John Ray's Winning PocketShip

South Carolina boatbuilder John Ray took his well-built—and well-loved—PocketShip My Seasonal Rose to the 36th Annual Georgetown Wooden Boat Show in October, and returned home with the Blue Ribbon for Best Sailboat Afloat.

It was John’s second appearance at the South Carolina event. Two years earlier, My Seasonal Rose had finished runner-up to, as he recalls, “a really fancy reconditioned varnished wooden sailboat.” This year, he brought a display poster documenting his 2022 build. The judges took note of both craftsmanship and story. “And PocketShips are cool, in my opinion,” John added.

My Seasonal Rose isn’t just a showpiece. John uses the boat often for cruising adventures, including two five-day Florida 120 expeditions out of Pensacola, the four-day OBX 130 along the North Carolina coast, and several Intracoastal Waterway trips with his daughter. Closer to home, the Ray family enjoys sailing local lakes on bright afternoons—and lighting up the holidays in their community’s Christmas Boat Parade.

My Seasonal Rose ready for her next adventure, complete with a home-built bimini.

John Ray and his prize-winning PocketShip