Hey guys, it's Bob Muggleston -- I'm a board member with hull #275. Wondering if you can help solve a mystery. A few days ago I was aboard hull #266, owned by Roy Thomas, who is also a board member. As you undoubtedly know, hull #266 might be the most famous of all Commanders -- it's the one sailed by Zoltan Istvan (formerly Gyurko) 3/4 of the way around the world. Anyway, Roy and I spent part of our delivery (from Niantic to Chester, in Conn.) examining the boat, looking for proof that Zoltan had indeed been aboard the boat. Roy has had doubts since he first discovered that he supposedly owns Zoltan's old boat. Some of the peculiarities: the standing rig, which Zoltan heavily modified (larger gauge stays and shrouds, double headstay, welded cap at top of mast) is clearly original. There are no stainless steel cleats, which Zoltan supposedly added. The winches aren't bronze. There's no sign of the 50-gallon fresh water tank Zoltan installed beneath the cockpit sole. Curiously absent are the old bolt holes that once held a wind vane. The hull number plate looks . . . odd. Like it was recently made. The list goes on and on. But who would fake something like that, especially when there's so little to gain? The only thing that makes sense to me is that when Zoltan originally listed the boat for sale in Greece, he listed it with the wrong hull number. Roy says the boat was called Whydah when he first got it, and he believes the name prior to that was Halcyon. I'm interested in all this for personal reasons, but also because I plan on writing a story about all of this for Points East magazine, where I'm an editor. Any thoughts? Many thanks in advance!
-Bob