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FIFTY years ago! ... 1957
It was a collaborative effort
between Charley Morgan and
Charlie Hunt that the two dreamer, shipmate, sailing buddies conjured
up and built their design of BRISOTE, ... the 32', plywood, "mix &
match", yawl that won her way into history and offshore racing during
1957, ... winning silver in the famous ocean race from St. Petersburg, Fl
to the finish line at El MORO Castle at Havana, Cuba.
BRISOTE'S winning ways effectively launched the yacht designing
careers of the two young men and, ...
the eventual founding of The MORGAN YACHT Corporation.

Here, BRISOTE is shown stretching her
legs on her very first
sail as she streaks, just in time, to the start of the 1957 race
to Cuba finishing at the fabled, El Moro Light at the entrance to
Havana's Harbor.

The eerie picture above shows the late Charlie Hunt and Charley Morgan
hard at work on the design of BRISOTE. The two sailing chums had
made a model that they towed at night in Lake Wales so the flash would
give good contrast to show the wave pattern.
Eleanor Hunt picked up the camera forgetting to advance the film got
this candid double exposure shot yielding a dream-like photo of the soon
to be infamous little Yawl.

Crew members are:
Upper row: Bill McElmurrary and Charles M. Hunt, Jr.
Middle row: Edwin Richards and Spencer McCourtney (Owner)
Lower row: Harold S, Balcom and Charles E. Morgan, Jr.

Edwin Richards, Charley Morgan, Owner Spencer
McCourtney, Lula Richards and the
late Charlie Hunt live it up at the Trophy Presentation at the Havana
Yacht Club.
BRISOTE sailed on in many offshore
races on Florida's west coast winning more laurels to the consternation of
the old guard ocean racing "establishment", doing so in all weather and
conditions.
Collaborative design efforts of Hunt and Morgan did not end here,
later joint efforts of the two brought more success with Hunt forming
Small Craft Corporation and his Melody series of yachts that won the
Chicago Mackinaw races two or three times and the Lake Michigan "Boat
of the Year".
After the success of his PAPER TIGER design, Charley Morgan formed
Morgan Yacht inducing his school day sailing buddy to join him in
what was to become and exciting and rewarding adventure.
Watch the CHANTYMAN for a more detailed feature story about BRISOTE, the
impudent little yawl that had begun events leading to Charley Morgan's design of
PAPER TIGER and his later founding of the Morgan Yacht Corporation.
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