ClassiC

Seattle’s Waterfront Chris Craft Cobra John Wayne’s Yacht Castine Classic 

ClassiC 

Issue Twenty EightYacht 

Hacker Craft 

September/October 2011 

for those who love great boats 

2011 Tahoe Concours 

Newport Classic Yacht Regatta 

1 ClassicYachtMag.com

Issue Twenty Eight 

ClassiC 

52 2011 Tahoe Concours 

Gar Wood is the Marque class for the 

39th year of judged competition. 

60 Hacker’s Second Century 

Hacker-Craft upgrades product under new 

ownership in anticipation of worldwide sales. 

68 2011 Classic Yacht Regatta 

Panerai and the Museum of Yachting 

do it again in fine style. 

74 Chris-Craft Cobra 

Chris Caswell explains how this nameplate 

was a turning point for boating. 

82 A Working Waterfront 

Unique among American cities, 

Seattle has not one but two working waterfronts. 

88 Shocking Beauty 

Edison Boats’ 26-knot electric runabout 

2 

Yac

ht 

COVER PHOTO: BRANT OLSON 

THIS PHOTO: KAREN RYAN 

6 

12 

94 

PenManShip 

On Watch 

Bucket Roundup 

S.O.S. 

First Aid Lesson: Burns 

for those who love great boats 

10 

50 

100 

116 

120 

September/October 2011 

Roger That 

Calendar 

Autumn’s Best Shows 

The Log 

Boatyard Musings 

Mystic Minutes 

A Rare Sea Trial 

Next Issue 


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ONE-TIME HAGERTY YOUTH JUDGE, 

Wooden Boating Enthusiast 

A generation ago, the Hagerty family invented 

Agreed Value insurance for classic boats. 

Today, we’re helping grow a new generation of boat 

lovers. Through the Hagerty Youth Judging program – 

part of our Operation Ignite! youth initiative – we’re 

sparking kids’ passion for wooden boats. And if all 

goes as planned, their lifelong love of classic boats 

will keep the wooden boating community strong for 

generations to come. 

Your business helps sustain our many hobby support 

programs. Call us at 800-762-2628 or visit us at 

hagertymarine.com for a quote. 

C O L L E C T O R B O AT I N S U R A N C E 


penmanship 

‘Garage Logic’ in the Boathouse 

There’s a fictional town in Minnesota 

that exists only on the radio, internet 

and in the minds of its many 

listener-citizens. I’m referring not 

to Lake Wobegon but 

Garage Logic, a place 

in the state that differs 

palpably from Garrison 

Keillor’s embellishment 

in that each of its citizens 

seems to have a handson 

interest in internal 

combustion, be it on 

two wheels or on Spoon 

Lake, one of the fictional 

town’s many freshwater 

playgrounds. 

The premise of Garage 

Logic is that any problem worth 

solving can be solved in the garage. 

It is the creation of Joe Soucheray, 

the afternoon drive-time host 

broadcasting from am-1500, KSTP 

in the Twin Cities. Soucheray is 

also a columnist for the Saint Paul 

Pioneer Press, a collector of vintage 

motorcycles and a wooden boat guy. 

I know this because I’ve listened to 

Follow us on Twitter. 

Click here & get 

inside news 

@ClassicYachtMag 

6 

the show quite a lot over the past 

fifteen years. 

I’ve listened with my back on a gravel 

boatyard, bottom-paint 

roller in hand as GL-ers 

have called in simply to 

share the sound of a Harley 

or Evinrude starting 

in their own garage. 

I’ve listened while working 

at a fuel dock in my 

college years as Soucheray 

walked us through The 

Knack Hardware Store 

and Lounge, essentially 

the town’s public house, 

“sifting through the nuts 

and bolts of life”. 

I’ve listened to Steve McComas, a.k.a. 

the Lake Detective, a real-life marine 

biologist whose claim to fame is that he’s 

never been stumped by callers wanting 

to know what’s happening beyond 

their dock on any of Minnesota’s more 

than ten thousand lakes. LD, as he’s 

known on the show, also happens to

(mast - head) 

publisher 

Bill Prince 

publisher@classicyachtmag.com 

editor 

Elizabeth Prince 

editor@classicyachtmag.com 

contributing writers 

Lew Barrett 

Vince Brennan 

Chris Caswell 

Dan McFadden 

Jim Moores 

Brant Olson 

John Sabella 

photographers 

T. Ameller 

Chris Caswell 

Kathy Mansfield 

Jim Moores 

Brant Olson 

John Sabella 

Vince Brennan 

S. Gattini 

Dan McFadden 

Duval Morris 

Karen Ryan 

Cory Silken 

advertising 

advertising@classicyachtmag.com 

ClassicYachtMag.com 

be a three-time light heavyweight U.S. boxing 

champ, a skill he’s actually used underwater 

against a charging crappie while scuba-diving 

on the job. 

Garage Logic is not only the seat of Gumption 

County but a two hour afternoon mix of sports, 

politics and cultural observations sprinkled 

with outboard motor lore. It’s as if a regime 

change occurred in Keillor’s little corner of the 

world, with soft-spoken gearheads assuming 

command. An 18-foot Chris-Craft rumbles by 

in the background as another fine day ends in 

the middle of America. 

While the premise of Garage Logic is that 

any problem worth solving can be solved 

in the garage, I think the same could be 

said for most any boathouse or boatyard. 

Soucheray’s signature honking laugh 

alone is worth a listen. Garage Logic can 

be heard weekdays at am1500.com in your 

own boathouse. 

Enjoy the issue! 

Bill Prince 


O V E R 6 0 C L A S S I C A N D S P E C I A LT Y 

LOT U114 

1966 Century 17’ Resorter 

Original and Restored with 80 Original Hours 

LOT U124 

1949 Hutchinson 26’ Utility 

Excellent Restoration 

LOT U132 

1937 Ventnor Hydroplane 

Designed by Adolph Apel 

LOT U143 

1939 Century 18’ Deluxe Sedan 

The only one in the world says the Century Boat Club 

8 

LOT U120 

1955 Chris-Craft 18’ Cobra 

#35 of 51 produced in 1955 

LOT U130 

1947 Ventnor Custom Runabout 

Rare finned deco style 

LOT U138 

2010 Hacker Craft 27’ Sterling 

1st Sterling Runabout Series Built 

LOT U145 

1940 Chris-Craft 27’ Triple Cockpit Racing Runabout 

The one remaining example of only 2 produced

SEPTEMBER 25 

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1929 Garwood 28’ Baby Gar 

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1910 Johnson 26’ Launch 

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LOT U159 

1962 Chris-Craft 36’ Constellation 

Fully restored and repowered 

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1966 Buehler Turbocraft 24’ Bar Harbour 

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1986 Wellcraft 38’ Scarab KV 38 

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1974 Magnum 28’ Maltese 

#48 of 100 built 

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oger that 

I think 

Comments, compliments, rants and 

offers to transfer Nigerian fortunes 

may be sent to: 

editor@classicyachtmag.com 

10

INSURANCE 

for Classic Boats 


on watch 

Whether in the 

harbor, ashore 

or at sea, the 80 

boats expected for 

the 10th Monaco 

Classic Week from 

September 14-18 

are living proof that 

maritime heritage is 

alive and well. 

12 

PHOTO: T. AMELLER 

Mo

naco Classic Week 


on watch 

PHOTO: S. GATTINI 

This year the Yacht Club de Monaco, 

a real virtuoso when it comes to 

regattas and parties, has attracted an 

exceptional group of sailing yachts, 

vintage motoryachts and steam 

yachts with, for the first time, a fleet 

of Chris Craft heritage-inspired 

motorboats alongside the traditional 

Rivas. 

1994 was the year when Monaco’s 

harbour hosted the inaugural 

motorboat meeting and another 

“landmark date in the history of 

yachting” when the Yacht Club de 

Monaco launched the Monaco Classic 

14 

Week. This event commemorated 

the centenary of the first motorboat 

meeting and paid tribute to HSH 

Prince Albert II, then heir to the 

Monegasque throne, and his ten years 

as President of the Yacht Club. Its aim 

was also to demonstrate Monaco’s 

unwavering attachment to the sea. 

Unique of its kind, even then Monaco 

Classic Week had one over-riding 

objective: to unite the survivors of 

a golden age of yachting, large and 

small leisure crafts alike: motorboats, 

vintage steam yachts, motoryachts 

and classic sailing yachts for at least 

a week in one harbour.

This year Hispania (1908) will be sailing 

in Monaco for the first time. Having 

recently undergone a restoration, this 

15m yacht which belonged to King 

Alphonse XIII of Spain is the sister-ship 

to Tuiga and recalls how crowned heads 

used to regularly compete in Monaco 

and on the Riviera in the golden age of 

yachting. 

The “regularity and manoeuvrability” 

trials, as well as the other events, will be 

very similar to those held in 1904. The 

crew who most elegantly apply and respect 

the codes of naval etiquette will be 

judged by a panel including princesses 

and artists. And the chefs competition 

will underline the importance of living 

and eating well on board. 

The races, which will be timed and 

winners awarded timepieces by the 

famous watchmaker Hublot, will see 

gaff cutters, sloops, ketches, yawls 

and schooners compete off the coast of 

Monaco. 

A spectacle is guaranteed as, for the 

first time, the Race Committee plans 

to alternate 

the starts 

according to 

rig type, not rating. 

ap-classic-week-200x300-france.indd 1 03/08/11 09:50 

With all these activities there will be little 

respite for the owners, skippers, captains 

and crews. However, it is obvious they 

come here to enjoy themselves and 

in doing so offer everyone a unique 

spectacle. Other highlights include the 

prestigious “La Belle Classe” evening 

and the “Nuit du Yachting” hosted at 

the Oceanographic Museum when the 

coveted “Personnalité de la Mer” prize 

is awarded. 

Strolling along the quay on the south 

side of Port Hercule, it is easy to feel 

like you’ve stepped back in time. And 

it’s easy to marvel at the achievements 

of a bygone era which, through the 

patronage of a select few, have been 

given a new lease of life. At the foot 

of their passerelles will be around 15 

vintage cars from the first Classic Lancia 

Torino to Monaco, a nod to this year’s 

centenary celebrations of the Monte- 

Carlo Rally. 


on watch 

Marblehead Kicks Off New England Regatta Circuit 

Marblehead, Massachusetts – The 

2011 Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge 

began its seventh consecutive season in 

North America – and its second season 

in Marblehead 

– in August. 

Marblehead 

was added 

in 2010 in response 

to sailors’ 

and captains’ 

wishes 

to have a complete 

regatta 

circuit in New 

England. 

Kicking off on August 12th, the 

Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta 

attracted 65 classic and vintage boats 

on registration day. Saturday’s race 

16 

brought plenty of sun and light winds, 

and Sunday’s race was marked by cloud 

cover and drizzle with mixed winds. 

Overall, a pretty tame series. 

The competitionshowcased 

an impressive 

range 

of beautiful 

vintage, classic 

and yachts 

– from the Antigua-based 

1938 vintage 

yacht, Mariella, 

to international 

one designs such as Tango, to the 

12-meter yacht Valiant, as well as the 

“Spirit of Tradition” yachts Vigor, White 

Wings and Wild Horses.

The event culminated with the celebrated 

Awards Party on Sunday 

evening, August 14th, at the Corinthian 

Yacht Club where the 68’ winning 

yacht Black Watch, co-owned and 

skippered by Trevor Fetter of Dallas, 

was awarded the overall prize: a Panerai 

timepiece as well as receiving a 

Panerai Barometer for placing first in 

its vintage class. 

First-place winners in other classes 

included Only Time for the Modern 

Classic division, owned by Rob Gorman; 

Sagacious, owned by Timmy Dittrich, won 

for the Classic International One Design 

Division, and Amazing Grace, owned 

by Hoff Stauffer won for the “Spirit of 

Tradition” division. Each winner of 

the respective classes was awarded a 

classically-designed Panerai Barometer. 


on watch 

A Blustery 39th Opera House Cup 

Nantucket Island, 

M a s s a c h u s e t t s 

– The second event 

of the North American 

Panerai Classic 

Yachts Challenge 

took place 

in winds from the 

southwest reaching 

18-20 knots at times, along with perfect 

sunshine. The strong winds resulted in 

an exciting and challenging Sunday in 

18 

particular, with 

crews hoisting sail 

to healthy angles 

of heel. 

Winning the prestigious 

Opera 

House Cup trophy 

and a Panerai 

8-day Radiomir timepiece was local 

contender Equus, from the Spirit of Tradition 

class, owned by Wendy Schmidt.

PHOTOS: CORY SILKEN 

The regatta consisted of 56 boats from 

four different racing classes including 

Classic, Spirit of Tradition, 12 Meter 

Class and the smallest class of the fleet, 

the 26-foot sloops in the Alerion Class. 

S p e c t a t o r s 

and racers 

alike were 

thrilled with 

the opportu- 


on watch 

39th Opera House Cup, cont. 

PHOTO: KAREN RYAN 

nity to see the renowned 

Mariella in action, a 1938 

Bermudian ketch whose 

owner Carlo Falcone 

brought her up from Antigua 

specifically to join in 

the North American Circuit 

of the PCYC. Winning 

the 12-meter class 

was Valiant, a 65-foot Bermudian 

sloop owned by 

Marblehead resident Gary 

Gregory, whose crew made a quick 

recovery after dealing with a man- 

PHOTO: CORY SILKEN 

20 

overboard to cross the finish line first 

in the fleet.



on watch 

39th Opera House Cup, cont. 


The Dry Bilge Machine 

Before After 

Yachting professionals 

like Jim Moores use the 

Arid Bilge Series 4 on 

their personal yachts. 

Arid Bilge is the 

automated bilge 

vacuum system that 

transforms yachts. 

Expect 100% dusty 

dry and odor-free 

bilges throughout! 

www.aridbilge.com 954.328.9705 

22 

Al@AridBilge.com 

Jim Moores’ personal Trumpy Aurora II

White Wings, a 76-foot sloop in the 

Spirit of Tradition class came in second 

overall, with Valiant placing third overall. 

Dorade made her debut at the Opera 

House Cup and was awarded the R.H. 

Tiedemann Award, while Ticonderoga 

celebrated her 75th birthday at the race. 

This year marks the 39th Annual Opera 

House Cup which started in 1973 after 

a group of local sailors sitting in the legendary 

Opera House restaurant decided 

they needed to host a regatta for classic 

single-hulled wooden sailboats. Restaurant 

owner Gwen Gaillard handed them 

a champagne bucket as a trophy, which 

is still used today. Buckets have popped 

up almost everywhere since, it seems. 


on watch 

St. Maarten Ranks Tops for Yacht Crew Hangouts 

The view from the 

Sunset Bar, St. Maarten 

Philipsburg, St. Maarten - 

TheCrewReport.com has named its 

recommendations for “the best crew 

hangouts in the world” with St. 

Maarten capturing four of the top 

spots. 

Their number one selection is the 

Soggy Dollar Bar in Palapa Marina. 

Other St. Maarten yachtie hot spots on 

the list include the Sunset Bar, situated 

at the end of the island’s Princess 

24 

Juliana Airport Runway, long a favorite 

spot for visitors and locals alike. 

The Sand Bar at the Isle de Sol Yacht 

Club and Karakter Bar, located on 

Simpson Bay Beach. 

“St. Maarten, known as the marine 

capital of the Caribbean, has a long 

history of being a favorite destination 

for yachting enthusiasts,” said May- 

Ling Chun, interim Director of Tourism 

for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

FOR SALE: Blue Moon 

Once in a Blue Moon: Here is a rare opportunity to own a piece of 

American pop culture! 

Blue Moon is a 1952 Chris Craft 32’ Super Deluxe. 

Blue Moon has been restored inside out and has been kept in a boat house 

its whole life. It resides on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. I 

have travelled throughout Europe and have seen some incredible boats in Amsterdam, Venice, London, this beauty 

would be a head turner where ever it is re-located and could be an instant business. 

I have showed the boat all over the Great North West. The boat has won ‘Best in Restored Power’ and ‘People’s 

Choice’ awards, too many to list. Most of the boat is mahogany other than the cockpit decks which are edge grain 

fir. New polypropylene fuel tanks and water holding tank, eliminating all of the metal. It has a secondary helm 

below, one of the features of the Super Deluxe. There were only 130 made from 1950 to 1952 and may only be a 

handful left in the world. This is hull #C32-112. It was re-powered in 1966 with twin Chevy Corvette 327s, rare 

in themselves. We have restored 5 or 6 Chris-Crafts over the last ten years, although none as rare as Blue Moon. 

– James Friesen 

Whether she ends up in North America or Europe, my hope is she ends up with someone 

who will cherish her as I have. More pictures are available on Facebook: James Friesen 

Serious inquiries please call or email for price. 

(250) 415-3367 jefriesen@yahoo.ca 


on watch 

2011 Castine Classic Features Herreshoff Fleet 

Spartan 

Castine, Maine – This year’s Castine 

Classic race celebrated Herreshoff 

and drew a record fleet of 42 boats. 

Prior to the race, eight historic 

Herreshoff yachts were on exhibition 

at the Castine Town Dock and were 

honored at a symposium at the 

Maine Maritime Academy. Halsey 

Herreshoff, grandson of “Captain 

Nat”, hailed the Castine event as 

“the greatest collection of Herreshoff 

yachts in modern history.” It marked 

the first time in over seventy-five 

26 

PHOTO: KATHY MANSFIELD 

years in which yachts representing 

the renowned New York 30, 40 and 

50 classes, designed a century ago 

for the New York Yacht Club, were 

assembled. 

Spartan, a 72’ New York 50 Class sloop 

designed by the famed Nathanael G. 

Herreshoff in 1912, led the Herreshoff 

Class fleet in the twelfth annual 

Castine Classic Yacht Race to Camden. 

Spartan, skippered by Charles Ryan, 

bested the 58’ P Class Joyant, built

in the same year by Herreshoff and 

sailed by Bob McNeil. Alera, the first 

43.5’ New York 30 Class sloop built in 

1904, took third place, skippered by 

Claas van der Linde. 

The event illuminated the finer details 

of the restoration of these yachts, 

which relied heavily on the drawings, 

photographs and files of the Herreshoff 

archives at the Hart Nautical 

Collections of the MIT Museum in 

Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kurt 

PHOTO: KATHY MANSFIELD 

Hasselbalch, Hart Nautical curator, 

chaired the discussion among a panel 

of restorers, owners and sailors of 

Herreshoff yachts. 

The Castine event kicked off three 

days of classic boat racing culminating 

in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta. 

Spartan took honors in all three of 

these races. 

After a delayed start, the fleet set 

sail from the Castine harbor bell on 

tgrace of the coast of Maine, Siren 

the Shipyard Cup is a 

participant and spectator’s 

dream. Few events celebrate 

the authentic majesty of 

yachting’s heritage like the 

Shipyard Cup. 

The 2011 Shipyard Cup will 

again be open to sailing 

vessels 70 feet and above 

from around the world with 

typical entrants averaging 

100 feet and over. The cup 


on watch 

2011 Castine Classic, cont. 

a 19.6nm course designed to end in 

Camden. The five classes started in 

a very light northeasterly breeze, 

which shortly died. A light, fickle 

wind eventually came up from the 

southwest. The conditions made 

for a slow race and caused the race 

committee to shorten the course. 

However, the vast majority of the fleet 

was able to complete the race. 

28 

In the Spirit of Tradition class, the 

newly-launched 75’ sloop Isobel took 

honors. Isobel, skippered by Richard 

Schotte, beat Pleione by more than 30 

minutes. Pleione is a Taylor 8 Meter 

sailed by Bruce Dyson. 

Wild Horses, a 76’ W-76 class sloop 

sailed by Donald Tofias, took third 

place.

Siren, a New York 32, led 

the Classic A fleet. Siren 

was skippered by Peter 

Cassidy. Second place 

went to another New York 

32, Falcon, sailed by Bob 

Scott. Quest, a 48’ Fife 

skippered by Diane Palm, 

took third. 

Marie J took first place in 

the Classic B fleet. She is 

a 34’ Jayne-designed sloop 

sailed by Eric Urbahn. 

Snow Star, a 37’ Nielsen 

sloop skippered by Tom 

Kiley, took second. Third 

place went to Thora, Vince 

Todd’s Little Harbor 36. 

In the Concordia fleet, the 

winner was the 39’ Snow 

Falcon skippered by George 

Gans III. Second place 

went to Captiva, another 

Concordia 39 sailed by John 

Bullard. Terry Fisher took 

third place sailing Mandala, 

another Concordia 39. 

Joyant 

29 ClassicYachtMag.com 

PHOTO: KATHY MANSFIELD

on watch 

IYRS Gala Raises $700k 

Newport, Rhode Island — Guests arriving 

at the 14th Annual IYRS Summer 

Gala were ushered into a setting of 

elegant black and white on a long red 

carpet. But the outcome of the evening 

was more profound than the shine and 

shimmer of a magical night in Newport: 

guests helped to raise nearly $700,000 

for IYRS educational programs, ensuring 

continued opportunity for students 

who want to use the training programs 

at this Rhode Island school as a gateway 

to skill-building, jobs and careers. 

30 

“Students of all ages and backgrounds 

come to IYRS from all walks of life, 

but they all leave on a common path: 

using their high level of craftsmanship 

and technical skills to build successful 

careers,” said IYRS President Terry 

Nathan. “We are fortunate that our many 

supporters understand the important 

role that our school plays.” 

Now with three full-time programs, 

IYRS graduated its largest class in the 

school’s history this June, including the

MOORES MARINE 

Building, restoring and repairing wooden boats since 1986. 

South Florida 

Moores Marine of the Palm Beaches 

1410 Avenue E, Riviera Beach, FL 33404 

MooresMarineInc@aol.com - 561-841-2235 

Long-Term Maintenance Programs 

www.MooresMarine.com 

North Carolina 

Moores Marine Yacht Center 

1201 Sensation Weigh, Beaufort, NC 28516 

mmyachtcenter@gmail.com - 252-504-7060 

Winner 2010 Concours d'Elegance, Outstanding Innovation, 

The Wooden Boat Show, Mystic Seaport. 

Award-Winning Restorations 


on watch 

IYRS Gala, cont. 

first graduates from the new Composites 

Technology Program. 

Live and silent auctions featured an 

impressive lineup of art objects, sailing 

opportunities and unique travel. 

Auction items included a stay in a 

private villa in St. Barths and megayacht 

racing during the St. Barths 

Near 

perfect in 

detail. 

Both 

restored & 

updated! 

57’ Elco 

has 

profitable 

business. 

42’ Matthews Sedan 

Bucket Regatta, a Mediterranean 

cruise onboard the luxurious fourmasted 

barque Sea Cloud, a seven-day 

charter on the classic 105-foot ketch 

Whitehawk, and a rare opportunity 

to join a South Atlantic expedition 

heading to the remote wildlife refuge 

of South Georgia. The largest ticket 

item was a reverse auction where 

Distinctive Classic Yachts 

2003 40’ Custom Express 

53’ & 57’ Elco 

1957 30’ Riva Limousine 

Michael Waters (561) 301-3455 mikewaters@unitedyacht.com 

www.unitedyacht.com/mikewaters 

32 

Stunning 

beauty! 

An Italian 

classic!

dinner guests all had an opportunity 

to help equip the IYRS programs 

with the proper supplies, tools and 

state-of-the-art equipment; that item 

generated a wealth of bids from the 

audience and a total of $77,000. 

In the spirit of the Black & White 

Party theme Billy Black, Daniel 

 

 

 

 

Forster, Dan Nerney, Amory Ross, 

Cory Silken and Onne van der Wal 

each composed a single black & white 

shot that depicted their interpretation 

of IYRS. Their work was a part of the 

silent auction. 

INSURANCE 

iyrs.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


for Classic Boats

on watch 

Rybovich Book is a Window into Boatbuilding Excellence 

Since 1947 the name Rybovich has 

been synonymous with some of the 

world’s finest hand-crafted wooden 

sportfishing boats. But until now no 

complete history of the yard and the 

yachts it built has been penned. 

With a unique insider’s perspective, 

author Pat Rybovich captures the 

spirit and struggle behind her family’s 

boatworks. Daughter of designer 

Tommy Rybovich, Pat spent four years 

researching and writing the yard’s 

remarkable history. The result is the 

largest, heaviest coffee table book in our 

office, weighing in at twenty pounds. 

The story unfolds in 1947 when three 

Rybovich brothers launched their first 

attempt at boatbuilding. Little did they 

34 

know, the first Rybovich would kick off the 

multi-billion dollar sportfishing industry 

which unfolded over the next sixty years. 

This is a serious book, exploding 

with photos and original drawings of 

beautiful boats. Tournament photos 

and shop images are all in the mix, 

giving everyone who loves great 

wooden boats a wide open window into 

the world of handcrafted boatbuilding 

and the tournament sportfishing world 

through the decades. 

The book is available only at 

RybovichBook.com. Click here to 

flip through a digital preview of this 

massive, fantastic book: 

rybovichbook.com/Flipbook-3.html

Imagine... 

Career path education programs that provide a solid 

foundation of technical, theoretical, and project 

management skills in Composite Manufacturing, 

Contemporary Boatbuilding 

and Marine Systems. 

It all starts this Fall at 

The Michigan School 

of Boat Building and Marine Technology! 

www.themichiganschool.org 

For more information about your career programs and registration 

please contact Dave Lesh at davidlesh@charter.net or call 1.317.260.1263 


on watch 

John Wayne’s Yacht Now On National Historic Register 

San Diego, California – Saddle 

up, partner. The United States 

Department of the Interior has 

approved the nomination for John 

Wayne’s charismatic (and still 

working for a living) 136-foot yacht 

Wild Goose to enter the National 

Register of Historic Places. 

36 

Previously certified by the California 

Office of Historic Preservation, 

Wild Goose was deemed eligible for 

entry into the National Register 

because of her association with the 

iconic Hollywood actor. Documents 

submitted and approved cite the 

yacht, rather plainly, “as an expression

of John Wayne’s personality and 

outsized image.” 

John Wayne purchased the wooden 

yacht in 1962 for $116,000 and enjoyed 

time aboard until two months prior 

to his death in 1979. 

The yacht was a converted 

minesweeper, originally built in 

1943 in Seattle as YMS-328 for the 

US Navy. She was decommissioned 

from military use in 1946, and her 

three on-deck guns were removed in 

the process. 

Wild Goose still cruises in California, 

hosting day trips under the operation 

of the locally well-known Hornblower 

Cruises & Events. 


on watch 

2011 Boatyard Dog Champ: And the Winner is... 

Rockland, Maine – Five preselected 

canine competitors and 

their human companions strutted 

their stuff, cheated shamelessly, 

went swimming (brrr!) 

and showed off their 

skills (or lack thereof) 

during the ninth annual 

World Championship 

Boatyard Dog trials at 

the Maine Boats, Homes 

& Harbors Show on 

Sunday, August 14. 

The wild and wacky 

competition returned 

for a ninth year before a 

large and lively crowd. 

One of the tenets of the 

trials is that cheating is 

not only tolerated, it’s 

encouraged. Breaking 

the rules was a challenge 

for the winner, Fenway, 

however, since her 

handler was Officer Joel Neal of the 

Rockland Police Department. 

Still, the pair wowed both crowd and 

38 

judges. Perhaps it was the sight of a 

policeman being thrown in the drink 

by a dog. Or maybe the judges were 

swayed by the “Get Out of Jail Free” 

passes and Dunkin’ 

Donuts gift cards they 

received as bribes 

from Joel and Fenway. 

Regardless, the pair’s 

speed through the 

obstacle course and 

agility getting into and 

out of a very tippy boat 

during the “Dinghy 

Hop” portion of the 

trials were notable. 

The duo combined 

two other critical components 

of the competition, 

that either dog 

or handler must end 

up soaking wet, and 

that a rubber duck 

must be used. 

Officer Neal stood on the edge of the 

dock with the duck clenched in his 

teeth. When Fenway leaped up to get

the duck, she pushed him over backwards 

into the water, and the crowd 

went wild. 

As winner of 

the competition, 

Fenway will keep the 

coveted revolving 

“Pup Cup” for a 

year. 

The pack of contestants 

this year was 

as varied as it was 

talented. So close 

was the competition 

among the top three 

dogs that the judges 

finally resorted to a 

secret ballot vote. 

Fenway won by 

a nose, followed 

closely by the rescued 

chihuahua Pixel. 

Pixel’s routine 

included walking 

the “plank,” which consisted of her 

handler Janet Williams lying on her 

stomach, into the tippy dinghy. 

A yellow Lab named Lyla and her 

agile young handlers were right on 

the leaders’ heels 

in third place. The 

judges noted that 

they had seen many 

a dog catch a ball, 

but very few who 

would throw it back 

as did Lyla. 

As usual, the trials 

kicked off with 

a paw-rade. It was 

led this year by the 

Maine Squeeze Accordion 

Ensemble 

and featured the 

newly crowned 

Maine Sea Goddess 

and a coterie of 

Shriners in lobsterboat 

go-karts. Two 

antique biplanes 

from the Owls Head 

Transportation Museum 

flew over the inner harbor, delighting 

spectators and dogs alike. 


on watch 

DryTunes: Keep Your Music Thirsty 

Campbell, California – Having 

trouble keeping your Rolling Stones 

dry while you’re onboard? The new 

Digital Media Locker from marine 

audio systems manufacturer Aquatic 

AV keeps just about any digital musicplaying 

device clean and dry on board 

– and allows the user to remotely select 

and play music up to 40 feet away. 

The Digital Media Locker is rated for 

use in wet and dusty environments, 

40 

the Digital Media Locker has a builtin 

amplifier (72x4 @ 2 ohms, 47x4 @ 4 

ohms) and pre-amp outputs to connect 

external amplifiers. 

A radio frequency two-way remote 

controls music functions while the 

player stays dry inside the locker. 

Flush mounts easily. The Digital Media 

Locker is compatible with iPod, MP3, 

US and Euro FM radios. $288 

aquativac.com

Make Some Memories This Boating Season 

Impeccably restored 

1957 Century Arabian with 

rare original Cadillac motor 

Some things never go out of style: fun with 

family and friends, and enjoying time with your 

dream boat. “Bella Vita” is the one to make it 

happen. She has been carefully and thoughtfully 

brought back to her original condition, stem to 

stern. The total investment made was well in 

excess of $100,000. She’s a multiple showwinner 

including the coveted “Best Preserved 

Classic Runabout” at the 2007 ACBS International 

Boat Show. Custom, dual-axle trailer 

included. New reduced price available FIRST 

to readers of Classic Yacht Magazine! 

Now offered at $54,900 

2009 Number Boat 

Featured this spring in WoodenBoat Magazine 

#220. Fiberglass construction for easy care 

and launching. Modern yet highly elegant and 

even fuel efficient. Marine Power 4 cylinder 

140hp. It’s just plain FUN boating! LOA: 28’ 

Offered at $139,750 

See the full selection of boats online 

at www.hallsboat.com 

Enjoy the “Good Life” with this rare and highly collectible 1957 Century Arabian. 

She was a special order in 1956 for a physician in the Rochester NY area. 

Only 41 were built in 1957, and of those, only 4 had the upgraded Cal Connell Cadillac 

engine. Today “Bella Vita” is the only one known to exist with that original motor. 

Chris-Craft U-22 - 6 to Choose From! 

As a utility style boat, the U-22’s open cockpit 

make it perfect for boating with family and 

friends. Choose from 5 varnished and whitesided 

hulls available. Very eager to sell! 

LOA: 22’ 

From $15,500 to $37,500 

9 Front Street • Lake George, NY • 518-668-5437 • www.hallsboat.com 


©2011 Hall’s Boat Corporation. All rights reserved. 

1914 Fay & Bowen 

"Andante" is a spectacular and extremely 

rare early launch. A highly collectible and 

very usable boat in very good condition, 

given her age. Heart-stoppingly beautiful 

bow, gentle sheer, torpedo stern. LOA: 33’ 

Offered at $198,000 

Making it easy to purchase, own, 

and enjoy a classic boat

on watch 

Freak Storm, First-Ever Fatalities Taint 103rd 

Chicago-Mackinac Race 

Chicago, Illinois – For the 361 classic 

and contemporary raceboats entered in 

the Chicago Yacht Club’s 103rd Race to 

Mackinac, the first 30 hours consisted of 

idyllic sailing. Plenty of breeze from the 

right direction, a kindly sea-state, warm 

air and spinnakers punctuating the 

horizon as far as the eye could see. But 

then a severe thunderstorm crossed Lake 

42 

Michigan around midnight during the 

333-mile race. Windgusts were reported 

by some instruments at 100+ knots with 

waves of 4-6 feet. 

The Coast Guard was notified at 12:40 am 

via VHF radio by crew members from 

one of the competing boats Sociable that 

another of the competing boats, WingNuts, 

had capsized in these severe conditions. 

Five sailors were pulled from the water 

on arrival to the scene and one other sailor 

was later rescued. The six sailors were 

rescued by the crew of Sociable. 

The accident occurred approximately 13 

nautical miles northwest of Charlevoix,

Michigan and 10 miles east of South Fox 

Island. 

The Sociable skipper called all boats for 

assistance on Channel 16 and ten boats 

immediately abandoned the race to join in 

search efforts for two missing sailors. 

The two lost sailors were WingNuts skipper 

Mark Morley, 51, and Suzanne Bickel, 

Photo by Jack Renner 

41, both from Saginaw, Michigan. Mark 

Morley had 44 years of sailing experience, 

including six Chicago Mackinacs and 

85 qualifying races. Suzanne Bickel had 

sailed in two previous Chicago-Mackinac 

Races, with 16 qualifying races. 

Sailor Tim Prophit told Sail World USA’s 

David Schmidt, “It came up really 

quickly to 60 knots, which we’ve sailed 

You can carve wood. 

Or you can 

carve out a career. 

The IYRS Boatbuilding & Restoration Program immerses 

students in an environment where creativity, teamwork, 

a fi rst-rate faculty and a culture of craftsmanship produce 

professionals who are ready to make a contribution – and 

a difference – to the marine industry. That’s why IYRS is 

the fi rst place boatbuilders look for their next employees. 

To learn more, visit IYRS.org 

International Yacht Restoration School 

449 Thames St. Newport, RI 02840 

401-848-5777 x 203 


on watch 

Chicago-Mackinac Race, cont. 

through enough times to know what it’s 

like. Usually, it blasts through after a 

minute or two, then it’s over and we can 

keep going. So when the stuff really hit 

the fan, the instinct is to bear off and run 

with it, initially—we didn’t have time to 

drop the sails or put in a reef. 

“We’re just screaming downwind—the 

water had been pretty flat—and I’m 

doing my best to stay under the rig, 

hoping that I didn’t wipeout too badly. 

It was unbelievable! I’m not sure how 

fast we were going, but water was just 

BLASTING off the side of the boat. I had 

three guys up on the foredeck, trying to 

get the jib down and then the boat just 

dove down, right into the lake. So we 

called everyone back; I figured that if 

the bow goes in that I’d lose control of 

the rudder. It just never stopped. It just 

came on stronger and stronger. It got to 

the point where we just had to stop and 

lay the boat down. Heaving-to wasn’t an 

option.” 

Sailing is a remarkably safe sport in large 

part because of the caring of its close-knit 

community. When a sailor dies, all sailors 

44 

mourn and do what they can to see that 

such an accident does not happen again. 

Chicago Yacht Club Commodore Joseph 

Haas asked US Sailing to conduct an independent 

study of what happened. On July 

28 Gary Jobson, president of US Sailing, 

appointed the Independent Review Panel 

for the 2011 Mackinac Race and directed it 

to consider what lessons might be learned 

and also to make recommendations. 

The members of the Independent Review 

Panel are (Chairman) Chuck Hawley, 

Santa Cruz, CA.; Sheila McCurdy, 

Middletown, RI; Ralph Naranjo, 

Annapolis, MD.; and John Rousmaniere, 

New York, NY. Each is an experienced 

offshore sailor, a longtime member of US 

Sailing’s Safety-at-Sea Committee, and a 

moderator of US Sailing-certified Safety 

at Sea Seminars. The Chicago Yacht 

Club appointed one if its members, Leif 

Sigmond Jr., to serve as the club’s liaison 

to the panel. 

The Independent Review Panel will 

present its report to the Chicago Yacht Club 

and US Sailing in mid to late October.

Full or Partial Restorations 

Hull and structural 

repair 

Strip & refinish 

Upholstery 

Engine Rebuilds, 

repairs, winterizing 

Varnish maintenance coats 

Mobile shop to go to the 

boats that cannot be 

transported. 

Boat and Yacht maintenance 

management and consulting 

Over 60,000 repair 

and maintenance 

items & 

accessories for 

any age boat 

Shore power, 

Electrical and 

Electronics 

Water Sports Toys 

Safety Equipment 

Fishing, Anchoring & Docking 

Trailering & Mooring covers 

Steering, propellers 

Trailers 

Easy loader • Fast Load • Loadmaster • Load Right 

Items for do-it-yourselfers 

Lowest prices on stainless steel fasteners • Lowest prices on 3M 5200 • 

Engine parts • Pettit, Interlux, Epifanes paints and varnsihes • Awlgrip, Sea 

Hawk, Pettit, Interlux bottom paints • West System Epoxy 

•We ship to the Carribean• 

Pick up and delivery of your boat to 33 feet and 12,000 pounds. 

Fully insured. 

www.WoodiesRestorations.com 


on watch 

Classic Boat Consignment 

Coming to Geneva Lake 

Geneva Lake, 

Wisconsin - Mecum 

Auctions 

understands the 

potential of the 

growing collector 

boat market 

and they’re 

planning on 

making waves 

in Wisconsin at the end of September. 

The Geneva Lake Antique and Classic 

Boat Auction, the company’s first consignment 

boat event, will be held Sun- 

46 

day, September 

25th at The Abbey 

Resort on 

Geneva Lake in 

Fontana. 

With 60 vessels 

on hand, the boat 

auction should 

have something 

to fit everyone’s taste and budget, from 

thousand-dollar rowboats to rare six-figure 

Chris-Crafts. Mecum’s Geneva Lake 

Boat Auction will be held the day after the

Annual International Antique and Classic 

Boat show Sept. 23-24. Several boats 

will first participate in the show and then 

run across the auction block on Sunday. 

Among the unique boats going up for 

bid is a 1986 Wellcraft 38’ Scarab KV 38 

which Wellcraft sent to Universal Studios 

for use in the television show “Miami 

The motor yacht Trudella was comissioned in 2007 and 

completed in the spring of 2009. 

Her hull was built in 1938 in Germany. 

She is built as a gentelman’s heavy 

cruiser with art deco design 

features in the interior. 

She has every conceivable 

modern design feature 

including climate 

control in every cabin, 

sattellite TV, sat phone, 

sat nav, etc. 

Vice.” It was used for all aspects of 

filming the show, including as the camera 

platform for “in cockpit” filming and has 

undergone a complete restoration. The 

boat can reach speeds of over 70 knots. 

“We believe there is a real growth 

opportunity in the collector boat hobby 

that includes specialty fiberglass boats 

For Sale: the motor yacht Trudella 

She can be veiwed at www.mvtrudella.com. 

Interested parties can contact the agent at bquantum@eircom.net. 

The asking 47 price is 980,000.00 ClassicYachtMag.com 

euros.

on watch 

in addition to wooden boats, and we are 

excited to be on the forefront in offering 

these types of watercraft to the industry,” 

said Scott Ales, boat consignment 

YNOT 

 

48 

specialist at Mecum Auctions. “Several 

other fiberglass brands are expected 

at the event in September, including 

Buehler, Donzi, Chris-Craft X19 and

CLICK HERE 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

FOR SALE: “SEA DOG” 

A beautifully restored 1932 Stephens 55-foot Bridgedeck Commuter/Cruiser 

In show condition after a complete restoration that included all new interior, wiring, plumbing, engines, and tanks 

The semi-displacement hull is carvel planked. Twin Yanmar model 6LPASTP2 turbo-injected diesels, 6-cylinder, 4-cycle, 312 hp each, new 

in 2008. All new tanks in 2008. 2008 Westerbeke model Mini/13, 60Hz diesel generator in sound-insulated enclosure. 

In 2008 and 2009 

SEA DOG won 

several awards in 

the Puget Sound 

region, including the 

Victoria Classic Boat 

Festival. 

Contact the owner, Les Gunther at lesgunther@rockisland.com, or call 360-378-5733. Serious inquiries only, please. 

Located in Puget Sound, WA • $415,000 

HELM ENGINE ROOM FORWARD CABIN 

two ‘70s vintage Magnum Marine twin 

engine boats. Many may remember the 

Magnum name as the third company 

started by the famous Don Aronow in 

1966.” 

During the recent Monterey Auction in 

August, Mecum sold the Phantasy II, a 

1938 19-foot Chris-Craft Race Boat that 

won Best of Show at Lake Tahoe the 

week before the auction. Last year, the 

auction company sold a 1929 Hacker 

Craft Runabout known as Typhoon at the 

2010 Monterey Auction, and that boat 

recently won the best Restored Antique 

Runabout award at the Annual Clayton 

Antique Boat Show. 

SEA DOG is in top 

condition throughout, 

and kept in her 

own covered shed. 

More than one hundred of the top ranked 

vintage boats in all classes from the entire 

US and Canada are expected to attend the 

annual International Antique and Classic 

Boat show prior to the sale on Sept. 23- 

24. Sponsored by the ACBS, the judged 

event will take place Friday and Saturday 

at The Abbey Resort in Fontana. 

All classes of antique and classic boats 

will be represented. Awards including 

the coveted best of show, for both Best 

Preserved and Best Restored boats of the 

year, will be given. With its impressive 

attendance and natural beauty, this show 

has become a premier North American 

antique and classic boat event. 


calendar 

PHOTO: DUVAL MORRIS 

2011 

50 

The Monaco Yacht Show

Autumn’s Best Shows 

Southampton International Boat Show 

Southampton City Marina 

Southampton, UK 


southamptonboatshow.com 

Newport International Boat Show 

Newport Yachting Center 

Newport, Rhode Island 


newportboatshow.com 

Norwalk International Boat Show 

Norwalk Cove Marina 

East Norwalk, CT 


boatshownorwalk.com 

Monaco Yacht Show 

Port Hercules 

Principality of Monaco 


monacoyachtshow.com 

Genoa International Boat Show 

Fiera di Genova 

Genova, Italy 

October 1-9 

genoaboatshow.com 

Annapolis Sailboat Show 

Ego Alley 

Annapolis, Maryland 

October 6-10 

usboat.com 

Annapolis Powerboat Show 

Ego Alley 

Annapolis, Maryland 

October 13-16 

usboat.com 

Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show 

Every good marina in town 

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 

October 27-31 

flibs.net 


2011 Tahoe Concour 

Story & Photos: 

Brant Olson 

52

s d’Elegance 


2011 Tahoe Concours d’Elegance 

The Tahoe Concours d’Elegance boat 

show, held annually in Carnelian Bay, 

Lake Tahoe, is considered by many 

to be the premier wooden boat show 

on the west coast. 2011 marked the 

39th year for the judged competition 

and the Marque class of the show 

highlighted boats manufactured by 

Gar Wood. There were over 30 Gar 

Wood boats entered in this special 

event. The stunning views of Lake 

Tahoe, combined with the visitor 

friendly marina at the Sierra Boat 

Company, provide a perfect venue for 

viewing these beautifully restored and 

maintained boats. 

Thirteen classes of boats were eligible 

for entry in the judging, where each 

boat is judged on its own merit. Based 

on a 100 point system, the goal of the 

judges is to reward those who have 

restored their boats to the authenticity 

and standard as they appeared when 

shipped from the factory. Since each 

boat is judged on its own merit, it is 

possible for more than one boat in 

each category to attain a first place 

score. Judges research and prepare 

54 

documentation to validate how the 

boats were originally manufactured, 

and along with pictures and vintage 

catalogs from the owners, are able 

to determine an overall score for the 

boat. 

Earning “Best of Show over 23 feet” was 

the first place 1941 24’6” Gar Wood 95 

American Utility Heigh-Ho II. Earning 

“Best of Show under 23 feet” was the 

1936 19’ Chris-Craft custom Special 

Race Boat Phantasy II. “Best Marque

Class of Show” and “Best Overall Boat 

of Show” went to first place winner Jean 

Ann, a 1939 19’ Gar Wood 912 Custom 

Runabout. 

From the 19’ Chris- Craft Runabout to 

the famous 56’ Thunderbird, once owned 

by George Wittell, there is something 

for everyone to appreciate. A late entry 

to this year’s competition included the 

1955 29’ Chris-Craft Flat Top, owned by 

country music star Alan Jackson from 

Brentwood, Tennessee. Varnish and 

chrome, polished to perfection, was 

abundant in the marina. Each boat is 

truly a work of art and a labor of love. 

Along with the beautiful boats in the 

marina, there are many other options for 

the Concours d‘Elegance visitors to enjoy. 

Live music, great food and beverages 

and a variety of vendors displayed 

during all hours of the show. Vendors 

from Korbel Champagne, Range Rover, 



56



58

Frederique Constant Geneve watches, 

Hagerty Insurance, Big Woody Wine 

Co. and BuckBean Brewery Co. were all 

available to provide an interesting wealth 

transfer experience for all participants 

attending this unique event. 

The Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation 

and the Sierra Boat Company offer an 

opportunity to look back at the history of 

boating on Lake Tahoe and the passion 

for wooden boats. The Concours 

d’Elegance is certainly a prestigious 

event for boat owners and a unique 

experience for spectators. Lake Tahoe 

is stunning in its beauty and is often 

referred to as “the gem of the west”. A 

walk around the docks in the marina 

offers views of 10,000 ft. snow covered 

mountains and crystal clear waters. 

In 2012, the Tahoe Yacht Club will host the 

40th Concours d Elegance boat show and 

includes the Italian boat manufactured 

by Riva as the Marque class. The dates 

for the show are August 11th and 12th, 

2012. Be sure to include this wonderful 

event on your social calendar. The 

passion for wooden boats is alive and 

well in Carnelian Bay at Lake Tahoe. 


Hacker’s Second Ce 

Hacker-Craft upgrades product under new ownership, 

in anticipation of worldwide sales 

The Hacker-Craft Sport 

struts her stuff. 

PHOTO: SALLY ANN SANTOS 

60

ntury 


Below: George Badcock in the 26-foot Sterling 

Right: Hacker-Craft’s new paint booth, part of a new production fa 

Founded in Detroit in 1908, the Hacker Boat Company 

is one of the longest-lived boatbuilders in the world. Its 

founder, John L. Hacker, was an extraordinary talent 

who has long been acknowledged as one of the era’s 

leading naval architects and the greatest American 

motorboat designer of the early 20th century. Hacker 

incorporated several innovations during the first World 

War, most notably a revolutionary V-shaped hull that 

allowed his boats to reach speeds unheard of in the 

early part of the 20th century. 

In 1911 he designed the first airplane floats for the 

Wright Brothers of aeronautical fame. At the time of 

his death in 1961, John Hacker’s designs would easily 

have made a who’s who list of the greatest wooden 

boats ever built - Pardon Me, Thunderbird, Tempo, El 

Lagarto, Peerless, Dolphin, Miss Pepsi, My Sweetie - to 

name a few. 

62 

The company’s corporate 

offices and production 

facilities are now 

located on or near the 

shores of Lake George. 

Recently George Badcock’s 

Erin Investments 

bought out Hacker-Craft 

with the aim of modernizing 

the boatbuilding 

operations. “The goal

cility 

was to bring the company into 21st century”, 

Badcock said. It took capital and 

a new management team and Badcock 

invested heavily in a new factory in 2010. 

A two-story showroom was added this 

year, encompassing 5,000 square feet. 

“It has been one giant effort to move the 

company forward”, Badcock said. “We 

see Hacker-Craft as a global company.” 

Hacker is planning expansion into the 

European Union, the Middle East and 

parts of Asia in search of increased sales. 

This modernization of the boatbuilding 

process has not resulted in cookie-cutter 

mass production. “There is no substitute 

for hand workmanship”, Badcock 

remarked. “We have completely changed 

the product over the past couple of years. 

Now we have a quality control manager 

and a comprehensive quality control 


process. Each boat is as perfect as we can 

make it.” 

Today’s Hacker-Crafts are hand-built 

with fine select mahoganies. Many 

models look like classic original 1920s 

and 1930s Hackers above the waterline, 

but significant changes have been made 

throughout thanks to improved modern 

boat building techniques and materials. 

Utilizing these new technologies and 

materials, today’s Hacker contemporary 

classic boats are built with “dry” bottoms: 

modern epoxies are layered between each 

of three planking layers of mahogany. 

Not only are the dry bottoms strong and 

resilient, their maintenance has been 

drastically reduced. No more replacing 

rope caulk, wetting and swelling or 

yearly refinishing. 

John L. Hacker’s grand-nephew Charles 

Hacker visited the factory recently. He 

spent two days on site, exchanged stories 

and appreciated the efforts that have been 

made to strengthen the company and the 

boats as the 21st century unfolds. 

All this effort has begun to pay dividends. 

Hacker-Craft has recently introduced a 

new model, the Sterling. Designed in- 

64

The new Hacker-Craft Sterling 26 


house, it has a barrel-back look and a 

wide beam. The prototype Sterling is a 

26-footer, powered with a 5.7L Crusader. 

They are currently building a 30-foot 

Sterling powered by an 8.2L MerCruiser. 

Hull #2 of the 26 is also underway. 

With a new facility and expanding sales 

force, Badcock’s goal is to produce 35-40 

boats per year. The company currently 

has 52 employees, according to Badcock. 

40 are directly involved in boatbuilding, 

The Cure for the Common Career 

Wooden Boat Building Composite Boat Building Marine Systems 

Train for a career in the marine industry. 

You don’t want a common desk job.You want a rewarding profession 

doing what you love: working with boats. The Landing School has 

10-month certificate programs and two-year degree programs that 

begin every September. Apply now to prepare yourself for an 

uncommon career in the marine industry. 

The Landing School ~ www.landingschool.edu 

66 

and they’re on pace to build 22 or 23 boats 

in 2011. Their facility is currently 37,000 

square feet, but Hacker can double its 

size if need be. 

For over a hundred years, Hacker-Crafts 

have been hand-built in America, one at 

a time, by some of the world’s finest boat 

building craftsmen. Today, Hacker-Craft 

builds runabouts, sport boats, launches, 

utilities, commuters and water taxis from 

20 to 42 feet. 

PO Box 1490 ~ Kennebunkport, ME 04046 ~ 207-985-7976 ~ info@landingschool.edu 

Yacht Design

Hacker-Craft and Lake Placid, a perfect combination. 


2011 Classic Yac 

Newport, Rhode Island - The Museum 

of Yachting’s 32nd Annual Classic 

Yacht Regatta was held September 3- 

4 in Newport and wrapped up the 

final segment of the second-annual 

North American Panerai Classic 

Yachts Challenge circuit. Roiling teenstrength 

southerly breezes and mostly 

sunny skies prevailed for most of the 

weekend, creating excitement on the 

choppy waters of Narragansett Bay for 

the circuit’s finale regatta. 

The Museum of Yachting Classic Yacht 

Regatta, in partnership with organizing 

authority Sail Newport, drew a fleet 

68 

of 55 boats from throughout the 

region. Again this year, the turnout 

was recognized by all participants and 

sponsors to be an impressive display of 

commitment by the skippers and crews 

of the many classic and vintage boats 

that participated. 

Saturday’s course at the MoY Classic 

Yacht Regatta was clockwise around 

Conanicut Island. A building breeze out 

of the south pushing back against the 

ebb tide made for choppy conditions at 

the bay’s entrance. Fifteen to 18 knots 

built to around 20 knots by the end of 

the race. The S-boats sailed a shorter

ht Regatta 

the new home of yachting online - a global yachting community 

Crew - luxury Yachts - Yacht 69 69Racing - News & ClassicYachtMag.com 

Information 

R

course, taking them north of the bridge 

towards Prudence Island and back, 

allowing them to stay in the flatter 

water of the bay interior. 

Sunday’s conditions saw the larger 

boats heading south to round R4 and 

then north toward Prudence Island 

before finishing between Goat and Rose 

islands. Conditions mirrored Saturday’s 

breeze, with strong southerly winds 

again in the 15- to 18-knot range. 

The class winners were: Wild Horses, 

which won the Spirit of Tradition fleet; 

Valiant took first place in the classic 

non-spinnaker class; Belle, helmed by 

owner Joe Loughborough, won the 6- 

Meter division; Firefly captured the 

S-Boat class; and Columbia took first 

place in the 12-Meter class. 

Gary Gregory, owner of Valiant, 

walked away with a Limited Edition 

Panerai timepiece as the overall 


Your Riva Connection 

With over 60 combined years 

of experience with Rivas, why 

would you go anywhere else? 

Parts, Service, Brokerage 

winner of the MoY Classic Yacht 

Regatta. 

Trevor Fetter’s yawl Black Watch 

received the trophy for the overall 

winner of the North American Panerai 

Classic Yachts Challenge. The W-76 

Wild Horses, owned by Donald Tofias, 

won the circuit’s Spirit-of-Tradition 

Division Award. 

moy.org 

Alan Weinstein 954-609-6485 

tlviking@aol.com 

www.rivaguru.com 

Herb Hall 530-546-2551 

herb@sierraboat.com 

73 www.sierraboat.com 

ClassicYachtMag.com

Story & Photos: 

Chris Caswell 

A Turning Point For Boating: 

The Chris-Cra 

Ike had a heart attack and Churchill 

resigned as Britain’s Prime Minister. Davy 

Crockett hats were the rage, and millions 

of coonskin-capped kids lined up for Salk 

polio vaccine shots. A young preacher 

organized an Alabama bus boycott and 

the name Martin Luther King made the 

news. The Brooklyn Dodgers finally beat 

the Yankees to win their first World Series 

and women around the world wept when 

Princess Margaret renounced commoner 

Peter Townsend. 

It was 1955 and Chris-Craft introduced 

the Cobra. 

74 

Nowadays, when cars are casually 

named for every wild animal 

imaginable, a ferocious title means little. 

But in 1955, the Cobra was everything 

its name implied: lean, low and snakefast. 

It was the fastest Chris-Craft and 

it was a turning point for the boating 

world in many ways. 

To say that the Cobra was rakish is an 

understatement, particularly for the 

standards of a world just a decade past 

a World War. The bow had the “bullnose” 

look that was new that year, 

but it still looked sleek. The stance of

ft Cobra 

the boat, even at rest, was of immense 

power with the sheer climbing from a 

low and flat stern. To compound this 

rakish look was the tailfin, an imposing 

golden monument that made the Cobra 

instantly recognizable even at a distance. 

With its gleaming varnish, menacing 

exhaust rumble and the willingness of 

owners to race anything in sight, the 

Cobra soon made itself known across 

the country. 

Chris-Craft built two versions of the 

Cobra: an 18-footer and the 21-footer 

shown on these pages. There wasn’t 

exactly a stampede to buy Cobras and 

only a total of 106 were built but during 

their brief existence they left their 

mark. 

Chris-Craft was convinced that nothing 

could ever replace a good mahogany 

speedboat but they built the Cobra 

engine cowlings and fin from a new 

miracle material called fiberglass. It was 

the beginning of the end for traditional 

wooden Chris-Crafts and within a few 

years the firm had switched entirely to 

building fiberglass boats. The lustrous 

sheen of varnished mahogany hulls no 


The tailfin, surprisingly, didn’t have the color molded in. 

Instead, gold powder was mixed in varnish and then carefully appl 

longer graced their production lines 

and fiberglass was here to stay. 

The Cobra dipped into the automotive 

world for styling, but the fin was a radical 

departure even though it was the 

fad for cars. The Chevrolet Corvette, 

a success since its introduction two 

years before, contributed to the Cobra 

in styling and concept. The Corvette 

had an all-fiberglass body, it was a 

two-seater and it was fast. The Cobra 

used fiberglass, was only a three-seater 

in spite of its length and relied on big 

Detroit engines for power. Even the 

Cobra windshield resembles the Corvette 

style. 

But underneath this brash exterior the 

Cobra was pure Chris-Craft. Built at the 

Cadillac, Michigan plant where most 

of the smaller runabouts were built in 

the ‘40s, it started life as a stack of the 

finest woods. The hull was framed in 

oak with stringers of the same tough 

wood. The hull and deck planking 

was the best mahogany that could be 

found and this was an era when good 

wood was the norm. 

Each hull was carefully finished and 

76 

then several layers of syrupy varnish 

were laid on. The tailfin, surprisingly, 

didn’t have the color molded in. 

Instead, gold powder was mixed in 

varnish and then carefully applied. 

The bottom finish on the Cobra, unlike 

the traditional bronze color, was almost 

black. It was graphite powder mixed 

with varnish to give a smooth and fast 

finish. 

The Cobra cockpit was both lavish 

and, perhaps to modern taste, garish. 

The instrument panel was trimmed in 

black alligator upholstery, the steering 

wheel was automotive in style with a 

horn rim and the bench seats had white 

and gold coloring to match the fin. 

Sitting behind the wheel there is a 

long, long expanse of foredeck with 

neatly caulked seams and varnished 

mahogany stretching to the horizon. It 

isn’t however, all it appears to be. The 

neat lines of white seam compound 

don’t always mark seams, since the 

decking is composed of wide planks 

with two or three false seams for effect. 

In spite of the illusion, the two-toned 

mahogany foredeck is stunningly 

beautiful.

ied. 


Any of the three factory engines were enough to blow the burgees off m 

78

ost boats in 1955, 

when the largest Evinrude outboard was just 25hp. 

The Cobra was the top of the Chris- 

Craft line for outright speed and the 

buyer was offered a choice of several 

powerplants, depending on his bravery 

and pocketbook. 

The standard engine for the 21-footer 

was the Chris-Craft MBL engine, an inline 

six of 339 cu. in. that produced 158 

hp and heaps of torque. The MBL was 

from Hercules Engines of Ohio which, 

during wartime, had built nearly one 

million engines for everything from 

Jeeps to PT Boats. Their block was 

converted to marine use by Chris-Craft 

and bore the Chris-Craft Marine logo. 

Owners who wanted a bit more punch 

could opt for a Chrysler Hemi V-8 of 

331 cu. in. that put out 200 hp. And if 

the buyer wanted a resounding thump 

in the back when he punched the 

throttle, there was a Cadillac V-8, also 

of 331 cu. in. that pumped out 285 hp. 

For those hotshoes who still weren’t 

satisfied, you could buy the Cobra 

without an engine and drop in 

something to your own taste. One 

owner, for example, installed a 

supercharged Cad engine. There were 

seven Cobras ordered “less engine” 

and rumors still fly about the speeds 

achieved by some of these specials. 

But the three factory engines were 

enough to blow the burgees off 

most boats in 1955, when the largest 

Evinrude outboard was just 25hp. The 

smallest of the optional engines would 

get the Cobra to 50mph and the big Cad 

engine was good for an honest 55mph. 

Even by today’s standards that’s pretty 

quick for a 21-footer that weighs a ton 

and a half with everyone aboard. And, 

the Cobra could still take the chop 

dished out by an afternoon breeze on 

a big lake without jarring everyone’s 

spine like modern ski boats. 

Among the innovations on the Cobra 

were an aircraft-style push-pull 

throttle on the dashboard and, as on 

many Chris-Crafts after 1953, the 

optional Chris-O-Matic “automatic 

transmission” that was an electric/ 

hydraulic shifter to replace the usual 

gear shift lever sprouting from the floor. 

This quickly became known as the 

“Crash-O-Matic” because it sometimes 

had a mind of its own, particularly in 

docking situations. 


One well-restored Cobra recently sold for more than $140,000 at auc 

and i 

The 21-ft. Cobra 

shown here is hull 

no. 3 and belonged 

to the late Joe Kabot 

of Troy, Michigan 

when the pictures 

were taken in the 

late ‘70s. Kabot was 

universally beloved 

by classic boating 

enthusiasts as a 

confirmed runabout 

enthusiast who 

owned a variety 

of Chris-Crafts 

and, though Kabot 

restored it to pristine 

condition including 

the MBL engine, he 

used it regularly for 

family outings and 

water-skiing. 

There were only 55 of the 21-footers 

built (plus a prototype) and only 36 are 

known to exist today. Sadly enough, 

the Cobra had too many strikes against 

it at the start. It was introduced in 

January of 1955 and the production 

line closed down when hull 55 was 

shipped in August of that year. The 

80 

sales figures just 

didn’t warrant 

production and 

the boat was 

phased out of the 

Chris-Craft line 

for the 1956 model 

year. 

With a base price 

of $4680 for the 

standard Cobra 

and up to $6560 for 

the Cad-powered 

version, it was an 

expensive boat 

for 1955 when the 

average annual 

income was $4130, 

minimum hourly 

wage was a buck 

and a new Cadillac 

was $3900. Of course, gas was just 23 

cents a gallon, too. The Cobra had been 

an expensive and radical departure 

from conventional runabouts and 

the limited seating didn’t encourage 

ownership. 

There also are rumors that its highspeed 

handling left a bit to be desired

tion 

t would be hard to find even a scruffy Cobra for less than $50,000. 

when combined with the powerful 

torque of the engines. Chris-Craft was 

reportedly threatened with a lawsuit 

resulting from the high-speed flip of one 

Cobra. That deep vee forefoot quickly 

warped into a nearly flat bottom at the 

stern which, without a steadying skeg, 

made her a bit squirrelly at high speed 

on flat water. 

Even though Chris-Craft reverted to allwood 

construction for 1956, the Cobra 

was the turning point for mahogany 

runabouts. Chris-Craft didn’t forget its 

experiment with fiberglass in the Cobra 

and, in 1958, the first fiberglass Chris- 

Craft speedboat was introduced. Soon 

there would be no more mahogany 

runabouts from the once-largest builder 

in the world. 

So what happened to those missing 19 

Cobras? Some may have suffered the 

ravages of time or owners, or been lost 

to fire or accidents. Others have simply 

disappeared...perhaps shipped abroad 

or, even better, are sitting patiently 

in barns under dusty tarps awaiting 

someone who will recognize their 

beauty and value. And valuable they 

are...one well-restored Cobra recently 

sold for more than $140,000 at auction 

and it would be hard to find even a 

scruffy Cobra for less than $50,000. 

So what remains of the Cobra are its 

mark on the boating world and the few 

boats cherished by passionate owners 

who still believe that there is nothing 

quite as wonderful as the warmth of a 

gleaming mahogany deck under your 

elbow as you roar across a summer 

lake. 


Seattle’s Hardworking Waterf 

Story & Video: 

John Sabella 

Unique among American cities, Seattle 

has not one but two working waterfronts. 

While container cranes service 

ocean going ships along the shores of 

Elliot Bay and Harbor Island on the inland 

sea called Puget Sound, the very 

heart of the city is home to another bustling, 

freshwater working waterfront 

along the shores of Lake Union and the 

Seattle Ship Canal. 

When Seattle was no more than a 

frontier outpost as early as the 1850s, 

regional pioneers discussed the benefits 

of building a navigable channel between 

Lake Washington and the Puget Sound 

so they could transport the magnificent 

resource that covered the landscape, 

old growth Douglas fir, to the shipyards 

that were already emerging on the 

region’s saltwater shorelines, and to 

timber markets. 

Construction of the Seattle Ship Canal 

with a system of locks modeled after the 

Panama Canal began in 1911. Named 

for Army Corps of Engineers General 

Hiram Chittenden who championed 

the Ship Canal project, the locks linking 

82 

the Puget Sound with lakes Union and 

Washington officially opened on July 

4, 1917, although the canal project was 

not officially completed until 1934. 

As soon as the locks opened, boat 

builders hard at work developing the 

first generation of Seattle’s famous 

fishing fleet began relocating their 

operations to the fresh water shorelines 

in the heart of the city, and quickly 

discovered serendipity of the move. 

Not only was Seattle’s mild climate 

ideal for year round boat building and 

repair operations, moving a wooden 

vessel from salt water to fresh killed 

the teredos, the shipworms that feasted 

on wooden hulls whenever they were 

exposed to the sea. 

John Strand built the remarkable, 100year-old 

schooner Tordenskjold out 

of old growth fir on the shores of the 

Ship Canal in 1911 and dispatched her 

to Alaska to fish halibut. She is proof 

positive of the quality of northwest fir, 

of the region’s renowned boat building 

prowess, of the bounty of the Gulf of

ont 

Alaska and the Bering Sea, and of the 

inestimable benefits of freshwater 

moorage for a seagoing vessel. 

Tordenskjold 

According to one maritime historian, 

Seattle’s burgeoning wooden boat 

building industry situated along the 

city’s freshwater waterfront had access 

to the world’s best resource for 

creating wooden vessels, the enormous 

stands of old growth fir that 

also prompted William Boeing to sit- 

uate his fledgling aircraft company 

in Seattle in the era of wooden airplanes. 

Soon, talented shipwrights 

and naval 

architects from 

around the world 

had migrated to Seattle 

and the Seattle 

boat yards took 

advantage of what 

was arguably the 

nation’s best boatbuying 

clientele. 

At first, the work 

was exclusively the 

business of creating 

the commercial vessels 

that pioneered 

the formidable fishing fleets that 

worked the North Pacific, the Gulf of 

Alaska and the Bering Sea. The sailing 

ships that delivered Northwest 

timber to markets around the Pacific 

rim and the workboats that sustained 

the region’s maritime economy were 

also being created at this time. 


By the roaring 1920s, however, 

the creation of celebrated wooden 

yachts became a core enterprise of 

the boat yards that lined the shores 

of the Seattle Ship Canal and little 

Lake Union at the very center of the 

bustling city. 

In the 1930s, when times were as 

tough for wooden boat builders as 

for everyone else, Seattle boatyards 

and naval architects looked south to 

Throwbacks 

84 

the Hollywood movie stars who still 

had the means to keep them busy. 

When the era of wood gave way to 

the age of fiberglass, aluminum and 

steel, Seattle’s freshwater waterfront 

led the way as the in-city boat yards 

created fleets like the Alaska king 

crab boats that operated on one of 

the world’s toughest oceans, the 

Bering Sea. Also being built were 

the region’s substantial salmon fleet 

and ultimately the 

factory trawlers and 

factory longliners 

that harvest Alaska’s 

huge groundfish 

resources. 

The yards continue 

to build workboats, 

military vessels and 

yachts. Today, in the 

lexicon of Seattle officials, 

the area is 

known as the BIN- 

MIC, the Ballard- 

Interbay Manufacturing 

Industrial

Center. It’s one of the engines that 

power the city’s economy. 

Binmic 3 

At the dawn of the super yacht era, wellheeled 

prospective boat owners shopped 

the world market for yacht design and 

construction expertise. According to the 

late Seattle boat builder Bruce Reagan, 

they were astonished by what they 

found in Seattle. Reagan who had a 30year 

career building everything from 

aluminum water taxis, fireboats and 

rigid inflatables to the super sailing yacht 

Venturosa said that after touring yards 

throughout Europe, 

these individuals 

brought their yacht 

dreams to this country, 

where they typically 

began their inquiries 

at Palmer Johnson 

at Sturgeon Bay, 

Wisconsin on the shore 

of Lake Michigan. 

Despite Palmer Johnson’s 

extraordinary 

capabilities, according 

to Reagan, the 

yard struck them as 

far removed from the 

bustling realm of the 

west coast maritime world. When they 

got to Seattle, in contrast, they discovered 

a dense concentration of technical design 

and construction capability that had 

emerged during the city’s decades-long 

history of commercial boat and aircraft 

manufacture. In an afternoon, they could 

inspect ship and boat yards, equipment 

manufacturers, engineering and design 


Binmic 4 

86

firms and the white-collar insurance, 

legal and financial services headquartered 

in the city’s downtown office 

towers. 

Today, while the frenzy of new vessel 

construction that energized the Seattle 

waterfront during the last four decades 

of the 20th Century has subsided, 

resulting in the closure of a number 

of signature shipyards, vessel owners 

from around the world bring their 

ships and boats to Seattle for service 

and supply. There is no place in the 

country with a greater critical mass of 

maritime industry. Eric Freeman sees it 

first hand. 

Seattle’s freshwater waterfront is an 

economic engine for the city and an 

important support system for vessels 

old and new. 


Portland, Oregon – Electric boats have been 

gracing our waterways for over a century. These 

quiet, gently-moving vessels are loved by many but 

have taken a back seat to their petroleum-powered 

sisters. Steven Shovoly, president of Edison 

Marine, believes the time is right for a mahogany 

runabout with sufficient electric motivation to pop 

up on plane. 

Significant improvements in battery technology 

are creating a small but growing resurgence in 

quiet, clean-running electric vessels. The Achilles 

heel of electric vehicles has historically been the 

combination of cost, weight and energy capacity 

of the battery system. This is changing, due to 

the development of better batteries for a host 

of applications outside the recreational marine 

industry. From cell phones to laptops to partiallyelectric 

automobiles like the upcoming Chevy Volt, 

the availability of increasingly lighter batteries with 

more energy capacity continues to trickle down to 

peripheral industries. The market is responding 

with a host of new applications like the runabout 

you see here. 

88

Shocking Beauty 

Edison Marine delivers a 

26-knot electric runabout 


Edison’s runabout is fashioned after 

the iconic barrelback runabouts of the 

early 1940s and is getting rave reviews. 

Tapping over 40 years of boat building 

experience and over 30 years of 

electric engineering experience, Edison 

Marine’s beautiful blend of old world 

wood boat charm and electric drive 

technology is unique in today’s boating 

market. Most, if not all, electric boats 

on the market are significantly different 

than Edison’s offering. They are in 

most cases standard fiberglass hulls 

with slow running, “golf cart” electric 

drive systems. The beautiful Edison 

90 

will never be confused with anything 

fiberglass or golf-related. 

Shovoly’s runabout is handcrafted 

using traditional solid plank over 

batten construction techniques and 

marine epoxy. Using solid mahogany 

throughout, she is finished with 13 

coats of varnish and urethane to a 

stunning deep, rich finish befitting 

a boat of her character and beauty. 

Her 1940 barrelback runabout style 

features twin cockpits forward with 

twin hatch doors aft, over the electric 

powerplant.

The Edison can cruise at 6 to 8 knots 

for 8 to 10 hours on a charge. 

Featuring twin high performance 9” DC 

motors, twin 1000-Amp controllers and 

twin propellers, the Edison moves faster 

and more powerfully out of the water 

than a Mastercraft ski boat, according to 

Shovoly. She’s 

a true inboard, 

running direct 

drive shafts 

coupled to the 

DC motors. 

The current 

implementation 

features a 

144V absorbed 

glass mat battery 

pack with 

15kW-hr of energy.Weighing 

in at 840 lbs., the 15kW-hr AGM battery 

pack can be upgraded to a 15kW-hr 

Lithium Ion pack for a savings of over 

500 lbs. The on board Manzanita Micro 

battery charger can top off the 15 kW-hr 

battery pack in 4-5 hrs. 

Edison is unique in the sense that it 

offers twin drives in a 17-foot (5.2m) hull. 

Normally, twin screws are reserved for 

larger vessels that can handle the space 

for twin motors. The physical advantage 

of an electric motor over a traditional 

internal combustion engine is evident and 

makes a twin drive 17-foot boat possible. 

“While the Edison moves fast and powerfully 

out of 

the water” 

says Shovoly, 

“she is 

best suited 

as a cocktail 

cruiser”. 

“She’s an absolutestunning 

beauty 

and a joy to 

be in and 

around. She’s 

economical, 

too. With her built-in 110v/220v charger 

she charges in 4 to 5 hours with an energy 

cost of $1.50.” 

Edison has an optional on board gasoline 

generator for remote charging. It comes 

in handy when you’re camping and get 

caught far away from a 110V outlet. 

According to Shovoly the Edison can 

cruise at 5 to 7 mph (6 to 8 knots) for 8 to 10 

hours on a charge. She has an impressive 


top speed of slightly more than 30 mph 

running at about 3600 rpm. 

“We are very excited about the future of 

electric drive systems and proud to be 

able to recreate such a beautiful piece of 

our past”, said Shovoly. “Edison Marine 

is committed to low and zero emission 

drive systems and will continue to look 

92 

for ways to offer alternative solutions 

for boat propulsion.” 

Edison Marine is located in Portland 

Oregon. They are currently taking 

orders for new shipments. Lead times 

are 4-5 months. 

edisonboats.com

Award-Winning Restorations 

• Full restorations 

• New construction 

• Major or minor work 

on all marine craft 

AWARDS: 

1st Place 

Port Sanilac, MI boat show 

Best In Class, 1st Place 

Algonac, MI boat show 

Best Transom 

Port Sanilac, MI boat show 

12114 E. Houghton Lake Drive 

Houghton Lake, Michigan 48629 (989) 422-6563 

info@MarineServiceUnlimited.com 


Seattle, Washington – When we started 

this series (SOS 10 in the March/ 

April 2009 issue of Classic Yacht, which 

you can find archived on the home 

page), we pointed out the sobering 

reality that when you’re on your boat 

and more than 

a few minutes 

away from the 

dock, you are the 

first responder in 

a medical emergency. 

That being said, 

you’re not alone 

because professional 

medical advice 

is only a VHF 

radio call away (to 

the Coast Guard 

on Channel 16). 

We talked about 

the importance of protecting yourself 

and staying cool, calm and collected 

as you perform an initial examination 

to determine the extent of the patient’s 

injuries. 

94 

sabella on safety 

In SOS 11 (May/June 2009), we covered 

what we term ABC’s of Care, or 

the evaluation and treatment of airway, 

breathing and circulation. It’s 

important to understand the ABCs; 

they always come first because the 

patient is at extreme 

risk if his 

breathing or 

circulatory systems 

are compromised. 

In 

SOS 12 (July/ 

August 2009 issue), 

we covered 

choking, 

bleeding and 

shock. 

In this article, 

we’ll cover two 

important topics, 

protecting 

the spine and treatment of burns. 

Unless you have no other choice, don’t move 

an injury victim with suspected head or neck 

injuries. 

Onboa 

Protect the Spine 

Your first responsibility as a first responder 

is to cause no additional harm.

d First Aid: 

The following article is based on the content of 

Onboard First Aid: Immediate Actions, 

http://www.johnsabella.com/detail.lasso?title=10206. 

Attempting to move a patient who has 

a spinal injury could cause substantial 

additional damage. The spine is 

the body’s central structural support. 

It houses the spinal cord and pairs 

of nerves that travel throughout the 

body. These nerves carry commands 

to your organs and muscles and relay 

instantaneous messages relating to 

touch, temperature and pain. 

Be extremely careful to avoid causing 

additional bone, spinal cord or nerve 

damage. Don’t move the victim 

until you have help, unless it’s the 

only way you can provide treatment 

or protect him from further harm. 

If he’s conscious, ask him if he is 

experiencing back or neck pain. If he 

says yes, be extremely cautious about 

moving him. If he’s unconscious, 

confused or intoxicated, assume he 

has a head, neck or spine injury and 

be equally cautious. 

Before you move him, stabilize the 

cervical (upper) spine, using hand 

traction to keep the head in a neutral, 

midline position. If you have help, 

one person should be assigned to 

maintain spinal traction. 

Cervical Collar 

As soon as possible, apply a cervical 

collar. A real “C” collar would be 

an excellent, inexpensive addition to 

your first aid kit but providing the 

first response to a medical emergency 

is almost always a matter of 

improvisation, and you can improvise 

a cervical collar out of a pillow or 

rolled towel. 

If you have to reposition the victim, 

roll his body gently, as a unit. One 

person should use hand traction to 

support the head and neck, while 

others support the hips and legs. 

Use a backboard before transporting 

the victim. In a pinch, you can use a 

piece of plywood or a door. Slide the 

backboard under the victim, moving 

him as gently as possible. Strap and 

tape him securely to the board before 

you try to lift him. 


Burns are now classified in terms of four levels of s 

Deep Partial Thickness an 

Use hand traction to keep the spine in a 

neutral, midline position. 

As soon as you can, apply a cervical collar. 

If you don’t have the real thing, improvise 

using a rolled towel or pillow. Here, adding 

additional stability to the forehead, you 

see one of the first responder’s best friends: 

duct tape. 

96 

Treatment of Burns 

If the patient has been burned, it 

is important to prevent further 

damage. A burned extremity can 

be irrigated with tap water or 

immersed in a bucket of clean water 

to cool the tissue. You’ve got to 

stop the burning process as quickly 

as possible by cooling the affected 

area and/or removing the source of 

heat. 

You can use an ice compress to cool 

the burn, but be careful not to cause 

further damage. Never use dry ice 

or blue gels. They’re so cold that 

they’ll cause additional burning. 

Classifying Burns 

Burns are now classified in terms of 

four levels of severity. Burn injuries 

can be considered relatively minor 

if they are Superficial or Superficial 

Partial Thickness burns involving 

less than 15% of the body surface 

area. 

These burns do not extend all the 

way through the skin layer, which 

retains sensitivity to light touch. An 

older classification system referred

everity: Superficial, Superficial Partial Thickness, 

d Full Thickness burns. 

to these injuries as First and Second 

Degree burns. 

Cut away foul weather gear and 

clothing to expose a small burn. 

Remove foreign matter but leave 

blisters intact. Gently probe the 

skin to confirm that the victim still 

has sensation in the affected area. 

Once the area of the burn has been 

cooled, application of a burn cream 

or antibiotic ointment is soothing 

and helps prevent further infection. 

Apply a Dressing 

Apply a bulky, loose-fitting dressing 

made from sterile gauze. Monitor 

the area beyond the wound to make 

sure the dressing doesn’t restrict 

circulation (remember the capillary 

refill test from SOS 12?). Many facial, 

genital, hand or foot burns are special 

cases that may require consultation 

with a physician to minimize scarring 

or loss of function. 

Burns that extend into deeper skin 

layers or completely through the 

skin are referred to as Deep Partial 

Thickness and Full Thickness burns. 

These serious injuries were classified 

Use a backboard to move his body as a 

unit. The on-scene leader should use 

hand traction to stabilize the spine while 

others support his hips and legs. Strap 

him securely to the backboard, or a piece of 

plywood or a door. 

If the victim has been burned, it is 

important to act quickly to prevent 

further damage. 


You can use ice to cool the burn, but take 

care not to cause additional damage. Never 

use dry ice or blue gels. They’re too cold. 

Remove foreign matter but leave blisters 

intact. Gently probe the wound to confirm 

that the skin retains sensitivity. This is an 

example of a Superficial Partial Thickness 

burn. 

In the case of a chemical burn, immediately flush 

98 

as Third Degree burns under the older 

system. 

These types of burns severely damage 

the skin and underlying structures such 

as nerves and muscles. They require 

additional shore side treatment. Skin 

that has suffered a Full Thickness Burn 

appears leathery and stiff, with no 

sensitivity to touch. 

If the burn is large, protect the tissue 

by covering the entire area with a clean 

sheet or cloth. This covering can be 

moistened with sterile saline solution 

or clean water to provide evaporative 

cooling. 

Monitor the victim’s ABCs and 

administer oxygen if it is available. 

Chemical Burn 

In the case of a chemical burn, 

immediately flush the affected area 

with large amounts of clean water. You 

may have to continue for 30 minutes or 

more to remove the burning agent. 

Use water. Don’t try to neutralize the 

caustic substance with another chemical 

or you may just cause more harm.

the affected area with large amounts of clean water. 

If the victim has burned his eyes, begin 

irrigation immediately. 

If the victim has burned his eyes, 

irrigate them with eyewash, saline 

solution or clean water. Start within 

seconds, if possible, and continue for 

at least 10 minutes unless an unsafe 

condition arises. The faster you flush 

away the caustic substance, the less 

damage will occur. 

In the case of an electrical burn, protect 

yourself before you move to assist. 

Disable power supplies and eliminate 

the electricity source with extreme 

caution. 

Next: seizure, head injury, chest pain. 

John Sabella’s firm produces safety training 

DVDs and books used on boats and ships all 

over the world. 

johnsabella.com 


With things slowed down a little before 

the season starts in Florida, it’s time to 

haul out Aurora II. The heat and the 

rain did test my will. When we first 

got Aurora II, I could see that there had 

been work done to the bow from the 

inside. I could tell the upper part of the 

stern had been replaced. This year, the 

plan was to have our crew work to strip 

the paint off the port side and transom, 

and then spline between the planking 

to prevent hull paint from cracking. 

We used heat guns to peel off the old 

paint. It’s kind of like an architectural 

dig – under all the paint were the first 

colors. The original white was an 

eggshell, but for many years, she was 

a light teal blue/green. It was a pretty 

color, very 1950s. I am not bold enough 

to go back to that color. Originally, 

white lead putty was in the seams and 

has broken down through the years. 

the log 

Boatyard Musings 

100 

Someone had puttied over it until it 

looked like the planks were cupped 

and needed refastening, which was not 

the case. When we stripped the bow, I 

found that there was a lot of automotive 

filler. After removing that, I found the 

stem planks were a mess, with the 

shortest being three inches and the 

longest being two feet. No problem; 

my assistant Chet and I laid out a new 

planking scheme. We plan to splice 

all the planks with a 10:1 ratio, so no 

butt blocks. When Chet cut out planks, 

there it was: a real problem. This is one 

of the poorest excuses for woodwork 

I have seen in a long time. Someone 

had cut the stem off 90 degrees so that 

the shelf would cover a butt joint, no 

splice or overlap. Then they had dug 

out some of the lower part that was 

rotten and filled it with goop (epoxy 

and saw dust). The sad part of this 

story is that someone paid good money

Insight from the travels of 

wooden boat restorer Jim Moores 

to get this repair done, and now it has 

be removed and done right. The other 

sad thing is that this kind of shoddy 

repair is dangerous because the bow 

takes the brunt of so many sea states. 

Being an owner doesn’t require you 

to know all about wooden boats. But 


the log 

you should know what questions to 

ask, such as what standard are you 

using for my repairs? Work on wooden 

boats should meet or exceed Lloyd’s 

classification standards, which is the 

standard used by insurance companies. 

The requirements are not over the top, 

just good common sense. Besides, why 

pay for a job twice? 

On Aurora II, I’m trying to practice what 

I preach. Namely, sectional or phased 

restoration. Before the haul out, I sat 

down and made a list of what needed 

to be accomplished: strip the port side 

102 

of the transom; straighten the shafts; 

install the new racing props for the 

annual Trumpy race; fix the planking 

scheme where needed; and install 

grounding plate. Aurora II should be 

out for three to four weeks. Of course, 

that is in a perfect world. 

Here’s something for you Hemingway 

buffs. We will be taking a 1933, 34’ 

Wheeler Cruiser and transforming 

it into Pilar, Ernest Hemingway’s 

sportfish. Hemingway got an advance 

on “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, went to 

Wheeler and asked to have one of their

stock boats built a little differently. 

The original Pilar sits on a tennis 

court just outside of Havana as part 

of the Hemingway Museum. Why are 

we converting the 

Wheeler into Pilar? For 

a movie, of course. So 

now for the mystery. 

For whom? Well, we 

will just have to keep 

you in suspense! 

The other exciting 

news is that Frederic 

Marq from Miami has 

found the 107-foot 

Ted Geary motoryacht 

in upstate Washington 

and has had her 

worked on in Port 

Townsend. She is being 

shipped to the east 

coast. The motoryacht, 

built in 1929, is one of 

just a handful of these 

grande dames built of 

solid teak. There are 

only two others on the 

east coast, Principia 

Left: the next Pilar 

Below: an all-teak Geary motoryacht 

and Meriwether. I tip my hat to a great 

man who has the courage to dream. 

Frederic and his wife plan to make Cora 

Marie their dream home on the water. 


the log 

Finally, here’s a little technical stuff on 

shafts and logs that might be helpful to 

boat owners. Aurora is showing signs of 

electrolysis. She has had a lot of rewiring 

done through the years. However, there 

is still a lot of the original still there and 

serviceable. A bonding system is in 

place, too. But electrolysis has burned 

the wood at the shaft log and strut areas. 

The entire electrical system is using the 

engines as its ground. 

I am doing two things to correct the 

problem. One, when the engines are 

not in use I shut off the battery and 

instrument switches. These are paths 

104 

for electricity 

to flow out. 

The problem is 

that the most 

e x p e n s i v e 

metal, the 

engines, are 

being used as 

the ground. I 

have installed 

a dynoplate 

directly under 

the 32-volt 

master panel 

through the 

ground, to protect the motors. To make 

the ground plate work right it needs to 

be isolated from the hull, so I over-bored 

the hole and inserted polyethylene tube, 

then fiberglassed the outside of the hull 

where the plate is to be installed and 

used Delrin as a backing plate so that 

the ground has no connection to the 

hull. In the old days of copper ground 

plates, we used to find that planking was 

burned up because wet wood conducts 

electricity. So doing a few extra steps 

makes sense. 

Jim Moores is the owner of Moores Marine 

in Riviera Beach, FL and Beaufort, NC


lew’s lessons 

Story: Lew Barrett & Vince Brennan 

Photos: Vince Brennan 

Seattle, Washington – I met Vince 

Brennan online a few years ago before the 

former modest ripple of online chatting 

grew to a tsunami through vehicles 

like Twitter and Facebook. Vince was 

and remains a contributor to an online 

forum that I habituate as well, and we 

quickly became friends. Mostly, we chat 

about wooden boats and what we had for 

dinner. Our chatter is at it’s best when it 

centers around our community, and this 

is a paradox. Although our community 

is virtual by dint of it’s existence only in 

cyber space, it is actually a very real little 

town. The community is so well knitted 

together that by the end of this summer, 

at least two marriages will be credited to 

it. Such is the power of wooden boats, 

tradition, computers and a good host’s 

tender oversight. 

106 

Now you understand that Vince first became 

a friend of mine on line. As I have hinted, we 

share many good friends developed through 

the same medium, although many of us 

have since made sure to meet in person. I’d 

like to get around to introducing you to a 

number of these friends in time, for they are 

talented, clever and warm but this month I 

wish to introduce you to Vince. 

Vince practices an art that is at the very 

core of what comes to mind when we say 

“naval tradition.” Vince is a master of the 

knot, the marlinspike, the knife and line, and 

through the tools and materials of the sailor 

he turns out beautiful knitted and carved 

objects that connect us directly back to the 

Wright Whale and Baffin Bay. Vince’s 

product is, as sailors call it, Fancywork. 

I own a Vince Brennan piece, and intend

On Line 

to own more. I recommend you examine 

the idea of one or a few too. They are quite 

simply, great fun to own. You can see them 

here http://frayedknotarts.com/. If 

you look at the needle case section, you can 

even see the piece Vince made for Rita and 

me. I treasure it too much to leave it aboard 

except for special occasions 

so it usually stays at home 

where it reminds me of my 

love affair with my boat and, 

makes my desk a warmer 

place at which to work. 

Vince has a deep voice and an 

eastern accent I can’t quite 

place. He calls Philadelphia 

home these days but would 

fit right in on any coast 

or harbor in the country. 

Since I thought you would 

enjoy a few words on fancy 

work I asked Vince to give 

me some material about his 

craft and himself so that 

I could distill them into a 

pleasant read. In response, 

Vince sent me something I 

cannot improve upon and 

Whalebone busk (or bodice 

stiffener) with a poignant 

message...I wonder if she did? 

dare not distill. I called Bill Prince and 

asked if he would allow me to introduce 

Vince to you, then exit stage right and let 

Vince speak for himself. And that’s exactly 

what we’re going to do this month. 

Enjoy a great read, in Vince’s own writ. I’ll 

look forward to writing for 

you another time. Vince 

is, after all, the expert On 

Line. Read him and learn 

what can be made with a 

hank of hair and a piece of 

bone. 

Enter Vince: Knot tying 

can be a hobby, an avocation, 

a full-time job 

or an obsession. In my 

case, it has been all four, 

occasionally simultaneously. 

I do it because it’s a 

challenge, it produces 

beautiful work, it makes 

others happy and it 

provides me with some 

spending money. 



By its very nature, it is ephemeral. 

We’re not talking about producing 

“great art” that will last through the 

ages or change the world. Most of 

the satisfaction I get from knot tying 

is in knowing I’ve done as good 

a job as is possible given the available 

materials 

and in the happiness 

that the purchaser/user 

will 

experience while 

the item is being 

used. 

In the age of sail a 

surprisingly few 

sailors learned 

this work and 

fewer still became 

truly proficient 

in it. We 

like to think of 

the “old salt” in 

the “foc’sle” happily 

making up 

beckets for his sea chest or a pouch 

for his knife, but in reality, most of 

these poor souls had almost no time 

to themselves to either learn fancywork 

or engage in it. 

108 

Under sail, a man would have 

precious little time to sleep and eat 

much less muck about with a handful 

of strings! Most of their learning 

experience was in bending two lines 

together, handling the sheets and 

sails in a blow and reefing and unfurling 

the sails 

themselves. 

Sailmaker specialists 

handled 

the repair of 

sail and canvas 

aboard, one or 

two rope experts 

would handle 

the splicing, 

serving and tarring 

of shrouds 

but most sailors 

were there 

exclusively to 

provide muscle 

when and where 

required, man 

the pumps and otherwise maintain 

the ship’s fabric. 

Pair of chest beckets ca. 1870’s 

from New England area 

On a “Port-and-Starboard” watch cycle 

you’d spend four hours on deck

doing maintenance and four hours 

off duty...sleeping! 

Whalers were the exception to this... 

they always carried far more men than 

were absolutely necessary to “work the 

ship” and, in consequence, the sailors 

aboard were more apt to have spare 

time for getting into trouble. Scrimshaw 

was their generally preferred way 

of occupying their time. It required 

only a steady hand, a good eye and a 

lot of patience, where fancy knotting 

requires (in addition to the above) 

a knowledge of rope construction, 

a good memory and more than a bit 

of manual dexterity. It’s not hard to 

scratch a bunch of lines into bone but 

you need to be able to analyze and 

repair an error in fancywork if you 

want to produce a top-notch item. 

For this reason, most rope-based 

fancywork items were really produced 

by the boatswain’s and the mates/ 

officers aboard a ship, especially 

whalers which were out for up to four 

years at a time. 

Chimney “skirts” (or “smoke 

deflectors”) were very popular as 

they could be set up in the captain’s 

(or the mate’s) cabin and left there 

for long periods as a bit was done 

now and again, time permitting. In 

the foc’sle, there was precious little 

room for leaving something like that 

up somewhere and scrimshaw, which 

could be stuck into the seachest and 

retrieved easily, was far more popular 

and convenient. 

The seachest “becket” or handle is 

another example where very few were 

actually made by the seachest’s owner, 

but were produced by “beached” 

sailormen and purchased, often at 

the same time as the chest, from a 

chandler’s store. These were used to 

hoist the chest from a lighter to the 

deck and to move the chest around 

aboard the ship. Very few chest/ 

becket assemblies survive: either the 

chest was destroyed through use or the 

beckets simply fell apart on the chest. 

So much for history...why do I choose 

to do this? 

I love the look and feel of real handcrafted 

items and it is a joy to me to be 

able to produce them in the same style 



and with the same materials and methods 

as were used “back when”. To be 

able to get a square braid with footrope 

knots to look as though the footrope 

knots were applied after the braid was 

made is a small triumph 

and a source of pride. To 

have an old man come 

up, look at my items 

and share memories of 

when he was a young 

man and watched older 

sailors make things like 

this and then tell me 

that my work is just like 

he remembers, well, it 

doesn’t get much better 

than that. 

At age eight (1953) I was coming home 

from my school when I walked past a 

house not too far from me and saw an 

older man sitting and putting a “Turkshead” 

on his stair railing. He was tall, 

thin and incredibly wrinkled with 

fingers that looked like gnarled roots, 

a full head of snowy hair and more 

tattoos than I even knew existed. 

At that time he was 80 or so, having 

run off to sea at age twelve as a cabin- 

110 

boy on a merchant ship in 1885 and 

having been “under sail” from then 

‘till WW I when he joined the Navy. 

How “romantic” is that for an eightyear 

old? He continued in the Navy as 

a sailmaker and then 

a boatswain’s mate 

until he retired, then 

went back to sea in 

the Merchant Service 

again until just after 

WW II as a mate. 

Being a shy and 

retiring type, I 

immediately went up 

to him and started 

asking, “Whatch’a 

doin’ Mister? Can I see? Can ya’ show’s 

me how to dooo that?” 

For some reason, he took a liking to the 

short, fat boy and told me he’d be glad 

to show me, but I hadda get permission 

from my Mom first. He walked me home 

(an entirely different time, that!) and had 

a cuppa with Mum and she said it was 

OK, so I started going to his place three 

days a week and got instructed in the 

basics of marlinspike seamanship and 

some fancy work.

The inside of his house was covered in 

knotting: compass rose doilies on the 

dining room table, anti-macassars on all 

the furniture and arm doilies to match, 

the curtains were all “MacNamara’s 

Lace” work, knot-covered picture 

frames, globe knots on the doorknobs... 

it was a museum of fancy knotwork, and 

just as clean as a whistle. 

I continued to go there for two years 

 

until he fell ill and “passed the bar” in 

’55...a long life and a fairly full one. 

After his death, I slowly forgot a great 

deal of the work but I always had a very 

great interest in the sea and sailing, so 

I suppose it was natural that I’d enlist 

in the Navy as soon as I got my draft 

letter...for sure I didn’t feature sleeping 

in a muddy foxhole, toting a great heavy 

rifle, eating nasty old K-rations and 

Honey Teak 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“After 40 years of 

screwing around with 

varnish, I found my 

solution in February 

of 1993.” 

-William Canavan 

 

 

 



having people shoot at me when I could 

have three hots and a cot and perhaps 

see the world...the Navy was for ME! 

I rapidly found (as did many) that the 

“romance” of the sailor had somewhat 

diminished from Mr. Cross’ days 

under sail. It was a mostly boring 

“job” of painting, chipping, priming 

and (surprise!) painting again, with the 

occasional booming aboard of supplies 

to break the monotony. 

I was assigned to a destroyer tender (a 

fairly large ship) and, being the “new 

boy” was immediately put into the 

nets to chip, prime and paint the sides. 

Not a lot of fun: hot, messy, and nasty 

work. In between times of painting, 

I worked on learning to “be a sailor” 

and went “messcooking” (helping in 

the galley for a month at a time), until 

one day, as I was coming up to get 

112 

more paint, I saw the senior chief of 

my division bustling down the deck to 

a “piping aboard” ceremony, wearing 

his “inspection” boatswain’s lanyard 

and his class “A” uniform. 

“Mornin’ Chief! Nice lanyard you’ve 

got there!” 

He stopped dead and looked at me. 

“Whadda’ ya’ know about lanyards, 

ya’ (censored) polliwog?” 

“Well, you have (and I don’t remember 

now what he had...) “this” braid and 

“that” knot and a “such-and-so” a 

collector knot but I don’t recognize the 

breastplate weave...” 

“Hold it! You know all this stuff? Can 

you make these up?” 

“Ahhh, well, yeah, gimme a few days

with “The Encyclopedia” (read on) 

and I can probably whip one up for 

you...” 

“OK, sailor (note the instant promotion 

from “polliwog?”)! You give that paint 

roller to that ‘skull’ over there and 

report to the boatswain’s locker and 

wait for me.” 

That was it. I never touched another 

paintbrush the whole time I was in 

the Navy. All I did was run boats and 

booms, stand my watches and make 

up “prettys” for the chiefs and the 

officers. 

By the time I got out, I was so disgusted 

with the Navy, Vietnam, Nixon and 

all, that I just put all the knotwork out 

of my mind, except for an occasional 

guitar strap. Many occupations later I 

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Photo by Terry Gydesen


“ g o t 

retired” in 

2001 and while stooging 

about looking for something to do, I 

remembered knotwork, figured that 

there HAD to be some demand for 

it within the boating communities 

and started regaining my skills (and 

calluses!), and the rest is hysteria. 

Some people like to make knots. They 

like splicing and rigging, coiling and 

flaking, making baggywrinkle and all 

that; some people like to be able to 

make all the esoteric knots from ABOK 

or The Encyclopedia of Knots, but for 

me, doing a well-grafted needlecase, 

a “Chesapeake Lifesaver” with a star 

knot end, a boatswain’s lanyard that 

114 

would cause 

the Admiral 

to stop in an 

i n s p e c t i o n 

and inquire 

about it, 

this is 

where I 

“get my 

jollies”. 

Over the years I’ve known 

many superb knot-tiers. Some are 

very well known within the knotting 

community, some are known outside 

the community, but with very, very 

few exceptions they have disappeared 

from the knowledge of even those 

expert in our craft after their deaths. 

Where they do live on is in the minds 

and hearts of those to whom they 

have passed on their art, and to that 

end – and with the assistance of the 

World Wide Web – many of us today 

have put up websites which allow us 

to show those interested how to do a 

particular item. It must be working... 

my site gets over 1,000 “hits” per 

day! 

Alan Grogono (Grog to his friends)

has an amazing website for teaching 

knotting (www.animatedknots.com/ 

index.php). 

I maintain my several tutorial pages 

(www.frayedknotarts.com/tutor1. 

html) and the International Guild of 

Knottyers, or IGKT, has a forum online 

(igkt.net/sm/index.php) where anyone 

can ask a question and receive advice/ 

instruction from some of the foremost 

Recommended by 

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varnished and 

painted wood 

Contains no 

abrasives or 

petroleum 

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practitioners of the art. There is no more 

fulfilling occupation than teaching, in 

my humble opinion. To be able to pass 

along skills which you so painfully acquired 

to someone who has an interest 

and (one hopes) the ability to perform 

those skills well is a joy nonpareil. 

I’ll be out on my front steps this 

afternoon with some line, trolling for 

those interested! 

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mystic minutes 

Story & Photos: Dan McFadden 

116 

The Charles W. Morgan in 1941

A Rare Sea Trial, Sailing Songs and More 

A sea trial is an exciting event for any 

vessel and every few years the staff at 

Mystic Seaport gets the opportunity 

to take one of our watercraft below 

the Mystic River lift bridge for a trial 

voyage on Fishers Island Sound. 

This summer it was our eastern-rig 

dragger Roann. After a complete 

structural rebuild and restoration 

that began in 2004, it was time to take 

her back to open water and see how 

she performed. 

Roann was built in 1947 at the Newbert 

& Wallace yard in Thomaston, Maine. 

Designed by Albert E. Condon, she is 

one of the last-surviving examples of 

a type of fishing vessel that was once 

common in New England waters. 

Eastern-rig draggers originated 

in the 1920s and replaced the big 

fishing schooners as the industry 

transitioned from sail to power. 

Similar to the bigger British steam 

vessels that introduced trawling 

News from the 

Mystic Seaport 

Museum 

technology to New England, easternrig 

draggers had their pilothouse aft 

and the working deck amidships. 

Western-rig draggers of Connecticut 

and Rhode Island had the working 

decks aft and pilothouse forward. 

Mystic Seaport acquired Roann from 

her third owner in 1997. He was 

trading up to a new steel vessel and the 

heavier wooden types, once a staple 

on the coast, had all but disappeared 

making Roann an excellent addition 

to the Museum’s collection of historic 

fishing boats. 

Roann’s structural rebuild was 

completed before the Charles W. 

Morgan was hauled at the Museum’s 

shipyard in 2008. Since then she 

has been in the water with much of 

the focus going to her mechanical 

systems. A core team of experienced 

volunteers carried out a complete 

rebuild of her Detroit 12V71 diesel 


mystic minutes 

engine under the supervision of the 

shipyard’s lead mechanic. 

Although she has been taken out and 

maneuvered in the Mystic River in 

years past, she had not been to open 

water since she arrived at Mystic 

Seaport. It was time to change that. 

So one sunny day this August a small 

crew backed her out of her berth, 

down the river, through the famous 

Mystic lift bridge and out to Fishers 

Island Sound. The crew took her 

west to Bartlett Reef off Niantic, CT 

and took her through her paces. 

“She performed fabulously,” said 

shipyard director Quentin Snediker. 

“Everything we asked her to do — 

hard turns, full stops — she did just 

fine.” 

“The mechanicals are about 90 

percent complete,” he added. “She 

still needs some work in the forecastle 

and the main cabin, and she needs her 

electronics, but she has really come a 

long way.” 

Future plans for the Roann include 

using her as a support vessel for the 

118 

Charles W. Morgan when she returns 

to sea for her 38th voyage in 2014. 

While Snediker and his team have been 

hard at work on Roann and the Morgan, 

the Museum’s exhibit staff has been 

putting the final touches on Neptune’s 

Orchestra, a brand-new exhibition on 

the history of music at sea that opens 

on October 8. 

Mystic Seaport has held the Sea Music 

Festival for the last 32 years, so there 

is a lot of experience and knowledge 

on the payroll to help develop a 

comprehensive presentation of the 

music sailors enjoy and its origins. 

“Every human society makes music; 

it is part of who we are,” said 

Jonathan Shay, director of exhibits 

and interpretation for Mystic Seaport. 

“Sailors brought their music with them, 

but as they traveled around the globe 

they absorbed the different sounds and 

techniques of the places they visited. 

We want to capture that and explain 

those influences for the visitor.” 

Neptune’s Orchestra will feature items 

from the Museum’s extraordinary

collection of musical instruments, 

images, recordings, film and 

documents. The visitor will have a 

chance to listen, to play and to work 

to the sounds created by sailors before 

recording was even invented. 

The high point of the year at the 

Museum will be the celebration of the 

70th anniversary of the arrival of the 

Charles W. Morgan at Mystic Seaport. 

The Museum and the town of Mystic 

are coming together to recognize and 

honor the date that the Morgan was 

towed up the Mystic River to her new 

home. 

Both Mystic Seaport and the town 

have changed a lot over the past 70 

years. The Museum was a much 

smaller institution then and the town 

The Charles W. Morgan today 

had yet to develop into the tourist and 

educational destination it is today. 

In many ways, the Morgan was the 

catalyst for what the area has become. 

She put Mystic Seaport on the road to 

expansion, and the visitors who flocked 

to see her helped put Mystic on the 

map of attractions in New England. 

So beginning on October 28, the town 

and Mystic Seaport are scheduling 

a series of events to celebrate the 

ship and her years in Mystic. The 

celebration culminates on November 5 

when Mystic Seaport will be free to the 

public to enjoy a special day of history, 

ceremony, food and fun in honor of our 

most important vessel. 

We hope to see you there! 

www.mysticseaport.org 


next issue 

Winter Reading 

Whether you’ll be cracking open a book 

within view of a Florida Keys sunset or just 

marking time until next boating season, 

there are several new titles (and updates 

on classics), worthy of your attention this 

winter. 

The Next Classics 

It’s been 50 years since fiberglass boats hit the 

market. It’s long past time that the accepted 

roster of “classic yachts” include a selection 

of the best ‘glass boats from the second half 

of the 20th century. We pick those which are 

most deserving of the title. 

Museum Crawl 

While winter may mean a break from time 

on the water for many of us, it’s a great time 

to plan a trip to one of America’s many 

great classic and antique boat museums. 

We pick one of the best and tell you what’s 

new in time for your next visit. 

120

Ultimate Gift Guide 

“Tis the season! Get the scoop on great gifts for the boat owner who 

has everything, or thought so until now. This is an issue you’ll be 

e-mailing to your spouse, kids, or whomever, in hopes that someone 

will take the hint and pony up for something really unique. 


BY OWNER 

122

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