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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Wheeler Yacht Company LLC has begun initial sea trials for the Wheeler 55, its newest luxury yacht. The cold-molded wooden vessel built by the Brooklin Boat Yard began testing in Center Harbor and the Eggemoggin Reach in Brooklin, Maine and has achieved its early performance goals. The formal sea trial will be held on July 23 and the official launch on July 30.

As the newest model from the revered yacht company, the Wheeler 55 trials drew a small crowd of media representatives and a few local industry experts who were eager to witness the ‘soft launch’ and first engine tests of this luxurious and innovative yacht.

Running a business is not for the faint of heart. Despite the best laid business strategies and decades of hard work, success can ebb and flow with the tides of economics and consumer tastes. The Wheeler family behind Wheeler Shipbuilding Corporation and Wheeler Yachts knows this all too well. In the past century they’ve weathered countless storms and hardships; yet emerged with a brand that has stood the test of time.

Ernest Hemingway was revered worldwide for his intense literary style and prize-winning novels. In the papers, it was his risky adventures and scandalous personal life that earned him notoriety. But “Papa,” as he liked to be called, contributed more to the 20^th century than fiction and headlines … he was also one of the early pioneers of sportfishing boats.

When Howard E. Wheeler Sr. founded The Wheeler Shipyard Corporation in 1910 his vision was to design and build high-quality yachts for sport and leisure. His singular focus paid off — within a few years the craftsmanship of his yachts had garnered a prestigious reputation nationwide. Business was booming at the Brooklyn-based boatyard, but at the onset of WWI, Wheeler didn’t hesitate to change tack to support America’s defense.

Perry Mason. A Cold War Soviet spy. The leaker of the Pentagon Papers. Matthew Rhys has played countless iconic characters on television shows and movies like The Americans, Brothers & Sisters, The Post and Cocaine Bear. But after knocking back a few drinks in 2017, the Welsh actor unwittingly took on his most challenging role ever when he stumbled upon a 1939 Wheeler Playmate on eBay.

On June 6, 1944, American, British, Canadian and Australian soldiers arrived at one of the most hellish battle scenes in modern warfare.

Five tourists set off on a three-hour cruise captained by The Skipper and his bumbling first mate, Gilligan. After leaving port in Honolulu onboard the S.S. Minnow, a big storm blew the ship off course and shipwrecked the passengers on an “uncharted desert isle.”

Stealth and deadly, U-boats were one of Germany’s most effective weapons in World War II. With ruthless abandon, they aimed their torpedoes at both military and merchant vessels, sinking nearly 3,000 ships and killing upwards of 30,000 people.

How Ernest Hemingway and his Wheeler Yacht supported the Allies in WWII.

An avid sport fisherman, Ernest Hemingway penned his most critically acclaimed novel aboard a Wheeler yacht named Pilar.