Message from the Commodores As the boats glide into the water and summer is unofficially here, our thoughts turn to Rockland and the 2011 Homecoming Regatta. Last year’s regatta was a great success and we hope those of you who were in Rockland last year will be back this year. We would love to see some new boats and crews in July. Several of us will be traveling to Rockland overland, so don’t be shy. Drive up and join the festivities. There are ample places to stay around Rockland from the practical to the fancy. We will be sure everyone who wants to crew has a chance to sail. If you want to spend some time ashore, there are lots of things to do in and around Rockland. Contact any of the Executive Committee through the FSS website [www.fss.org] with your questions and we will find the answers. The Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce website [www.therealmaine.com] also has plenty of information about the area. This year, as we celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the found- ing of the Friendship Sloop Society, we would like to have a display of past and present trophies and other history. If you could bring a trophy, “keeper” and “pass along,” to Rockland for the display, it would be great. Additionally, if you have any other items, articles, or memorabilia from the past 50 years you would like to share, bring them along. The Society has a rich history that we can share now and build on for the future. Please be part of this continuing celebration. Send in your Regatta reservation and your dinner reservations as soon as you can. Many people are working to be sure our Homecoming is a top notch event. We do need to know how many boats and crew members will be attending so we can plan accordingly. The fun and fellowship will be everyone’s contribution. It will be a great time. Please plan to be there. Peter & Nancy Toppan Commodores 781-545-9099 toppan@verizon.net commodore@fss.org The 2011 Races at Rockland By David W. Graham, Chairman – FSS Race Committee Each year seems to bring even minor changes to our race course, no matter how finely-tuned we believed the course to have been set-up during the preceding year. You will be happy to know that for 2011, there will be no exception to this premise and that change will indeed be the rule. Here’s what it’s all about. Last year after we slightly relocated Handicap Alley, we found that on the first day of racing when the race was run in a counter- clockwise direction, there produced considerable congestion early in the race with regard to the fleet leaders entering the alley and with those that were still on the first leg of the course who had yet to round Mark “E”. This is why the Friday and Saturday races were run in a clockwise manner so that there would be a fleet spread by the time the Alley had initially been entered. Therefore in early 2011, we redesigned the course by adding a new Mark “F” (see the accompanying diagram on Page 2) a little below the outer reaches of Handicap Alley. That having been accomplished, clockwise and counter-clockwise course direc- tions should not produce any further general congestion at the entrance to the Alley. For the GPS aficionados among us, the rest of the race marks will remain in the same positions as last year. However, for 2011 you will need the new chart that will be distributed at the 0900 Skippers’ Meeting on Thursday morning, July 21st. One final word on racing at Rockland – – – The Race Commit- tee’s main goal is to produce safe racing that is enjoyable to all participants. Should you feel that the race course can yet be further improved upon, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the committee at any time during or after the Rockland races. We expect that this will not be the last time the present course will be given an adjustment. Volume 23 Summer 2011 FSS.ORG Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society

19th Annual Southwest Harbor Race Miff Lauriat will again be hosting the first Friendship Regatta of the summer season. This year will be the 19th year that sloops will gather at Southwest Harbor. This race has become more popular in recent years. Last year twelve sloops were on the starting line for the Saturday start. Miff is hoping for a few more sloops to attend this year’s event. There are no entry fees, no handicaps, and no trophies. Just plain old FUN! Everyone is invited to attend. So come on down to the Eastern most regatta of the Friendship Sloop Society, enjoy the fantastic scenery that is MDI and Acadia National Park, and meet some new and old friends While they don’t have any pre-registration, Miff would love to hear from you if you are expecting to make it. First- timers would do well to call ahead and get the lowdown to prevent confusion on just how we do it around here. Valuable local knowledge will be freely shared! Between SW Harbor and Rockland are 50 miles of some of the best cruising anywhere in the world. We plan to have a rendezvous at Pulpit Harbor on Tuesday night, so should any boats want to sail in company Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to get there, that would be grand! Contact Miff (mifflauriat@gmail.com) or 207-244- 4313 (between 5pm and 9pm EDST) Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2011, please send them to our membership secretary: Carole Wojcik Membership Secretary 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 Passenger Onboard Safety written by Bill Whitney The summer events in Rockland are some of the society’s cornerstone events. Gathering with our friends, racing, cruising, and watching the kids, swapping yarns and other recollections of our nautical triumphs (better known as “sea stories” to those who don’t know us and bold-faced lies to those who do!). All the activities in and around Rockland do a lot to bring us together and show the world what the Friendship Sloop Society is all about. Talking with the people on the floats and taking them for a sail during the races is a great way to have fun and show the public what a Friendship sloop is and how do they operate. I’m not sure who came up with the idea of having the “crew call” after the skipper’s meeting, but it is a fantastic way to meet new people. The people who answer our “crew call” come with a wide range of boating/sailing experience. From my experience it can range from knowing little or nothing about boats, to being very experienced, former Friendship owners, and people who have been sailing for years on other types of boats. But the bottom line is that anyone we have invited aboard didn’t know our specific boat, even other Friendship owners. So if we invite people to get underway with us, what is our responsibility as the owner/operator of the boat? Maybe a better way to look at it is to rephrase the question and ask what is our liability? Basically as the operator or captain of a documented or undocumented vessel we are liable for anything that happens on board, either at the pier or underway. Think about it! That’s a big burden. We really should have some way to protect ourselves and our volunteer passengers. One way to help ensure the safety of our passengers is to provide them with the information they need to protect themselves and the other people who may be aboard. It all starts with a safety brief. For instance where are the life jackets? What should I do if someone falls overboard? What if I fall overboard? Here is a representative briefing similar to the one I give the new crew, even those who have sailed with me previously. (Continued to Page 3) – 2 –

Passenger Onboard Safety (continued from Page 2)  Introduce them to yourself and the boat. Show them where to stow their gear and how to secure it so it doesn’t fly about during maneuvers or when crossing the ferry’s wake.  Explain how the marine head works and how not to plug it up! You can also offer them the adventure of using the ships bucket. I find that to be a good way to have them decide to relieve themselves ashore before departing.  Now ask if any of your passengers are non-swimmers or poor swimmers. If you have any it’s a good time to show everyone where the life jackets are stowed, and how to put one on. Insisting that non-swimmers wear a life jacket is a good idea. Children must wear them. If they refuse to wear one I regrettably invite them and their parents ashore.  One of the greatest risks we face is a person overboard. I’ve had two incidents where over exuberant neophytes nearly ended up in the drink! So now I appoint responsibilities to the crew in the case of a man (or woman) overboard and brief everyone on sounding the alarm and getting one of the cockpit cushions or a type IV floatation device to the person in the water. 1. One person is assigned as the MOB spotter, and another as the alternate. 2. Depending on crew skill, another person is assigned to sail handling. 3. And one to break out the retrieval gear. 4. I keep the helm and engine control responsibilities. 5. Everyone else goes below (if there is anyone left!).  The last part of the safety brief is about on-board fires. Everyone has to know that sounding the alarm is the first critical step in any emergency. In the case of a fire I tell everyone to go forward while I try to deal with the problem. The safety brief you provide to your crew should be what you think is appropriate. Obviously you don’t want to scare everyone away. But I think we should all consider the safety of our passengers and try to give them the tools they may need if things go wrong on the water. 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. Corinthian Classic Yacht Regatta The Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead will again be hosting the Classic Yacht Regatta on Saturday and Sunday, August 13th & 14th. The Corinthian will be providing compli- mentary moorings for entrants on a first come first served basis. For more information, visit the regatta website at: www.corinthianclassic.org. Trophy Reminder Did you win a trophy at the 2010 Rockland Homecom- ing? Did you have it engraved with your boat’s name as the proud 2010 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 Committeee. Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Friendships cruising from the west and from the east will be rendezvousing in Pulpit Harbor the night of Tuesday, July 19th. For the last few years, the fleet has been gathering at Pulpit Harbor the day before they continue on to Rockland on Wednesday. For those not familiar with Pulpit Harbor, it is a snug and comfortable harbor for the fleet to gather, and a short sail to Rockland Harbor on Wednesday. Last year’s downwind start to the first mark. Photo by Jeff Cronin – 3 –

Rockland Trophy Display The Sloop Society is pulling together a display of past and present Trophies as an historic display in Rockland this year. The thought is to have as many inactive and actively distributed trophies as possible, set up for all to look at and enjoy (or cry about!). Marcia Morang is bringing some of the retired trophies she has in her keeping. The Commodores will have Dick Salter’s Liberty Trophy with them to display. The idea is to bring, by boat or overland, all trophies awarded in past years so we may reminisce about the history of each and those fortunate enough to have won (or lost) them over the years. These would be both “keepers” and “passed alongs.” Obviously, the Society will protect these trophies while on display and return them to the proper owners after the 51st Regatta. Additionally, if you have any other items, articles, or memora- bilia from the past 50 years that you would like to share during Homecoming, please let us know and bring them along. We look forward to a varied display of history, brought by all of us who adore Friendship Sloops and the friendships evolved from the boats. Thanks for your help. Cruise Down East to the 51st Cruising in company with other sloops is a safe way to make the voyage to the 51st 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. A cruise is planned to leave Buzzards Bay on July 1st. Current plans are to rendezvous on the night of Thursday, June 30th at the mooring area on the north side of Bassett’s 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 Bassett’s Island at 6:30 AM on Friday and pass through the Cape Cod Canal with the fair tide. The destination for that day is Scituate. The following day the “fleet” will head to Cape Ann and anchor in Folly Cove on the north side of Cape Ann. Sunday’s objective will probably be Cape Porpoise Harbor since it’s generally uncrowded on a Sunday, and is a good anchorage. The cruise will then continue to the Portland area on Monday, and will attempt to spend the night at Jewell Island or Cliff Island in Casco Bay. Tuesday we will head for Sebasco Estates at Cape Small and possibly take a lay day at the resort. The schedule after that day 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. 2011 Schedule of Events Southwest Harbor Rendezvous Saturday, July 16th Pulpit Harbor Rendezvous Tuesday, July 19th 51st Annual Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland Thursday, Friday, Saturday – July 21st to July 23rd Marblehead Classic Boat Regatta August 13th & 14th Gloucester Schooner Festival Saturday, September 3rd Fall Executive Committee Meeting To Be Scheduled Annual Meeting Saturday, November 12th Best Western Merry Manor Inn South Portland, ME Lake Champlain Sailing Glen Findhold, owner of #209 Friend Ship which charters out of Burlington, VT on Lake Champlain posted the following comment and picture on Facebook: “A nice photo of Friend Ship #209 on page 93 of the May/June issue of “Yankee Magazine”. We were also given an “Editors’ Choice” award for “Best Sail”. Now if Lake Champlain’s level will only drop a couple of feet we will be able to launch for the season.” – 4 –

Membership News Carole Wojcik, Membership Secretary, provided the following news about our membership:  David Foynes of Sagamore Beach, MA, and owner of the company that builds the Fatty Knees Dinghy, has joined the Society.  Joanne Alderman of New York City is a new member of the Sloop Society. Joanne’s Dad, Ed Childs, was a member for a number of years, and was a participant in the sloop model races that were held at the Homecomings in Boothbay.  Chris Eckelt, owner of #39 Goblin, a 30’ sloop built by the Lash brothers in 1963, joined the Society this past winter. Chris lives in Carlisle, PA and Goblin’s homeport is Center Harbor, ME.  Jack St. John has sold #144 Duffer to Bill Lundquist of Boxford, MA. Bill has renamed the sloop Petrel and the sloop’s new homeport will be Parker’s Boatyard at Cataumet, MA. Petrel is a 25’ Pemaquid built by Jarvis Newman. Bill has joined the Society.  Chris and Vickie Gerardi of Voorheesville, NY have upgraded their membership to sloop owners after acquiring #74 Patience. The sloop was built in 1965 by Malcom Brewer and is 30’ in length, and will be undergoing restoration.  Jim Salafia of Warren, ME, and owner of #1 Voyager, joined the Society this past winter. Jim wrote in an e-mail: “At this stage, Voyager is relatively stable in our back yard in Warren. She is well supported and covered. As you may know, quite a few years ago now, we saved her from a bulldozer in Thomaston, Maine. She had been somewhat looted and shuffled about and basically considered a basket case. Her shape is still there and we have cocktails in the cockpit as we continually plan her return. Realistically, this is looking dimmer, but she is safe. We will be in Maine by the end of July this year and will be giving consideration to finding a home for her. Perhaps there is someone out there with the money to put her back in service.”  Jeff Pontiff, who owns #64 Amicitia along with his wife Diane, wrote that “Amicitia has been on the hard at Triad Boatworks for the past 7 years. I am refastening and rebuilt the cockpit, deck beams and deck aft of the cabin. I am trying to get her in this year. Sail over to New Bedford, I have 30 moorings in the harbor.” Ed. Note: Jeff owns Whaling City Expeditions which runs the launch service in New Bedford Harbor.  We sent an email to Arieyeh Austin, owner of #178 Nesaru, inquiring about a change of address and received the following response from Arieyeh: “Good to hear from you. Yep, we still own her. The military has been pressing me lately, however. I recently returned from Iraq, and am departing for Afghanistan in three days for another year tour. Hence, we have not been doing much sailing. Barb and the girls will not be putting her in the water this year, but she is in good shape and is currently residing in Schumant Harbor on Lake Erie, north of Sackets Harbor. We were able to take her out a dozen times or so this past season. I was going to write a good story about one of the trips for you, but ran out of time. Perhaps on this deployment.” Ed. Note: Arieyeh is a Major in the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in Watertown, NY. Saxon, Ship’s Wolf If you’ve been to the Rockland Homecoming in recent years, you can’t help noticing the tallest mast in the fleet that belongs to Black Star, owned by Ted Walsh. You also couldn’t help but notice Ted’s constant companion and crew member, his dog Saxon. Word reached us a few weeks ago that Saxon has passed. Ted wrote the following on his blog: During the twelve years that she was with us, she oversaw the building of three sea kayaks, a 24 foot open pulling boat, a 16 foot sailing tender, the building of the boat shed, and the complete renovation of a 35’ Friendship Sloop. She had sailed the entire length of the coast of Maine from Kittery, into Canadian waters and back three times (the first time she needed more papers to cross the border than the boat did) and has been on cruises too numerous to count all along the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, New Brunswick, and on Lake Champlain in Vermont. From 2003 on she was a regular at the annual Friend- ship Sloop Homecoming in Rockland. In 2005 she was the Boatyard Dog for the May issue of Maine Boats Homes and Harbors magazine. She was one of the main characters of the children’s book Merlin and the Black Star, and the SOLO Field Guide to Wilderness First Aid Afloat is dedicated to her. 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. With the state of the economy this year, we are grateful to the many advertisers who chose to take an ad in the yearbook. 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.  Ed Zimmerman, owner of #18 Chrissy has joined the Society. Ed charters Chrissy out of Bar Harbor, ME. Chrissy is a 30’ Charles Morse sloop launched in 1912. – 5 –

VHF Radio Language Have you ever listened to your VHF, or had a conversa- tion with someone and had trouble figuring out exactly what they were trying to communicate? Here are the common nautical terms that should be used to help keep the conversation understandable. Term Meaning OVER I’ve completed my message and am waiting for a reply OUT I’ve completed my message and expect no further communication AFFIRMATIVE Yes NEGATIVE No ROGER I received your message and understand the contents FIGURES I am about to say numbers I SPELL I am about to use the phonetic alphabet to spell out a word that may be hard to understand 29th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival Pat Wells, one of the organizers of the Antique & Classic Boat Festival, sent the following note: “We would love to have a Friendship sloop at the Festival. Please let members of the Society know about our show in Salem, August 27-28. This is a rare chance to see vintage motor yachts and sailboats, tour the vessels, meet skippers and crews and vote for your favorite boat! A crafts market, artists, old-time band music, children’s activities, the Blessing of the Fleet, Parade of Boats and more! Boats don’t have to be in “show” condition. The spirit of the Festival is to gather together the grand old craft and all who love them.” The festival will be held at Brewer Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem, MA on Saturday from 11 AM to 5 PM, and on Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM. Admission is $5 with children under 12 free. For more information or to enter a sloop, visit their website at www.boatfestival.org or call Pat Wells at 617-666-8530 or 617-868-7587. The Society Burgee & Trailboards The by-laws of the Friendship Sloop Society say: “The burgee of the Society shall be a pennant with the fly one and one half times the hoist, consisting of a black leaf design on a white field with a red border.” So – when you see the distinctive burgee you will know the owner belongs to the Friendship Sloop Society. You may well ask now, as to the reason for this particu- lar design. The leaf pattern on the pennant is derived from the original trailboards of the Friendship Sloops. So far as we can discover, all the Morses, McLains, Carters and other original builders, and even the present day builders have used this vine design on their trailboards, but much research has not turned up the reason for the vine. Our delving into the use of this particu- lar pattern has only served to produce a discussion as to whether this is a vine or a grape leaf design, but nothing as to the origin. Everyone has finally settled on just a plain “vine design” which was carved into the trailboards with the builder’s name along the vine. Many people in Friendship remember sanding trailboards (probably because they like sanding about as well as I do) and that they were gilded with real gold (wow!). That is as far as we can go, but if you see the described burgee or the trailboard pictured below on a sloop — you have a Friendship. (reprinted from the 1967 FSS yearbook) 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. – 6 –