A TRUE BLOCK ISLAND DOUBLE ENDER - Built 1960.
With original lines expressed in masts, canvas sails and rigging, BUT HIDDEN FROM SIGHT > diesel engine, improved seating, electrical, and other practical updates for Fed & State compliance and safety.* This boat has five years of re-fitting and maintenance – all on schedule. Easy to sail, sea-worthy, safe and fun.
*Detailed records and photos available
Comes with two rigging designs.
Traditional Rig.
Built to exact lines and measurements taken from Island Bell in the Historic Archives at the Smithsonian Institute. A working fishing-boat designed and built by Block Island settlers around 1696.
Schooner Rig.
Has the “Traditional Rig” plus a 4 Ft. Bow Sprit and Roller Jib. Once added gives the vessel an elegant and historic silhouette
*Adds slightly to boat’s speed and agility.
Bow, Stern and Cockpit visual showing bench seating for six persons.
William Talmadge Hall
I am a 4th-gen Block Islander and Artist. This boat and the people who fished from it have been the main subject of my work for the last 60 years. I have sold many works about Block Island and it’s unique boat.
I found KESTREL ten years ago and started my commitment to its preservation. My goal was to improve and maintain KESTREL to it’s present condition. Her Maintenance Schedule is met for 2022.* She is seaworthy and well respected by mariners worldwide. I’m looking for new Stewards or an N.P.O. with a solid plan for KESTREL’s future.