Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society pring/Summer 1995 ssue2 Commodore’s Message The tarp came off Content a month ago to reveal dull brightwork, chipped paint and the inevitable popped screws. In the Langton household this is the time in the annual cycle of boat ownership when we start wondering “Why do we own this old wooden boat?” After ten years of sloop ownership, however, our family is pretty used to this cycle. Every spring the daunting job of maintenance brings up thoughts of selling at any price. Ruthie and Robert insist that we must keep Content, or at least sell her to them. The work gets done. The boat is launched, and then… the miracle of that first sail. It’s the first sail with the creaks and groans that are a part of Content as she sails to windward that makes it all worthwhile. It is this intimacy with the sea, and involvement with the other families in the Sloop Society, which makes that spring ritual easily forgotten each summer. Like other sloop owners, we really believe that our sloop is priceless, and that belief is reinforced each summer. This summer is no exception, as the events planned for the season will give sloop owners the opportunity to participate in many gatherings. The season kicks off in New London, continues in Southwest Harbor, moves to Rockland, then to Friendship and finishes in Marblehead. The major change in this year’s schedule is, of course, the Rockland Homecoming. By now everyone will have received the mailing outlining the schedule for the Society’s premier annual event. Hopefully you have already registered your boat, made your hotel reservations, and sent in an order for t-shirts. Even if you are not sailing to Rockland, please join us. Crew is always needed and more than welcome. Our yearbook editor told us that we sold more ads than in years! Let’s make this a record-breaking gathering for Sloop Society members and friends as well! Rich and Beth Langton, Commodores Race Committee Chairman’s Message by Bob Rex The Race Committee urges all the Friendship Sloop skippers to come and enjoy the July events at Rockland. Many people and organizations in Rockland have pulled together to offer the Society what appears to be a memorable inauguration of the 1st Annual Homecoming at Rockland and the 35th annual regatta. We welcome all sloops whether we see you on the starting line or not. This year we will be using the International Yacht Racing Union’s new Experimental Right of Way Rules. These rules are an attempt to de-mystify and simplify what can be, to the uninitiated, an intimidating complex set of rules. Copies of these rules will be available at the skippers meeting. Hopefully these rules will encourage some skippers to give racing a try. We will have new waters and new courses to sail, so join us! Please, to all those who hold permanent trophies, bring them with you to the Homecoming or get them back to us in the unlikely event that you won’t be coming! See you there! 32nd Annual Friendship Sloop Regatta at Marblehead by David Graham The old saying “Time flies when you’re having fun” never had a more poignant meaning than when applied to Friendship Sloop racing. It hardly seems a day or two ago when the first Friendship Sloop race was held at Marblehead. Suddenly, its three decades plus two years later is it possible? The announced dates for the 1995 Marblehead sloop races will be Saturday and Sunday, August 12 and 13. As in any sail race, we are always hopeful of averaging out the “too little” days with the “too much” days so that we can all enjoy some reasonably comfortable racing for Division I and Division II, though unfortunately we have to take the good with the bad and hope that the extremes will stay away. (Continued to Page 2)

Southwest Harbor Rendezvous by Marge Russakoff & Miff Lauriat For the third straight year, on July 22nd, the Eastern Station for the Friendship Sloop Society will hold its no nonsense regatta: no entry fee, no handicaps, and no trophies. What do we have? Lots of wind, plenty of reaching, short beats, fantastic scenery, a growing contingent, and lots of fun! The fleet grew from 7 to 9 last year; we also enjoyed the arrival of the first Massachusetts boat – Charlie Burnham’s RGSOlute which finished 2nd behind the thus-far perennial winner, Tad Beck’s Phoenix. On July 22nd (rain date July 23rd) we plan an after lunch start to a less-than-three-hour race. The post-race get- together will be at Southwest Lobster at about 4:30 PM. This is the ultra-casual lobster wharf restaurant serving chicken, clams, burgers and chowder as well as lobsters. BYOB, picnic tables on the dock enjoying the best harbor views in town, and very reasonably priced. We ask that anyone planning to attend the race please contact us (20 East Ridge Road, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679 Tel. (207)-244-4313). We are preparing charts of the harbor and related information for all comers and we need to know numbers! Also, we will enjoy a better gathering at Southwest Lobster if we can give the Harpers an idea of the group size. We look forward to greeting lots of boats! New London Windezvous by Jack Vibber The New London Windezvous will be held Saturday and Sunday, July 8th and 9th. On Friday evening there will be a “warm-up” gathering for the big event of the next two days at Chuck’s Steak House. Saturday evening there will be a beach party, and the awards will be presented on Sunday afternoon after the race at the Thames Yacht Club. Food is available at the club most of the time. It is NOT necessary to enter the regatta to attend the Windezvous. The idea of the New London Windezvous is to have as many sloops in the harbor as possible and to make a showing. Come with your sloop, anchor, or follow the participants around the course. The picnic is free to the race entries and crew. Members attending who do not race will be charged $15 which includes the crew. If you have any questions, please call Jack Vibber at (203) 442-7376. Photos and Artifacts Needed As mentioned in the last newsletter, Miff Lauriat and Marg Russakoff are creating a tri-fold board depicting a chart of the coast to show the homeports of Friendship Sloops. This board will be displayed at the Homecoming at Rockland for viewing by the general public to provide them information about the sloops. Photos of the sloops will be attached to the board with a line pointing to its homeport, along with a brief description of the sloop. Miff and Marg need a standard-size snapshot of your sloop, preferably with the sail number showing, but that is not a requirement. They are also looking for Friendship sloop artifacts which they could borrow for the ’95 Homecoming. Needed are original trailboards, billetheads and other old parts which could be affixed to the tri-fold boards or otherwise displayed securely in the tent. Ideally, they would hope to receive these items by mid-July so that they could make the appropriate provisions for display. They would be returned to the owners at the Thursday evening awards ceremony. Please send a photo of your sloop, or any artifacts, to Miff and Marge at: 20 East Ridge Road, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679. Note: The sloop photos will not be returned, the artifacts will be returned, however. Marblehead Regatta (Continued from Page 1) As in the past, the Marblehead regatta will be hosted by the Corinthian Yacht Club race committee and we are delighted to report to all of you that the club has finally arrived, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century (it’s almost too late to call it the 20th) with the implementation of a credit card system. Visa and American Express are now being accepted at the club. You will shortly be receiving an announcement of the Marblehead regatta, hopefully before everyone shoves off for the Rockland races. The Corinthian Dockmaster, Bob Hastings, will have moorings available for assignment to the Friendship skippers who will be participating in the Marblehead races. Bob can generally be reached by calling him on VHF-FM Channel 69, CB Channel 13, or by cellular phone/land line at 617/631- 4745. All this data, plus more, will be spelled out in the upcoming announcement. First and foremost, we sincerely hope you will participate in the Rockland races during July. If you like what Bob Rex et al deliver to you in July, we hope you will make every attempt to join us in August. Fair winds and following seas. – 2 –

Rockland Homecoming Schedule of Events Monday, July 24th All day Sloops arriving in Rockland 1700 Bring your own / cook your own cook-out under the tent. Evening Coast Guard demonstration of life-saving techniques Tuesday, July 25th 0800 – Breakfast under the tent 0900 – Skippers Meeting under the tent 1100 – Races start 1600 – Row boat races 1600 – Boat handling demonstration 1700 – Bring your own / cook your own cook-out under the tent. Wednesday, July 26th 0800 – Breakfast under the tent 0900 – Skippers Meeting under the tent 1000 – Parade of sloops 1100 – Races start 1600 – Tour of the sloops 1700 – Chicken Barbecue and entertainment by a j ug band. Thursday, July 27th 0800 – Breakfast under the tent 0900 – Skippers Meeting under the tent 1100 – Races start 1500 – Return of sloops 1700 – Award ceremony 1700 – Bring your own / cook your own cook-out under the tent. Friday, July 28th Breakfast under the tent Depart Rockland for Friendship Reminder: City of Rockland ordinances prohibit the use of alcoholic beverages on any city property, including docks and floats. Please observe these ordinances during our visit in Rockland. Society Tee Shirts Society Tee Shirts will be available shortly. They are available in two colors: White with Blue print, and Hunter Green with White print. Both are heavy weight 100% cotton. The sizes that are available are as follows: Small adult (to fit the children), Medium, Large, X-Large and XX-Large Adult sizes. They will cost $10.00 each and if you want them shipped to you, please add $3.00 each. Contact our secretary, Caroline Phillips with your orders, or if you like, pick them up at the Rockland Homecoming. Rockland Update by Rich and Beth Langton The schedule for the Rockland Homecoming is firming up. Since mailing out the preliminary schedule in April we have had another meeting with the Share-the-Pride organization and now have a few more details. First, the Coast Guard demonstration on Monday evening will include a helicopter rescue. This will be easily observed from the sloops’ vantage point in the harbor. Second, we have finalized plans for the Wednesday evening events. The meal will be an “all you can eat” barbecue (despite warnings about the Sloop Society’s appetite) that includes both racks of baby back ribs and chicken, beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn on the cob, garlic bread, watermelon, beverage and coffee. The cost will be $15.00 per person. This is to be followed by Jugg Band music on the stage near the public landing. Also, speaking of meals, the Rockland Deli will be offering boxed lunches at a reasonable price, delivered at our skippers meetings each morning, for those who want to concentrate on sailing rather than sandwich preparation. Although we have scheduled three days of sun and modest breezes for the Homecoming, there are some alternatives if this message doesn’t get through to the weather department. There is the walking tour of the Rockland waterfront. This guided tour takes you from the public landing to the ferry terminal and includes a history of the harbor. The Shore Village Museum is also within walking distance of the harbor and includes one of the largest collections of lighthouse memorabilia on the east coast. There is also the Farnsworth Art Museum and, finally, the Owls Head Motor Museum which is only a short drive out of Rockland. All boats that register for the races will be sent a package of information by the Chamber of Commerce which will include a series of brochures on all the “options” in the Rockland area. If you aren’t sailing into town but still plan on being part of the Homecoming celebrations call the Chamber at (207) 596-0376 and they will be happy to send you the information package. Handicap Reminder The Society Measurer and Handicapper, Dick Salter, reminds us that if you are planning to race in a Sloop Society sponsored event, you must have a current handicap sheet on file. The Executive Board has set July 1st as the deadline for submitting the form to Dick. If you have any questions, need a form, or would like a set of instructions on how to measure your sloop, call or write Dick at: 151 Bridge Street Manchester, MA 01944 Tel: (508)-526-1004 – 3 –

Gloucester Schooner Festival We received the following press release from the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. The eleventh annual Gloucester Schooner Festival, a celebration of Gloucester’s historic fishing schooners, will be held September 2-3, 1995. There will be shipboard visits, day sails, a parade of sail, sailing races for eight classes of traditional vessels, as well as a Yankee Fish Fry and musical entertainment. The Gloucester Schooner Festival celebrates the history of Gloucester’s fishing schooners, and features the last remaining few examples of these great old vessels as they compete for the Esperanto Cup. For two days, the City’s harbor, the oldest fishing port on the East Coast, provides the backdrop for a unique mix of old and new, as modern-day draggers and trawlers share their home port with the traditional vessels of an earlier era. Approximately 50 schooners and other classic craft have participated annually in recent Festivals. The U.S. Navy has scheduled the USS Philippine Sea (CG58) for a visit to Gloucester over the Labor Day weekend, which will add much to the excitement and enthusiasm of the festival. The high point of every Festival is the Mayor’s Race. This race consists of two classes: one for the large schooners (over 85 feet, on deck), sailing for the Esperanto Cup; and the second for the “small” schooners (from 45 feet to 85 feet, on deck), which compete for the Ned Cameron Trophy. The Esperanto Cup was one of the trophies from the first International Fishermen’s Races held off Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1920, between the Canadian schooner Delawanna and the U.S. flag schooner Esperanto, which won the initial series. Previous entries in the Mayor’s Race have included: Spirit Of Massachusetts, the race’s only four-time winner; Adventure, the last of Gloucester’s great fishing schooners, and a two-time winner; American Eagle and Pilot, both past winners, as well as many other schooners. This race will start off the Eastern Point Light at 11:00 AM on Sunday, September 3rd. Each year, the schooner competition attracts many shore-side spectators around Gloucester Harbor and a growing spectator fleet, which gathers from many ports along the mid-New England coast to witness the stirring sight of these classic vessels re-enacting a page from marine history. Spectator boats, ranging from sleek luxury yachts to small family cruising boats, have numbered more than 100 vessels in recent years. In addition, six separate classes of classic smaller craft will compete in preliminary races on Saturday, September 2nd. These classes include: Traditional, gaff-rigged; Traditional, Marconi rigged; Friendship sloops; Rhodes 19 and International 210 one-design classes; and, for the first-time this year, a class for Multi-Hull vessels. Enhancing the public’s opportunity to participate in the Festival, a Yankee Fish Fry is held adjacent to the berths of several of the large schooners on Saturday. Deck tours of the schooners, musical entertainment provided by a local popular band, and a complete fish dinner make for a great evening. On Sunday evening, a buffet dinner is served at the nearby U.S. Coast Guard Station for crews of participating vessels, and trophies are awarded to all race winners. The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce invites all Friendship Sloop owners to attend and participate in the Festival. For additional information, please call Michael Costello, Executive Director of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce at (508)-283-1601. 1995 Schedule of Events New London Regatta July 8 & 9 Southwest Harbor Rendezvous July 22 & 23 Homecoming Rendezvous at Rockland July 25, 26 & 27 Cruise to Friendship July 28 Memorial Service & Friendship Day July 29 Marblehead Regatta August 12 & 13 Gloucester Schooner Festival September 2 Annual Meeting – New England Center November 18 New Crew for Tannis Our Society Secretary, Caroline Phillips, and her husband Richard, are proud parents of Matthew Joseph, a new crew member for the Tannis. Matthew was born May 5th and weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces. Everyone is doing fine. Caroline expects to have Matthew in Rockland aboard the Tannis. Plumer Wins Chamber Pot The above headline appeared in the February 24th edition of the Newburyport, MA “The Daily News”. It apparently concerns our Vice-Commodore Larry Plumer. There isn’t enough room in this edition to carry the complete story, so you’d better ask Larry about his Chamber Pot when you see him in Rockland. – 4 –

Membership News Doug Amsbary, Membership Chairman, has provided the following information about our members: #46 Dirigo has been sold to Windjammer Cruises of Newport Inc. It was reported by Charlene Churchwell (sister of Judy Oneal Brooks, owner of Morning Star), that she saw Dirigo in Marathon, FL apparently involved in the charter trade. #126 Whim has been sold to Bob Clay of Cambridge, NY. Member and illustrator Bruce Alderson is in the process of doing an oil painting of a Friendship Sloop and when it is completed, would like to offer it as a perpetual trophy. Having seen Bruce’s art and graphics work when he attended his first annual meeting, it will no doubt be a prized trophy to be awarded. Mary Cronin recently spoke with Tom Ash owner of #32 Nomad, and learned that he is replanking her now and it is starting to look like a sloop again. Mary also mentioned that #52 Rights Of Man has a new mast in the making and that extensive rebuilding of her hull is necessary. Spoke with Rodney Flora, co-owner of #70 Wings Of the Morning. He mentioned that they are having her refastened below the waterline and a new deck beam or two replaced. He went on to say that the list of things that need to be done seems to grow with each passing day. They hope to make it with Wings of the Morning to the Rockland Homecoming. We recently heard from Tom Miller, owner of #97 Gannet, that he plans to relaunch her at Marblehead Trading on June 2nd or 6th and will plan on keeping her in Salem Willows. He hopes to make it to the Rockland Homecoming. (Ed. Note – Gannet was launched on June 2nd.) We were pleased to learn that after having acquired #221 Seal from Al Zink, Bill & Olive Davison of Milford, NH have become a part of our Society. A new sail number (#260) has been assigned to a wooden 25′ Pemaquid from Halifax, Nova Scotia named Nimble. Frank & Jane Muddle, owners of #11 Shulamite, have joined our ranks. Look for them out sailing in Muscongus Bay from their homeport in Gushing, ME. The Membership Committee sent out a two page questionnaire to 24 members that had not renewed their membership. Only 2 responses were received back as of May 17th. Four members have renewed their membership as a result of our inquiry. The results of the questionnaire brought forward the apparent desire to host more “cruises in company” with other Friendship sloops. It also indicated that we appear to be doing a good job in keeping members abreast of activities within the Society. I had incorrectly stated that the purchaser of #49 Surprise had changed the name of his sloop to Windrose. It should have read Windhorse Both Art and Louise Toncre of LaPoste, TX and Rex and Rebecca Mckeever from Houston, TX have decided to avail themselves of the benefits of membership in the Society. The Mckeevers indicated that they are in search of a suitable Friendship to purchase. Alex Moir, 54, Owner of #1 Voyager Alex Moir, of Staten Island, a landscape architect who founded the Serpentine Art and Nature Preserve in Stapleton, New York, died Friday, February 3rd in his Brighton Heights home after a long illness. Born in Jamesville, Wisconsin, Alex lived in Madison, Wisconsin before moving to Stapleton in 1969. He settled in Brighton Heights in 1984. A landscape architect for the city Department of General Services, he was a senior project manager overseeing the design of buildings for the Correction Department and other agencies. He also taught at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1979 to 1981 and was an adjunct professor at the College of Staten Island between 1980 and 1983. Alex graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1969 with a bachelor of arts degree in landscape architecture. He is survived by his wife, Christina Bliss; his mother, Doris Broughton Moir, and a sister Johanna Elliott. Ed. Note: The above was taken from an article sent by Tina Moir. Alex and Tina have spent a large amount of time restoring Voyager. She wrote: “… it is with deep regret that I will have to put the boat up for sale.” If anyone is interested in continuing the restoration, call or write Tina at: 116 Silver Lake Road, Staten Island, NY 10301 (719) 816-8752. Support Our Supporters Our move to Rockland has had a positive impact on our yearbook – it will have more pages than the editions of the last few years, thanks to the increase in the number of advertisers. When you read the articles in the yearbook, take some time to notice the advertising. Then, when you stop in the store or restaurant, make a point of telling the waitress, manager, or anyone that will listen, that you saw their ad in the Friendship Sloop Society publication. There are an increasing number of local publications, guides, etc., and we are competing with them for the merchant’s advertising dollars. If a store or restaurant owner doesn’t believe they are getting anything back for their investment they stop supporting us. Please help us keep the yearbook afloat by supporting our supporters. – 5 –

The Essex Traditional Boat Rendezvous by Harold Burnham Although at low tide the Essex River Estuary supports less water than the average drainage ditch, most of the great Gloucester fishing schooners took their maiden voyage through its winding channels. Perhaps it is because of the close resemblance of the Friendship sloops to the Gloucester schooners that in recent years, Essex has been home port to as many sloops as any town outside of Muscongus Bay. Anyway, when the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, The Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce and Salt Marsh Charters all got together and decided to sponsor a traditional boat race in the Essex River to try and re-establish that town as a shipbuilding MECCA, it was only natural that the Friendship sloops were well represented. The race began at noon on Saturday, September 28th with a staggered anchor start. There were thirteen boats on the starting line in a sixty foot channel including Friendship sloops, catboats, sharpies and even one Story built Polinesian fishing trimaran. This starting procedure worked perfectly for these traditional non-racing vessels. There were no tacking duels, no barging contests, no collisions, no hot tempers, and best of all, no protests. We all just hauled anchor and went commencing what turned out to be a true gentleman’s race. Although the race committee encouraged the use of engines to prevent collisions and groundings, the narrow winding channels of the Essex River, with its strong currents and fluky winds, still produced an aura of excitement not found on any other race course anywhere. Naturally the race was won by the Sloop Resolute skippered by Ahab himself. It must be mentioned, though, that he had help. Aboard the Chrissy Ahab’s faithful son took a back channel so that Chrissy might get far enough ahead to mark the rocks in the narrows for Ahab as he sailed by. _____