Gibban

Paul Buttrose (left), Mitch Neff (center) Sailing on Dorade Image Courtesy of Houpla We are very pleased to announce that Paul Buttrose has joined Sparkman & Stephens as a yacht broker. He will be working out of our Newport and Fort Lauderdale offices depending on the season. During his 40-year career Paul has had a long association with Sparkman & Stephens racing on many famous S&S yachts, working alongside Rod Stephens as an independent consultant to Nautor Swan, consulting with Olin Stephens while managing the refurbishment of Dorade upon her return to US waters to name but a few examples. He is a co-founder of Sail Newport, Rhode Island's Public Sailing Center and past President of the International Twelve Metre Class. Paul maintains a USCG captain’s license and has sailed, raced and inspected yachts in the Americas, Finland and Scandinavia, northern and southern Europe, the British Isles, the Caribbean and Oceania. His varied experience has provided Paul with a col...

Here's a builder's plaque I think any owner of a classic yacht might be happy to have aboard. Speaking of Nevins, I have made reference to the Sparkman & Stephens office at the Nevins Yard in City Island. Here's an overview that puts it in perspective. That's the Nevins yard on the right, and to the left you can see the S&S office, just adjacent to the Texaco station along City Island Avenue. This image must have been taken around 1928. Anecdotally mentioned by the kind fellow who sent us this image: " It was not well known, but as even Olin intimated on occasion that the then new Nevins dock was subsidized by the Stephens family after the sale of Stephens Coal . Henry B. Nevins had no children and it has been noted that had Rod and Olin stayed on at the yard, they may have inherited it. There was always a mutual respect and close connection between the families. While Rod worked at Nevins for only about 5-6 years, he was still very much a presence at the y...