FROM THE COMMODORE’S CABIN Ahoy all Sloopers and crews! This is your Commodore speaking! For those of you who don’t know me, I am the current steward of the Friendship sloop Gladiator, built in 1902 by Alexander McLain on Bremen Long Island in Muscongus Bay, for Capt. Daniel Simmons. She was licensed for the Fisheries until 1927 and then was turned into a pleasure craft, making her way to the mid-Atlantic states and purchased by my father Bill Zuber in 1967. He had become a member of the Friendship Sloop Society in 1965, and was Commodore from 1987-89. By our research, I am the fifth owner of this classic American sailing craft. I was literally born and bred into the Friendship Sloop Society and have now officially become your Commodore. Over the years I have seen the FSS race in Friendship and sailed with and against such skippers as Roger Duncan, Ernie Wiegleb, Al Beck, and Jarvis Newman, as well as John Gould, Al Roberts, and Bernie MacKenzie. Those were the “golden years”, with upwards of 50 sloops at the gatherings, with schooners and yachts and even Presidents coming to see. Then it was on to Boothbay, as Friendship felt overrun with the size of the festivities, and the races continued. The Homecoming seemed to dwindle in the summer hub-bub of Boothbay, and fewer sloops came as the event turned more into a race at the Yacht Club, rather than a Friendship sloop Regatta and Homecoming. In 1994 the Society was looking for a new home, as the Boothbay Yacht Club wanted the time for another event, and our numbers were dwindling even more. The City of Rockland welcomed us with the idea that our event might grow to what it once was in Friendship, and for a few years it did. But as we all know, economics and time take their toll, and then we were struck with a Pandemic. Doldrums for ALL! It is time for a SEA CHANGE, I SAY! It is with great pride and excitement that I get to announce that the City of Rockland is planning a multi-day “Rockland Maritime Heritage Days” festival that will feature the FSS and our Homecoming events and races. The Race Commit- tee and I are involved in the planning meetings, as this will be the ‘First Annual’. The Rockland Main Street, Inc. business group wants to make this the premier festival of the summer for the weekend of OUR REGATTA, July 18 – 20, 2024. The goal is to involve many of the businesses of Rockland, and to provide educational booths, interactive maritime vendors, food, music and even a “Dockside Dance” after our Awards Ceremony on Saturday night! This is to be a real celebration of Maine’s maritime history featuring the Friendship sloop as the backbone of the Maine coastal trade during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s! Therefore, I am calling on ALL OF YOU to plan to do your best to get you and your vessels to Rockland in July to help kick off this inaugural maritime festival, and really put our best foot forward in support of the City of Rockland. The City is going all-out to make this a truly significant maritime celebration with events to be enjoyed by all types of boat nuts like us that love clipper bows, deadeyes and pine tar! This is going to be three days of fun, education and celebration, not just a boat race. My hope is that some of you sloopers that haven’t come to Rockland in a while, might make the effort to be part of the festivities, and really make it something great for us all. Your involvement will help us grow our own Society and hopefully preserve the Charter handed down to us by the founding members. Come by land or by sea! As the organizing moves forward and meetings progress, I will be posting updates on the FSS Facebook page and Website. I am putting out the challenge, and I can’t wait to see you all in July! Andy Zuber, FSS Commodore Volume 36 Winter 2024 FSS.ORG Issue 1 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society 1 From left, Gladiator, Noel and Tannis looking for a little more wind. (Bill Finch photo)

Victor W. Goulding March 17, 1946 – September 17, 2023 FSS Commodore Victor Goulding passed away at his family home in Lincolnville, ME this fall after a short but coura- geous battle with cancer. Vic grew up in Holyoke, MA and spent his life there with frequent summer trips to Lincolnville on the shores of West Penobscot Bay. He earned degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering and spent his career in various pursuits, including draftsman, mechanic, instrumentation specialist and foreman, working mainly for Monsanto, then after ‘retirement’ for a regional power plant. Through his lifetime Vic had many interests and passions. He loved tinkering with cars and all things mechanical; he was an avid pool player, and a waterskier and sailor. He was involved in his church, the Boy Scouts, the Holyoke Senior Center, and several civic organizations. Vic’s published obituary captured his essence beautifully: “In whatever way he was in someone’s life, there were some constants. Vic was a clever, kind and patient person who endeavored to do all things with integrity. He was a shining example of Yankee ingenuity and a natural teacher. He was a man of not necessarily many words but an abundance of dad jokes. He was generous with his time, his offers to help and his easy going smile”. Vic’s greatest joys were spending time at the Lincolnville home and sharing his passions and interests with the people he loved. Vic is pictured below in his Friendship sloop Inherit the Wind #156 which he had renamed after purchasing the boat as Namaste in 2014. He was an enthusiastic participant at the Rockland Homecomings and races, attending every year until this past summer, and loved taking friends and family members sailing. He and his wife Nancy were elected as FSS Commo- dores in 2022 and served in that capacity until he became ill. Vic is survived by Nancy, with whom he shared a life of 55 years, two children and numerous loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He is greatly missed by those who had the good fortune to spend time with Vic. Highlights of the FSS Annual Meeting November 18, 2023, South Portland, ME By Penny Richards, Recording Secretary (Many topics covered at the meeting appear in this issue as separate reports) Acting Commodore Andy Zuber opened the meeting at 3:00 PM and asked for a moment of silence in memory of Commodore Victor Goulding who passed away in September. Penny Richards was nominated and elected Recording Secretary. New owners Skip and Nancy Batchelder (#28 Leah – previously Schoodic) were introduced. Co-Commodore Nancy Goulding introduced Jeff Beck, a new member who sailed Inherit the Wind during Victor’s illness this summer. She has given him a Society membership. Kathe Walton’s minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting were accepted as written. Greg Merrill’s Treasurer report was discussed at length. The Society’s bank balance is down $2,200 from the end of 2022. While several areas of revenue have increased, including membership dues, Chandlery income ($1,500 profit!) and the Awards Banquet dinner, we lost $400 on the Yearbook with a 5% drop in ad revenue, and Homecoming expenses have soared, including liability insurance, tent rental, dockage and a steep newly instituted Waterfront Park usage fee. Short-term belt tightening strategies were discussed and will be implemented for 2024. Membership dues will increase by another $5 in 2025 and members will be encouraged to make an additional gift with their renewal, now that donations are fully tax-deductible. Donations made by the FSS to four local museums and the Friendship Scholarship Fund will be cut 50% from $1,600 to $800. The Yearbook Bulletin Board fee will increase to $25. The Homecoming registration fee will jump to $100, skippers’ gifts will be eliminated, and the cost of RC lunches will be trimmed. Andy Zuber offered his garage in Friendship for storage of race paraphernalia, eliminating the cost of a rental unit. Any of these changes can be reversed as the financial picture of the Society improves. The 2024 budget as presented reflects the $5 dues increase initiated last year for sloop owners, full and co-op members, and assumes that membership numbers remain stable. It also projects a break-even Yearbook budget and that the Chandlery will bring in $1,000 in profit. Greg and several others continue to search for a less expensive insurance carrier. Website manager John Wojcik reported that we have 1,300 people on our Facebook page and need someone to manage it and ideally start and manage an Instagram account. New member Jeff Beck offered to help with both. Dennis Whitney is on board to assist with Website upgrade development and management. Rich Langton thanked the many members who were involved in the Yearbook distribution network and will get books to anyone who may wish to help. George Hagerty presented the yearbook advertising report from Peter Toppan. At the Executive Committee’s suggestion, George and Peter plan a 20% increase for ad prices. They project income of $6,830, up $1,260. Peter reserves the right to negotiate an acceptable compromise rather than lose a current advertiser. (Continued to Page 8) – 2 –

Membership Report By Carole Wojcik FSS membership remained relatively stable in 2023 with 231 members. There are 150 full members (107 of whom are sloop owners), 67 co-op members, 11 complimentary members, all of whom are new sloop owners, and three honorary members, including Dick Salter who was voted in unanimously at the Annual Meeting. New Members: Melissa Oliver of Bedford, NH has recently joined the Society, and Braman Cronin, the son of Bill Cronin & Cynthia Pendleton of Charlton, MA is also a new member. Recent Passings: Kent Murphy, builder and past owner of the Ollie M #152, passed away on October 17 at the age of 93 in Chatham, MA. Ken launched his sloop in 1977 and owned her until 2000. He participated in many of the Society’s Homecomings during those years. Bob Monk, former owner of #112 Secret, passed away in August also at the age of 93. Bob owned Secret from 1981 to 1995 and raced a number of years at Homecomings in Boothbay and Friendship. He is survived by his wife Betty. Dr. Joe Griffin of Damariscotta, ME passed away in July at the age of 89. Joe was the owner of sloop #10 Mary Anne which he purchased in 1969. I have received the following notes from our members: Morgan Hendry and Elizabeth Lewis, owners of #160 Defiance sent the following: “2024 will be the 50th year that we have owned Defiance. She was built on Westport Island in 1972 / 1973 and spent the first few years moored in the Sheepscott River before moving to the Gut between Southport Island and Boothbay. Now we enjoy sailing in Johns Bay from Pemaquid Harbor where we have a very protected mooring. We have added a double headsail rig and roller reef furling for both jib and staysail. Defiance handles much better with less weather helm with the additional sail on the bow. We don’t venture as far but still enjoy sailing in the lower area of Muscongus Bay.” Arieyeh and Barbara Austin of Leavenworth, KS, owner of #178 Nesaru updated us with the following: “Just a quick note: Colonel Arieyeh J. Austin has retired from the U.S. Army as of May, 2022. Nesaru has been nestled back in at Perry Lake, KS since 2018. She is by far the most beautiful boat on our lake. On most days we “pirate”, keeping motor boaters on their toes in all the coves with frisbee and water balloon wars. Hoping to make an east coast trip one day and meet other boat owners.” DUES REMINDER: If you have not yet paid your dues for 2024, it’s not too late. Send a check made out to the FSS ($40 for owners/full members, $30 for co-op members) to Carole Wojcik at 347 Lincoln St., Norwell, MA 02061. We’re counting on you! Registrar’s Report By John Wojcik The total number of registered sloops for the year 2023 remains at 285. No sloops have been added to the registry and there have been no reports of any being destroyed or lost. Greg Michaud of Falmouth, ME has recently purchased #284 Priscilla from Steve Erskine of Wiscasset, ME. Steve completed building the 22’ sloop in 2016 and it was originally named Elysium. The sloop will be sailing out of Falmouth, ME. Drake Reid has recently acquired #24 Tern from Jaxon Vibber of Connecticut. Drake is currently a freshman cadet at Maine Maritime Academy. He is a graduate of Tabor Academy where he was the Executive Officer of the academy’s schooner Tabor Boy. Drake will be rebuilding the sloop. Garrett Eisele of Hope, ME has purchased #184 Perseverance from Denis Paluch of Chicago. She is a 27’ sloop built in 1963 by the Simms Yacht Yard. The sloop has been in Maine for a number of years undergoing a restoration which was never completed. Garrett is the business partner of Tim Clark of Clark & Eisele Traditional Boatbuilding out of Lincolnville, ME. George Hagerty and Jacki Elgar have purchased #144 Petrel from Bill Lundquist of Falmouth, MA. George and Jacki currently own #54 Echo. Petrel will now be homeported in Wickford, RI. #259 Duchess, a 28’ sloop built in 1992 and chartered in Boston Harbor for a number of years, has been sold to Rabbi Netanel Reed who oversees a congregation in Jersey City, NJ. The sloop was renamed Providence, and during the trip from Scituate, MA to NYC in late June she was dismasted in Buzzards Bay when the weather turned foul. Providentially indeed, all the spars, fittings and sails were recovered by a local research vessel, and with a bit of sleuthing by some local traditional boat lovers, were ultimately reunited with the sloop and her new owner. Rabbi Reed plans to build new spars and Providence will reside in NYC. – 3 – From left, Hegira #230, Celebration #227, Gladiator #71 and Freedom #167 make their way around the course in 2023 as the wind finally picks up. (Bill Finch photo)

Marlinespike Seamanship By Ted Walsh Boat Hooks Twenty years ago, sailing into Great Island Boatyard in building winds and with a dead engine, we saw that we were in luck. The three outermost moorings were open. We could round up on the outermost one and if we missed it, we could fall off and try for the next in line. We would have three chances. We missed all three and had to throw out the anchor at the last minute. There were multiple reasons we missed the pickups, but one of the most signifi- cant was an inadequate boat hook. There are all kinds of boat hooks available; wood with metal heads, a simple fisherman’s gaff, aluminum with plastic heads, there is even one made in the U.K that is made of some sort of composite wonder material that rolls up. Whatever your choice, make sure that it floats. This is one of those tools that can easily get dropped overboard. A good boat hook is a critical piece of gear and many of the better ones, those with a bronze headpiece and wooden shaft that are sold in marine stores, are too short. With our high clipper bows and the network of footropes and whisker stays, reaching the water with a short boathook can be at best frustrating and at worst simply unworkable. A bronze head on a long piece of closet pole works well, but a long boat hook needs to be stored somewhere. We have found that the shrouds are the best place on our boat. The illustrations show how I made the two bronze eyes that hold our long boat hook. If you have a method that works for you, then I would stick with that, but for us, this has been a good solution, the boat hook is easily reached from the foredeck and is out of the way the rest of the time. If you are looking for more information on what kind of boat hook to choose, there is probably no better missive on the subject than an article entitled The Proper Boat Hook, by Jon Wilson with Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat magazine, issue number 71, page 25. – 4 –

RC News: A New Chapter By Rich Langton, RC Chair Our Rockland Homecoming in 2023 included three days of racing with a total of 14 boats registered. The wind was rather light this year, and two of the races ran up against the time limit set to complete the course. We miraculously avoided fog and foul weather and all went relatively smoothly, even after some confusion as to which mark the Division II sloops were heading for following the first cannon blast. One of the most important aspects of our Homecoming is the comradery of sailing together as part of the Friendship sloop fleet, and the overall event certainly registered as a success in that regard. This year’s winners in Division I included Celebration in first place followed by Salatia and Banshee. In Division II Tannis captured first place with Lady M and Rights of Man taking second and third respectively. A complete list of all trophy recipients appears on page 9. The year 2023 saw some major changes on the Race Committee, with Rich Langton officially taking over as Chair from our longtime helmsman David Graham. Rich has been Dave’s understudy for a few years, but this year it was all his call. In addition, RC stalwart Dick Salter, who has for years come on his boat Messing About and has set our racing marks, couldn’t make the trip by sea but arrived instead via Maine’s highways. We were fortunate enough to recruit Rob Armstrong and his boat Miss Linda. Rob, his wife Linda and our own Tech Tips Guy, Bill Whitney, set the race course marks. Rob and Linda also participated as a safety vessel for the three days of racing. Once again Peter Clapp brought his handsome Aesta- mare to serve as our RC boat, and Jack and Jeff Cronin on the Effie M set the marks in Handicap Alley. Although Dave Graham had stepped down from his role as the RC Chair, he continued as our official timer. Dick Campbell, Fred Lincoln and Beth Langton rounded out the Race Committee crew and were indispensable in our efforts to complete three days of safe and enjoyable racing. These changes on the RC are, however, only the begin- ning of what may be a new chapter for our Rockland Homecom- ing event. This winter, Commodore Andy Zuber and RC Chair Rich Langton, together with others on our Executive Committee, will be meeting with representatives from the Rockland Chamber of Commerce and Rockland Maine Street, Inc. to discuss how our Friendship Sloop Homecoming will fit into a larger multi- day Maritime Heritage festival. Everything is in the discussion and planning phase as I write this, but there is talk of a drone overflight filming the races, possible live broadcasting of the races and activities to a large screen TV on shore, and a leader’s board to track who’s where on the course! Sorry, no onshore betting to further ‘up the excitement’, at least for this coming year! This new waterfront Maritime festival will allow us to enjoy our traditional three days of racing, visiting and sharing ideas, while being a dynamic part of a much larger celebration aimed at engaging the public in events focused on Maine’s maritime history, including our Regatta activities and spreading the word about our classic Friendship sloops…. Stay tuned! Southwest Harbor Rendezvous 2023 By Caroline Cronin Phillips This year in Southwest Harbor we had a smaller fleet compared to years past, but those who participated enjoyed themselves immensely! At the morning skippers’ meeting it was very foggy and misting off and on, much as it had been for the entire month of July. Everyone was hoping for “just one day of sun, please!” Former race organizer Miff Lauriat looked at his weather app and looked at me and I predicted “It will clear up in time to race!” praying silently that it would. Well, noontime came and suddenly the fog lifted, the sun came out and we had a beautiful day of racing! The wind was flighty, as it often is, but my mantra that day and during the races in Rockland the follow- ing week was: “It’s not foggy, it’s not raining, the sun is out, I’m on the water sailing and not at work. It’s a great day!” In the end, Gladiator came out with the victory followed by Banshee and Hegira. We had a fantastic dinner at the MDI Lobster and Barbecue following the race. A huge THANK YOU is owed to Kathe and Dan Walton and Rick Phillips for running the race committee boat. I hope to see more Friendships and more friends next year in Southwest. The date is Saturday, July 13 (before the Rockland Homecoming). Please stay tuned for developing details on the Rockland events as it looks like a new Maritime festival is shaping up with Friendship sloops on center stage. Please check your calendars and try to join us in South- west Harbor as well as Rockland. If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or just want to chat, please email me at cphillips0503@charter.net or call or text my cell phone at (774) 200-0506. – 5 – Owner Steve Hughes waves from the cockpit of Osprey #139 while maneuvering through the moorings prior to the South- west Harbor race. (Kathe Newman Walton photo)

Tech Tips: Winter Maintenance By Bill Whitney With all the news circulating about political candidates these days, I thought it would be a good idea to start thinking about candidates for maintenance this winter. What needs to be accomplished now so that launching in the spring is a little less stressful? One of the problems with putting a maintenance list together is the tendency to list all the things that caused problems last summer. That’s legitimate; something broke, it should be high up on the list. But wait! What about all the other stuff that should be addressed? If something worked quietly in the background, never squeaked or groaned, flapped or fluttered, arced or sputtered would you pay any attention to it? Probably not, but you probably should. I fully agree with the old adage “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” but you need to know the condition of things on your boat. A self-survey is an opportunity to minimize expense and labor by assessing maintenance needs. Looking at things and applying little fixes can prevent major, potentially expensive fixes later. This is called preventative maintenance. Having a routine schedule for inspecting things allows you to identify items that are starting to deteriorate. They may not be at the point of failure yet but it gives you a chance to see what’s happening and prioritize where it fits into your maintenance efforts. A big issue with boat maintenance is the scope of the things to think about. I find it easier to start with a checklist divided into “critical” and “non-critical” items. The best way to ensure our boats go into the water and perform well in the spring is to complete as much as you can of the critical maintenance while the boat is out of the water. Once back in the water, some things are far more difficult or impossible to maintain. What are these “critical” maintenance items? Let’s list what I think they may be. Your list may differ a little as it’s all somewhat boat dependent. CRITICAL MAINTENANCE: Rig inspection is a lot easier to do while the mast is down. Components of the standing rigging are critical to keeping the mast where it belongs and allowing the sails to take proper shape. These include chain plates, deadeyes and lanyards, turnbuckles, head stays, whisker stays and bobstays, shrouds and leathers, and mast wedges. Look for evidence of corrosion, wear or elongation of machined holes, cracks forming around high stress areas, and broken strands of wire (fish hooks). If any galvanized wire has been wormed, parceled and served, is the service in good condi- tion; is there any evidence of rust? Anything you find should be added to the worklist and prioritized based on what other discrepancies you uncover. When inspecting the running rigging, carefully check your blocks (many, many blocks!), the main, jib and staysail sheets, all the halyards, reefing lines and outhauls. Look for lines that might be worn in areas where they run over a sheave or rub on something. After 10 or so years that section of line might be getting a little tired. A good strategy is to end-for-end it to put the worn section at the other, less critical end of the line. The anchor rode is another good candidate for critical inspection. Given that it spends time in salt water and gets put away wet while attached to a metallic thimble, the probability for corrosion is high. One problem is that the oxidized metal flakes can get into the strands of the line and act like shark’s teeth, weakening it significantly, sometimes to the point of destruction. This is a great time to pull all the anchor rode out of the locker, take a look and clean off all the mud! For spars, the mast is obviously the most critical spar that needs to be inspected regularly. While it is down take a close look at its entire length inch by inch! Check for splits, checks, rot, worn spots, chafing, and lifting paint or varnish. Carefully examine all the fittings including blocks, brackets, gooseneck, anchor light, VHF antenna and mount and the cranse fitting at the masthead. Rot can be difficult to find, especially under painted surfaces. Look for rot at the mast’s heel and in areas near the bottom of any checks. Other areas to inspect closely are around screw fastenings that may not have been sealed and holes where a line is routed through a spar such as the end of the gaff or bowsprit. While they are more accessible once the boat is launched, and therefore a bit less critical, the same detailed inspection of the boom, gaff, bowsprit and staysail boom (club) is warranted, again looking for wood deterioration and damage, and loose or non-functional fittings. On the gaff there are some near-critical things, like the jaws or saddle that need your attention for the simple reason that a failure will likely ruin your whole day. Check the bolts or drifts that attach the jaws to the gaff. Are they loose? If so it could indicate rot in the gaff’s core or in the jaws where you can’t see it. Don’t forget a look at the parrel beads and the boom bale, and any fittings on the bowsprit. NON-CRITICAL MAINTENANCE: Inspection items in the “sail” category are not necessar- ily non-critical but have the luxury of a warm basement or garage in which to take a close look over the winter. Don’t wait until you are bending on the sails in the spring to find the problems. It certainly doesn’t allow much time to get something fixed. Just ask any sailmaker! Look carefully and critically at the sail material on all your sails for tears, holes and worn spots. Washing is recom- mended every year or two to remove abrasive salt crystals and lessen mildew. On all your sails, check cringles and eyelets, reef points and leach lines, mast hoops, sail edges, corners and seams, and finally your sail cover. Examine any downhauls, jacklines, luff ropes and foot ropes. Last but not least take a look at all the metal work on the boat; mast bands, cranse irons, bails, gammon irons, hooks and deck hardware. If you need to replace or repair something now is the time! Don’t wait until spring! – 6 –

A Tale of Two Sloops By George Hagerty And now it’s Jacki’s turn…time to make the next 10 years about cruising to new places aboard a boat that will allow us to venture forth. This was brewing but not planned. Echo is the sweetest and kindest boat we know. We love her dearly and don’t know how to say good-bye. I’ve worked hard to care for her every need and keep her in as best ‘Bristol Fashion’ as my tired back could maintain. It was always a labor of love, and as much a joy to view her every angle on the hard as I sanded and painted the hull every year as it was to sail her. When I first acquired Echo in the winter of 2015, Harold Burnham told me that one can always have a yard do all the work but then, somehow, you miss half the fun. I knew he was right, and I enjoyed it, until I didn’t anymore. It was hard to keep going through Covid with layoffs and money tight, but I always made sure she was spanked up and ready to go and she always got splashed. Echo is perfect, and perfectly at home at sea. I innately felt she had a bit of porpoise in her snout, eagerly dancing over the waves, easily handling the swell, leaning into it when she had to, always ready, always safe, always surefooted. Headed out each journey she seemed to bristle at the time needed to get out of harbor, set sail and really begin to live in her element: the sea. But suddenly we’re not young anymore and it’s harder to crouch down below. While I should be a good enough sailor to hand her in and out of the harbor, it’s very tight and she has a long nose, so it always was helpful to have the Yamaha gas outboard to get us into the open water or return us when the wind disappeared. But that motor was sometimes funky so in her infinite wisdom, after my studying electric motors for a few seasons and whining, Jacki said, “just do it.” So, we bought a Torqeedo and never looked back. Quiet, fumeless, and instanta- neously powerful, it was the best thing we ever did. Now, after eight years we are finding ourselves hamstrung and only able to go day sailing. Rightly or wrongly, we want more, and poor little Echo at 22 feet can’t help us. I would never let myself put a hole in her bottom and likely there’s no room for an inboard anyway, so she will remain as-built without an inboard engine. As we ruminated at the end of this season it became evident it was time to start looking at larger more cruise-worthy boats with some accommodations and an engine. To me, there was nothing of any interest save for a larger Friendship sloop. I love the rig, I love the layout, and I feel it all makes sense. So, we began searching. I was worried a “Dictator” at 31 feet could be beyond my capacity – I didn’t want to overreach. Well, low and behold, within a few days of beginning to search in earnest, Peter Toppan mentioned that Petrel #144 was for sale. He sent me the two-day-old link and we were off to see her that very Saturday lying in Cataumet, MA. It’s often been said to me that one foot in a boat’s length equals the feeling of 3’ of length down below and I can say at 3’ longer than Echo and 1’ wider, Petrel is like the Titanic. We finally have more headroom, can sleep four, have a real marine head, sink, icebox, and stove – and a 13hp Wester- beke diesel. Bill Lundquist has turned Petrel into a Mercedes- Benz of a boat and it’s all very sexy (though some of the elaborate electronics give me pause…). So, I have taken to calling her “Jacki’s Boat” as this next phase of our sailing life together will be her part of the dream, and I am all on board and eager to stretch our “legs” and learn this new boat. On a side note, having joined the FSS upon buying Echo in the winter of 2015, I went to my first rendezvous in Rockland that summer of 2016. I came alone, didn’t know what to expect, and walked down the gangway to the floats to see the many sloops rafted up and tied stern-to. I walked along the line of those gorgeous boats, marveling at the differences, similarities, colors, fit and finish and yes, the different shears. I paused behind a boat that especially caught my eye – on her transom: “Petrel”! I mused to myself as the new and overeager owner of a real, honest to goodness wooden Friendship sloop that if I ever was going to have a fiberglass one, it should be Petrel. Little did I know that dreams do continue to come true. Thank you, Jacki, for continuing to support this sailing dream together and leading the way on this one – on to Block Island and beyond! PS: You get to help paint the bottom! New Directions for the FSS Website By Karen Schwartz, Publicity Committee The Publicity Committee is working with FSS member Dennis Whitney to modernize the existing FSS Website. This undertaking will focus on updating the look and feel of the exist- ing site by introducing a ‘knock-your-socks-off’ eye-catching landing page while preserving the content and historical context from the existing site! We have a lot of exciting ideas including a dynamic photo gallery, video links, boat profiles, integration with social media, a donation button and eventually an on-line Chandlery section. Dennis has graciously offered to help us with this endeavor, and it will be quite an undertaking. He is aware of the time sensitive nature of this initiative given the possible format changes to our Rockland Homecoming next summer. He is copying everything from the existing site as I write this and will soon begin building the skeleton of the new site. We don’t have all the answers yet and we will need to set priorities as we work through this process. We will be having regular conversations with Dennis over the next several weeks and will also be consulting with John Wojcik, who has diligently maintained and updated the website for the past 22 years, in order to ensure a smooth transition. Stay tuned! – 7 – Echo #54 in Narragansett Bay, RI. (George Hagerty photo)

Annual Meeting Highlights (Continued from Page 2) Andy Zuber led a lengthy discussion about plans for the 2024 FSS Homecoming becoming a central focus of Rockland’s new Maine Maritime Heritage Days celebration. There are many financial and logistical details to hash out. Andy and RC Chair Rich Langton will continue to meet with local business and civic leaders and other maritime-based organizations to help make this a successful endeavor for the City of Rockland, local businesses and the FSS, a win-win-win scenario. Our hope is that the festi- val will bring increased exposure and revenue to the FSS, increase member and sloop attendance and involvement, and decrease the expense of putting our Homecoming together. Says Andy, “The festival is going to happen. We need to get on board!” He will keep the membership updated on further developments. The nominating committee presented the following slate of officers: Andy Zuber as Commodore, Kathe Newman Walton as Vice-Commodore, Greg Merrill as Treasurer, Penny Richards as Recording Secretary and Carole Wojcik as Member- ship Secretary. The slate was approved unanimously and enthu- siastically. Caroline Zuber nominated Dick Salter for an Honorary Membership, approved wholeheartedly by the membership. Diane Fassak made a special presentation of a cannon originally from Gladiator back to her skipper, Commodore Andy Zuber. Years ago, Andy’s father Bill Zuber, skipper and owner of Gladiator, offered the cannon to the FSS Cannoneers Adrian and Pam Hooydonk, owners of Omaha. As the story is told the cannon had been used as ballast on Gladiator and would need to be rehabbed before firing. Adrian brought the cannon to Diane’s father, former Eagle owner Don Huston. He cleaned the cannon but recommended it be taken to a gunsmith for further repair as he didn’t know if it was safe to fire. The Hooydonks took it to be repaired and for a time it was used at Homecoming. Recently, Diane asked the Hooydonks if they would consider returning the cannon to Gladiator. They agreed and Diane covered the old repair bill, and with husband John lugged it to the meeting. Andy was delighted as were the others at the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 PM, the silent auction was closed and a social get together and dinner followed, with the late night Commodore’s party capping off a successful and productive Annual Meeting. Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund By Phil Pratt, Chair “The hope is that this Fund will grow and that subsequent years will see much more available for annual awards.” Thus spoke Scholarship founder Bill Pendleton in 1968 in the FSS Yearbook. It is no secret that the Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund has grown substantially over the last decade, increasing the total dollars awarded to $26,000 in 2023! Three graduating seniors pursuing further education were awarded $4,000 each, and seven students continuing their higher education were awarded $2,000 each. Comparing these numbers to awards given in 2012, with $800 each for graduating seniors and $300 each for continuing education students, one can see the Fund has been skillfully managed and directed with great benefit to the citizens of Friendship, ME. The Trustees continue to strategize about outreach, attracting more financial support, continuing the growth of the endowment and awards, and ensuring the perpetuity of the Fund and its stated goals. Watch for the 2024 Appeal in the mail, and contact John or Phil if you do not receive one. The Trustees of the Fund once again want to sincerely thank all contributors and supporters for your help in keeping the Fund growing and thriving. The Chairman and Vice Chair are always available to answer your questions & discuss your ideas. Sincerely, John Homon, Vice Chair (207) 354-0409, kwhomon@gmail.com Phil Pratt, Chairman (207) 832-4335, davisloop100@gmail.com Yearbook Deadline and Advertising Ahoy fellow FSS members! Please note that the deadline for submissions to the 2024 FSS Yearbook will be April 1 (no joke!), 2024. It’s time to start honing those creative instincts and thinking about stories, photographs, drawings, poems or anything else that’s fit to print. The Yearbook is the primary vehicle of outreach and education for the FSS and depends on your literary or artistic contributions, and advertise- ments for its success. Send your contributions to Editor George Hagerty at ghagerty646@gmail.com or editor@fss.org. He receives US mail at 646 Central St., Stoughton, MA, 02072. And speaking of advertising, it’s time to think about businesses or organizations you deal with that might be inter- ested in advertising in the Yearbook. These can be marine focused such as marinas, chandleries or yacht clubs, or restau- rants, hotels and inns, markets, retail shops or anything else. The rates are very reasonable and 4,500 copies are distributed widely in June along the northeast coast for free. It’s a great deal for businesses and for the FSS and we are always seeking new advertisers. Bring a copy with you when you pop the question so business owners can see what a great publication the FSS Yearbook is! Questions? Contact Peter Toppan at (617) 212-7009. – 8 – From left, Jeff Cronin, John Fassak, Jack Cronin and Rusty Strange admire the restored cannon returned to Gladiator at the Annual Meeting. (Laurie Raymond photo)

TROPHY NAME GIVEN FOR 2023 RECIPIENT Racing Trophies: State of Maine Overall Regatta Winner Tannis Commodore’s 1st Place Division 2 (sloops > 27 feet) Tannis Gordon Winslow 2nd Place Division 2 Lady M Homecoming 3rd Place Division 2 Rights of Man Herald Jones 1st Place Division 1 (sloops < 27 feet) Celebration Bruno & Stillman 2nd Place Division 1 Salatia Lash Brothers 3rd Place Division 1 Banshee Wilbur Morse 1st in Class A Gladiator Charles Morse 2nd in Class A Sazerac Rum-Line Skillful Class A crew retrieving Gladiator the "correct" buoy Danforth Middle of the fleet Gladiator Tannis Award 7th overall Rights of Man Jarvis Newman 1st Pemaquid sloop Celebration Liberty 1st Division 2 bald-headed sloop Rights of Man Non Racing Trophies: Stanley Cup Outstanding contribution to FSS Dick Salter Owner - Builder New owner-builder who sails to Homecoming Martin Thomas Gladiator Sloop who sailed the farthest to Homecoming Hold Tight Cy Hamlin Skipper who returns to Homecoming Hold Tight after several years' absence Chrissy Woman who keeps sloop and crew together Karen Schwartz Nickerson Youngest crew member Arabella Cronin on Tannis Spirit of Friendship Skipper who exemplifies FSS spirit Karen & Richard Schwartz Ray of Hope Person or boat who has overcome adversity Vic Goulding Post Office Greatest gaff in boat handling during Homecoming Tannis & Gladiator Bancroft Person contributing to FSS traditions Greg Merrill Omaha Good natured contributions to FSS Diane & John Fassak Messing About Person who truly loves "Messing About in Boats" George Hagerty owner of Echo & Petrel Bruce Morang Award Outstanding contribution to the Yearbook John Fassak Donald L. Huston Seamanship, fun and safety Jack Cronin Spirit of Fun Encourages spirit of fun in the fleet Andy Zuber - 9 - Address Correction Service Requested The Sloop Dirigo By Dave Graham, FSS Historian Named after the Maine state motto “I Lead”, Dirigo was built in Friendship during the early 1960s by the Lash Brothers. Dirigo was then “christened” in 1964 at the New York World’s Fair during “Maine Day” by “Miss Maine” of 1964, Ellen Warren of Kennebunk. Ellen later became a television personality in Portland on WCSH-TV, where she co-hosted the “Dave Astor Show” during the 1960s and 70s. Registered with the Friendship Sloop Society and assigned sail # 46, Dirigo participated in some of the early races at Friendship before being sold to an owner in the Erie, Pennsyl- vania area where she became a training vessel with the Bayfront Center for Maritime Studies under the name of Momentum. Sadly, Dirigo has been “on the hard” for the past few years at a yard in Erie, PA. and is presently being offered as a gift to the Town of Friendship. Town leaders are currently assessing the logistics and practicality of housing and maintain- ing this aging sloop. Friendship Sloop Society 347 Lincoln Street Norwell, MA 02061 Cynthia Pendleton, who with her husband Bill Cronin regularly sail on Freedom, tends to the sails on the foredeck. (Bill Finch photo) Light air (at times bordering on dead calm) was the common denominator for much of the racing in 2023. Here Banshee #180 on left and Salatia #90 try every trick to gain advan- tage while steering clear of each other. (Bill Finch photo) Commodores past, present and future. Diane Fassak, right, was the first female FSS Commodore. She was at the helm from 2019 through 2021 serving an extra year to guide the Society skillfully through the worst of the Covid pandemic. Nancy Goulding, left, with her late husband Vic were co-commodores until his passing in September. Kathe Walton is the newly elected Vice-Commodore and will become Commodore in two years. (Laurie Raymond photo) Freedom #167 glides by a commercial fishing boat seining for smaller baitfish in Rockland Harbor. Flat seas and a light breeze made for ideal fishing conditions…less ideal for the Friendship fleet. (Bill Finch photo) Friendships in both the larger and smaller boat divisions appear to be sailing every which way in an effort to get sorted out before the start. (Bill Finch photo) The crew on board #7 Tannis, numbering in the hundreds it would seem, concentrate on carefully rounding the mark. (Bill Finch photo)