ABOUT Catboat Jon

JON EXPLAINS THE NICKNAME "CATBOAT JON". . . In the fall of 1974, I had just completed delivery of the L. Francis Herreshoff schooner Mistral to Tom's River, New Jersey. A nasty nor'easter blew in, and a beautiful little catboat dragged her mooring and ended up on the beach.

The next morning I met the unhappy owner who had "had enough". . .  and was "throwing in the towel". I made an offer and he accepted it. At high tide I got my pretty Lazy Jack off the beach and rowed her to the local boat yard. After delivering another boat to the Bahamas, I returned to Tom's River, repaired, caulked, varnished and painted Lazy Jack.

After racing in the 1975 Catboat Meets I sailed Lazy Jack to Newport, RI. She still didn't have an engine, but I did install a new Shipmate stove.

Newport is a great harbor and wonderful seaport. After a few months I decided to stay and live aboard. One day, someone yelled, "Catboat Jon!" to me and the nickname stuck until the 1980s. My old friends still call me Catboat Jon.

Captain Jon Heon, along with his cat Boo, now lives aboard his restored 1918 U.S. Army Quartermaster launch Farallone in Newport, RI.