Ted Okie has been messing around in boats since he could walk.  After graduating from NYU he came to Martha's Vineyard to work for Gannon and Benjamin on their first large schooner build 'Rebecca.'  What was meant to be a 5 month stay on the island turned into 5 years of further cultivating his wooden boat obsession. This culminated in the purchase of a friend's 25' project boat and after a winter of upgrades, sailed solo from the Vineyard to Cuba in 2003.  He later sailed the same vessel to Haiti in 2006.  Concluding he needed a bigger boat (maybe even one he could stand up in) a multi year search began.  He finally found Saudade in 2017. The stars in his eyes blinded him to exactly how much work she needed, but it was worth it!