Winter 2020 Newsletter
đ Download PDFCommodoreâs Message It has been a very good year for the Friendship Sloop Society. We have gained in membership and participation in events, and a number of boats have been launched. I am pleased to say that we hope to have even more boats at our 60th Homecoming, July 16-18, 2020 in Rockland, Maine. The 2019 Yearbook was a great success, both attractive and profitable, with strong advertising revenues. We had a wonderful Homecoming with many sloops participating in great weather! The Race Committee provided a new route around the marks which tested our seamanship, and the awards banquet was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. The Southwest Harbor race continues to thrive under new leadership, and the Trophy Committee has instituted a policy that will ensure that winners are awarded trophies on time. The Treasurer reports a balanced budget, the Friendship Museum is ever closer to providing future archival space for the Society, and the social media team is promoting interaction among members, providing opportunities to ask questions and receive guidance. The Annual Meeting in November was a cause for celebration and camaraderie. None of these accomplishments could have happened without the participation and teamwork of our members. Think about raising your hand and joining a committee that interests you! To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, âIt is not the critic who counts; not the person who points out where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the individ- ual who is actually in the arena; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows great enthusiasms; who spends themself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fails while daring greatly.â On a personal note, our 40â sloop Westwind #95 was launched in August after a 39-year hiatus. John and I tried to keep the launch âunder the radarâ, which didnât work too well, as the time and tide were posted on Facebook. It was truly amazing to see people gather to watch her hit the water as we accomplished what we had set out to do in 1981. Yes, I broke champagne, and yes, a cheer rang out! She has indeed been a âworthy causeâ, as are all of our Friendship sloops. Dare greatly, Diane Huston Fassak, Commodore Westwind #95 Messing About With Dick Salter Dick Salter often refers to the Friendship Sloop Society as his second family, and over many decades of involvement, he has provided for and contributed to it generously, in varied and significant ways. Dick was born in Gloucester, MA on Cape Ann, surrounded by the sea and a centuries-old tradition of working boats. By the time he was 10, Dick had saved $25 from his paper route and bought his first rowboat, starting a lifelong affair with boats of all types. During a stint working at a Beverly boatyard as a teen, Dick came across his first Friendship sloop, an old wooden one that had built in wells for holding the catch. His interest was piqued, and after reading Joe Richardâs Princess, he knew he would one day own a Friendship. This dream was realized years later when Old Baldy #57 went up for sale in 1972 and Dick jumped at the chance to buy her. In the meantime he had married his sweetheart Alice, and they had a house full of seven children, five of whom were adopted. Dick recalls tucking into Great Misery Island off Beverly during a thunderstorm with most of the family aboard. Once they were all jammed in below to escape the weather, the bow of the 25 footer was well down in the water, prompting Alice to wisely suggest, âDick, I think we need a bigger boat!â In 1975, Dick contracted with Jarvis Newman in South- west Harbor (see page 2) to purchase the 4th fiberglass Dictator hull. He then hired Ralph Stanley across the harbor to construct the wooden deck. After several years of finish work and system design and installation back home, Liberty #157 was launched in 1980, providing the Salter clan with a bit more space and (Continued to Page 8) Volume 32 Winter 2020 FSS.ORG Issue 1 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society 1
Charles A. Burnham Charles A. âCharlieâ Burnham of Essex, MA died on September 19, 2019 at age 84, after a long struggle with Parkin- sonâs disease. Charlie was a longtime member, sloop owner and builder, and past Commodore of the Friendship Sloop Society. Born to Essex natives Charles and Ardelle Burnham, Charlie was educated at Wentworth Institute and Northeastern University, and worked for decades as a medical engineer and physicist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he made significant contributions to the development of the MRI, PET scan, and other imaging technologies. Charlie maintained a lifelong passion for building and sailing wooden boats. He built his first Friendship sloop, Maria #127 in 1971, and 2 years later completed the larger Resolute #123, which he sailed to Maine over many summers with his family to participate in the Homecoming regattas. Charlie passed on his love of building and sailing boats to his son Harold, a celebrated shipwright and marine restoration historian, and grandson Alden, who along with his father Harold, recently restored and relaunched Maria from the Burnham Boat Yard in Essex. Charlie loved Essex, from his younger days spent boating and clamming on the Essex River, to his later years involved with several town boards and committees and the Essex Historical Society. He was one of the founders of the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, and taught boat-building classes there. Throughout his lifetime, Charlie maintained a keen sense of curiosity and adventure. He had a lively and mischie- vous sense of humor that kept his friends and family entertained and often guessing. Charlie is survived by his wife Maria, three children, numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many friends, and is missed by those who knew and loved him. Donations in Charlieâs memory may be made to the Essex Shipbuilding Museum, 66 Main St., Essex, MA 01929. Jarvis Newman Southwest Harbor boat designer and builder Jarvis Newman passed away peacefully on September 1, 2019 at age 84. His decades of contributions to boat building, Friendship sloops and the Friendship Sloop Society are inestimable. Born in Connecticut, Jarvis attended school in South- west Harbor, ME, where he fished and lobstered as a teenager with his father and grandfather, and worked in a local garage, developing a life long passion for restoring cars. After graduat- ing from Wentworth Institute in Boston, he worked for GE in Ohio and Massachusetts, where he reconnected with Susan Bunker, also from Southwest Harbor; they were married within the year. After daughters Kathe and Kim were born, and a stint installing elevators around New England, Jarvis was offered a job in the fiberglass department of the Henry Hinkley Company of Southwest Harbor. After mastering this process over several years, he saw a need for a durable and efficient tender for the Hinckley sailboats, and he produced a fiberglass skiff from a Chummy Spurling design. A year or so later Jarvis left Hinkley to build and sell the skiffs in a small shop behind the laundromat he and Sue had purchased. He was also becoming interested in building the classic Maine Friendship sloop. Using Old Baldy #57 which had been built from Howard Chappellâs Pemaquid design, he made a mold and in 1969 launched the elegant Salatia #90, which, 60 years later still graces the waters of mid-coast Maine. In 1970, Jarvis Newman Boats was formed and operated out of a large shop across the harbor on the Manset shore. In total, Jarvis built 18 of the 25-foot Pemaquid hulls, and 20 of the 31-foot Dictators, modeled after the 1904 origi- nal Dictator which Jarvis had acquired, restored and sailed with his family. He also restored another original Friendship, Venture #66, and later on, purchased and restored Old Baldy. The shop also produced the hulls for several powerboat designs ranging in size from 32 to 46 feet. Jarvis later teamed up with fellow boat enthusiast Ed Gray to form the Newman and Gray Boatyard on Great Cranberry Island, which still builds the Spurling skiff, now numbering over 500! Newman Marine Brokerage was formed in 1980 and was taken over by daughter Kathe in 2016, and is the place to go to purchase Friendship sloops for sale. In 2017 Jarvis was honored with a State of Maine Lifetime Achievement Award for his myriad contributions to boatbuilding. In his 2013 FSS Yearbook dedication to Jarvis, fellow Southwest resident and owner of Salatia Miff Lauriat wrote, âJarvis has done a great service to the Friendship Sloop Society by building accurate reproductions of originals; his discerning eye and strong sense of tradition ensured his boats would have the same grace and sailing qualities as their wooden counterparts. More Friendships currently in the water were built by Jarvis than were built by anyone else. He is truly a modern day Wilbur Morse.â – 2 – Jarvis Newmanâs âfirst bornâ Salatia #90, is now 60 and hardly shows her age. She is owned and skippered by Miff Lauriat (in white hat) of Southwest Harbor, ME. (Bill Finch Photo)
Our numbers indicate that 2019 membership is consis- tent with last year with the percentage of members paying their dues the same as 2018 at 81%. The breakdown is as follows: 117 members are sloop owners, with 46 more being full members, 58 have cooperative memberships and we have 4 honorary lifetime members for a total of 225. Renewals for 2020 look to be strong and are on pace to match previous years. It is gratifying to see many of our members adding donations to their membership renewal. The following new members joined the Friendship Sloop Society this past summer: Glenda & Jerry McNerney of Kings Park, NY John Gunshenan of Wayland, MA Lynn & Dave Cooke of Harvard, MA John & Heather Merrill of Danbury, CT Elizabeth Gardner of Altadena, CA Letters from the membership: From Maria Burnham & Family: To our friends of the Friend- ship Sloop Society – Thank you so much for the wonderful cards and the heartfelt expressions of sympathy on the passing of Charles. You know the place he had for you all in our hearts. We have so many fond memories of you all and our days at the annual races in Maine, and our times together at the Christmas gathering and others during the year. From Betsey Holtzmann & Abe Noyes: Looking ahead past the respite of winter, Abe and I welcome you back to our house on the Manset shore after the Friendship Sloop race. Blessings for the New Year. From Dave Frid & Kim Thomas of Ontario, Canada, owners of #242 Tecumseh: Hope you had a great year. Dave & I are thinking about bringing Tecumseh to the 60th – fingers crossed! From Doug Riley of Essex Junction, VT, owner of #6 Eastward: After 6 years on the hard, this past summer Eastward splashed for the first time since restoration. The hull proved to be very tight once she âtook upâ. We spent the balance of the season attending to many details of rigging, fuel system and on deck fittings. We hope for a full season of sailing in 2020. From Diana Gay, former owner of #94 Diana: Dear sailors, Sorry, not sailing any more. No sea legs, reduced to walking on shore. I am continuing my membership because I love the yearbook which I read cover to cover. Wishes for fair winds for all. From Stu Conway of NJ, owner of #254 Jolly: I gave my Friend- ship Sloop #254 Jolly to my daughter Lisa Conway. Lisa now lives in Damariscotta, ME. Folks in New Jersey donât know what to do with wooden boats, though they do delight in seeing them on the water. From Bill & Caroline Zuber: Officially, as of September 15, 2019, we are residents of Derry, New Hampshire. Our son Andy and his wife Kandace and daughter Ali have moved into our home in Friendship with Gladiator. Andy and Kandace will be working in Boothbay effective January, 2020, and have joined #71 in Friendship at homeport. We moved to New Hampshire in the nick of time! Registrarâs Report By John Wojcik This past year the sloop society issued its first sail number since 2016, #285 to Greg Ross and his 22â Muscongus Bay Sloop Swanâs Isle. Greg is from Prince Edward Island. Since spring of 2019 there have been five changes in sloop ownership, bringing the total to 10 for 2019: Tom & Janet Dykstra of Round Pond, ME are now the owners of #9 Amity, which will be sailing out of Belfast, ME. Patrick & Stephanie Mills of Brunswick, ME now own #93 Anna R with Rockland listed as her homeport. Doug and Gail Carmichel of DeWitt, NY have purchased the 22â sloop #211 Ansa and will be sailing out of Islesboro, ME. Cara Lauzon of Rockland, ME has acquired #161 Jenny from Tim Clark, who was one of the shipwrights that completed the restoration of Blackjack #19. Cara is part owner of the windjammer Victory Chimes along with her partner, Captain Sam Sikkema. Forest Richards, owner of #105 Lady E, listed the Bruno & Stillman sloop on the For Sale page of the FSS website in August. He couldnât complete the rebuild he had started, and offered the sloop to anyone for free. It also came with a new Yanmar to replace the existing engine. A few weeks ago Forest sent the Society a note informing us that the sloop has a new owner, Ant Steward of Sparrows Point, MD. – 3 – Membership Report By Carole Wojcik, Membership Secretary The newest addition to the FSS registry is the 22â Muscon- gus Bay sloop #285 Swanâs Isle, owned by Greg Ross hailing from PEI.
Marlinespike Seamanship By Ted Walsh Coachwhipping Letâs say that you want to cover a handrail, stanchion, or handle with a surface that is both decorative and easier to grip than a smooth surface. The choice for a long section of covering would be coachwhipping. While technically the knot is a form of square sennit, when you coach- whip something you are essentially creat- ing a long extended Turkâs head over a long round object. This kind of knotted covering was once used extensively to cover rope, or leather handles to add stiff- ness and a better grip and was a common form of handle for actual coachwhips, from which this kind of sennit takes itâs name. Unlike a typical Turkâs head it is tied using multiple strands, but like a regular Turkâs head it can be a two, three, or even four strand knot depending on the diameter of what you are going to cover. Before you commit to this project, here are a couple of tips: Use either quality marlin, twisted cotton, or hemp. Nylon tends to slip too much and if you intend to paint the coachwhipping, nylon will not hold the paint. Before you start, wrap the object that you are going to coachwhip with double-sided cloth friction tape; this will help hold the bundles of strands where you place them. To get started, figure out the diameter of the object to be covered and the diameter of the line to be used to tie the coachwhipping. Now figure out how many sets of lines it will take to surround the object to be coach- whipped. (You need to have an even number of sets). To figure out how long your pieces of line should be, take the length of the object to be covered and double it. This should give you some leftover, but that will make tying the end easier. This illustration is for eight bundles of four strands each. Seize or tape the groups of lines at the starting point of the coachwhipping: The tying pattern is shown here: When you have finished the coachwhipping, seize the ends just as you did when you started. Now cover the ends with either French spiral hitching, or as shown in the handgrip, a Turkâs head at both ends. – 4 –
Things have already been happening on the Societyâs Race Committee home front during the off-season, including two meetings this past fall prior to our November 2019 Annual Meeting. We have realigned some RC personnel in the interest of efficiency and improvement, and have added a few familiar names to the 2020 committee make-up. Here then, is the current RC roster for 2020: Dave Graham, Chairman; Rich Langton, Vice Chair- man; Dick Campbell, Line-Watcher & Scoring; Jack Cronin, Boat Safety, Race Patrol & Mark-Setter; Jeff Cronin, Handicap Ally Setter; Fred Lincoln, Secretary & On-Scene Race Commu- nications; Marcia Morang, Trophies; Phil Pratt, Cannoneer; Penny Richards, Trophies; Dick Salter, Vessel Safety Inspection, Race Patrol & Mark-Setter; Ralph Stanley, Race Spotter & Historian, Bill Whitney, Vessel Safety & Fleet Advisor; Bill Zuber, Race Patrol & Mark-Setter; Bob Rex, Chairman Emeritus. Having Rich Langton join the group, is akin to finding a shiny red fire truck under the Christmas tree! Welcome aboard, Rich! Proudly, I say, this is the âwell-oiledâ team that will be ready to serve your race program at Rockland during July 16-18, 2020. On to the 2019 Rockland regatta; the final top-three finishers were: State of Maine Trophy Hegira â with 3.5 points Second Place in Division I Salatia â with 5.75 points First Place In Division II Tannis â with 7.5 points Hats off to Dick Campbell for fine-tuning what has turned out to be a workable handicapping system, which has shifted from being one solely based on the Hamlin rating system of five years ago, to one using only an average of past perform- ances for each of the past five years. Sloops racing at Rockland for the first time are initially âfittedâ between the faster and slower handicaps of similar sloops that are known to us and are allowed to establish their individual averages. While no system may be perfect due to currents, winds, varying crew sizes, etc., Dick has brought us to the point of having a âlevel playing fieldâ from which to work. The fact that three sloops placed in the overall scoring, which had not done so before, proves the point! During 2019, the Society was blessed with good racing conditions, with light air building to steady breezes. With fair winds at hand, your Race Committee was able to implement an innovative race on Friday that reversed the direction for the second rounding of the course. Hoping for ideal conditions in 2020, you can anticipate additional innovative racing: stay tuned! There is always a tremendous amount of effort in getting the race program organized so that it appears to be âseamlessâ, for which I am always grateful. Thus, Iâd like to extend another âtip-of-the-hatâ to many, within and beyond the Race Committee, especially to the 2019 Executive Committee members. I also wish to extend my sincere appreciation to three fine gentlemen, without whom our races simply would not happen: Dick Salter in Messing About for mark-setting and race patrol, plus Jack Cronin in the Effie M, for mark-setting and keeping a watchful eye on the race course, and Jeff Cronin in Effie M, for setting and retrieving Handicap Alley marks. Without the combined efforts of all of these volunteers, our race program would be all but impossible! The other evening, I was fortunate to again watch that truly wonderful late 1950s film, âCarouselâ, which was partially filmed in Boothbay Harbor. Part way through it, there was a âraceâ, and if you have seen the film, score yourself 100% if you correctly identified those racing as Friendship sloops. Perhaps Ralph and Ted Walsh may be able to ID the sloops, even though the film was produced a few years before the formation of the Society and the issuance of FSS sail numbers. With the winter months upon us, think âSummerâ – and the Southwest Harbor race – and the Rockland races – and just plain sailing! How fortunate we are to be ârubbing elbowsâ with Friendship sloops and with the Friendship Sloop Society! Happy New Year, everyone!!! Southwest Harbor Race By Scott Martin & Caroline Phillips The skippers meeting for the Southwest Harbor Race was held at Ralph Stanleyâs newly renovated dock. The breeze was light to non-existent so everyone agreed that a 2 PM starting time might allow the breeze to pick up. At the given hour, fifteen Friendship sloops gathered between Clark Point and Greenings Island for a race that would carry the fleet out into Great Harbor, to Spurling Rock off the corner of Great Cranberry Island, to Bear Island Light off Northeast Harbor, to the entrance to Somes Sound and back to the finish, where the race began. A light sea breeze picked up as the race progressed then died with the fleet packed together off Bear Island. As the tide turned, the breeze picked up giving the fleet a good race to the finish. The first sloop across was a local boat, Albert Neilsonâs Hieronymus #67, built by Ralph Stanley in 1962 and still homeported in Southwest Harbor. Close behind her was another Southwest favorite, Alice E #23, believed to have been launched in 1899 and chartered daily by Karl Brunner. Hegira #230, sailed by Laurie Raymond and Rusty Strange out of Woods Hole, MA finished third. Messing About, which had made her way back to Maine with a new engine and was captained by her owner, the legendary Dick Salter, served as Committee Boat. Dick had help keeping track of times and sloops with the aid of the highly capable Rodney Flora & Jill Schoof. After the great day on the water, skippers & crew accepted a generous invitation from Betsey Holtzmann to a barbecue at her Manset cottage overlooking the Great Harbor where all the fun had just occurred. It was a chance for locals who donât get to go on to Rockland to catch up with those who sailed in from âthe westâ. Race organizers Scott Martin & Caroline Phillips hope that more Friendships come east next summer in celebration of the Societyâs 60th anniversary. – 5 – Race Committee News By David Graham, RC Chairman
Tech Tips: Itâs Not Too Late (But Getting Close) By Bill Whitney OK. Itâs winter already! The boat is put away and you have done everything to get it ready for a freezing winter ashore. Or have you? With the rapid onset of bad weather this year is it possible that something was forgotten? Hereâs a checklist. General stuff (should be obvious): âą Take the sails off, fold and bag them and store in a nice warm basement, get them washed if needed. âą Strip the running gear, standing rig and spars. âą Remove the anchor and rode so that you can clean out all the Maine mud in the chain locker. âą Drain the tanks and flush the hoses of all the fluids. Then pour in some marine/RV safe antifreeze to displace any fluids trapped in low sections of the hoses. âą Remove all the food and other stuff that bugs and mice like to eat when youâre not there. âą Take all the shoes, clothes, blankets, pillows and other things that will hold moisture and possibly mildew over the winter, home for a good washing. Normal stuff (but not so obvious): âą Change the engine oil. Donât leave acids that are a product of combustion in your engine. âą Add fuel stabilizer to the fuel to cut down moisture absorption and prevent corrosion. âą Top off the fuel tank(s) to minimize the moisture that gets into the tank during temperature swings. âą Check the engine antifreeze. It doesnât last forever. If more than 5 years old it could be creating corrosion problems for your cooling system. âą Shut down the engine while spraying fogging oil into the intake. âą Drain the salt water side of the engineâs cooling system. âą Pull the impeller from the raw water pump. Lightly lubricate the interior of the pump. âą Drain the salt water side of the heat exchanger. Check the zinc. âą After the boat is out of the water open all the thru hull valves so that any water trapped inside the valve can drain out. Freezing water inside the valve can ruin it. âą Drain the salt water out of the muffler if you use a water lift-type muffler as most of us do. âą Put a rag or ball into the outboard end of the exhaust pipe. Stick a rag or ball into the air intake. This greatly reduces the amount of moisture that gets into the engine. âą Pour some marine/RV antifreeze into the deck drains or any other place where water may accumulate and freeze. SAVE THE DATES! The 2020 FSS Homecoming Rendezvous and Regatta will be held in Rockland, ME from Thursday, July 16 through Saturday, July 18. The Southwest Harbor Race and potluck will be held on Saturday, July 11. We hope to see as many boats as possible at both events, so mark those calendars and start dream- ing of summer sailing! Squirrel Island By Judy Heininger On a windy overcast Saturday, with rain forecast for the afternoon, Ted and I decided to leave Black Star on her mooring in Boothbay and go for an excursion on the mail boat to Squirrel Island. MV Novelty (part of Balmy Day Cruises) departs Pier 8, right by the Boothbay town dock, a few times a day. This isnât just any mail boat; on the way to Squirrel passen- gers are given a narrated tour of the harbor and beyond. After a refreshing and blustery sea-sprayed ride at the front of the upper deck, we disembarked and started our walk around the island, which, we were told, would take about an hour. This gave us plenty of time to be back to the dock to catch the next scheduled departure back to town. We chose to go counterclockwise, and headed along the sturdy boardwalk, in among the houses along the western shore. It was a little startling to see how close the boardwalk goes to the front or back doors of some of the houses. We did not see many people, as most of the summer folks had gone. The houses are over 100 years old, unique and well cared for, and it was easy to imagine how lovely it would be to spend oneâs holiday in one of these large cottages. The boardwalk ends about halfway around the island, as do most of the houses, and turns into a well-worn footpath in the woods along the shore. On this day the only vessel in view was a small gaff-rigged sloop with red sails, which was coming through Fishermanâs Passage. She was close-hauled and working hard in the 20+ knot southwesterly and seas, and took a couple of tacks to fetch the Cuckolds. We made our way to the north end of the island, found our way down to the beautiful white sand beach and ate our lunch. The walk back to the dock took us past the community vegetable garden, a large common green, and tennis courts. We stopped in at the post office, which also has a small museum in a room to one side, which was well worth a walk through. This was the perfect thing to do on an otherwise uneventful day in Boothbay. It was lovely to see some of the houses up close, and an excellent place to stretch our legs. On the trip back to town the captain brought the boat through the cut to the east of Tumbler Island. We enjoyed the ability to see so much more of the houses and shoreline from the upper deck, a vantage one might gain from the cross trees of a sloop. – 6 – Bill & Caroline Zuber, far right, entertaining aboard Gladiator #71. (Bill Finch photo)
2019 Annual Meeting Summary By Nancy Toppan, Recording Secretary Commodore Diane Fassak called the meeting to order on November 23 and welcomed everyone. She introduced Vice- Commodores Victor and Nancy Goulding, and members Greg and Jamie Ross attending their first Annual Meeting. The many past commodores and honorary members present were acknowl- edged. Diane asked for a moment of silence to honor Jarvis Newman and Charlie Burnham who had passed away in the last year, and to remember other FSS members who have passed. The Secretaryâs and Treasurerâs reports were accepted as presented: âą The Annual Meeting summary from 2018 was published in the January 2019 newsletter. âą Greg Merrill, Treasurer, reported that the 2019-2020 budget was based on 2018-2019 numbers with a 3% increase in most items. The past yearâs budget broke even on revenues vs. expenses, and the Society has a reasonable contingency balance in the bank. The 2020 budget was unanimously accepted. George Hagerty, Yearbook editor, reported that the 2019 Yearbook had made a profit and included more pages due to the many excellent articles submitted. He also noted that the number of pages in the Yearbook is contingent on advertising revenues and urged members to ask their marine-related businesses to consider advertising. Peter Toppan, advertising chair, said that several of his contractors would continue as advertisers next year, but that may not continue beyond 2020 after Peter retires, making new advertising partners all the more important. In a review of the Rockland Homecoming Regatta, it was noted that Kirsten Cronin has again agreed to organize the Saturday awards dinner for 2020, and that at its last meeting, the Executive Committee voted to raise the dinner price to $15.00 to better cover costs. Members present agreed with the increase. Other regular committee reports were presented, discussed at length, and accepted. These included Membership, Registrar, Trophy, Scholarship, Southwest Harbor Race, and Rockland Races; most appear in detail elsewhere in this issue. Caroline Zuber updated the group on the progress of the FSS archival space in the Friendship Museum, which is on schedule to have electricity and heat by the end of this winter. Non-racing trophies were awarded and are listed in the full trophy report on page 9. A discussion was held about the possibility of publish- ing a large âcoffee tableâ type photo book of Friendship sloops to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of the FSS. Members were enthusiastic and voted to budget $1000 toward initial layout and publishing costs of this venture. George Hagerty will be involved, and will recruit other interested members (see Yearbook article page 8). After the meeting was adjourned, the winners of the silent auction were announced and there was a spirited live auction with Bill Whitney calling the shots. Enlarged, framed racing sloop photographs by Bill Finch and 2 bottles of wine made by David Merrill were among the hot items. Cocktails and a buffet dinner followed as members and guests reconnected, visited and enjoyed old and new friendships. The complete minutes will be available on the website in 2020. Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund By Phil Pratt In the 1968 FSS yearbook, Bill Pendleton announced the creation of the Friendship Sloop Society Scholarship Fund (todayâs Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund), stating that âthe hope is that this Fund will grow and that subsequent years will see much more available for annual awards.â In 2019 the Trustees of the Fund proudly awarded $3500 each to five high school seniors pursuing a post- secondary education, and $1800 to each of four high school graduates continuing their post-secondary educations. The total of $24,700 shattered the previous dollar record of $14,200 set in 2018. Recipients were: Graduates: Eli McCollett Southern Maine Community College Nathan Roberts University of Maine – Augusta Olivia Jenkins Unity College Olivia Sevon Unity College Lydia Simmons Mt. Allison College Continuing Education: Cassidy E. Benner Kennebec Valley Comm. College Alexia N. Hilt University of Maine Sierra Weeks University of Maine – Augusta Riley J. McCollett University of New England The Trustees of the Fund want to again extend a huge âThank Youâ to Irv Lash. Irv donated two mounted half hulls of a 37â Friendship sloop to the Fund, one to be raffled at the Friendship Sloop Homecoming in Rockland, and one at the annual Friendship Day celebration. These two events generated a total of $520 to be used for scholarships and Fund expenses. The Fund depends greatly on individual contributions. Gifts to the Fund are fully tax deductible and checks should be made out to the Maine Community Foundation, with âFREN-for distributionâ written on the memo line (very important!). Mail to Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund, Maine Community Foundation, 235 Main St., Ellsworth, ME 04605. For more information about the Fund, gifts, and qualifi- cations to receive a scholarship, please contact Phil Pratt at 207-832-4335, or P.O. Box 129, Friendship, ME 04547, or davisloop100@gmail.com. – 7 – Inherit the Wind, Rights of Man, Sazerac, Jabberwocky and Tannis beating toward the first mark, captured perfectly by Bill Finch.
Messing About With Dick Salter (Continued from Page 1) years of sailing adventures, including many cruises to Friendship to race in the Homecoming regattas. Dickâs âday jobâ during these years and beyond was as an engineer and scientist for the US Department of Defense, which involved extensive travel. Dickâs involvement with the FSS began immediately with ownership of Old Baldy in 1972. He was a regular at the races and served as Commodore in 1985-86, and he has been a member of the Race Committee for nearly 20 years. His first Grand Banks trawler served as the RC boat for many years, and Dick now cruises to Maine annually on his 28-foot lobster boat Messing About, which functions as a patrol and safety vessel during the races in Rockland and Southwest Harbor. He performs thorough and free US Coast Guard Vessel Safety Checks for any interested skippers. Dick has created and built two trophies for the Society; the Liberty Trophy for the first Div. 2 bald-headed sloop, and the beloved Messing About Trophy, for a person who truly loves spending time with Friendship sloops. For 32 years, Dick has organized and hosted the annual Friends of Friendships Christmas party, a warm gathering that brings old and new members and friends together. He has held a 100-ton USCG license, spent 8 years in the Naval Reserves, and is a life member of the US Power Squadron. Since selling Liberty, Dick has had a series of cruising power boats, nearly all aptly named Messing About. He lost Alice, his wife and First Mate of 50 years in 2011, and sold his home in Manchester, but continues to be sustained by his love of boats: fixing, buying, selling, surveying, tinkering, delivering, cruising, and generally messing about in them. Perhaps Dick Salterâs greatest contribution to the FSS has been his steadfast dedication over so many years. Since 1972, he has missed only three Homecoming regattas. Dick consistently âshows upâ; he attends, volunteers, contributes, participates, supports and shares his knowledge and extensive experience. His efforts have been rewarded over the years with lifelong friendships and associations with a unique and similarly generous group of like-minded people, linked together by Friendships and a shared passion for âmessing about in boats.â Friendship Fleet Safety By Bill Whitney A new âSafetyâ position was created by the Executive Committee at the October 2019 meeting. The Safety Represen- tative will function as part of the Race Committee and will act as a point of contact for the membership to address safety concerns and provide resources when available. RC member Bill Whitney, owner of Gaivota #214, has volunteered to be our Safety Rep. In order to build a resource pool he is asking all members to go through their life jacket (PFD) inventory and donate unused and/or outgrown PFDs that can be used as loaners for guests that may be invited aboard our sloops during the races. Childrenâs sizes will be particularly welcome. Bill can also provide mechanical and electrical inspec- tions and advice on how to address issues with the other systems on your boat. RC member Dick Salter has also volunteered to provide free Vessel Safety Checks in Rockland for those who want to cover the entire boat, and will provide a sticker, recog- nized by the US Coast Guard, as evidence of successfully completing the inspection. The inspection is designed to help owners comply with current national and local regulations, by making sure you have what you need on board to deal with a potential emergency. The inspection sticker may also help you avoid citations or fines, should the Coast Guard board your vessel for an inspection. Yearbook Deadline and a New Project for 2020 FSS Yearbook Editor George Hagerty has announced a deadline of April 1, 2020 for any articles, stories, illustrations, photographs, poetry or other submissions to our wonderful Yearbook. Every spring the FSS prints 4500 copies of the Yearbook for free distribution along the New England coast, and narratives of sailing adventures (or misadventures), finding, buying, building or repairing sloops, fun (or not-so-fun) times had with family or friends, history, or just about anything pertaining to Friendship sloops are welcomed and encouraged. The Yearbook is the primary way the FSS spreads the gospel about Friendship sloops, providing education and inspira- tion to people familiar with the sloops and those who have had no exposure. Your literary and artistic contributions are critical in keeping the Yearbook well-rounded, interesting, and rich in content, and winter is a great time to rehash boating memories or dream of future ones. Submit articles, photos, ideas or questions to George at editor@fss.org or ghagerty@usart.com. Also in the works is a new photo book project to celebrate the upcoming 60th year of the FSS. George asks all members to email their top 5 Friendship sloop photos to him, with caption, year and photo credit in JPEG or PDF format to either email address above. Mail any hard copy prints to George Hagerty, 646 Central St., Stoughton, MA 02072. Use stiff card stock to prevent bending, and include the correct sized self- addressed, self-stamped envelope for return mailing. – 8 – Jabberwocky #189 drifting past the Rockland Light. Owner Craig Snyder made his first Homecoming appearance. (Bill Finch photo)
âA Tale of Friendshipsâ John Wojcik Seamanship, fun and safety Donald L. Huston John Fassak for Outstanding contribution to the Yearbook Bruce Morang Award Freedom Schwartz, Owners of Boatsâ Richard & Karen Person who truly loves âMessing About in Messing About Penny Richards Good natured contributions to FSS Omaha Bill Finch Person contributing to FSS traditions Bancroft Not presented during Homecoming Greatest gaff in boat handling Post Office Dick Salter Person or boat who has overcome adversity Ray of Hope John & Carole Wojcik Skipper who exemplifies FSS spirit Spirit of Friendship Celebration Wally Merrill on Youngest crew member Nickerson Adrienne Major Woman who keeps sloop and crew together Chrissy after several years’ absence Not presented Skipper who returns to Homecoming Cy Hamlin Petrel Sloop who sailed the farthest to Homecoming Gladiator Jabberwocky New owner-builder who sails to Homecoming Owner – Builder Marcia Morang Outstanding contribution to FSS Stanley Cup Non Racing Trophies: Jabberwocky 1st Division 2 bald-headed sloop Liberty Hegira 1st Pemaquid sloop Jarvis Newman Gladiator 7th overall Tannis Award Lady M Middle of the fleet Danforth the “correct” buoy Sazerac Skillful Class A crew retrieving Rum-Line Sazerac 2nd in Class A Charles Morse Gladiator 1st in Class A Wilbur Morse Hegira Overall Regatta Winner State of Maine Petrel 3rd Place Division 1 Lash Brothers Salatia 2nd Place Division 1 Bruno & Stillman Hegira 1st Place Division 1 (sloops < 27 feet) Herald Jones Gladiator 3rd Place Division 2 Homecoming Jabberwocky 2nd Place Division 2 Gordon Winslow Tannis 1st Place Division 2 (sloops > 27 feet) Commodore’s Racing Trophies: 2019 RECIPIENT GIVEN FOR TROPHY NAME – 9 –
Friendship Sloop Society 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 Address Correction Service Requested New Trophy Committee Guidelines Trophies are awarded for both racing and non-racing awards at both the Homecoming and Annual Meeting. Most of these are not permanent trophies and are presented to the winner to hold for one year. These must be returned to the Society in a timely manner as described below. Upon presentation the winner will be told if the trophy is one that must be returned. As a new policy, the Trophy Committee will present a note to the winners of trophies that must be returned the follow- ing year. Here is suggested language for that note: Congratulations on your award! We are pleased for you and hope you enjoy displaying this recognition of your achievement. This trophy is yours to keep for one year. You must return it to this same event next year. If appropriate to do so, please engrave your name on it, following the example of previ- ous winners. Please return it in good condition, to include dusting, cleaning, or polishing; in other words, return it as you would like to receive it. If you cannot attend the event next year, it will be your responsibility to deliver the trophy to someone who can return it on your behalf, or to ship it (at your expense, and insured) to the next winner. We will notify you of that recipientâs name and shipping address. Again, our hearty congratulations! The FSS Trophy Committee – 10 – It was the best of times… John & Diane Fassak launched Westwind #95 after a 39 year odyssey. Here she sits afloat in East Boothbay, pumping and looking lovely. (Diane Fassak photo)
– 11 – All photos courtesy of Bill Finch Petrel #144 (left) with Bill Lunquist at the helm, and #193 Lady M and her skipper Martin Thomas, enjoy perfect conditions on day two in Rockland. Four Division 2 sloops led by #71 Gladiator rounding the first mark in a light breeze. The smaller Division 1 sloops are in hot pursuit, seen off Gladiatorâs bow. Whistling up the wind, Sazerac #44, owned by Steve and Adrienne Major and family, ghosts along in light air. Blackjack #19 flying along with John Cronin at the helm, following a 3 year restoration at Rocklandâs Museum of Sail, Power and Steam. She was built circa 1900. The Cronin family gathers under the tent in an emotional remembrance of Mary Cronin who died in 2018. Members of the Cronin family sail Tannis #7 and Rights of Man #52 to Homecoming annually, and always pitching in, crew and skipper on many other Friendships during the races.
