The Nigel Irens-designed schooner Maggie B has been destroyed in a fire which also razed the Covey Island Boat Works boatyard in Nova Scotia to the ground.
'We are devastated to report that the 62' schooner Maggie B was lost' said yard president and founder John Steele. 'Our sincere condolences to her American owner, Mr. Frank Blair, who has been contacted. His yacht was in the yard for a cosmetic refit after circling the globe over the last two years.'
Maggie B, which featured in YM in December 2007, was a 'fusion schooner'. Optimised for fast trade-wind and Southern Ocean sailing, she blended traditional looks with techonology: she was wooden-hulled and gaff-rigged while her masts were carbon fibre. YM columnist Tom Cunliffe's gaffer, Westernman, was also built at the yard.
Image (c)Nova Scotia News.
John Steele said that repairs to a small sailboat and a month-long refit of another boat had just been completed. 'Discussions are well underway for a move to the Smith and Rhuland property on the Lunenburg waterfront,' he added.
It will be some time before the cause of the fire is established.
The Nigel Irens-designed schooner Maggie B has been destroyed in a fire which also razed the Covey Island Boat Works boatyard in Nova Scotia to the ground. 
