Commodore’s Message The South Portland Merry Manor Inn again proved to be a superlative host for our annual meeting. Meeting reports show that last years initiatives have born fruit. We have three new boats, increased membership, a positive cash balance and an active informative web site. The agenda for this years meeting included a “Discussion of the Rockland Regatta format, can we increase Participation?”. Perhaps it was the fun anchor start and in harbor twice around formats used last summer that stimulated the discussion. There was enthusiasm at the meeting for trying more fun type races. Comments and conversation took some interesting tacks: First, it was recognized that we have an ideal situation in Rockland for our homecoming. It starts with the warm welcome and support of the City of Rockland and its many enthusiastic organizations. There is room for our fleet to raft at a dock where sloopers and the public can mix and share experiences. We have a tent for our shore meetings and a local group willing to cater our dinner. A challenging question was raised; are there some opportunities for activities that would mutually benefit the City of Rockland and our society? Second came the reminiscing- Eastward didn’t have topsails at the 1961 race. She was rigged as a regular fishing boat. Working friendships don’t have topsails. Traditionally South West Harbor Sloop boats carried topsails when they took passen- gers sailing in the summer. A Wilbur Morse built boat, without a bow, won at Friendship with and without topsails. The authenti- cation committee took notes. At Friendship, the boats all started together and the first boat across the finish line won. Races that included handicap alley, the retrieving of buoys and the rating system designed to give each boat an equal chance of winning were discussed. This format may no longer be practical due to all the work and equip- ment involved. It did, however, draw 50 sloops to the starting line at Friendship. In South West Harbor, Friendships now race without handicaps – this can be made to be both simple and fair. It’s just fun to race. Interestingly, six boats participated in the Sunday rendezvous at Pulpit Harbor. Now is a good time to mend sail and not too soon to start planning for next summer. If you have any ideas please pass them on to burnhamcharles@aol.com. Mark July 25-29 on your calendar. There will be no better time than that had attending the Rockland homecoming. Bring all the kids you can find. Rockland 2004 By Every Standard, A Total Success David W. Graham – Race Committee Chairman I am rather certain that at one time or another you have started a project that soon was not progressing the way you would have wanted, only to stop the project in its tracks, so that you could then take it in another direction. Perhaps this happened to you two or three additional times before the project was finally going as you had wished. Such was the case for the Friendship Sloop Society Race Committee on the first day of the 2004 Rockland Homecoming. Faced with a desire for starting the Tuesday, July 27th race on time at 11:00 AM, we attempted to keep the skippers’ meeting as brief as we possibly could and yet, provide all the vital informa- tion. All during this time, the shore-side flags were totally limp with not a breath of moving air – – – but still, we were hopeful. With all the necessary gear packed aboard the Race Committee Boat Seven Girls and with the fleet of sixteen sloops chomping at the bit, we were all off the float not very long after 10:15 AM. Unable to display the starting mark in the committee boat rack due to the fact that we didn’t know where the breeze might develop, we slowly progressed to an area inside the breakwater and waited – – – and waited. With only a notion that the breeze might “build” from the east-northeast, we assigned Dick Salter and Patrol Boat Messing About to an area between Marks “C” and “B”. Additionally, Bill Zuber and Friendship Patrol were positioned between Racing Marks “T-2” and “T-8”. Both patrols were asked to “keep an eye on things”. Meanwhile, the Race Committee and Seven Girls proceeded to Mark “D” in anticipa- tion of setting up for Race Course “B” (see the 2004 Sailing Instructions for the complete course descriptions). All three boats and their crews waited – – – and waited. In time, Bill reported that he had the hint of a southeast breeze. Still, we waited – – – and waited. Periodically, reports would arrive from both patrols that proved discouraging – “We have sustained wind velocities somewhere between nothing and less than nothing, with gusts to as high as zero”. However, by noon it began to look as though the breeze would begin to fill-in enough so that we could start a race. With that, we all sprung into action and started the sequence. By the time we were inside a minute from dropping the blue shape, everything went flat all over again – not only at “D” but where the two patrol boats had been stationed. Discouraging as it was, the only sensible (Continued to Page 2) Volume 16 FSS.ORG Winter 2005 Issue 2 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society

the starting sequence and wait — and wait. By 1:30 PM, Bill reported something meaningful, a breeze from the Southeast at 3-4. Shortly thereafter, we received Dick’s additionally encouraging report “TDC Messing About to Seven Girls, we have cats’ paws from the east-southeast. If you bring the fleet with you to Mark “C”, you just might get a race started”. In a heartbeat, we were all underway and at 2:15 PM with Race Course “D” posted, we finally had a race – – – well, sort of – – – for no more than a half hour after the start, even our promising afternoon breeze began to fade – – and fade it did. By now, it was becoming obvious that in the face of a foul current on the race course second leg, the time limit would be far exceeded before the lead sloop in each division would approach a common mark where a finish could be accomplished. Discouraging as it was, we none-the-less tried to make a race out of the day and only succeeded in making matters worse by attempting to calculate a finish, based on a one-legged course. In the end, we decided not to use the figures. By a unani- mous vote of the racing skippers at the pre-race meeting of the following morning – – and with the strong urging of the Race Committee – – Tuesday’s race was thrown out. With the gloom of the previous day behind us, things could only get better. Indeed, Wednesday’s race was to follow what became a truly beautiful parade of sloops that passed, in a very stately manner, by the Rockland town float. Armed with at least 4-5 knots of easterly breeze, we once more proceeded to Mark “D”, where a very timely Course “C” start was accomplished shortly after noon. With light but steady breezes holding forth through most of the race, Tannis finished a few seconds ahead of Lady M on uncorrected time as the first two in their division. More on this in a moment. Following the race, it was only with keen and challenging competition by two highly seasoned skippers, that Sazerac overcame tremendous obstacles put forth by Gladiator to garner the highly coveted Run Line Trophy that was brought from the depths of Penobscot Bay. Back for a moment to the Division II finish of Wednesday. Once the corrected times of Tannis and Lady M had been calculated, Tannis was the obvious mathematical winner, simply because the rating for Lady M was out-of-date and the extra 5% penalty she had thus “earned”, placed her behind Tannis in the day’s race. Interestingly, had it not been for the penalty, Lady M would have clearly won the Wednesday race in Division II on corrected time. Following some rather extensive deliberation with the affected two skippers, the Society’s Measurer and within the Race Committee, it was announced at the beginning of the Thursday morning skippers’ meeting that on a strictly one-time basis (only – repeat, only) the Measurer, Dick Salter, had accepted a belatedly filed rating certifi- cate and that the Race Committee would thus change the scoring to reflect that Lady M had won Wednesday’s race. Without my attempting to preach, let this be a well-learned lesson. Having a current handicap rating should be made a very high priority by all racing skippers within the Society. The Measurer’s very generous actions affecting the Wednesday race, cannot– and should not – be anticipated to occur again. Let this lesson stick. Thursday Morning brought a clear dawn with breeze. By the time the skippers’ meeting had concluded, the Race Committee had pretty much made-up its collective mind that the day would be ripe for conducting an anchor start. With that, we all headed for Mark “B” and with the Race Committee in anticipation of setting Course “N” for the day. With all sloops nicely settled on-the-hook behind the starting line, a single gun was fired and the race began in very little wind. Then, in picture-book perfection, a southwest breeze was to build shortly thereafter to a steady 7 knots, which held nicely in place throughout the remainder of Thursday’s race. Condi- tions were so nearly perfect that many claimed the race to be one of the most enjoyable in many years – – – and a far cry from what was experienced two days earlier. When it came time for the trophy presentations, 3rd place in Division I went to Salatia, 2nd place to William M. Rand and the winning 1st place went to Celebration. In Division II, it was Resolute who gathered 3rd place, 2nd went to Tannis and the 1st place winner in her division was Lady M. Based upon best overall point total, the much-coveted State of Maine Trophy was proudly presented to – – – Lady M – – – and now, Ladies and Gentlemen, you can see how truly important it is to have a current handicap rating. ‘Nuff said. In summing it all up, the support that has been so well displayed by Bill Zuber and Dick Salter with this year’s superb patrol effort; by Marcia Morang and Penny Richards with their truly first-class on-going trophy effort; by each member of your Race Committee – – – and lastly, by the enthusiasm of the skippers and crew – – all go a long way toward making the Rockland Homecoming a huge success. Without their dedication to the overall effort, this chairman would simply be struggling. Thank you all ever so much! Yearbook Distribution This last year some of you probably got a packet of 25 yearbooks and wondered what to do with them. Sorry if it was a surprise, but the bottom line is that we had very few extra yearbooks by the time the Rockland Homecoming rolled around. Our printer sent yearbooks to all of the executive committee and other individuals that we thought would distribute them through their marina or local marine store. Sunshine Press also took an active role in distributing yearbooks to places along the Maine coast. If you think you can target some marine establishment that will allow you to display yearbooks for their customers to take, please let your editors know. We can easily arrange to have a packet of yearbooks sent to you. The best way to contact us is via e-mail at editor@fss.org. We need to get our Yearbook distributed throughout New England, please help if you can! – 2 – Rockland 2004, By Every Standard, A Total Success (Continued from Page 1)

Marblehead’s 2004 Classic Boat Regatta By David W. Graham, FSS Race Committee Chairman Someone once noted that the only “constant” is change – – – and so it was for the 2004 gathering of Friendship Sloops at Marble- head, the 2004 Classic Wooden Boat Regatta of August 14 & 15, where the Friendship Sloop was the honored class, turned out to be nothing less than a huge success. Previously a stand-alone regatta for the FSS, dwindling numbers during the past several years made it impossible to continue in that direction. When the opportunity had earlier presented itself, every effort was made to convince the powers-that-be at Corinthian Yacht Club that the sensible thing to for 2004 would be to move last year’s Classic Wooden Boat Regatta from Labor Day, where it conflicted with other events, and merge it with what the FSS had been doing for many years on the second weekend in August. While six Friendships had been registered, three locals were to show. This was due to the threat of Hurricane “Charlie” – – – and who can blame anyone for not wanting to arrive from afar under the fear of such conditions. Indeed, the threat of “Charlie” (writer’s note: not our Commodore), made the race officials render a Friday afternoon decision to scrub the Sunday race and turn it into a one-day event. What came as a result, was nothing less than an extremely successful regatta involving Concordia Yawls, Hinkleys, the Friendships, Town Class sloops and several others, all starting in their own divisions within various classes, the Friendships being # VI. In truth, not all were of wood construction although the vast majority were. However, all in their own right were true classics, including our beloved Friendship Sloops. With nearly ideal conditions, a triangular course for the Friend- ships of just under ten miles had been set and their start was at 12:25 PM. In the final analysis, participation in the 2004 Classic Wooden Boat Regatta at Marblehead was a total success. When the books were closed on the one-day regatta, the winners in the Friendship Sloop division were: Winner – The Ridgway Trophy: Tannis 1st Runner-up: Tern 2nd Runner-up: Venture Next year’s event will be sandwiched between the Eggemogin Reach Regatta of the first weekend in August and the Opera House Regatta at Nantucket for classic wooden boats on the third August weekend. The second weekend in August will likely prove to draw large number of participants, including Friendship Sloops, for which it is hoped that the weather gods will look kindly upon Marblehead for the two-day event. Meanwhile, all agreed that the first-time mix for this year – – – was just perfect! Dues Reminder If you haven’t mailed your annual dues in for 2005, please send them to: Caroline Phillips, Society Secretary, 164 Sturbridge Road Charlton, MA 01507 Rain Fails to Dampen 11th Southwest Harbor Rendezvous By Craig Crosby – “Mt Dessert Islander” SOUTHWEST HARBOR —Last year’s Friendship Rendezvous was marked by nearly-perfect weather and breathtaking finishes. Saturday’s Rendezvous proved that for every Yin there must be a Yang The Rendezvous, which has grown into the second largest race on the Friendship Sloop Society’s schedule, had known only fair skies in 11 years. The trend was so ingrained that two weeks ago, Rendezvous organizer and racer Miff Lauriat made two promises: the weather would be great and the fleet would be large. As rain bounced off the water at the skippers’ meeting on the western side of Greening Island just after noon on Saturday, it was clear that at least one of those promises would go unfulfilled. For a time, it looked like Mr. Lauriat may be 0 for 2 with his prediction as only four other boats, Phoenix, Endeavor, Tradition and Chrissy joined Mr. Lauriat’s Salatia circling around the start- ing line off Sand Point off the northwest point of Greenings Island. Just prior to the final canon, however, Gladiator, which had spent much of the previous afternoon and evening washed up on the rocks just outside of Southwest Harbor, made her appearance at the starting line. The ordeal may have been perceived as a good omen as the 102-year-old sloop had hit the rocks in Casco Passage before winning last year’s Rendezvous in the absence of Phoenix. Minutes after the start the Helen Brooks came across the line as an official entry. The roughly seven-mile oval course clockwise around the eastern point of Sutton Island and back to Sand Point began with a short sprint to the mouth of Somes Sound as gusty winds blew up to 15-20 knots. Jarvis Newman’s 31-foot Tradition had the early lead, but the 30-foot Phoenix, which holds the record for most Rendez- vous wins, took the lead by the time the racers reached Bear Island. After passing the sound, sailors looked for wind and the 25-foot Salatia found it, taking a course further away from the protection of Northeast Harbor. As the other sloops all but stalled, Salatia gained ground, moving into fourth behind Phoenix, Tradition and the 32-foot Gladiator. After rediscovering the wind around Sutton Island, Phoenix built a big lead as Gladiator and Tradition also broke away from the rest of the fleet. While last year’s race was a near photo finish between Gladiator and Tradition, the drama was removed early from this year’s race. The order changed little as sailors struggled in diminishing winds as they tacked their way to the finish line. In the end, Phoenix added to her record wins, finishing the course in 1:51:33, some 4 minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Gladiator at 1:55:57. Tradition placed third in 1:58:32. The friendly competition between Southwest Harbor’s Betsey Holtzmann’s 25-foot wooden Endeavor and the fiberglass Salatia was hardly a contest. Salatia placed fourth, nearly 30 minutes behind Tradition but just as far ahead of fifth-place Endeavor. The Chrissy, a 92-year-old 30 footer out of Essex, (Continued to Page 4) – 3 –

Southwest Harbor Rendezvous (Continued from Page 3) Massachusetts, which traveled the furthest to take part in the race, gave up and crossed the finish line under power. While the Friendship race is a celebration of history, one of the highlights of the day was a look toward the future when Tamara, the 36-footer recently built by Ralph Stanley, Inc., made her maiden voyage in the harbor. Ralph Stanley, from the cabin of his Seven Girls, which served as the committee boat for the Rendez- vous, watched the new sloop intently on her maiden voyage. The new sloop with the classic look heeled little even in strong gusts and, Mr. Stanley said, needed more ballast aft. Overall, however, Mr. Stanley was pleased with the newest member of the Friendship fleet. She fit right in with the storied past and bright future, even in the rain. The “ Low Carb” Yearbook The size of the Friendship Sloop Society Yearbook is directly related to the ability of our printers to sell advertisements, and the number of bulletin board notices our membership purchases. Advertising has dropped off and consequently the yearbook keeps getting a little thinner each year. We are still doing ok, in that we get the essential information into the yearbook (i.e. race details, officers, membership list etc) but we are restricted in the number of articles we can publish. This last year we had more copy than space to print it! You might also have noticed that the font size for most of the articles published was a little small this year. We had to do this to get as many articles in print as possible. When the printer was asked why we were loosing advertisers they said that our book has a limited audience and people buying ads need to see a return on their investment. We also have competition from all the other “summertime” publications. If we want to get off this low carb diet we need to make our advertisers aware that we are their customers! Please, do not hesitate to let the people you purchase sloop related goods and services from know that you are a member of the Friendship Sloop Society. Also, tell them that we would appreciate their support in the form of an ad in our Yearbook Class A Birthdays There are a number of member Class A sloops that are celebrat- ing significant “birthdays” in 2005. Our congratulations to the owners and crews of the following “Senior” members of the fleet: 105 Years: #9 Amity Steve & Diane O’Connell, Belfast, ME #19 Blackjack Wilson Fletcher, Bar Harbor, ME #24 Tern Leo & Kelly Greene, Marblehead, MA 90 Years: #53 Eagle Capt. Donald Huston, Lynn, MA . Treasurer’s Report Jonathan Leavy, Society Treasurer, presented the following financial report at the annual meeting for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004. Receipts: Actual Budget More (Less) Membership 5,490 4,350 1,140 Chandlery 5,870 4,550 1,320 Regatta Events 470 550 (80) Annual Meeting 1,980 1,800 180 Yrbook/Bulletin Brd 400 450 (150) Contribut.(to FSS) 831 400 431 All Other 116 120 (4) Total Receipts 15,157 12,320 2,837 Expenses Chandlery Purch. 4,846 2,000 (2,846) Regatta Expenses 2,854 1,625 (1,229) Annual Meeting 1,572 2,400 828 Charitable Donat. 1,300 1,300 0 Secretary’s Comp. 1,000 1,000 0 Yearbook 400 500 100 Administration 2,384 2,185 (199) Total Expenses 14,356 11,010 (3,346) Net Cash In (Out) 801 1,310 (509) Ending Cash Balance 8,336 8,845 (509) I am pleased to say that we closed the year with more cash on hand than we had at the beginning of the year, an increase of $800. Although the increase in cash was small, it is the first year to year increase after three consecutive years of cash losses. What makes that doubly gratifying is that we did it even though we had to spend an unplanned $1,000 for dockage in Rockland. Contributing to the positive cash flow was membership dues 26% above the plan. That is obviously good news way beyond the cash provided, pointing to a reverse in the declining membership. Chandlery sales were 29% over plan, and contributions to the Society from the membership, although small in absolute terms, was twice the plan and the highest ever. 2005 Schedule of Events New London Regatta July 9th & 10th Southwest Harbor Rendezvous July 23rd Homecoming Rendezvous & Races at Rockland July 25th to July 29th Friendship Days July 30th Marblehead Regatta August 13th & 14th Gloucester Schooner Festival September 3rd Annual Meeting November 12th Martin’s Manor, South Portland., ME. – 4 –

Topping Lifts By Ted Walsh One member wrote in asking what were some of the options for rigging topping lifts, as the topping lift on his boat provided little mechanical advantage. As with almost any kind of traditional rigging, there are many versions of topping lifts. Although there may be other, possibly better options out there, I have illustrated some variations with which I am familiar. The job of the topping lift is to lift the combined weight of boom, sail, and gaff so they clear the boom gallows or crutch. They also hold the boom at the best angle to prevent it from fouling in other tackle while raising or lowering the sail. On a small boat this is not such a big job, and the traditional solution is a lift fixed to the end of the boom and run through a single whip at the masthead. On a larger craft, two issues conspire to make this a more difficult evolution. One is that on a topmasted vessel the masthead whip is most often lower than it is on a polemasted vessel. This means that the angle from masthead to boom end is significantly flatter reducing the amount of mechanical advantage. The other factor is simply that a bigger rig means more weight to lift. One way to improve mechanical advantage is to fix the end of the topping lift at the masthead and not at the boom. The topping lift ends in a single block short of the boom. A fixed line runs up from the boom-end through the block at the end of the topping lift and back down through a sheave let into the boom. This line runs inboard along the boom and can be set and cast off from the cockpit rather than the base of the mast. Likewise it is made fast to the boom. This is a very traditional, tried and true method for rigging a topping lift. However, it can still be problematic if you have a really large boat or a small crew. Another version, which was particularly popular after the First World War, utilizes twin lifts sometimes called lazy-lifts as they include the lazy-jacks in their make up. In this version two lifts run from the main-sheet bail on either side of the sail and gaff to a single block for each lift under the spreader, trestle or hounds, and then down to the deck. About halfway up (Continued to Page 6) – 5 – Topping Lift Twin Lifts Single Whip

Topping Lifts (Continued from Page 5) each lift hangs a short sling with a wooden thimble or lizard at the bottom end of the sling. The lazy-jack runs from the boom up through one thimble then down around the boom and back up through the other thimble and finishes back at the boom. There are several advantages to this system. One is that the angle of the lifts are less flat because the topping lifts end at the mainsheet bail rather than the end of the boom, improving the mechanical advantage. The other is that you can place a crewmember on each topping lift, effectively doubling the applied muscle. Another advan- tage is that the gaff and mainsail are less likely to run afoul of your topping lifts because even when fully lowered they lie between the two lifts. The disadvantages to this system become apparent with really large rigs. It is possible for the weight to exceed the strength of two of even the strongest crewmembers. In this case one solution is to fix the end of the topping lift to a luff tackle on deck. This gives a mechanical advantage of three-to-one to each lift. The problem is that when the lifts are slack you now have a luff tackle thrashing around at the base of the mast. This can be a hazard when going forward or tending halyards. Still, the system works well and does not add weight aloft. I have seen this system used on English Pilot Cutters where it is common, but on this side of the Atlantic, I have rarely seen it. The last version with which I am familiar is much more common to the mainsails of fishing schooners than sloops, although John Alden called for it in the rigging plan of Aimee, built in 1905 by Wilbur Morse (see J.A. design #8). This version places the luff tackle at the masthead with the lower, single block, placed so that it is below the gaff when the sail is fully set and above the gaff when a reef is taken in. The result is that you still have a three-to-one advantage on each lift and a clear deck. There is the trade off of more weight aloft and in theory more sail chafing. We went to this rig on the Black Star, and I like it because we have a 32′ boom with 620′ of mainsail and it makes it possible for me to take the boat out with only one other person on board to take the helm. I can’t say I have noticed any chafing and considering the combined weight of boom, mainsail, and gaff, I can’t say the additional weight of two double blocks aloft has been noticeable. To paraphrase the old adage: every problem may have a solution but every solution has its problems. The choice of topping lift on your vessel is a question of fitting the type of lift to the type of sailing you do, the size of the vessel, and the number of crew that you typically have. Also, all of us have idiosyncra- sies, what we’re used to, and that too becomes an important part of the mix. If the system you have works, then I certainly would not mess with it; for anyone else, I hope these illustrations are helpful. – 6 – Luff Tackle at the Masthead Luff Tackle Luff Tackle on Deck

Rockland Homecoming 2004 Results State of Maine Trophy Best Overall Performance Lady M Division I Herald Jones Trophy Celebration Bruno & Stillman Trophy William M. Rand Lash Brothers Trophy Salatia Division II Commodore’s Trophy Lady M Gordon Winslow Trophy Tannis Rockland Trophy Resolute Class A Wilbur Morse Trophy Gladiator Charles Morse Trophy Sazerac Alexander McLain Trophy Not Awarded Rum Line Trophy Sazerac Special Trophies Chrissy Trophy Sara Beck Spirit of Friendship John Wojcik Gladiator Trophy Banshee / Gaivota Nickerson Trophy Charles A. Spencer Owner/Builder Trophy Sara Beck, Flying Jib R.W. Stanley Cup Ted Walsh, Black Star Liberty Trophy Tradition Jarvis Newman Trophy Celebration Cy Hamlin Trophy Monk Family – Philip J. Nichols Tannis Award Phoenix We Are Recruiting By David W. Graham Just as the Marine Corps is looking for a few good people, so is your Race Committee. It becomes easy to understand why, when you can appreciate the fact that I am the youngest of the “Seven Girls” group. Although I am only “39” in the true Jack Benny vein, in reality, 1935 was an extremely good year for me (you do the math). While the full Race Committee will be more than willing to train one or two individuals, the basic requirements we seek are:  Knowledge of basic computer skills for scoring purposes.  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 becom- ing a member of “the team”, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. My e-mail address remains dwg@shore.net and or you can contact me via postal mail at: David W. Graham Post Office Box 183 Boston, MA 02128 What’s in a Yearbook? It was suggested to the Yearbook editors that we republish select articles from our past 40+ years of yearbooks. The thought is that we should remember some of our original members or highlight particular events that are part of the Sloop Society history. This would help forge a connection with “the way things used to be”, especially now that we are starting to see the third generation of Sloop Society members running around at the annual meetings. We also have older members that may no longer have a sloop and may be wondering about their connection to the Sloop Society. Repub- lishing an article that reminds them of their past might help keep our long-term members as active members. If you have any particular article that you believe would be appro- priate to republish please let your editors know at editor@fss.org. Just for the record, the Sloop Society had discussed the idea of compiling these older articles into a book. Tad Beck looked into this but it turned out not to be feasible. The publication of select articles in the yearbook offers an alternate way to keep memories alive. Membership News Bob Monk sent the latest happenings of our membership.  Bob Quadros of Salem, MA recently purchased #23 Depression. Bob has crewed a number of years aboard Tern when owned by Paul Haley.  David & Nancy Schandall of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia are the new owners of #128 Schoodic.  #49 Surprise is now owned by Andrew Keblinsky of Downeast Sailing Adventures of Bar Harbor, ME.  Cordell & Janine Hutchins of Cape Porpoise, ME are now the owners of #275 Viking. This is a new registration for an original sloop built by Wilbur Morse in 1908. For those of you who, over the past couple of years, may have noticed an odd looking Marconi rigged vessel languishing uncared for in Cape Porpoise Harbor, this is her. She was converted to an Aux yawl then Marconi rigged with added freeboard. She is now undergoing restoration to her original form.  Thomas Kelly and the Inland Seas Education Association of Suttons Bay, MI are the new owners of #157 Liberty. See the related story on page 10.  William & Shawn Poole of Fulton, NY are the new owners of #69 Coast O ‘ Maine.  A new sail number – #273 has been assigned to Somerjoy, owned by Bob Robertson of Holden, MA  A new sail number – #274 has been issued to Selkie, owned by Brad Clinefelter of Port Townsend, WA.  Leo & Kelly Greene of Andover, MA purchased #24 Tern.  Russell Stone of Ivoryton, CT has purchased #42 Selkie. New members include: Jeff Cronin of Charlton, MA, Ken Dunipace of Indianapolis, IN, Odette Kent of Wilmington, MA, Philip Perkins of Arlington, VA, Penny Richards of North Reading, MA, Judy Straszesky of Needham, MA, Stephen Ziff of Charleston, SC, Mike Gordon of Gainesville, FL, and Ken Taylor of New Bedford, MA – 7 –

This column is a forum for sharing the vast range of practical experience accumulated by our membership and not just my favorite boat maintenance topics. It is intended to be the place where you, the reader, can ask technical questions and either obtain direct answers in this column or direction to appropriate reference material. This article is another departure from my originally scripted list of topics. In case you don’t remember, the topics were electrical wiring, alternators and regulators, batteries, grounding and bonding, radios and antennas, and instrumentation (depth, speed, GPS, LORAN, etc.). But due to a recent problem experienced by one of our members I think this maintenance advisory has to take precedence. Although the incident occurred on one of the Pemaquid models I think it could easily happen to any of our boats. The occurrence was the loss of a rudder. With a good degree of skill on the part of the skipper and a little luck, he and his first mate made it back to the mooring. No secondary damage was done (as long as you don’t count the elevated blood pressure and frayed nerves). But rather than an epic tale of seamanship the focus of this article is how to prevent something like this from happening to you. If you recall, a few issues ago (Tech Tips #5) we discussed the problems that can result from improper grounding and bonding of an electrical system in a marine environment. Stray electrical currents, induced either by the presence of dissimilar metals in an electrolyte (like salt water), or those resulting from faulty electrical wiring on a boat (either yours or one near yours) can cause metals to waste away. And that’s what appears to have happened in this case. The rudder was lost because the rudderpost, a very substantial piece of bronze, was eaten through just inside the top of the rudder assembly. When the helm was shifted to steer the boat the torque was just enough to twist the rudderpost apart, resulting in loss of steering and the rudder. I have not had a chance to inspect the pieces, or have the Materials Engineering folks at work offer their opinion, but knowing a little about the construction standards applied in building the boat, and the materials that were originally used, I doubt that galvanic corro- sion is the cause. It seems much more likely that there is an electri- cal wiring problem on the boat. Hopefully we will have time to troubleshoot that later this winter. I highly recommend that you take the time to go over all the fittings below the waterline while the boat is sitting high and dry this winter and give them a thorough inspection. What should you be looking for? Start with a good structural inspection to see if there is any obvious weakness to the fittings. Grab the interior neck of each through hull and give it a good side to side, front to back push. Any quality bronze fitting should be more than able to handle this side load, unless it has lost considerable strength due to corrosion. It is important to remember that you may not be able to see any evidence of corrosion if it is inside the fitting or underneath the hose. Wooden boats have the additional problem in that the hull fastenings could be eaten away in the same manner as the rudderpost but you can’t inspect them unless you take things apart. For items like the rudder you will more than likely need another person to help you. Someone to hold the rudder and look for any difference in movement between the shaft and body of the rudder, and the other person to move the tiller or wheel. Since most steering systems have a little slop in them (a little slop is a good thing) the person on the helm won’t be able to feel the difference between the steering slop and any difference in movement between the rudder and its’ shaft. The person holding the rudder may need to feel the difference rather than see it. Obviously if you can see the rudder shaft move and the rudder doesn’t you have a significant problem. Even the smallest movement of the rudder shaft in a fiberglass rudder assembly, while the rudder is being held in a fixed position, needs to be investigated. Movement could be indicative of a severely weakened shaft, like the one that was the genesis of this article, or a web structure problem inside the rudder that has loosened and you have voids in the rudder that very likely have water in them. The winter freeze and thaw cycles will continue to take their toll until delamination causes a structural failure. If you find any cracks in the fiberglass, you may already have a delamina- tion problem. Other items that should be inspected is the fit of the propeller, tightness of the prop nut and jam nut, possible bends in the prop shaft, totally wasted zincs or the possibility of a worn rudder heel bearing. If you find that the zinc is severely wasted, or worse…..gone after one season, you really should inspect the submerged fittings thoroughly. Under normal conditions the bronze fittings exposed to salt water should be a nice chocolate brown color. As you are looking at all the fittings be conscious of their color. If they look as though they have a pink hue it could indicate that they are being depleted. If any of these items are corroded take action to fix them before the boat goes back in the water. I know it might be cold and it’s raining, blowing, snowing and being otherwise miserable, but a little time on and around the boat performing a good visual inspection, and mechanical integrity testing, will make the good summer weather a lot less stressful and it will just seem to last longer. Yearbook Copy We ended up holding over some copy from last year because we did not have room to publish it all. That does not mean that we do not want more articles! Put pen to paper and send it along to your editors!!!! If you do not think you can write a whole article then try a few paragraphs. If we get enough contributions we can make a verbal “collage” that would, hopefully, capture the feeling of the races at Rockland or wherever an event was held. Contact your editors at editor@fss.org by March 15th for inclusion in the 2005 Yearbook – 8 – Tech Tips #12 Written by Bill Whitney

The 44th annual meeting of the Sloop Society was held on Novem- ber 13th at the Best Western Merry Manor in South Portland, ME. Commodore John Rand opened the meeting at 3:30 by acknowledg- ing new members and first timers, Leo and Kelly Greene, new owners of Tern. John also acknowledged Don and Dottie Huston, who have not been to the annual meeting in a long time. Secretary’s Report – Caroline Phillips The final totals for 2004 membership: Boat Owners: 103 Full/Associate: 58 Cooperative: 31 Honorary: 4 TOTAL: 196 The Society had 20 new members for 2004, and the totals for the year were up from 2003 by 12 as of November 12th. There are already 5 new members for 2005. Caroline then read letters submit- ted by the membership. Treasurer’s Report – Jonathan Leavy (Report on Page 4) Jonathan stated that if anyone had any questions on the financials, please contact him. The 2005 budget was voted on and approved by membership. New London- Greg Roth Greg said Thank You to Jack and Virginia Vibber for all their hard work and dedication over the past 20 years of the New London Regatta. Greg stated that they are looking to change venues and the format of the rendezvous. They are looking at Mystic, Block Island, etc. An announcement will be made to let everyone know once things have been figured out. Southwest Harbor – Miff Lauriat Tad Beck, skippering Phoenix won the race again. Bill Zuber and Gladiator went on the rocks in the fog on their way to Southwest Harbor, and had to be pulled off in the middle of the night by Ralph Stanley and Seven Girls when the Coast Guard couldn’t respond. Miff reminded everyone that the Southwest Harbor rendezvous will always be the Saturday before the Rockland rendezvous. There are no handicaps, no fees and lots of FUN! Rockland Homecoming – David Graham At the October Executive Board meeting, David asked for recom- mendations on how to improve the races. At that board meeting, David was asked to lead the discussion on this subject at the annual meeting. Jack Cronin made a suggestion that the race committee equal out the playing field by assessing handicaps to winning boats. However, when a boat sells, the race committee would need to put the old handicap back on the boat. If the sloop begins to lose, then they would need to take the handicap away. Dick Salter suggested that we reduce handicaps on lower placing boats rather than penaliz- ing the winners. Jack Cronin then suggested that we handicap from both ends. Miff Lauriat suggested looking at elapsed and corrected times and performance of the boat in the water rather than taking measurements of the boat. Adrian Hooydonk stated that his boat Omaha will never win because it is too heavy. He goes to the races to watch and have fun. Charlie Burnham then suggested a GPS handicap alley. Bill Whitney likes the idea of retrieving a buoy or float to simulate the act of fishing. Miff Lauriat remembers retrieving buoys, then flags, and then just sailing around your desig- nated gates. John Rand stated that the Rum Line and anchored starts are great additions to the Rockland races. There will be further discussion on the Rockland races in an attempt to get more partici- pation. David then presented Ralph Stanley with an anchor retrieval system to assist in hauling up the anchor of the Race Committee boat, Seven Girls. Marblehead – David Graham The dates for the gathering in 2005 are August 13-14. The regatta will again be run with the Wooden Boat races. Dave’s complete report is on Page 3. Gloucester – Jack Cronin Everyone had a great time. Tannis made it to the windward mark before the wind piped up and then coasted home. No one else was able to finish the race. Chesapeake Bay – Thomas Berry was not present This rendezvous has been struggling the past few years and Tom is not sure he is going to host it again. Membership Report – Bob Monk, Jr. Bob was not present at the meeting but gave John Rand a report. Bob reported that he has issued three new sloop numbers (273, 274, 275) in 2004. Number 275 was issued to an original sloop that was built by Wilbur Morse. Pendleton Scholarship Fund – David Bell Bill Muir, who had found the stone that became the memorial stone in Friendship, Me., has passed away. The scholarship fund granted three scholarships to graduating high school seniors and scholar- ships to four students who are continuing their education this past year. The balance in vested funds is $77,847.00. Chandlery – Bill and Kathy Whitney Bill encouraged those at the meeting to: “SPEND SPEND SPEND!!!” Yearbook Editor: Richard & Beth Langton were not present Members need to get their articles for the yearbook in on time. We also need to obtain more advertising so that we can have more pages in the yearbook for our members’ articles. If you need yearbooks to distribute in your area, please call Rich and Beth Langton to get on the mailing list. Roger Duncan is working on two new books, a Maritime History and a book of collection of poems and stories. Newsletter and Website – John Wojcik The next newsletter will go out the middle of December, therefore he needs material by the end of November. John thanked Ted Walsh for the articles he has done for the last couple of newsletters. He also thanked Bill Whitney for his Tech Tips articles. The website has had a lot of work done to it, and it now has a cross refer- ence of names of sloops, a sloop society handbook is printed on website, a cross reference of yearbook articles, and chartering business links for members of the (Continued to Page 10) – 9 – FSS 44th Annual Meeting By Caroline Phillips, FSS Secretary

44th Annual Meeting (Continued from Page 9) society. If anyone has any other ideas for the newsletter or website, please contact John. Publicity – Bob Monk Bob did his annual mailing to magazines and periodicals in March with the schedule of events. The FSS schedule appeared in “Sound- ings”, “Woodenboat” and “Downeast”. In June, Cynthia Pendleton produced the Rockland poster and had it distributed to businesses in Rockland. Bob has responded to various telephone calls and e-mails, such as a prisoner from California who wanted a set of plans, and a dentist who wanted to use the yearbook cover in an instrumental manual for children. Bob then read his letter of resig- nation as Publicity Chairman. 2004 Donations – Voted by the Membership: Maine Maritime Museum $400 Friendship Museum $400 Pendleton Scholarship fund $500 Awards: Morang Award: Steve Dunipace Bill Hadlock Award: Tad Beck Bancroft Award: Jack Vibber Omaha Award: Morang Family Jack Cronin then announced that he and Mary have bought a lobster boat and would be bringing it to Rockland to help out the race committee. Dick Salter then stated that the Liberty Trophy would be retired and auctioned off at the F.S.S. Auction after the meeting adjourned. The trophy will be replaced with a new smaller trophy. The Bruno & Stillman trophy (wheel) will also be replaced and auctioned off. John Rand then presented Bob Monk Sr. with a gift (a bottle of wine) for all his work as the Publicity Chairman. John also presented Dick Salter with a gift (bottle of wine) for his efforts as Chairman of the nominating committee. John then mentioned that Roger Duncan’s grand-daughter-in-law is doing an event in 2007 similar to Sail Boston 1992. She wants to know if the Friendship Sloop Society would be interested in participating in this event. More information will follow. Nominating Committee report – Dick Salter Commodore Charlie Burnham Vice Commodore Roger Lee Secretary Caroline Phillips Treasurer Jonathan Leavy Inspector of Mast Wedges Bill Whitney Commodore of Motorboat Squadron Jack Cronin With the approvoal of the members present, the Secretary cast a single ballot electing the slate of officers as presetnted by the committee Charlie Burnham then presented John Rand with a plaque for his service as Commodore. Jonathan Leavy won the 50/50 raffle. With no further discussions, the meeting was closed. Owner donates sloop to ISEA Vessel will be used for education By Marla McMackin, Staff Writer The following article appeared in the September 24th edition of the “Traverse City, Northern Michigan Record-Eagle”. SUTTONS BAY – The Liberty, a 31-foot replica Friendship Sloop, didn’t get much use while her captain spent his summers in Northport. So David Shelby gave the sailing vessel to the Inland Seas Educa- tion Association based in Suttons Bay. “I wanted to see it get a good home where it would be used in an educational setting and I could see it sailing on the Bay,” Shelby said Thursday from his winter home in Winnetka, Ill. Inland Seas has big plans for its newest schoolship. Executive director Tom Kelly said it will provide more opportunities for the group to give people firsthand training in aquatic science, environ- mental awareness and sailing on the Great Lakes. “It’s a beautiful vessel,” Kelly said. “It’s going to add to our program and to the aesthetic of the bay because it’s a handsome craft.” The ship is a replica of the earliest Friendship Sloops, developed in the late 1800s for fishing on the coast of Maine. The reproduction was launched in Maine in 1980. Shelby bought it and moved it to Chicago in 2001. The retired entrepreneur said he only used the five-sailed vessel for day trips in the Chicago area. “Not often enough,” he added. “Any boat deteriorates if it doesn’t get regular use.” Kelly, who estimated the Liberty’s value at about $60,000, said it would need some work before next year’s debut. Modifications for passengers should cost around $6,000. A schedule for programs aboard the schoolship is still being devel- oped, but Kelly said he expects twice daily trips four or five times a week for up to six passengers at a cost of $30 to $40 per person. “We’ll have activities involving science gear, but we’ll have a chance for more discussion and exploring ideas about protecting the Great Lakes,” he said. Shelby said he’ll be glad to see the Liberty still sailing across the bay. “It’s a beautiful boat, quite a sight,” he said. “I hope to see it regularly and hopefully help them do some sail training.” – 10 –