Commodore’s Message As this newsletter reaches you, we hope that many of you are putting your plans together to participate in Friendship Sloop Days in Rockland on July 17-19. Ideally, you’ll be planning your sloop’s cruise to Rockland. But if that is not possible, we hope you will come by land, and crew aboard one of the many sloops that will be there, or join us for on-shore activities such as the awards dinner on Saturday, July 19. If you have not brought your sloop to the Rockland homecoming before, and have some doubts about your ability to make the round-trip passage from your home port, give Roger a call (207-338-6837) or send him an e-mail (grogerlee@gmail.com). There are several members who would be glad to help you get your boat to Rockland. For example, you could join with other boats sailing from your vicinity, or we can try to find you an experienced volunteer to crew with you to Rockland. Even if you can only come for Saturday, consider doing that, as Saturday is when some of the most important events take place (parade of sail, awards dinner). The Rockland homecoming promises to be the best ever this year. Your Executive Committee has met twice over the winter to plan the Rockland events. We’re keeping the success- ful changes implemented over the past few years, e.g., the Thursday-to-Saturday format, restoration of “handicap alley” in the races, moving the parade of sail to the breakwater lighthouse (where we really have an audience), an awards dinner on Satur- day night (which was a huge success last year). And we’re making further improvements, e.g., changes to the handicap system to give a boost to boats that have finished at the back of the pack. Something very special this year at Rockland will be the filming of a documentary on Friendship Sloops and the Society. Ned Lightner, of Community Channel 2 in Belfast, Maine, will be filming throughout the homecoming. His goal is to capture not only the beauty and character of our sloops, but the energy and fun of our sailing community. It was over twenty years ago that a documentary of this significance was last produced (Friendship Sloops, A Heritage Retained, 1986). So come to Rockland this year if for no other reason than to have your sloop become part of this piece of Society history. DVD copies will be available for sale, perhaps as soon as the November annual meeting. Wouldn’t it be great to see your sloop and crew on that DVD? So make your plans to be in Rockland in July. Roger Lee & Gail O’Donnell Race Committee News by David Graham With the approach of each summer, come thoughts on what will be happening at the Rockland Regatta. This year is no different, I am certain. As in the past, it has taken your Race Committee no less than four meetings of the committee, plus an additional three meetings with your FSS Executive Committee, to prepare for the 2008 version of the Rockland Regatta – – – and as always in the past, there is no single set of Sailing Instructions to match those of any previous year! There is always something new! Without going into great detail (you’ll have to come to Rockland to get it all), we have slightly relocated “Handicap Alley” to accommodate less congestion between the two gate buoys and we have also arrived at a plan to give a slight boost to the last in both Divisions I and II. Again, it will all be explained during the Thursday morning Skippers’ Meeting. My main point within this article is to plead for some assistance. You will recall that this message was put forth during the annual meeting of last fall; to wit, we may be as short as three Race Committee members at Rockland this year!!! For a committee as small as ours, three can be truly gigantic! Although I am only 39, I can assure you that the median age of your Race Committee is somewhere in the 70s!!! Folks, if we are to continue our race program on a year- to-year basis, something has to give! While I am loathe to take anyone from a sloop that is racing, skipper or crew, we simply must find a few people who are willing to serve on the commit- tee and be willing to “learn the ropes”. I will personally bend over backwards to train willing candidates and much of this can be done OJT. Please remember, without personnel to staff our Race Committee, our race program will suffer – – – it’s as simple as that!!! Back to the 2008 race program for a moment, we are committed to starting no sooner than noon on Thursday, July 17th and Friday, July 18th. For Saturday, the 19th, the race will start following the parade of sail off the Rockland Breakwater Light- house, as soon as all the sloops are ready to start, but not before 11:30 AM. On a slightly different matter, please mark the date in your calendar of Saturday, August 9th and Sunday the 10th. That is when the Classic Boat Regatta will be held at Marblehead. The actual racing will be held on the 10th for which the Friend- ships will be given their own divisional start. However, a dinner and seminar will be held on the evening of the 9th regarding the (Continued to Page 3) Volume 20 Sprint 2008 FSS.ORG Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society

With summer fast approaching plans are underway for our annual gathering in Rockland, Maine. I wanted to fill you in on a few extra things going on during the week. First of all, we are in the process of putting together things for people to do who are not interested in racing. We know that there are people who are interested in coming to Rockland who are not interested in racing. There are many things to do in the local area, some are within walking distance, some are not however. We have been working on arranging transportation for those interested at no additional cost (although donation would be accepted). If you have specific questions, concerns or interests please let me know (Kirsten Cronin at croninkw@roadrunner.com) and I will try to help make sure your needs and desires are met. Secondly, there has been some thought about food, and the difficulty in bringing a lot of food with you on the boat, or the cost of eating out etc. while you are here. So, for breakfast during each of the Skipper’s Meetings under the tent we will have a grab and go breakfast prepared by Station Maine (see below for information), a wonderful local non-profit program in Rockland. This will be a great way to simplify your life, let you sleep in a little bit longer, and support the kids involved with Station Maine. Next is lunch – a tough one for those of us racing. I spoke with Michelle at Shell’s Southwest Grill (right in Harbor Park). She agreed to come up with a few items that would be easy for us to have on the boat, and would not need to be served hot (or kept cold). If we can let her know the day before she will have orders ready when we head out after the Skipper’s Meeting in the morning. For suppers, as in the past we will be doing BBQ’s on Thursday and Friday night. This year the Thursday BBQ will be extra special. The folks from Station Maine are going to be joining us. Along with them will be some families here visiting from France (about 30 people). They are bringing musical instruments and talents and should be a wonderful time. In addition, Muriel, from Station Maine, will have the grills going and ready for us to cook on! There is a new restaurant near the water, Almalfi’s, it used to be downtown but has recently re-opened in the old MBNA facility. The downtown location is now called Lily’s Bistro. There will also be another restaurant opening on the old MBNA pier (not sure of the name yet). So this gives you a few extra choices. So, I’ve now mentioned Station Maine a few times. What is it you ask? You may recall in past years a woman named Muriel Curtis has been on the docks and in the tent off and on during Sloop Days. Muriel is the Director of Station Maine (www.stationmaine.org). From their website: 1. We offer sailing and rowing opportunities in a growing fleet of boats. 2. We offer local youth the opportunity to participate in local and international sailing and rowing competitions We offer summer rows for both community members and summer guests. 3. We offer hands-on opportunities to learn the timeless skills of the sea, including sail making, marlinspike seamanship, and boat restoration. 4. We offer school groups the opportunity to row under the guidance of an experienced coxswain. The past few years she has offered kids and adults from FSS to go rowing on one of the rowing gigs. Alec rowed both times and really enjoyed it, so much so that he has now joined the group (along with 2 of his best friends). You will also note on the website some familiar faces and names: the webmaster is our very own Sara Beck and Nat Wilson (an advertiser for many years) and Ed Glasier (the Rockland Harbor Master) are also involved. One of the things that happens with Station Maine is the older kids (high school age) have the opportunity to go overseas and spend time with counter parts in other countries (part of what they will be raising money for doing our breakfast). This year kids and families from France are coming here, the week of Sloop Days. There will be approximately 30 people here from France. From my discussion with Muriel they are as excited about being part of Sloop Days as they are about seeing Rockland. One of the things that the Station Crew is looking forward to is racing with as many of us as possible. Not all will want to race of course, so they may join in on various outings with those of us. Last year a number of the kids from Station Maine participated in the rowboat races, and loved them! So, we have invited them to participate in the rowboat races again this year. Of course, Muriel will be happy to take anyone out rowing in the gig as well. It sounds like a wonderful time for all of us, and I for one am looking forward to a great week. Please let me know if you have any questions, suggestions or concerns. Can’t wait to see everyone! Kirsten Trophy Reminder Did you win a trophy at the 2007 Rockland Homecom- ing? Did you have it engraved with your boat’s name as the proud 2007 winner? Will you please dust it off, polish it up and bring it back to Rockland? If previous winners weren’t proud enough to engrave their names, would you be willing to do the engraving on their behalf? The Trophy Committee will gladly reimburse you for this additional expense. Contact Penny Richards for names of previous winners. E-mail her at pennyjrichards@gmail.com or buzz her cell at 978-815-4339. Many thanks from the Trophy Committee! – 2 – Rockland Homecoming Events by Kirsten Cronin

2008 Southwest Harbor Race The SW Harbor rendezvous will take place on Saturday, July 12th and will feature a loose circumnavigation of Greening’s Island. The warning canon will sound sometime after 1300hrs. Contact Miff Lauriat earlier if you need any special directions or instructions. Other than that, “race” charts with marks and proce- dures will be distributed from the race committee boat Seven Girls. After the sailing you are all invited back to Miff and Marge’s home for a post race get together. Hope we see you there. Captains of sloops wishing to join the Salatia on a cruise to the west should get in touch with Miff ahead of time to plan the itinerary. A trip up the Penobscot with an assault of Fort Knox from the water and a ride to the top of the Narrows Bridge Observatory are our goals for ’08. Join the adventure! You can contact Miff at 207-244-4313 or email: mifflauriat@gmail.com. Race Committee News (Continued From Page 1) 70th anniversary of the Concordia. It is anticipated that 100 year young Olin Stevens will be in attendance to receive an honorar- ium. In addition to the Ridgway Trophy for which the Friend- ships will be competing, a new overall trophy named in the honor and memory of yacht designer W. Starling Burgess, will be presented to the winning Classic sailing vessel. It should be a very interesting weekend, indeed. We hope you will take part in it. New London Rendezvous by Greg Roth The committee for the New London Rendezvous has concluded, for a number of reasons, that this would be a good year for a less formal event. Based on that decision, there will be an impromptu gathering of any interested Friendships in New London the weekend of June 28th through July 3rd. Greg Roth can make arrangements for visitors at the Thames Yacht Club as he has done over the years. There will not be a formal cruise to a destination as has been done over the past couple of years. New London is the destination. This will be a simple and quiet opportunity for anyone to come visit New London and enjoy the city in the spirit of Jack Vibber, and there might be an opportu- nity to pay Jack a visit at his house if he’s up to it on a given day. Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Commodore Roger Lee and his sloop Sazerac will be in Pulpit Harbor the night of Tuesday, July 15th. Roger has suggested that the fleet rendezvous at Pulpit Harbor that day before continuing on to Rockland on Wednesday. For those not famil- iar with Pulpit Harbor, it is a snug and comfortable harbor for the fleet to gather, and a short sail to Rockland Harbor on Wednesday. 2008 Schedule of Events New London Rendezvous Monday, June 28th Southwest Harbor Rendezvous Saturday, July 12th Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Tuesday, July 15th Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland Thursday, Friday, Saturday – July 17th to July 19th Marblehead Regatta August 10th Gloucester Schooner Festival Saturday, August 30th Fall Executive Board Meeting Saturday, October 4th Maine Maritime Museum Annual Meeting Saturday, November 15th Best Western Merry Manor Inn South Portland., ME Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2008, please send them to: Caroline Phillips Sloop Society Secretary 164 Sturbridge Road Charlton, MA 01507 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. 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. 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 –

FSS Chandlery Kathy and Bill Whitney are stocking up items in the Chandlery for the upcoming summer, and have placed orders for the follow- ing items:  “T” shirts with the design by Ted Walsh  Ball caps  Note paper  Gift enclosures  FSS pins  Tote bags  FSS pennants  “Class” pennants (Red, Green, and Blue)  Ted Walsh’s children’s book  Coffee cups  Work aprons If you have any questions, or would like to order items, please contact: Kathy & Bill Whitney 75 Kingsbury Street Needham, MA 02192 781-449-2063 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. Volunteers Needed for the Race Committee The Race Committee is looking for volunteers to assist in the administration of the Homecoming Races in Rockland. While the Race Committee will be more than willing to train any new members, the basic requirements we seek are:  A willingness to serve aboard Seven Girls for several hours each race day at Rockland.  An ability to meet occasionally with the Race Committee during the “off-season”.  Compatibility with the existing Race Committee members. If you meet these basic requirements and hold an interest in becoming a member of “the team”, please do not hesitate to contact Dave Graham at your earliest convenience. Dave’s e-mail address is: dwg@shore.net or you can contact Dave via postal mail at: David W. Graham 7 Batchelder Drive Marblehead, MA 01945 Membership News The following changes have occurred in our membership since our last newsletter: New Sloops: Two new sloops have been built and launched this year: #280 – Retta – David and Loretta Westphal of Key Largo, FL have completed the building of the 24’ 4” Retta. The sloop was launched this spring and will be homeported in Key Largo. #281 – Susie B – Robert Barker of Easton, PA has finished the building of the wooden sloop which was launched June 8th. The Susie B was built from plans from the Maine Maritime Museum and is 21’ 10” in length. The sloop will be homeported in Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton, NY. Mr. Barker has joined the Sloop Society. New Sloop Owners: #92 – Priscilla – Norm Sullock, former owner of Priscilla which was homeported on Oneida Lake in upstate New York, has informed the Society that he has sold the sloop to Charles “Rusty” Geis of Perryville, MD. #152 – Ollie M – Aaron Snyder of Gloucester, MA has purchased the Ollie M (formerly Murphy’s Law), from Kevin Stirnweis. Aaron has joined the Sloop Society and reported that he is currently rebuilding the sloop. New Members: Don Zappone of South Portland, ME has joined the Society. Don is currently interested in purchasing a 31’ Dictator sloop, so we may see his affiliation change to owner soon. Publicity Chairman Needed The FSS is in need of a volunteer to serve as the publicity chair- man. The duties of the publicity chairman include:  Develop and maintain a current mailing list of appropriate publicity sources and closing dates for material.  Provide appropriate print, radio and TV media sources with timely information and photographs on the activities of the Society, particularly the annual regattas and the annual meeting. The objective of the publicity is to increase general familiarity with Friendship Sloops and their role in the maritime history of New England. If you are interested, please contact Roger Lee at commodore@fss.org or: Rober Lee 26 Park Street Belfast, ME 04915 – 4 –