Spring 2014 Newsletter
đ Download PDFCommodoreâs Message What a winter. Snow! Snow! Snow! Every time you turned around, more snow. But even the darkest clouds have their silver lining. It certainly provided a good excuse to stay inside, keep warm, and write. Obviously I wrote this several weeks ago before the more pleasant weather arrived, but I can testify that several of your society members have been hard at work this winter and spring putting the finishing touches on several major Friendship Sloop Society projects. First, and foremost, Ted Walsh and âthe Bookâ committee are closing in on the final draft version of our new book, entitled âLasting Friendships: A Century of Friendship Sloopsâ. This is one very impressive collection of Friendship Sloop history. What started out as a 150 (or so) page book continually grew as we discovered ânew historyâ during the research phase. It may be a bit premature, but we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of the individuals and organi- zations who have contributed to this wonderful publication. We are planning to âlaunchâ the book under the tent in Rockland on the evening of July 17th. Design details for the slipways for the launch and selection of the appropriate champagne to break over the bow (does a book have a bow?) are still pending, but never fear, we will come up with something uniquely creative. Donât miss it! Learn more in Tedâs article. Along with the book launching, the folks in Friendship, Maine, are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Friendship Museum and are planning a special event this summer on the evening of July 18th to which we have been invited. See the article on Page 8 for details. The website update is gaining traction. Dennis Whitney has the design layout finished and has worked out the details of all the security and access issues needed in a modern website. We still have a considerable amount of information that needs to be ported from the existing site to the new site and lots of new content to add. Stay tuned! Weâll announce the roll-out of the âbeta testâ site sometime soon. All of the plans for the summer events in Maine have been made and finalized. Everything is ready to go in Southwest Harbor (including the townâs Flamingo Parade). The permits for the Rockland races have been filed with the Coast Guard, the Harbor Management Commission has approved our use of the Town Dock again, the tent for our meetings has been reserved and paid for, and 20 rooms have been set aside for Friendship Sloop Society members and friends at the Tradewinds Motor (Continued to Page 2) Lasting Friendships, The Book by Ted Walsh By the time you read this we will be finishing the final stages of editing for the new book, Lasting Friendships, a Century of Friendship Sloops. We expect to have copies for sale by the beginning of July both on line and at FSS events. It has taken more than eighteen months, and the efforts of many people to pull this project together, but what was originally going to be a smaller book of interest to members of the Society has devel- oped into something more. Lasting Friendships is far more comprehensive than originally planned, and should appeal to our members, and to anyone interested in traditional sailing vessels and the history of the Maine coast. The first part of the book is a 98-page narrative that chronicles the history of the Friendship Sloop from its design origins to the current extensive fleet. Included are sidebars written by current sloop owners, past sloop owners, past commo- dores, boatbuilders, and historians. The text is heavily illustrated with drawings, lines drawings and historical photographs. In addition to our own archives, the book committee has been working with organizations like the Penobscot Marine Museum, the Maine Maritime Museum, the Deer Island Historical Society, (Continued to Page 2) Volume 26 FSS.ORG Spring 2014 Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society
Commodoreâs Message (Continued from the Front Page) Inn. The Race Committee has prepared the course and racing instructions, and has recruited the needed âsafety patrolâ vessels to cover the course. Weâre ready to go, are you? Please come join us in Maine, or at one of the many other local events along the New England coast listed in the 2014 schedule found in this issue. We value your participation and ideas on how we can best provide what you were looking for when you first joined the Society. Hope to see you on the water this summer! Bill & Kathy Whitney Co-commodores Friendship Sloop Society Lasting Friendships, The Book (Continued from the Front Page) the Archive of the Northeast Harbor Library and the Friendship Museum, to get permission to publish historic photographs in their collections. The result is a chronological history of more than a century of the Friendship Sloop. The second part of the book consists of the most complete and up-to-date catalog of existing sloops that the book committee could collect. Literally hundreds of letters went out to individual sloop owners and former sloop owners in order to collect information on individual boats. In addition, members of the book committee made follow up phone calls and appeals through emails and Facebook to confirm facts, or remind sloop owners to send us information. The result is impressive. Listed by sail number, the basic dimensions of each sloop are presented along with notes or histories submitted by sloop owners, and most sloops are represented by a photograph as well. Lasting Friendships is 210 pages long with 336 photo- graphs, plus lines drawings and original illustrations. Renowned marine historian, and technical editor for WoodenBoat magazine, Maynard Bray, has written the foreword for the book. The book will be available in hardcover exclusively from the Friendship Sloop Society for $45 each, and we hope to have copies available as of July 1st on the FSS website. The hardcover book will also be available at FSS events like sched- uled raft-ups, the Southwest Harbor rendezvous, and at Rockland under the tent. There may be a discount if you buy the book at an event. A paperback version of the book will be available through Amazon.com and booksellers for $25 a little later in the summer (it is possible that we may have copies of this too under the tent in Rockland). For last minute updates, keep an eye on our website, www.fss.org. Trophy Engraving Reminder Please remember, before you return the trophy you won at the Rockland Homecoming to the Race Committee, it is your responsibility to have the trophy engraved with your name or the name of your sloop and the year. Race Committee News By Dave Graham, RC Chairman TAPS – Not long into the âoff-seasonâ, we lost a valued member of the Sloop Societyâs Race Committee – – – Gene Costanza. While a quiet and unassuming individual, Gene was always a willing member of the team who never once said âNoâ to anything. In a sense, Gene and I traveled in similar circles together. In addition to sailing and such related activities, Gene had an interest in old cars, old trucks and old airplanes that was equal to mine. Indeed, whenever we had an open couple of hours in Rockland, we could be seen âbummingâ around the museum at Owlâs Head. In many respects, Gene Costanza will be missed, not only by me but a great many within the Friendship Sloop Society. (Geneâs obituary can be found on page 3). RACING AT ROCKLAND IN 2014 – For the annual Homecoming at Rockland this year, your committee has been meeting with our commodore in attendance. During these powwow sessions, we have been exploring the feasibility of making the distance to Handicap Alley as even as possible whether we race in a counterclockwise or a clockwise direction around the course, in an attempt to avoid jam-ups at the entrance to the Alley. This means we will very likely move the alley a bit in a northeasterly direction from its present location. The orien- tation will remain as before but the entrance buoys will be widened and all sloops will be given a rounding buoy assignment. What this really means is that you will not be able to use any previous chart for racing at Rockland this year. It also means that we are attempting to get away from using one course all the time, and it will allow us to select a course, either clock- wise or counterclockwise that will favor a given breeze without having a pile-up at the entrance to the alley. In all this, we are striving to maintain a strong interest for racing at Rockland and at the same time, to âkeep-it-safeâ. A NEW VENUE â During the winter meeting of the FSS Executive Committee, it was brought to the attention of the attendees that there is a growing interest in the Friendship Sloop by the organizers of the 32nd Annual Antique and Classic Boat Festival during the weekend of August 23-24, 2014, held at Brewer Hawthorne Cove Marina, 10 White St., Salem, Massa- chusetts. We can assure you that all participating Friendship Sloops will be welcomed with âopen armsâ. This will not be as much of a sailing event as it will be an opportunity to show-off your beautiful sloop, which will culminate in a judging contest for which the winner will be awarded the coveted 2014 Ridge- way Trophy. Contact information appears in the article about this festival on page 6 of this issue. Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2014, please send them to our membership secretary: Carole Wojcik Membership Secretary 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 – 2 –
Mr. Eugene A. Costanza September 19, 1927 – February 10, 2014 Gene was a member of the FSS Race Committee for a number of years until his death. Eugene Costanza, a long-time resident of Reading, MA, died peacefully in his home on February 10, 2014. He was 86. While commissioned as a boilermaker in World War II, he served on the USS Enterprise. With the help of the GI Bill, Eugene, known as Gene, graduated from UMass Amherst in 1951 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to work at RCA where he contributed to the Apollo Lunar Entry Module, best known for it’s role in man’s first walk on the moon. In addition, the lunar entry module was instrumental in the safe return of the astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission. Gene was employed at Raytheon Corporation for 30 years as a senior engineer. After retiring from Raytheon he enrolled at Northeastern University in the “Re-seed Program”, a course specifically designed to train retired engineers to teach science in public schools. He volunteered in some of the most challenging inner city schools in Massachusetts. In 1996, after five years in the Lowell middle schools, his dedication and enthusiasm earned him the Teacher of the Year award. Gene had many interests and hobbies. He was an accomplished sailor and was awarded many trophies for his success in the regatta season. He served as Commodore of the Quannapowitt Yacht Club in Wakefield, MA, and as leader of the Captain’s Club. He was a member of the Race Committee of the Friendship Sloop Society, and participated in the annual regatta in Rockland, Maine. He was a dedicated member of the Collings Foundation, which restores and maintains World War II planes. A nature lover and conservationist ahead of his time, he taught his children to love and respect the beauty and mystery of the outdoors. On extensive camping trips he explored miles of mountains and valleys of the Pacific Northwest in a 1970 Volks- wagen camper van with his wife and five kids. He passed on his passion for the outdoors to his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed his summers on Bow Lake in Strafford, NH, swimming, fishing, sailing and spending time with friends and family. Gene is survived by his wife Ann (Lally) Costanza, five children and six grandchildren. Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Again the Friendships cruising from the west and from the east will be rendezvousing in Pulpit Harbor the night of Tuesday, July 15th. For a number of years, the fleet has been gathering at Pulpit Harbor the day before they continue on to Rockland on Wednesday. Itâs a great time to meet the other skippers and crews who are headed to Homecoming. For those not familiar with Pulpit Harbor, it is a snug and comfortable harbor for the fleet to gather, and it is only a short sail to Rockland Harbor on Wednesday. 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. Documentary Film The Life of Ralph Stanley: Master Wooden Boat Builder by Ted Walsh Jeff Dobbs Productions of Bar Harbor, Maine, has been working on a film documentary about Ralph W. Stanley. The film has been in production for two years, and in a phone conversation with Jeff Dobbs, he said that the film should be finished and ready for release in the winter of 2014-15. The documentary will have several showings on the coast in local venues and will be aired on Maine Public Television. Jeff went on to say that depending on a number of factors, it might also be picked up by other public television stations. He has been working with Ralph, Marion, and Richard Stanley, Sue, Kathe, and Jarvis Newman, as well as a number of other historians, boatbuilders, and boat owners. Jeff said that the biggest hold-up right now is related to funding the rest of the project. Over forty thousand dollars has been raised and thirty thousand dollarsâ worth of pro bono research has been done by Charlotte Morrill, Meredith Hutchins, and Ralph Stanley himself. The script by Gunnar Hansen and the musical score by Bob Bowman are in progress. Hundreds of historic photos have been restored and rendered, and are waiting to be edited, a process that will take about three months. To complete the project an additional forty-seven thousand dollars must be raised. Anyone interested in contributing to the project may do so through the Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation, located in Bar Harbor. The Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation is a non-profit and is where all donations will be held and dispersed. The JDG Foundation has previously produced the programs, The Life of Margaret Chase Smith and On the Edge, a one man play written about the rigors of island life and lobster fishing. The Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation is also preparing to produce a film for the 100th anniversary of Acadia National Park entitled, Acadia Forebears: The Birth of Acadia National Park. As soon as we know when The Life of Ralph Stanley: Master Wooden Boat Builder will air, we will post the news on our website. In the meantime, you can check out Jeff Dobbs Productions at www.jeffdobbs.com, and the Jefferson Davis Grant Foundation at www.jeffersondavisgrant.org. Support Our Supporters This year, as usual, our yearbook is made possible not only through the efforts of our members, but also through the businesses that place ads in our book. This year we have a number of first-time advertisers. 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. – 3 –
We arrived at the sliver of a harbor on Damariscove Island on a blustery day, as the chilly southeast sea breeze stirred up the chop considerably at the harbor entrance. As rough as it was outside, it seemed doubtful we could get enough shelter from the swell for a peaceful night at anchor, but wanted to give it a try since this remote island had been on our radar for several years. It was still early enough in the afternoon to make the 6 mile run north to the shelter and amenities of Boothbay Harbor if it proved too rough, however, once we had passed the shoals on each side of the entrance, flat water and respite were ours! It turned out getting there was the easier part; figuring out exactly where to be in this tight place and how to lie for the night were more challenging. Damariscove Island is long and low and nearly treeless. It is shaped roughly like a long, skinny hourglass, with the north and south portions connected by a thin spit of land. The harbor opens to the south and is narrow and almost fjord- like, not more than 100 feet wide at low tide. The inner basin is by far the most sheltered spot, but is nearly filled with lobster- men’s floats and gear. We initially picked up a mooring inside, but with only 7 feet of water and the tide ebbing, we knew we’d be in trouble by low tide. We cast off and picked up a private mooring off the restored Coast Guard station and sat for a while. We were reluctant to leave the boat here as we went ashore to explore, in case the rightful owners showed up, so once again we vacated and ultimately anchored fore and aft hugging the western edge in plenty of water; the third time was indeed a charm! Probably the best spot in this harbor is the public mooring found just south of the granite pier, but this was taken when we arrived. Damariscove has a very long and colorful history. It was a busy European cod fishing base in the 17th century and was one of the earliest permanent European settlements in New England, even providing food for the starving residents of the Plymouth colony during their first harsh winter. It’s hardy residents survived several Indian attacks during the interminable King Phillip’s War, followed closely by the burning of buildings and looting of livestock during the Revolutionary War. It remained unscathed during the War of 1812, but the sea battle between the American brig Enterprise and the British brig Boxer took place just off-shore. Through the centuries on Damariscove, farmers have raised cattle, pigs and vegetables, and fishermen have harvested cod, shellfish and lobsters. At times in the past, granite had been quarried and an ice house constructed to provide ice to the fishing fleet. In yet another incarnation, in the late 1800s the existing farmhouse was renovated to hold 35 guests and several cottages were built anticipating the summer tourist boom which never quite reached distant Damariscove. Today it is owned and maintained by the Nature Conservancy and visitors are greeted by the seasonal resident caretakers who are cheerful and knowledgeable. It is still a working harbor and refuge for local lobstermen, and a popular day trip for boaters from the Boothbay region. There is a dinghy dock on the north side of the granite pier, a composting toilet for public use, and a small ‘museum’ housing local artifacts. Miles of well marked trails connect all points and are frequented by human visitors and native muskrats alike. The island is one of the larger nesting sites for eider ducks in New England. Ruth Ann Hill of the Nature Conservancy writes, “Damariscove Island is now isolated from a world that no longer travels primarily by sea. It is a place steeped in human history, yet still wild and unspoiled–a spiritual tonic with a salt air tang, perfect for easing the cares and slowing the hectic pace of every- day life”. 2014 Schedule of Events Parkerâs Boat Yard Rendezvous Monday, June 30th Scituate Harbor Rendezvous Tuesday, July 1st Gloucester Harbor Rendezvous Wednesday, July 2nd Boothbay Harbor/Bayville Rendezvous Saturday, July 5th Southwest Harbor Rendezvous Saturday, July 12th Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Tuesday, July 15th 54th Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland July 17th â 19th (Thursday, Friday & Saturday) Marblehead Classic Boat Regatta August 9th & 10th Gloucester Schooner Festival August 30th & 31st Connecticut Rendezvous September 13th – 14th Location TBD Fall Executive Committee Meeting Saturday, October 4th Annual Meeting Saturday, November 8th Best Western Merry Manor Inn 700 Main Street South Portland, ME – 4 – Damariscove Island by Laurie Raymond
George Pew George owned Dragon Lady, a Newman-built cruising lobster boat which served as the Race Committee boat for the Friend- ship Sloop races during the years they were held in Boothbay. George Layng Pew, Jr of Villanova, PA, and Mouse Island, Boothbay Harbor, ME died peacefully at his home in Villanova on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, after a long illness. He was 77. George, son of George L Pew, Sr. and Catharine Anspach Pew, was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on Febru- ary 16, 1936. He graduated from the Brooks School in North Andover, MA in 1954 and Yale College in 1958. Following two years of service in the US Army, he worked for the Sun Oil Company in Mississippi, Texas and Philadelphia. While working for Sun, he received an MBA from Drexel University. He then left Sun to become an independent management consultant for various companies in the US and abroad. Later, George became an adjunct professor at Antioch College in Philadelphia. A dedicated fundraiser and volunteer for Yale Univer- sity, he served on the University Council and the Yale Crew Association (President from 1978-1994). In recognition of these efforts, he received the Yale Medal in 1986. Notably, he champi- oned Yale’s nascent women’s rowing program while simultane- ously increasing alumni support for the men’s teams. Other chari- table activities important to George included serving as a direc- tor of the National Rowing Foundation, vice chairman of the Independence Seaport Museum (Philadelphia, PA), trustee of the Island Institute (Rockport, ME), board member of Friends’ Central School, and board member of Planned Parenthood (Southeastern PA). Most recently, George served as an officer and volunteer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary in Philadelphia and Boothbay Harbor, Maine. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sally Chinn Pew, 3 children and 8 grandchildren. âIt’s A Friendshipâ, 2 Copies For Sale This note was received by John Wojcik, FSS Registrar I am in possession of two copies of âIt’s a Friendshipâ, edited by Herald Jones, that I would like to sell. Both are in very good condition; one has a dust jacket and the other does not. I am wondering if there is a way to advertise through the FSS, as I would like to see them go to someone in the FSS. The one with the dust jacket is autographed by Carlton Warren Morse, son of Warren Morse of Morse Island off Friend- ship who was one of the original designers and builders of a Friendship SloopâŠalong with Wilbur. It has a message by Carlton Warren to his daughter, Barbara Morse Townsend, written on the first cover page. It is #430 of the 2,000 printed. I was a good friend of Barbara and her husband, Jim, when they lived on Morse Island, and, before her death, was entrusted with this copy of âIt’s a Friendshipâ. (for sale for $50, includes postage) The other book does not have a dust jacket, but is in very good condition and belonged to Roger C. Taylor of Camden. (for sale for $30, includes postage). I can be reached by email at Ccollemer@comcast.net, or by U.S. mail at the address below. Sincerely, Craig A Collemer 5 Cousins Street Salem, MA 01970 Priscilla Whitehouse Rand Priscilla was the wife of the late Bill Rand, Commodore of the Sloop Society 1991-1992. Priscilla crewed the family sloop for many years at Homecoming events. PORTLAND –Priscilla Whitehouse Rand passed away peacefully on April 25 at the Bridgton Health Care Center in Bridgton, Maine. She was born on August 30, 1927, the first of three children of Brooks Whitehouse and Anne Bradstreet Darling, of Portland, ME. Priscilla spent her early years between Portland and the family camp on the shores of Panther Pond in Raymond, ME. She graduated from the Waynflete School in Portland and went on to graduate from Smith College in 1949. During her years at Waynflete and Smith, Priscilla became active in the theater, which grew into her life-long passion. In the late 1940’s Priscilla and her sister worked with the Portland Children’s Theatre, which gave performances from a mobile stage in various city parks. Priscilla met her husband, William McNear Rand, Jr. (Bill), at the wedding of a Smith College classmate. After six years of courtship, Priscilla and Bill were married in Portland, on February 6th, 1954. They moved to Lincoln, MA shortly thereafter, where they raised their four children. Summers were spent with family at Panther Pond and in Cundy’s Harbor, and later included vigorous racing of the Friendship Sloop William M. Rand (#218), built by son John, in the waters around Friend- ship, Boothbay and Rockland. Throughout the years Priscilla maintained an active role in several different theater companies. She was the founding director of the Boston Children’s Theater Stagemobile, a popular summer theatre on wheels that toured Boston and surrounding community parks. In the 1980s, Priscilla earned her teacher certification and became an English Teacher at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in Massachu- setts, where she worked for several years. In 1987, Priscilla and Bill moved from Lincoln to the Whitehouse family farm in Raymond where they spent their final years. She became very active in the Loon Echo Land Trust, working to protect open land in the lakes region of Maine, and enjoyed mid-winter ski trips with friends and family, travel, and summer cruises on the Friendship Sloop. She will be deeply missed and remembered for her genuine caring and fun loving spirit. Pricilla is survived by her four children and seven grandchildren. Edited from original article published in Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram on May 11, 2014. Please Check the Registry Each year the registry of sloops is published in the back of the yearbook. We attempt to keep it up to date when new members are added and boats change hands. This is, however, an imperfect process and incorrect or incomplete entries occasionally make their way into our records. Since this is our official register we are requesting that each of you check the entry for your boat and get back to either secretary@fss.org or registry@fss.org with any changes or corrections. Thanks for your help. – 5 –
32nd Annual Antique and Classic Boat Festival The organizers of the Antique and Classic Boat Festival in Salem, MA, are urging Friendship Sloop owners and friends to attend this yearâs event, and ideally, to bring your sloop! This is not so much a boat show, as it is a celebration of the history, function, and beauty of classic boats. The organizers state that this is âa rare chance to see vintage motor yachts and sailboats, board vessels, meet skippers and crews, and vote for your favorite boats. Included are a crafts market, old-time band music, artists, childrenâs activities, the Blessing of the Fleet, Parade of Boats and more! Boats donât have to be in âshowâ condition. The spirit of the festival is to gather together the grand old craft and all who love them!â In past shows the presidential yacht Sequoia was in attendance, and this year the former presidential yacht Honey Fitz has been invited, as has the lovely 70 foot commuter yacht Aphrodite, and many others. Organizers wonât know exactly which boats will be in attendance until closer to the show. The Festival is held at the Brewer Hawthorne Cove Marina, 10 White St., Salem, MA on August 23-24, 2014 from 11 am â 5 pm Saturday, and 10 am â 3 pm Sunday. For more information or for boat entry, contact Pat Wells (617-666-8530) or Frank Conahan (978-448-6757), or go to www.boatfestival.org. Cruise Down East to the Homecoming Cruising in company with other sloops is a safe way to make the voyage to the 54th Homecoming in Rockland, especially if this may be your first extended cruise. Not only is it safer, it also can be a lot of fun. Again this year a cruise is planned to depart Buzzards Bay in late June. Current plans are to rendezvous on the night of Monday, June 30th at the mooring area on the north side of Bassettâs Island by Wings Neck at Cataumet. Currently there are three sloops planning to meet that afternoon: Bill Whitney with Gaivota, John Wojcik with Banshee and Laurie Raymond onboard her sloop Hegira. The planned itinerary is to depart Bassettâs Island early on Tuesday morning and pass through the Cape Cod Canal with the fair tide. The destination for that day is Scituate. The following day the âfleetâ will head to Cape Ann and anchor in Folly Cove on the north side of Cape Ann. Thursdayâs objective will probably be Cape Porpoise Harbor since itâs generally uncrowded and is a good anchorage. The cruise will then continue to the Portland area and will attempt to spend the night at Jewell Island or Cliff Island in Casco Bay. The âfleetâ is scheduled to be at the Boothbay / Bayville Rendezvous on Satur- day, July 5th. After that day the schedule will be flexible depending on the wishes of the crews and of course the weather. If you are interested in joining the cruise anywhere along the line, please contact John Wojcik at home at 781-659- 2820 or 617-513-4468 (CP). Since the schedule is very depend- ent on the weather, we may not be able to keep to the above schedule, so do not assume that we will be in any of the above locations without contacting John to verify the status. Membership & Registrar News Since the last edition of Friendships, five sloops have changed ownership: Larry and Debbie Plumer have sold their sloop Desireeâ #226 to Jim and Janice Thoen of Rowley, Mass. The sloopâs new homeport will be Ipswich, Mass. Michael Shoff and Jennifer Hall of Dunedin, FL have purchased the 28â Salty Dog #257. The sloop was purchased in the Tampa Bay area where it had been named Jouster. The sloop was among the missing and its last known location was on Lake Lanier in Georgia. This sloop was built by David Westphal and was originally named the Toddy B. Rockland Harbormaster Ed Glaser has informed the Sloop Society that he has purchased #237 Christine from Vance Horne of Bath, ME. The boat is a 19â Ahern hull launched in 1975. Captain Neal Parker of Rockport, ME has purchased #50 Heritage from William Heritage and Sandi Williams of Loxley, AL. Neal had the sloop trucked to Rockport in January where he spent the winter refurbishing it. A blog of the refurbishing along with many pictures of the progress through the winter months can be found at Nealâs website: http://www.mainecoastsail.com/sloop-heritage-updates.html Heritage will be chartering out of Rockland this summer. #19 Blackjack, has been purchased by Steven Pagels from Kelly Magee of Bristol, RI. Steven is the owner of Downeast Cruises of Bar Harbor and is also the owner of #18 Chrissy. Downeast Cruises advertises on the back page of the FSS yearbook. Jaxon Vibber of Gales Ferry, CT has recently joined the Society. Jaxon owns the Class A sloop Tern #24, a 25â sloop built in 1900 and once owned by his father Jack Vibber when it was named Ancient Mariner. After a two year rebuilding project, #42 Selkie, owned by Russell âRockyâ Stone of Ivoryton, CT, was launched on May 22nd. Rocky did a great job rebuilding the sloop as well as documenting his progress on the Sloop Society Facebook page using a lot of pictures to show his progress. An Email From Australia Dear Commodore: I have just returned from the Wooden Boat Festival in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It was a beautiful seven hour sail from my home port at Sorrento. While at the festival I met a bloke called Mike Morris who owns a small Friendship sloop. He was amazed when he saw that I too own a Friendship sloop. Mine is a 26 ft long yacht named Arapala. Mike said that he thought there were 3 known Friend- ship design boats in Australia and my boat Arapala was one of them. However, he never knew where she was and there I was tied up next to him. To cut a long story short, Mike explained about the Friendship Sloop Society and I would be very inter- ested in learning more and if possible registering Arapala with the Society. Arapala was built in 1955 in Williamstown, Victo- ria, Australia. I would be happy for this email to be forwarded on if required. Thank you Colin Bibby Ed. Note: Arapala is now registered with the Sloop Society as sloop #283. – 6 –
Few of us ever pay much attention to things that are inherently safe, right? We have a tendency to use infamous phrases like âWhat could possibly go wrongâ. Lulled by endless years of faithful service we have a tendency to ignore, or take for granted, parts of our boats that never seem to cause problems. Yes, we give them cursory inspections from time to time, but do we really know what we are looking at, and do we understand the applica- tion in which itâs used? How about something as reliable as a hose? Lately Iâve been exposed to several situations where something as simple as a hose, was used in such a way that it was a set-up for disaster. One of the first things we have to understand is that hoses have a life span. They donât last forever. Most manufacturers recom- mend that marine hoses be replaced every ten years, whether they look worn out or not. Environmental factors; heat, cold, exposure to oils, gasses, and other chemicals will gradually break down the rubber and other materials used to construct the hose and it will eventually fail. Even following a good routine of inspections you may not be able to detect the imminent failure of a hose. The outside may look fine, no cracks, chafe, drips or other damage. But what does the inside look like? Has an over- tightened clamp crushed the inner lining of the hose so that itâs really only the outer covering thatâs holding back the ocean? Has corrosion of the reinforcing wire on your raw water intake hose advanced to the point where it could collapse under the suction of the raw water pump and starve the water flow that cools the engine and its exhaust? I have to admit that a few of the hoses on my 30+ year old boat have exceeded that 10 year replacement recommendation from time to time but since rebuilding the engine the oldest hose is now the garden hose I use to fill the potable water tank. Another important thing about hoses is how we connect them to the systems on our boats. Iâm a firm believer in using proper hose barb fittings and double hose clamps for all under water applications. Slipping a hose over a smooth surfaced pipe doesnât give the hose anything to âgrabâ no matter how much you tighten the clamps. Although threaded pipe gives you something to grab, tightening the clamps against sharp threads results in cutting the interior surface and setting the stage for further deterioration. A properly sized barbed fitting and a hose clamped with moderate torque will last for the life of the hose and is able to withstand considerably more pressure than any other form of attachment, with the possible exception of a swaged fitting which would be totally impractical for this appli- cation. Bill Lundquist recently identified several of these âwhat not to doâ situations while upgrading many of the systems on his Petrel. When inspecting one of his deck scupper drain through hulls below the waterline, Bill could see rubber, and could stick his finger in and feel rubber hose. What was holding it on the through hull? Where was the through hull? A quick look at the inside of the hull showed a scupper hose going through the ceiling and disappearing into the unknown. Upon removal of the woodwork he could see that there were some significant problems with this installation. There was no through hull! The hose was just fiberglassed to the hull. This was a 30+ year old boat. When do you think the 30+ year old hose was last replaced? Although these problems were identified on a fiberglass boat similar issues can be found on many wooden boats. The hose has never leaked, why fix it? I like to ask the question differently: âhow confident are you when the weather kicks up and itâs a long way to shore?â Sailing Instructions and the Rockland Harbor Chart By the Commodore Most, if not all, of you know that the Society has a race committee. But until I got curious and started attending the Race Committee meetings I had no idea what they did other than set some marks and man a few boats at Rockland. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes with the goal of constantly improving the races and having a good lunch in the process. At the conclusion of each racing season and following the yearâs annual meeting, our Race Committee sets its sights on plans for the next regatta at Rockland. With no less than four âoff-seasonâ meetings under its belt and with one more to go, the winter of 2013-14 has proven to be no different. This spring, the result of the committeeâs efforts will be two-fold. Most noticeably perhaps, will be its effort in reducing the volume of the formerly seven-page Sailing Instructions, to something more manageable that race participants may actually read! While itâs not possible to eliminate the SIs (Sailing Instruc- tions), we believe that you will be pleased with the final version of the 2014 SIs, which will be available at the Skippersâ Meetings during our Rockland âHomecomingâ in July. The second effort is a slight revision of the race course at Rockland. Here the effort has been to make the course length of either the clockwise or the counterclockwise rotation equal in distance from the customary starting area to the entrance into Handicap Alley, while keeping the distance great enough to allow the fleet to spread out and create a safer situation by reduc- ing jam-ups at the entrance to the Alley on the formerly shorter counterclockwise course. We also changed the Alley by widened the entrance buoys and moving it a bit further in a northeasterly direction away from Lowell Ledge & Spears Rock. Having listened to the recent skippersâ comments, we are of the firm belief that these two adjustments for the 2014 Rockland âHomecomingâ Regatta will be met with your approval. Please give us your constructive comments so we can make the races both safe and fun. Another major yearly challenge is in recruiting boats to act as âSafety Patrolâ and people to (I was going to use the word âmanâ here but decided that it was too politically incorrect) to crew on the Safety Patrol craft. Luckily I believe that we have solved the boat issue but we still need reasonably knowledgeable folks to act as crew and safety lookouts. So if you are interested in learning something about the administration of a sailboat race, or helping us keep things safe, give us a call or see us under the tent in Rockland. – 7 – Tech Tips â Hoses by Bill Whitney
Friendship Sloop Society 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 Address Correction Service Requested Special Open House Planned on Friday, July 18th The Friendship Schoolhouse Museum will remain open on Friday, July 18th, 2014 from 4 – 7:00 p.m. to welcome owners and crew from the Friendship Sloops meeting to race in Rockland Harbor for their 53rd Homecoming Regatta. Many of these folks have visited the Museum at other times during the year, but usually are sailing when the Museum is normally open. Members and volunteers will be hosting picnic refreshments on the lawn of the Museum, and will be helping with transportation to and from Rockland. The Friendship Sloops used to race in Friendship for 25 years, but have since moved their regatta first to Boothbay Harbor, and for the past 16 years to Rockland Harbor. Many families in Friendship used to host the âSloopiesâ when in Friendship, and the Sloop Society has been a faithful donor every year since the Museum was founded. Southwest Harbor Rendezvous Can’t make it all the way to Rockland from points east? Then please join us for the 22nd annual race and get together at Southwest Harbor on Saturday, July 12. Organizer Miff Lauriat is expecting a great turnout for the race which will start around noon, or a bit later, depending on the breeze. The course will be a general circumnavigation of Greening’s Island, with more marks added if the wind cooperates. Seven Girls will again serve as the committee boat manned by Ralph Stanley and the race committee. Pick up the race circular as you sail close by, note any last minute course changes and get your picture taken by the Mount Desert Islander photographer. Miff can be reached at 207-244-4313 or at mifflauriat@gmail.com. The after-race pot luck cookout will again be gener- ously hosted by Kate and Steve Hughes (207-244-1096) at their harborfront home at 19 Alder Ln. (park on the west side of street if arriving by car). Dinghies can tie up at their dock (44 16.3’N, 68 19.0’W). This is a BYO event, and all food contributions will be welcome! For those sailing in from afar, the Hinckley Marina will again make their moorings, some dock space and their onshore facilities available at no charge to visiting sloops. Be sure to tip those dock folks. We hope to see you there! – 8 –
