SKIPPER, Belmar, NJ – 1947 Captain John Ziegler's "SKIPPER" from Belmar, NJ circa 1947. Like his brother's vessel, the "DIANA", Captain Ziegler built the 45-foot "SKIPPER" at Wilcox's Boatyard on the banks of the Raritan River at New Brunswick, NJ and completed her in 1941. He built her with white oak framing and full-length mahogany planking that ran from the stem to the stern in one piece. The "SKIPPER" sailed from Belmar, NJ and she fished primarily for Blackfish. The U.S. Coast Guard appropriated the boat during World War II and she operated as a U.S. Coast Guard Reserve patrol boat, the "CGR-3001". Captain Ziegler and the boat returned to civilian life at the end of the war in 1945 and went back to party boat fishing at Belmar, NJ. Captain Dom Vitolo Jr. purchased the "SKIPPER" in 1976 and she became one of the premier Blackfish boats on the east coast. Captain John Connell then bought the boat in 1985 and sailed her from Viking Marina at Great Kills, Staten Island, NY. And in 1989, Captain John Potter purchased the "SKIPPER" and she still sails from Martha's Vineyard, MA. After sailing for 80 years, she has earned the designation as the oldest party fishing boat currently in operation.