Spring 1999 Newsletter

Commodore’s Message The sun just set here in Vinalhaven, so I decided to stop varnishing. I can’t see the drips and holidays so well without natural light. I can’t wait to launch Phoenix. Yesterday I got notes from Paul Haley and John Wojcik talking about launching their boats. I hear the Tannis and Rights of Man have been in for over a month. I also hear that Salatia is itching to go. Summer comes a bit later down east. But I’m impatient. My spars hanging from the rafters in my studio have a quiet whisper of majesty, there is so much more on a fully rigged sloop. As I was brushing away, I was trying to come up with what to say in this commodore’s message. A few images from this past spring come to mind that reflect the state of the society as I see it: 1. Dianna Gay sent a copy of an article in the “Ellsworth American” to my mother. I thus found out about Ralph Stanley winning a NEA Fellowship. Our enthusiasm about each other is huge. I was also just bragging about some of Harold Burnham’s accomplishments to a friend in New York City on Monday. I was bringing out pictures and magazine covers and all that. We have friends to be proud of. 2. While speaking at my father’s memorial service, I kept my head buried in the podium. But when I looked up for the first time, behind four rows of relatives, were row after row of Friendship Sloop Society members. Our membership is there for each other when we need it most. Every face in the audience was a great friend. I felt greatly strengthened by all who attended, thank you. 3. My father insisted on having his painting of Phoenix at the foot of his bed in the nursing home. I think the image of sailing towards the Camden Hills gave him strength. There is nothing else he would rather be doing than sailing Phoenix across Penobscot Bay. I think a big part of our membership share in this never fading passion for our sloops. I’m excited to see some newer members finding that passion also. Not to mention all of us second generation skippers from more than eight different families. 4. Rockland. I can’t believe how much this city has changed. It is becoming a fantastic part of the coast of Maine. The city has some of the raw energy that originally drew us to Friendship each year, but also has accommodations and desire to have us come visit. They passed new laws about rafting at the town landing this year. The new laws do not apply to us. The city Rockland Homecoming Regatta Written by Bob Rex, FSS Race Committee Chairman July 26-29 – days that we hope will live, not in infamy, but in our memories as another enjoyable, successful Rockland Homecoming. Skippers’ meetings will be held at 9:00 AM assuming that someone will wake up the Race Committee. The IYRU racing rules for 1997-2000 will again be in effect. We know that everyone has absorbed these “simplified” rules, just in time to have them change again next year. As we did last year, a boat over early at the start may continue on course while accepting a 5 minute time penalty, or sail completely to the pre-start side of the line before starting. Last year’s weather was great until the awards ceremony. I happened to be standing under one of the leaks in the tent and watched as the rain drops ran off my clipboard partially obliter- ating the vitally important race results. This was the second time in four years we’ve handed out wet prizes! While the weather was mostly great, we could have used a bit more air. The skippers who sail locally say that we should start the races at 3 PM rather than at 11 AM, for more breeze, but then we wouldn’t have time for the after races scuttlebutt and fruit juices. Thanks to Dave Graham we will have another race mark with which to set more challenging courses. Some days a little excite- ment can go a long way out there. Once again, thanks to Dick and Alice Salter, we are most fortunate to have Messing About as our committee boat. The Society has enjoyed the long-term use of an ideal Race Commit- tee boat under the command of a consummate seaman, all at no expense to the Society. Thanks again, Dick and Alice. We hear that Bruce Lanning and his “new” Chickadee may be available as a mark set boat. Most everyone I know works long, hard, stressful hours. You owe yourselves a favor. Come to the Homecoming this year and recharge your batteries, spend more down time, relax – and get a life! officials sense the magic of our homecoming and love to see us all rafted up. Share the Pride is again welcoming us to Rockland. Our biggest task ahead is to have as much fun as possible. I hope to see you at our events this summer. Phoenix and I will be at most of them. Volume 11 Spring / Summer 1999 Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society

Alfred E. Beck Jr. from the “Rockland Courier Gazette” Al Beck, former owner of Phoenix, was Commodore of the Sloop Society 1981 – 1982. Alfred Elwin Beck, Jr. passed peacefully on Saturday March 6, 1999 in Camden, Maine. He was born on October 17, 1924 to Sarah Greenwood Beck and Alfred E. Beck in Lawrence, Massa- chusetts. He was a graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, MA in 1942 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1948. He is an Army Veteran of WWII, having landed at Normandy and participated in the liberation of France. He married Anne Molson Morgan from Montreal, Canada in 1948. They celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary this past September. He started his family while living in Salt Lake City, Utah and working for American Smelting and Refining Company. Later, he moved the family to Metuchen, NJ. He went on to work with AMAX Corporation in NYC, and later, for the sake of raising his family in more rural surroundings, became owner/president of Circle Machine in Seabrook, NH. The company made and designed machinery for the leather and shoe industries. He lived in Exeter, NH for 19 years. He was an avid sailor as commodore of the Schrewsbury Sailing and Yacht Club in NJ and later commodore of the Friendship Sloop Society based in Friendship, ME. He sailed his renowned sloop Phoenix through the waters of New England for 25 years. He became a seasonal resident of Vinalhaven in 1984, later retiring there as an active year round resident. He renovated and maintained his house as an island landmark and photographic icon. Alfred was predeceased by his parents: Alfred Elwin Beck, Sr. and Sarah Greenwood Beck and his sister Edna Beck Albridge. He is survived by his wife Anne Morgan Beck, his sister Estelle Beck Bolles and his children (grandchildren in parenthe- sis): William Morgan Beck and Katherine Bohn Beck (Erica Katherine Beck, Nicole Margaret Beck, Peter Bohn Beck) of Nottingham, New Hampshire; Margot Anne Beck (Adrian Jack Beck-Oliver and Kathryn “Katie” Anne Beck-Oliver) of Antigonish, Nova Scotia; Barbara J. Beck-Wilczek and William R. Wilczek of Annandale, New Jersey; Katherine Beck Moses and Richard Alan Moses (Lauren Morgan Moses, Mallory Anne Moses, Seth Forrest Moses) of Eagle Bridge, New York; and Tad Beck of New York City, New York. The memorial service will be 2 PM Saturday, March 13th at Conchran Chapel, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, the Rev. David Bell officiating. A celebration of his life will be held on Vinalhaven this summer. Interment will be private in the family plot at West Parish Cemetery, Andover, MA. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Northeast Health Foundation, 22 White Street, Rockland, Maine, 04841. Boatbuilder Ralph Stanley Chosen for NEA Fellowship by Heather Wilkinson, “The Ellsworth American”, Thursday, May 27, 1999 SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Local master boatbuilder Ralph Stanley has been chosen to receive a $10,000 National Heritage Fellowship, the country’s most prestigious honor in folk and traditional arts. This fall, 13 fellowships will be presented to artists in 12 states by the National Endowment for the Arts. More than 200 fellow- ships have been awarded since the first in 1982. Among those chosen were a gospel singer from North Carolina, a basket- maker from California and an American Indian storyteller from North Dakota. Bill Ivey, endowment chair, said the fellows are “outstanding artists and individuals who have dedicated their lives to preserv- ing, reviving and celebrating this country’s living cultural heritage.” He said by honoring their contributions to the arts “we also pay homage to the communities that have inspired and nurtured their work.” This award honors the people and environment that nurtured the artist as much as the artist himself. Stanley has dedicated nearly his entire life to building, design- ing and restoring boats. Over the course of his career, Stanley has worked on countless wooden boats ranging from lobstering vessels to racing sloops and pleasure yachts. He now owns and operates Ralph W. Stanley Inc. Boats on Clark Point Road in Southwest Harbor. “Building wooden boats is like climbing a still growing tree where you never get to the top. I wouldn’t want to be stuck at the same point,” Stanley said. Born in Bar Harbor, he is descended from a long line of mariners. His paternal great-grandfather owned numerous fishing schooners. His maternal great-grandfather was the captain of a three-masted schooner. Stanley grew up in Southwest Harbor. As a child he made toy boats out of wood and drew boats he saw in the harbor. He used to love tagging along with his father, a lobsterman, as he hauled traps. Stanley said he learned about boatbuilding by watching locals in the same trade. He started his first boat, a 28-foot lobster boat, in 1951. This launched a career that has evolved from building working vessels to crafting racing and pleasure boats. One thing remained the same, however: his attention and his love of a creative design process. At the heart of Stanley’s work is his dedication to wooden boats. With the advent of fiberglass, many builders switched to synthetic material because it is cheaper and easier to maintain. For Stanley though, the choice to remain with cedar, oak and pine was made for both aesthetic and practical reasons. He wanted to maintain the centuries-old skills involved with woodworking. He also realized pre-manufactured fiberglass molds limit the creative process of boat design. He’s also kept up with the changing face of technology. What Stanley used to (Continued to Page 3) – 2 –

Ralph Stanley (Continued from Page 2) do with just a pencil and drafting paper, he is now able to create with computer programs. Of course there are still sketches and plans best plotted on paper but software accents the work, Stanley said. Computer programs such as AeroHydro make it easier and less time-consuming to figure the geometry of the vessel-to-be. Software allows builders to consider several designs based on specific criteria. Even though he remains with the wooden tradi- tion, Stanley does take advantage of technological products. “I keep finding new ways of doing things and new things to do. You can always improve, you’re always looking to improve,” Stanley said. The wedding of tradition and innovation extends to the types of boats he chooses to make. After the demand for wooden lobster boats diminished, he began building Friendship sloops. These single-masted sailing vessels were developed in the 1880’s by builders in Friendship to be used for lobstering and inshore fishing. These sloops were later adapted by recreational sailors. Stanley revived the local interest in these vessels. He was most recently depicted in the May/June issue of Woodenboat magazine designing and building the 28-foot Dorothy Elizabeth schooner with author and friend Roger Duncan. Stanley said the fellowship will certainly help maintain his confidence as an artist. It also emphasizes the importance of the wooden boat as a part of Maine culture and a hardworking coastal tradition. He said he’ll keep building and innovating – continually looking for the best all around design and building processes. He said no matter what type of boat he’s designing, building or restoring, it is important to remain focused and passionate about the art and trade itself. “Building a boat is like painting a paint- ing,” he said. “It’s not something you just do, its something you see in your mind. You need to have your own ideas and you need to have confidence in them.” Handicap / Measurement Guidelines ! The Race Committee will be happy to equitably handicap any member sloop for which a completed handicap application is received prior to July 11th. New handicap rating applications are available from the race committee or the handicapper, Dick Salter, 151 Bridge Street, Manchester, MA 01944 ! All sloops with a handicap rating dated prior to 1995 will be considered to have no handicap rating after this year (1999) due to the expiration of the handicap data. ! Sloop owners must file an updated handicap application for their vessel every five years, whether or not changes may have been made to the hull or rig. However, when such changes have been made, it is necessary to immediately reapply for an updated handicap. ! New owners of sloops are required to submit an application for a handicap rating before entering their first regatta. ! Beginning in 2000, owners declining to file an updated handicap application in a timely manner will receive a dockside handicap, which will include a severe penalty! 1999 Schedule of Events New London Regatta July 9 – 11 Southwest Harbor Rendezvous July 17 Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland July 26, 27, 28 & 29 Friendship Day July 31 WoodenBoat Regatta August 6 Marblehead Regatta August 14 & 15 Gloucester Schooner Festival September 4 – 5 Annual Meeting November 13 New England Center, Durham, NH News From The Chandlery The 1999 T-shirt design depicts a coastal scene of Friendship Sloops viewed through a port window, and the T-shirts will be available in four popular colors. Other new items include white polo shirts with a Friendship Sloop burgee design on the pocket, and new styles of hats. We will be having a contest to design the year 2000 T-shirt. Submit drawings to us at the address below. The deadline is February 1, 2000. The Executive Board will select the winning design. The theme of the year 2000 design is “Friendship Sloops at Work” and you may submit as many drawings as you would like. The winning artist will receive 2 free shirts. If you would like to place an order, a list of available items in the Chandlery is enclosed in the newsletter. The prices and a blank order are included. Please send payment and order forms to Peggy and Tom Miller, 77 Bedford Road, New Boston, NH 03070. If you have ideas for items you would like us to consider selling through the Chandlery, please let us know. If you make items and would like to consign them to us, provided that the items have a nautical theme, contact us for details. We will mark items up and the 10% mark up will be donated to the Friendship Sloop Society. For questions or to share your ideas, please call us at 603-487- 3883. – 3 –

Past Commodore Bob Lash The following was published in “The Bangor Daily News”. Bob was Commodore of the Society 1966 – 1967. Robert Stetson Lash, 81, died at the Maine Veterans Home in Bangor on Sunday, May 30, 1999, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. He was born Sept. 11, 1917, in Swampscott, Mass., the son of David Chapman Lash Sr. and C. Emma Shrives, and graduated from Swampscott High School in 1935. Bob enlisted in the Army Air Corps in July, 1940, and served in Panama until January, 1942, when he was accepted for pilot training. During World War II, he was stationed in Horham, England, and flew B-17 bombers on 35 missions over Germany. He was awarded the Air Medal, five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and one medal from Russia. He remained in the reserves from 1944 until the Korean War, when he was recalled to active duty in 1951 to fly C-54 transports for MATS across the North Atlantic. Later, he was stationed at Nouaseur AFB in Casablanca, French Morocco, until his release from active duty in 1953. Bob’s outgoing and fun-loving personality made him well suited for a sales career. While sales manager for WABI-TV, he hosted a daily Christmas program as both Santa Claus and Pizie, the elf. After being active in commercial and recreational sales in the marine field, Bob retired in 1981 to pursue his interests in skiing, sailing, and traveling. Bob was a member and past presi- dent of the Friendship Sloop society, skippering his sloop, Gypsy, until 1997. He was a member of the 95th Bomb Group Memorial Society, the 8th Air Force Historical Society, and the Coastal Antique Auto Club. Bob was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Jane Wyman Lash; a son, Jonathan; a daughter, Holly Taylor-Lash, and her husband Tom; a stepdaughter, Karen Gladney, and her husband, Kerry; a brother, David C. Lash, Jr., and his wife, Helena; a brother-in-law, Richard T. Lathrop, Sr.,; a cousin, Martha Werler, and her husband, Ed; seven grandchildren; three great grandchildren; several nephews; and a niece. A remembrance gathering will be held at 2 PM, Saturday June 12, at the Orland Methodist Church parish house. WoodenBoat Regatta The Eggemoggin Reach Regatta, part of the WoodenBoat Racing Series, will be held this year on August 6th in Brooklin, Maine. This race has opened its entrants to classic boats of both wooden and fiberglass construction, and will establish a separate class for Friendship Sloops if at least five sloops are entered. If you’re interested in sailing in this year’s regatta, and need an application and measurement sheet, contact Bill Cronin at 508-248-7026. Racing Numbers The Race Committee is asking skippers to use sloop numbers for racing. Numbers do not have to be permanently attached to sails, they can be attached to shrouds. Numbers should be large enough to be read from a reasonable distance. 7th Annual Southwest Harbor Race Crystal clear blue skies and a sparkling 15 knot northwesterly have been ordered for the 7th Annual Downeast Rumble (South- west Harbor Friendship Sloop Race). On Saturday, July 17, 12:30 p.m. the fleet will converge on the Northwest corner of Greenings Island, which, contrary to recent reports, has not become an independent nation. Sloopers planning to attend are requested to contact Miff Lauriat or Marge Russakoff at 207-244-4313 or e-mail: jvestal@acadia.net. Reminder: This year’s race has been moved up one week from the usual Saturday before the Homecoming races. Membership News Doug Amsbary has sent along the following news of the last few months: #145 Yankee Lady has a new owner. The last we heard about the Lady was that the previous owner, Horst Beyer, was sailing the boat across the Atlantic to his home in Emden, Germany. A picture was seen of the sloop in a yachting publication showing the boat under a full press of canvas in Antigua Race Week in 1998. The new owner, Blake Smith, said that the boat is back in northern waters and is looking for a mooring location in Maine. Blake hails from Canada. Chaos #254 has been renamed Quintessence. We received a very nice letter from Gary Crowell. Thanks to their daughter Lindsey, they renamed the sloop based upon Lindsey’s sailing experience as being so pure. He went on to say that they spent more time naming the boat than they did either of their children! They will be keeping their sloop in Toms River, NJ. Heard from James Smith of Picton, Ontario, Canada, who after several years of rebuilding #65 Gallant Lady, has finally been able to relaunch his sloop. Way back in January, #209 Friend Ship was acquired by Mike LaLecchia whose charter company, Whistling Man Schooner Company, will day charter from the shores of Burlington, VT on Lake Champlain. Mike is in the process of going through Coast Guard recertification for the passenger trade. He went on to say that the previous owner had cut down the bowsprit by about 3′ so as to make docking easier. We recently learned that #181 Aurora was sold to Dale Young of Deer Isle, Maine. We received a completed membership application from the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies in Erie, Pennsylvania, for their renamed sloop #46 Momentum (ex. Dirigo / Friendship). Do You Play a Musical Instrument? Last year at the Rockland Homecoming, a number of our members brought their musical instruments and performed under the tent on Wednesday night. We listened to Tim Sullivan play the bagpipes, Ralph Stanley with his fiddle, the Merrill family trio consisting of cellos and violins, and a cuzoo quartet. It was such a good time, that we decided to ask our members again to bring their musical instruments. Don’t be shy, start practicing now, and come and have a good time! – 4 –

1999 Marblehead Regatta August 14th & 15th by David Graham Last year, a page was taken out of Bob Rex’s book of how it’s done at Rockland, by providing each sloop skipper with copies of pre-planned race courses. The resulting process worked so well, it fell into the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category and the system will be used at the 1999 Marblehead races. However, this will not negate the need for a skippers’ meeting at 9:00 AM on Saturday, the 14th at the Corinthian Yacht Club for the 36th annual two-day regatta for Friendship Sloops. As in the past, it is anticipated that the ten-minute start process will commence at 10:00 AM for both Division I and Division II sloops and very likely at Can “1” located near the mouth of Marblehead Harbor. The sloops in Division I will probably sail a course similar to, though inside, that of Division II and on a course that is somewhat shorter than the course sailed by the larger sloops. You can tell if the Race Committee will have done its homework if the sloops from within each of the two divisions begin finishing at approximately the same time at the start/finish line. If all goes as planned, a sloop will be selected by the Race Committee on Saturday morning to be the “Open House” sloop, so that she can be viewed at the Corinthian float following the race, by members of the Society. A social hour and dinner are being organized at Corinthian for Saturday evening, that will include an illustrated presentation following dinner by Tim Harrison, of the Lighthouse Society, who will take us on a tour of several well-known New England lighthouses. Trophies, based on the two days of racing, will be presented to Divisions I and II at Corinthian, following the Sunday races. In a short time, an announcement of the 1999 Marblehead races, including the race registration and dinner reservation forms, will be sent to society members. You are highly encour- aged to plan on joining us for the two days of racing and shore activities. We believe you will not be disappointed if you do. Race Committee Reminders If you have not filed a measurement rating application, or you have made a change to your sloop that will change its rating, please send an updated / new rating application to Dick Salter our measurer, as soon as possible. Also, if you received a trophy last year that needs to be returned, please make arrangements to have it available to the Race Committee at Rockland for the awards ceremony on Thursday. Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 1999, please send them to: Caroline Phillips, Society Secretary 164 Sturbridge Road Charlton, MA 01507 New London Windezvous The Thames Yacht Club and Jack Vibber will again be hosting the 13th annual New London Friendship Sloop Races to kick off the Society’s schedule of events for this summer. This year’s rendezvous at the club will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 10th & 11th. There will be, as usual, two days of racing. On Saturday night there will be a beach picnic and gam for skippers, crews and friends at the Thames Yacht Club, which is also a good location to view the gigantic fireworks display. The fireworks are again sponsored by the Mashantucket Pequots, and are touted as the second largest in the country, surpassed only by the nation’s capital.. According to an FSS fireworks expert, last year’s display was one of the best she has ever seen. On Sunday morning there will be a breakfast at the club, followed by the start of the race. The awards ceremony will be held at the club following the race. 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 to make a showing. Come with your sloop, anchor, or follow the partici- pants around the course. If you have any questions, please call Jack Vibber (860)- 442-7376 or Greg Roth (860)-442-2747. Support Our Supporters Our yearbook is made possible not only through the efforts of our members, but also through the businesses that place ads in our book. When you read the articles in this year’s 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. Please help us keep the yearbook afloat by supporting our supporters. Rockland Tides Based on Eldridge Tide & Pilot Book 7:02 6:50 1:03 12:30 Friday 6:19 6:10 12:24 – Thursday 5:37 5:30 11:50 11:44 Wednesday 4:55 4:49 11:09 11:04 Tuesday 4:11 4:07 10:28 10:21 Monday 3:26 3:22 9:44 9:35 Sunday PM Low AM Low PM High AM High Celebration of Life There will a celebration of Alfred E. Beck’s life in Carver’s Harbor on Vinalhaven on July 24th. People will be starting to get together at noon. All are welcome if it fits into your travel plans. – Tad – 5 –

Lost Sloop-Siren, 26ft. Chesapeake Bay (1948) Hello friends. I was amazed to walk in to a friends house the other day and see an OLD photo of a Friendship sloop hanging on the wall. The owners of the house said is was their grandfather’s boat. I told them it was a Friendship sloop. They did some checking. It was a 26 ft Friendship, Siren, housed on the Chesa- peake Bay (Newport News/Norfolk), owned by Mr. “Penny” Plumber from circa 1946-1952. Origin unknown. Does anyone know anything about early sloops on the Chesa- peake Bay during those periods? Or anything about the Friend- ship sloop, Siren? I’m intrigued because I just finished reading the book, “Princess-New York”, and Joe Richards meets up with a 26 ft sloop owned by a Capt. Armstrong or Ambrose(?), during this same period. The Chesapeake captain states that there were no others on the Bay. Unfortunately, Joe Richards never gives the name of the sister ship to the Princess (Morse, 1908). Any leads would be grateful. I’m meeting with my friend’s mom in a couple of weeks and I’d like to be able to give her as many leads as possible. She used to sail on Siren as a small girl. Lauren and I are planning to invite her to join us on Perseverance for old times sake. Thanks for your interest and help, David and Lauren Niebuhr, Perseverance New Sloop Owner The former Morning Watch is now Captain Tom, living in Mt. Sinai Harbor, NY. She is in the care of John Sandusky [me]. I live at 42 Lower Rocky Point Rd. Sound Beach, NY 11789 . Email at work; obcove@hoflink. fair winds, John Friendship Boatbuilding I am a long ago, retired Naval Officer who had the pleasure of serving in the capacity of Officer in Charge of Wood Hull Construction for New England. I supervised a contract in Friend- ship, Maine where 36′ utility boats were built for the Navy. This was in the very early 1950’s and a number of Friendship Sloops were at the builders yard. I had many opportunities to examine them and learned a great deal from their very sturdy construction. When the contract was completed the contractor presented me with a beautiful cased model of a sloop built in his yard early in this century. I am an old man now, the model is in my bedroom and she provides me with many moments of nostalgia. Enjoy your boats and treat them as a member of the family, you will be rewarded many times over. Don Rosenberg, U.S.N.(Ret.) Patagonia Catalog Friendship sloops sure turn up unexpectedly! Received the “Sailing ’99 Spring” catalog from Patagonia last week, opened it to ignore the expensive clothing and just browse the lovely photos when, lo, on page 32 there was a fine picture of two boats racing. The caption reads “the 42-foot Renaissance gains on friends at a wooden boat regatta, Maine.” Well, friends it happened to be Friendship sloop #157, Liberty. And Liberty was looking quite sharp on a fine Maine day. Tom Berry Gallant Lady (1907) My husband, Jim Smith, bought the Gallant Lady (1907) around 1975 in Clayton, N.Y. The boat is listed in one of the ‘Friendship Sloop Society’ books with a number, but no picture – it also names the owner that my husband bought the sloop from. We sailed her for a number of years out of Clayton and then brought her over to Canada (Picton). Fifteen years ago, because of wood-rot, she was ‘grounded’ into an old barn (8 yrs) and then into our driveway (6 yrs) so that she could be completely refur- bished. (Personally – I’d say rebuilt almost from scratch) Last year she was re-launched in Prinyers Cove, Prince Edward County, Ontario. Boy was I ever glad to be able to see my drive- way again! But the best part of all, maybe I could sail on a decent boat for a change (we had a 20′ O’Day as a consolation but I missed the ‘Lady”). She will be launched again (after winter storage) in the first week of May and we’re hoping to have her fully rigged and sailing in June (I hope!!). We have a few photos of the refurbishing project and also a video of her re-launch which we are going to make available to the Friendship Sloop Society. As a new member to the ‘internet’ I thought I’d run that name through and see what turned up. Regards, Sonja Smith New FSS Web Page We have been working on an extended web page. It includes past newsletters, a list of sloops with some pictures, some history of the society, future schedules, contact info for officers and race results. I hope you enjoy it, a link will exist on the FSS home page in the near future. But for now it’s… http://pages.prodigy.com/PJXT05A/ <== Watch the Caps! The address of the Sloop Society home page is still: https://fss.org Have fun...but turn that box off and come sailing! Its more fun. --- Tad Auction Items Needed It's never too early to start to think about gathering items for the auction held at the Annual Meeting in November. As you work to prepare your sloop for commissioning this Spring, you may come across a piece of gear that may be of value to another member. Consider saving that item and bring it to the auction in the Fall. Also, for those that have craft skills, it's not too early to start to make an item for the auction . -6- News From The Internet For those members who don’t have access to the Internet, here are some of the interesting items that were posted to the Scuttlebut pages of the FSS home page: The Spring meeting of the Executive Board was held on April 17th at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Commodore Tad Beck opened the meeting at 11:15 and introduced Horatio Cowan, representing the Rockland Share the Pride group, to the board members present. It was decided to start the meeting with the discussion of the Rockland Homecoming. Tad reviewed the schedule and asked if there should be changes. It was decided to move the skippers' meetings from 8:30 to 9:00, and the parade of sloops from 10:00 to 10:30. There were no other changes suggested. Since the first event of the week on Monday evening is the barbecue (the Society supplies the charcoal, Share the Pride the grills) , it was requested that the tent be in place for that evening, and that there be tables and chairs setup for that event. There will be no break- fast served under the tent this year, and the Monhegan should be available for breakfast as in past years. Tad has spoken with Jon Trumbull the harbormaster, who has approved our use of the floats and the rafting of the sloops tied to the float. There are moorings available in the harbor, but it was suggested that anyone needing a mooring call ahead to the harbormasters office to inquire as to the availability. Again we have been asked not to leave cars parked in the area around the tent after Friday since Rockland will be preparing for the lobster festival, and all cars parked there will be towed. There is a parking lot one block away near City Hall. It was suggested that members inquire about the parking should they need to leave a car beyond Friday morning. The Wednesday night dinner was discussed with Hoartio and it was suggested that we do the same thing as last year where a school organization (last year the Drama Club), put on the dinner as a fund raiser. Horatio will inquire about school groups who may be interested in sponsoring the spaghetti dinner as a fund raising event. Old Business: Secretary's Report: Caroline reported the following membership numbers: Boat Owners - 77, Full Members - 43, Cooperative Members - 16, Honorary - 7, Total - 143. There are 8 new members so far this year. Caroline commented: "Although the membership numbers are low for this time of year, I will say that after looking through the membership list, 44 members will definitely rejoin for 1999, and 10 - 15 will probably rejoin for 1999. When these people rejoin, it will get the membership numbers up to last year's level". Treasurer's Report: David Bell reviewed the Society's current financial position, and reported that the Society has over an $8,000 balance, with all bills paid. Pendleton Scholarship Fund: As of 4/16, there is $2,000 in cash which is expected to grow to $5,000 by December for schol- arships to be awarded for this year. This amount is the same as last year. There is currently $70,000 invested by the Fund. Race Committee - Bob Rex reported that he has submitted the application for racing to the Coast Guard, and that we have also applied for the insurance. Dave Graham and the Corinthian Yacht Club have donated another portable racing mark to the Society, which Bob believes will give the committee additional flexibility in setting and changing courses. Bob also reported that Marcia Morang feels she could use an additional $100 for the trophy fund to which a motion was made and passed to increase the trophy budget to $600. Membership - Doug Amsbary reviewed the change in owner status of various sloops. He has also updated the list of sloops and owners and has submitted that list to the printer for inclusion in the yearbook. Chandlery - Tom Miller discussed the new design of this year's T-shirts and displayed the drawing, and that in future years there will be a contest to design the T-shirt for the year. This year's shirts will come in four colors (cedar, leaf, azure & ash) and Tom will be ordering 200. Tom also reviewed the design of the new polo shirts which will have the FSS burgee on the pocket. Tom will not be doing a catalog, but will put a flyer in the newsletter. The chandlery will also accept goods on consignment that are FSS related. These will be marked up 10% with the proceeds from the markup going into the FSS treasury. New hats will also be ordered for the summer. Yearbook - Roger Duncan reviewed the status of the yearbook - the advertising seems to be OK which directly affects the number of pages we have for our material since the pages are split 50-50 with the advertising. The more ads, the more pages for our material. Roger has received a lot of material and will have to squeeze a little to get it all in. Roger said he could use more pictures, however. Rich Langton is assisting Roger with the yearbook this year. Publicity - Bob Monk has mailed out our summer plans to 30 publications such as "Downeast", "Soundings", "The Boston Globe", etc. and has invited them to review the Rockland Homecoming or the Sloop Society in their publications. FSS Website - John Wojcik discussed some of the enhance- ments that are being planned to the Internet web site to provide the general public with more information on the Sloop Society such as the history of the Society and the Friendship Sloop, schedule of events, race results, past editions of the newsletter, etc. Poster - Tad reviewed the picture for the poster. It was decided to have 100 posters printed for distribution in Rockland and to have a number of them available in the chandlery. The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM. Fifteenth Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival The Gloucester Schooner Festival is all about tradition. Ever since 1992, there has always been a one-hundred year old schoo- ner sailing in the Mayor's Race and often two - Ernestina and Lettie G. Howard! And now, we're going to have a two hundred-plus year old design sailing with us - the Essex Shipbuilding Museum's Chebacco boat Lewis H. Story! Designed and built in Essex by Harold Burnham, The Lewis (Continued to Page 8) -7- Spring Executive Board Meeting Gloucester Schooner Festival (Continued from Page 7) H. Story is a replica of the heavy duty, fishing vessel of the 1700's. She is schooner rigged, of 10 tons displacement, and has a 5 ton capacity in her fish hold. Harold built her of eighteenth century, double sawn frame construction, with 1 1/2" oak plank- ing, on 5" x 6" frames, all fastened with trunnels. Come to Gloucester for the Festival and see how marine design and construction have changed over more than 200 years. The Lewis H. Story will sail in Class 3 (traditional, Gaff Rigged); she isn't a light weather speedster, but she may very well surprise you if it breezes up! American Eagle and Edna are expected to return to defend the titles they won in the 1998 Mayor's Race. In addition most of the "regular" competitors, we're very hopeful that they will be joined by Highlander Sea, ex-Pilot, the winner of the very first Schoo- ner Festival Mayor's Race, that has recently returned to the East Coast. The Schooner festival will be similar to prior years, with a record number of boats expected to participate. Major events on Saturday, September 4, will include: Traditional small boat (20-45 feet on deck) races, (the Friendship Sloops will have their own racing class in the traditional Gaff Rigged division), Yankee Fish Fry with musical entertainment, lighted boat parade, and fireworks over the harbor. Sunday, September 5, will see an expanded parade of sail as large fishermen-type schooners (45-125 feet on deck) sail out for the start of the Mayor's Race, and a Reception and Awards Ceremony wrapping up the whole weekend. The Chamber of Commerce has ordered up nice sunny weather, with 10-15 knot breezes (and no hurricanes), so plan to get to Gloucester for an exciting weekend. For more information, call the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce at 978-283-1601. Society Officers Doug Amsbary 1297 Easton Road Sugarhill, NH 03585 (603)-823-8459 Bob Rex 151 Grove Street Reading, MA 01867 (781)-944-1481 Membership Chairman Race Committee Chairman John Wojcik 347 Lincoln Street Norwell. MA 02061 (781)-659-2820 Roger Duncan P.O. Box 66 East Boothbay, ME (207)-633-4780 Newsletter Editor Yearbook Editor David Bell 35 Pumpkin Cove Rd New Harbor, ME 04554 (207)-677-2069 Caroline Philips 164 Sturbridge Road Charlton, MA 01507 (508)-798-0178 Treasurer Secretary Paul Haley 46 Cedar Street Marblehead, MA 01945 (781)-631-8244 Tad Beck 380 Broadway New York, NY 10013 (212)-966-4690 Vice-Commodore Commodore Rockland Schedule of Events Monday Sloops Arriving - Barbecue (bring your own food) under the tent Tuesday 9:00 Skippers' Meeting 11:30 Start of Race 1 4:30 Rowboat Races 5:00 Barbecue Under the Tent Wednesday 9:00 Skippers' Meeting 10:30 Parade of Sloops 12:00 Start of Race 2 4:00 Public Viewing & Tours of Sloops 6:00 Spaghetti Supper 8:00 Music by Society Members Thursday 9:00 Skippers' Meeting 11:00 Start of Race 3 4:00 Awards Ceremony 6:00 Barbecue under the Tent Friday Sloops Depart Rockland for Friendship Days Lasting Friendship The following article, written by Brad Herzog of Pacific Grove, California, appeared in US Airways' June, 1999 edition of their in-flight magazine, "Attaché". The town of Friendship lies halfway up the Maine coast along the blue-green waters of Muscongus Bay. Under the summer sun, it is as idyllic as they come - stark white houses, deep green countryside, glorious fields of purple and lavender lupine. Stroll to the working harbor, and amid the jungle of kelp-stained lobster traps you'll find a magnificent 97 year-old wooden sloop called Gladiator. Once upon a time, an aspiring boat builder named Wilbur Morse saw the need for a vessel strong enough to withstand rough offshore weather yet fast enough to outrun a gale. In 1874, he built the first of what would later be described as the nautical equivalent of a Ford pickup. Because most of the boats of this design were built in the vicinity of Friendship, they took the name. Friendships were built for function, but with an eye for form. The broad waist translated into a comfortable working platform. The low sides made it easier to lift fish and lobster traps aboard. The high bow cut through the sea. But the arrival of the power- boat relegated the once-proud vessels to the scrap heaps, and their memory was kept alive only by a few stubborn lobstermen and nostalgic yachtsmen. Today, there are more than 250 sloops registered with the Friendship Sloop Society, but Gladiator is the only one still in Friendship. The sloop's owners, Bill and Caroline Zuber, offer summer excursions through Muscongus Bay aboard their 1902 restored original. As you sail past a sun-basking seal, the Zubers will tell you how the purchase of the boat brought them permanently to the town. They will offer short lectures about lobstering as a pair of commorants glide by. And when the Zubers cap the afternoon with a taste of that long-winded brand of local banter they like to call "Maine humah," you'll feel like you've sailed back in time to a moment when life was as simple as reading the wind. -8-