Although we live in a relatively affluent society, in some ways it cannot compare with the extravagance of the 1920s. The classic commuter yacht Pam was built for Harrington Walker, grandson of Hiram Walker, who owned H. W. Distilleries. Harrington used Pam to commute to work across Lake St. Clair between Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and the shores of Ontario, Canada.

According to her current owners, Bob and Elizabeth Tiedemann, Pam is one of two surviving boats built by the Great Lakes Boat Building Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she was built in 192 1, Pam was considered an engineering marvel. With her twin Sterling six-cylinder engines, narrow beam width, and 62-foot hard-chine planing hull design, she was capable of making 30 knots -- an impressive speed for a boat that size even today.