Encore at Bell Harbor Rendezvous 2012 [Photo by Tom Brayton)

Encore was built in Algonac, Michigan in 1961. She was the twenty-ninth of thirty-five 45 foot Constellations built that year. She was specially ordered by a customer from Les Cheneaux, Michigan with many of the extras available to the Constellation at that time, and was named Escape III. Les Ceneaux, which means "the channels" in French, are thirty-six small islands scattered along the 12 mile shoreline of Lake Huron on the southeastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

The boat was shipped to Seattle in the late sixties and purchased by Irving J Sternoff who was the owner of Sternoff Metal Corporation on East Marginal Way in Seattle. He renamed the boat, Sabra. In 1985, Sternoff sold the boat to Jim Goringe who changed her name to, Arcondo.

Our adventures with the yacht began in October 2011. We had just sold our 1948 Richardson, Adagio, and were looking forward to purchasing another classic wooden boat when our Chris became available. We fell in love with the way she handled and her wonderful spaciousness. Although we could see she needed work, after restoring the Richardson, we felt that we could manage what was needed for this 50 year old wooden boat. 

During our first year and a half of ownership we changed the yacht's name to Encore, replaced dry rotted hull planks, stripped wall paper off of almost all wood surfaces in the salon, painted and varnished inside and out, replaced the toilet in the forward head, upgraded the wiring and the galley and prepared to cruise. 

-Roger and Janice Palmer (Now owners of Sonata.)