boats will now bear the Grand Banks title. The old monikers will continue, not as brands but as “styles.”; The Eastbay 54 Salon Express, for example, will now be called the Grand Banks 54 Eastbay SX.

Got an interesting boating story for this column? Write to FYI, Power & Motoryacht, 260 Madison Ave., 8^th Fl., New York, NY 10016. Fax: (917) 256-2282. e-mail: eileen_mansfield@primediamags.com. No phone calls please.

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