Compadre

Compadre is a classic wooden yacht that stops a dock-walker in their tracks. Built in 1929 by the Stevens Brothers, she carries the unmistakable vertical lines and quiet elegance of her era, the kind of vessel one imagines at anchor off San Juan Island with morning fog drifting past her rails. Richard and Cindy Randall first saw her in 2007 after more than a year of searching and immediately recognized that she embodied everything they hoped to steward. They were surprised to learn they would become the fourteenth owners, a number that speaks not to instability but to the exceptional care she received across decades. Wooden boats can fall quickly into disrepair under a single inattentive owner; the fact that Compadre remained in such remarkable condition told the Randalls that each prior caretaker understood her value. Stevens Brothers vessels were known for their quality, and stepping aboard Compadre makes it clear that every element of her design was created with intention. The original plans, preserved first by the Stockton Yacht Club and later by the Haggin Museum, have allowed Richard and Cindy to maintain repairs with a level of authenticity rarely possible for a vessel of this age.

Those plans have been invaluable at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-op, where Compadre has returned year after year since 2012. One of the early projects involved rebuilding a salon cabinet that had been removed by a previous owner; with the archival drawings in hand, PTSC shipwright Jeff Galey reconstructed it to its original specifications. PTSC member Pete Rust quietly modified the captain’s chair to add height, a change so seamless that no one has ever noticed the adjustment. Other work over the years has included extensive frame repairs following electrolysis damage, re-planking and caulking, a garboard replacement, shaft and prop maintenance, and in 2025 a full transom rebuild by Arren Day. Compadre was also fully repowered at the shop by Arren, trading a pair of Chrysler Crowns for two Yanmar diesels that have carried the Randalls north through the San Juan and Gulf Islands and, at times, as far as Desolation Sound. During each haul-out, Richard can be found sanding, scraping, painting, and tending to the kind of fine details that only a devoted steward notices. His joy in the work is evident, and it mirrors the attention PTSC brings to every classic wooden boat that enters the yard.



Today, Richard and Cindy are the longest-tenured owners in Compadre's nearly century-long story. She is the last surviving example of her specific Stevens Brothers design, a true relic of a time when craftsmanship, not speed of production, defined the character of a vessel. Her history hints at more colorful chapters as well; being fast and agile, she was transported to Los Angeles in the 1930s and may have played a role in rumrunning during Prohibition. Whether tied up at a dock or gliding past a crowded beach, she always gathers admirers, many of whom pause to thank the Randalls for keeping such a vessel alive. Compadre is more than a beautiful boat. She is a living reminder of the ingenuity, artistry, and care that shaped an earlier era of boatbuilding, and we at PTSC are proud to help carry that legacy forward.