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cruising to their hearts’ content. It is not
only educational and enlightening but inspiring and often
funny. It tells the story of life on the water and how this
adventuresome couple stayed in touch with their dreams.
Jon Shattuck grew up on the water
spending his summers on Groton Long Point located on
Fisher’s Island Sound in eastern Connecticut. At the age of
four, he was given his first boat and he’s been hooked ever
since. When Jon turned 7, his father recognized his son’s
keen interest in boating and made Jon his first real boat, a
nine foot rowboat, which Jon rowed all summer. By the time
Jon was 11; his father purchased a Lightning Class sailboat
for him, and Jon sailed and raced Miss Adventure for the
next nine years winning the fleet championship when he was
16.
According to Jon, “Next to finding
Penny, my wife and life partner and my family, Miss
Adventure was the greatest gift I’ve received in my
lifetime. She instilled a lifelong love of the sea, a keener
awareness of the joy of competition and of the rewards of
doing things well.”
Penny and Jon met in Sausalito,
California in 1960 and quickly discovered their mutual love
for boating. Penny had developed her passion of the water
by water skiing, swimming and boating on Grand Lake,
Oklahoma where her family had a weekend retreat. After three
weeks, Jon had Penny sanding and refinishing his Folkboat, a
wooden 20 foot sloop. And by their second date, John
proposed; but it would be three months before he finally
found out her last name. And as Jon says, “the rest is
history!”
Thirty four years later, Jon and Penny
both took early retirement from their respective careers.
Jon had a successful career in health care administration
culminating with the last sixteen years as a senior official
with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois. Penny began her
career as an educator. She then pursued a sales career,
becoming very successful before returning to and eventually
retiring as a teacher. When early retirement was offered to
Penny, the Shattuck's decided the time was right to follow
their dream and sail.
In 1994, they purchased a Hylas 44
center cockpit sloop in St. Thomas and named it Magic Penny.
Over the next five years, they found themselves sailing
their own special magic carpet ride. Then in 1999, they
purchased a 46 foot fly bridge cockpit sedan powerboat,
which they also named Magic Penny. As Jon says, “this book
tells the story of life on the water and how we stayed in
touch with our dreams.” Their travels from the Bahamas to
Boston along the Intercoastal waterways will inspire you to
embark on the cruise you’ve always dreamed of.
This is a very well written book which
will hold your attention from start to finish.
The price of an autographed copy of the
book is $12.95 and Jon will personally deliver it to you.
Jon Shattuck
1024 San Mateo Drive
Punta Gorda, Fl 33950
(941) 505-9875
magicpenny36@earthlink.net
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Manager
of the new Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association
building but most don’t know that Jon is the author
of a captivating book,” Quality Cruising: The Tales
of Magic Penny.” 
