Literally floating around in the Internet ether we found 2 (edited) emails that Louis Claassen posted on the Sailboat Owners Forum in March, 2003. A little sleuthing and few hours later we found Louis, still with his Dolphin. And, a few hours after that, we got the following pictures. Soon, we will get more of Spirit of Fellowship's story. The emails appear toward the end of this page.

Note the bowsprit. Louis designed and built it himself. Here's a closer look

Pretty neat - anybody remember where we have seen one like it before? This is a bit murky but here goes. It was on the page of Chris Vandersteen's Lezah, our Toronto Dolphin - for several months but I took it down. Now its below where it belongs. It seems Gordon Thompson (Suzanne) had seen this picture below somewhere and sent it to your webmaster on March 7, 2007. By mistake I put it in Lezah's file and on Lezah's page, and I got into my mind Chris was going to build a bowsprit like it. Chris never sent it to me. Hmmmm....

The following are some interior photos of Spirit of Fellowship.

                 V-Berth sides lined, hanging locker stbd side                          Ice box outboard, sink forward

              Palmer 27 under the bridge deck - still running.                     The head under the starboard settee

How this boat made it thru 47 years, travelling from Long Island, NY to the Seattle area, and still be this good looking, must be quite a story

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March 3, 2003

Looking for information....O'Day/Dolphin 1961-1967

I just purchased a 24' sailboat built by O'Day/Dolphin series, in 1961. I have discovered that there were only 36 boats of this series built between 1961 and 1967. I am looking for information about this boat model.

 Can anyone help me?

 Louis

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March 23, 2003

According to a placard I found in my Dolphin 24, it was built by Lunn Laminates of Wyandanch, NY in 1961 and marketed by US Yachts Inc of East Norwalk, CT.

The interior of my boat doesn't resemble that of the O’Day Dolphins and has an inboard engine, a Palmer single cylinder 4 stroke which was installed when the boat was built. .. I should have her in the water by mid May.

Louis

Louis sent in a picture of his Lunn Nameplate - Hull # DO-223

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December 4, 2010. The Spirit of Fellowship has a new name, owner and vocation. She is moving from Lake Loosevelt in eastern Washington to Lake Chelan in the Cascade mountains of north central Washington. Here is 'Paster Lui's" email, and a bit of a geography lesson.

Greetings Ron,

I thought I would drop a short note to let you know that my Dolphin 24 now has a new home and a new name.   I am now living in Chelan Washington, here in the Pacific Northwest on the shore of beautiful Lake Chelan, a pristine lake that winds 55 miles into the Cascade mountain range of North Central Washington.

The Spirit of Fellowship will be entering into service as part of a Youth Ministry Program in my Church, to introduce our youth to the challenge, excitement and joy of Sailing.  The spirit’s new name is now “Mea  Li’i  Nai’a” which is Hawaiian for Little Dolphin.

 My vocation  as a Minister has not allowed me to spend much time on the water, prayerfully that will change as this Ministry takes shape in the spring of 2011.

In His Service,

Rev. Louis Claassen

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December 11, 2010. Louis send in a copy of his operating instructions manual for Mea Li'i Nai'a's Palmer 27 inboard. We have scanned it, converted it to a downloadable PDF file, and put it in our Technical Section/Auxiliary Power. Click to go to it