The demographics and fiscal realities of the power-cruising life are no secret.
Most people who cruise even part-time aboard their boats are doing it in the later years of life, waiting until they have the time and means to make the lifestyle possible. But not everyone follows this script, and one exception is the family onboard Cortado.
Born and raised in Indiana, far from the smell of salt air, Lynne Rey will freely tell you that living aboard a boat was far from a dream of hers. So how does this artist and mother find herself schooling two children and managing family life aboard a classic power cruiser?
Tony Rey comes to this boating life a little more naturally, having grown up on Long Island Sound. Tony had an early start racing sailboats and going on summer cruises aboard his family’s boat. Tony took that love of sailing into a career and today races sailboats professionally. The life of a professional sailor requires considerable travel. Over the years, Lynne and their oldest daughter, Sydney, traveled with Tony during some of his races, and Lynne home-schooled Sydney during those trips. When their youngest two children, Sophia and Oliver, were 10 and 8, Tony and Lynne thought it would be good to expose them to a broader world, teaching them in what would become known as “adventure school.”
Racing sailboats didn’t give Tony the opportunity to make boating a family experience, so they decided to buy a boat and live part of each year on board. The opportunity would give Lynne, Sophia, and Oliver a small taste of Tony’s life at sea, and provide learning opportunities that couldn’t be matched in any classroom.
With Lynne’s nervousness of the open water and the restricted living space of medium-size sailboats, it didn’t take long to realize a comfortably sized power cruiser would be more suitable for their purposes. Tony also added: “I go 7 knots in my day job, so I wanted a bit more speed and freedom. I wanted to share all aspects of the water with my family, including safety, fishing, navigating, co-existing in a small space, maintenance, and cleaning. It has been much easier to accomplish all this without heeling over at 25 degrees!”
Around the harbor of their home in Newport, Rhode Island, Tony and Lynne were introduced to every type of boat imaginable. They found themselves drawn to the classic, aesthetic-forward styles, as they wanted a boat that was both functional and attractive. Classic Huckins cruisers quickly rose to the top of their list, and their search eventually took them to Florida to see a 1973 Huckins Sedan 40. A family with two children close in age to theirs had restored it to Bristol condition.
Not only had it been restored, but it had been modified to suit a young family of four. The galley had been moved up to the saloon level, which Lynne liked better than boats she had seen
with the galley down. Two generously sized bunks were added where the galley had once been. The saloon and galley open up to a covered area leading to the cockpit. This boat also had a flying bridge covered by a Bimini. The elevated helm platform would give them better judgement of water depth in the shallow tropics, not to mention a great place for an out-of-the-way afternoon nap. Additional sleeping quarters, a bright, airy galley, and plenty of covered spaces made this boat a perfect liveaboard. The previous owner had even repowered her with twin Cummins diesel engines. Tony and Lynne added a complete suite of modern electronics.
It’s important to note, the Reys are not independently wealthy. They both work hard, trying to live within their means, and buying a boat was always going to be a sacrifice—a sacrifice that they felt would pay dividends.