Skipper of the Moesly 21 “Unohu“ making his final cruise!

Bushwacker · #1 07-12-2016, 12:06 AM

Got word last Saturday that my good friend and avid SeaCraft addict Bob Reiland passed away early Saturday morning at age 91 1/2. Bob is the guy who originally turned me on to SeaCraft, and I’ve posted pictures of his boat on here several times. He was a true believer in the old Moesly 21 if there ever was one! Claimed it was the world’s BIGGEST 21 foot boat and one of the best riding boats of it's size ever built! He first saw it at the Miami Boat Show in 1965 and ordered one on the spot! A couple months later, he got a very apologetic phone call from Carl Moesly, explaining that he was backlogged due to a big government order and could not deliver his boat for almost a year! However Carl offered to sell him the deluxe “Overnighter” model that was in the show, which was loaded with options including a fiberglass hardtop, at a very good price! Bob was delighted at the offer, because he had ordered a stripped bare bones model, so he accepted and picked up the boat at Carl Moesly’s house a few days later. The only option he didn’t want was the fiberglass hardtop, which he later told me was the dumbest decision he ever made!

I worked with Bob for about 25 years at Pratt & Whitney, where he was known as a very knowledgeable and brutally honest structures engineer. Tact was not his strong point, as he always said exactly what he thought! He was an artillery officer in both WWII and Korea, and when some high level manager would propose some wild design scheme, I think it triggered his PTSD, as Bob was not shy about explaining why it was so dumb! The guys who worked with him referred to him as “der Fuher” . . . as far as he was concerned there were 2 ways of doing things, his way and the WRONG way! One young engineering applicant that Bob interviewed, (who went on to become the VP of Military Engines about 35 years later!) recently said “Bob was very strong in his principles and beliefs about how the job needed to be accomplished. He carried his experience from North American Aviation. Though not always successful in changing Pratt & Whitney, he made his points clearly and definitely influenced the thinking of Military Engine Design at our company. He taught us the right way to achieve lightweight strength.”

Bob was also a legendary diver and spearo who had a place on the water off the ICW; saw him free dive to about 80’ one time off Guana Cay (when he was in his late 60’s!) to buzz some buddies who were doing a tank dive late in the afternoon when the shadows off the reef make it a bit spooky . . . he bumped their tanks and scared hell out of them! He ran the Unohu every weekend of the year in all kinds of weather in addition to running to the Bahamas a couple of times a year. To insure a steady supply of diving buddies, he taught a very tough scuba class, described by students as a “scuba survival” class . . . if you survived and didn't drown, you passed! He literally wore out about 5 engines and I'm guessing he put something like 10,000 hrs on that boat! His most memorable trip, related by a friend who followed him and 3 other boats in a 23 Sceptre, was a weekend trip from WPB to West End, Grand Bahama with small craft warnings flying! Winds were east at 20-25 kts, seas were 10-12', but he didn't let that stop him! My friend in the Sceptre, who was bringing up the rear with the Unohu in the lead, said the seas were big enough that Bob’s boat would go out of sight after going over a wave! Said you could judge the size of next wave by angle of the spray from the Unohu . . . if it came out at about 45 degrees, you knew it wasn’t too bad, but every so often it would look like a couple of fire hoses shooting straight up when that big high bow punched into a big one! Took them 5 hrs, which sounds about right, because he could plane at about 12 kts. He refueled at West End and said he only burned 19 gallons, which is over 3 mpg - incredible fuel economy for those conditions!

Bob retired in the early 90’s and I lost track of him for a few years. His wife died shortly thereafter and he then sold the Unohu. (I would have bought it on the spot had I known it was for sale! Think he sold it to someone up around Melbourne.) He remarried shortly afterwards in his late 70’s and was very active, doing daily calisthenics that would kill many younger guys, and still chasing lobsters in his 80’s! His 2nd wife died over a year ago and he subsequently had a couple of bad falls that slowed him down a lot. I went to visit him last spring and he was still driving, crusty as ever, cussing out the drivers that tailgated him! If I ever live that long, I'll be satisfied if I only have half his energy!

Sorry for the long post but Bob was legendary SeaCraft fan that deserves to be remembered! Denny

Capt Chuck · #2 07-12-2016, 06:37 AM

WENOHU left fond Memories in the wake --------------> GOD's speed Bob.

Highwayman · #3 07-12-2016, 07:16 AM

Great story about an incredible man. Thanks for sharing.

bumpdraft · #4 07-12-2016, 08:06 AM

Very inspirational story and a celebration of his life. May he rest in peace.

TomParis · #5 07-12-2016, 12:04 PM

Sounds like a cool guy, loved his boat! That flip down dive platform is neat!

Capt Terry · #6 07-12-2016, 01:12 PM

Thank you, Denny, well done! I too was a colleague of Bob's at Pratt & Whitney and was on two Bahama trips with Bob, but in another boat, wishing I was riding in the Unoho on the crossings. An excellent write up and there are many more stories you could have shared, but this summed it up very well. “Der Fuher” would have loved it! You should send this to his son, Richard, if you have not already done so.

gofastsandman · #7 07-12-2016, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt Terry

Thank you, Denny, well done! I too was a colleague of Bob's at Pratt & Whitney and was on two Bahama trips with Bob, but in another boat, wishing I was riding in the Unoho on the crossings. An excellent write up and there are many more stories you could have shared, but this summed it up very well. “Der Fuher” would have loved it! You should send this to his son, Richard, if you have not already done so.

Haha. Agreed.

Nice memories Denny.

Bushwacker · #8 07-12-2016, 08:29 PM

Bob was a unique and interesting guy indeed. Dealing with a guy that always says exactly what he thinks takes some getting used to but once you got to know him, he was a good guy with a great sense of humor . . . his boat name must have confused a lot of folks when they heard him on the VHF!

FLexpat · #9 07-12-2016, 08:35 PM

RIP.
He is a guy I really wish I had worked with when I was at Pratt. Certainly his was a life well lived and clearly an awful lot of folks have some great memories because of him. I have enjoyed the Unohu photos and stories.

jtharmo · #10 07-13-2016, 01:50 PM

Denny –

I’m so sorry of your loss. It sounds like Bob was a great guy and It’s always sad to here of the loss of a Veteran. I like to think that the support and encouragement you have given me and so many others here is in a small way a reflection of Bob’s mentorship to you. Your Bahama trip photos were some of the first ones I saw when I started getting interested in the SeaCraft mystic. My whole aim for getting our first family boat is to build these kinds of memories with my family and friends. Thank you for sharing and again, sorry for your loss.