The red boat that found its owner

Jasmine Lee

Red. The color of heat, passion, love.

The racy hue unabashedly drapes the hull of Lou von Dyl’s storied

sailboat.

The 40-foot racer, called the Red Witch II, is a conversation piece --

sparking remarks from passing sailors, who are surprised by the fiery

vision of the vessel.

Few sailboats vary from nautical white. Even fewer are bold enough to

splash around in red -- especially in 1959, when the Red Witch was built.

“Everybody said, ‘What do you want a red boat for?’ ” recalled von Dyl,

who also owns a red 1954 Corvette and a red 1947 Indian motorcycle.

His answer, simply stated: “I like the redness.”

One of the only other red sailboats in Newport Beach is the Saudade,

owned by Orange Coast College. Julie Meyrs, who works at the college’s

boathouse, said the boat, used by intermediate and advanced students of

the sailing program, also raises some eyebrows.

But the color of the Red Witch is perhaps less remarkable in the light of

its amazing journey, which started when it was built for von Dyl, then

lost to him for almost three decades, only to return home.

The boat was made to order for von Dyl, who spent more than $30,000 to

have it built for speed. It is all fiberglass -- state of the art for its

age.

He chose its bright color and its name because he liked “Wake of the Red

Witch,” a 1949 movie starring John Wayne.

After winning and placing races up and down the California coast, von

Dyl, who owned a real estate company at the time, had to sell the boat in

1963 when business started slowing.

It seemed that he got over the loss of his beloved boat. Business got

better, he bought other boats, kept racing and continued to love sailing.

His wife, Sally, said that she considered the Red Witch a mere possession

at the time: bought, sold, forgotten.

“When you sell something, you figure it’s gone,” she said. “You don’t

think about it and what happened to it. But I guess he did think about

it.”

Von Dyl’s eyes brightened when he remembered the times he’d had on the

Red Witch. One of his favorite stories is “The Big Crush of 1963,” when

63 boats finished the Ensenada Race at the same time. His red boat,

complete with a red and white striped sail, was in the middle of the line

of winners.

The image of the Red Witch stayed wedged in von Dyl’s mind. In 1991, he

instantly became nostalgic as he perused a for-sale ad in a boating

publication.

The description reminded him of his old boat -- designed with two masts,

a feature von Dyl himself suggested to the builders.

For old times’ sake, von Dyl drove down to San Diego, and found a dingy,

brownish boat in a state of disrepair. Disappointed, he left for home.

Somewhere, halfway between San Diego and Newport Beach, he had a

revelation.

“I was driving back to Newport, and I realized, ‘That’s my boat,’ ” he

said.

Stunned and overjoyed, von Dyl knew he had to buy the boat back and

restore it to its original condition. He re-christenedit the Red Witch

II.

“Stop and think, the boat went around the world, it could have ended up

anywhere,” he said. “Think of all the odds of it coming together. Maybe

it was fate or karma.”

During the separation, van Dyl’s boat apparently had made its way around

the world a couple of times, once through the Panama Canal. It had been

painted different colors and called different names. San Diego resident

Cecily Bailey, who was the last owner before the Red Witch returned to

von Dyl, called it Infinity.

“I am thrilled you purchased her and [you are] restoring her,” Bailey

wrote to von Dyl in 1992. “It is wonderful to have her come complete

circle.”

For almost 30 years, von Dyl had kept a color photograph of the Red Witch

tucked in his wallet. Now, he doesn’t need the picture. If he peeks over

his balcony, he can see the real thing berthed right outside his home. He

takes it out for a sail every couple of weeks and, if he lets himself, he

travels back 30 years.

In his heart, there is no difference.

“It looks the same and sails as well as ever,” von Dyl said.