Winter 2025 (C) Newsletter
📄 Download PDFCommodore’s Message Ahoy Fellow Sloopers! Huzzah and Happy New Year! 2024 has been a year of many changes, and I look forward to the new year with much anticipation. For those of you who attended this year’s Annual Meeting in November, David Grogel of the Rockland Main Street business partnership gave us a review of the inaugu- ral Maritime Heritage Festival in Rockland this past July, and a great run down of what to expect for next year’s Annual Homecoming and Festival, from July 17-19. In 2025 the Festi- val will be spread over all three days and will be followed by a definite PARTY with a live band which has already been contracted. As importantly, many restaurants and businesses near the waterfront in Rockland are becoming more aware of the FSS presence on the docks and the Homecoming schedule, and will be offering special rates and discounts on meals and such. Two tents will be in place in 2025 (again paid for by the Rockland Main Street business group and significantly defraying FSS expense), with a dedicated space for Friendship Sloop Society members and meetings, as well as almost 100 vendors focusing on the maritime arts and industries of Midcoast Maine. The Race Committee has some exciting ideas to perhaps spice up the racing, and I along with some former FSS Commodores have some ideas to cook up some after-sailing shenanigans. I think the future looks bright for the Friendship Sloop Society as we continue to work hard at gaining more attention and growing our membership. Please help spread the word, and please come and join in the fun next summer in Rockland from July 17-19!! It really is going to be GREAT! Your Commodore Andy Zuber, Captain of Gladiator #71 40 Years of Crewing Written by David W. Bell in 2004 In 1964 I was the pastor in Brewer, ME and the Rev. Jerry Kinney was Director of the new Methodist Home in Rockland. Jerry invited me to crew on the Margin #36 with him. We did all right, winning the Palawan Trophy for Class C that year. My interest kindled, I found Phil Nichols build- ing Surprise #49 in his boat shop just behind my folks’ home in Round Pond. Phil asked Bruce Cunningham, his son Paul, my son Andy and me to crew for him. Phil believed in the old ways, we used a bucket, a wood stove, and wind for power. One race we drifted into Friendship Harbor with the tide about 9 PM, long after everyone else had gone to the hall for supper. Son Peter, who had his first trip on the Margin as a baby, went with me in the 70s and we crewed on Downeaster #39 and Vida Mia #15 among others. Nancy and I were married in April of 1980. She said she liked the water so we went to Friendship and crewed on the Golden Anchor #171 and the next days on Minerva #101. David Hotelling, the owner, asked me to skipper as he was new to the boat and we placed fifth two days in a row. All were happy! In 1981 Al Beck asked us aboard Phoenix #91 and that began a wonderful nine years crewing on the Phoenix. Al asked if I would help Ted Brown sail the boat from Kittery. Much of the way in fog but we had a good time arriving at the Bath Marine Museum after what Ted called “pulling the boat up the Kennebec by the sheets”. When the Becks moved to Vinal Haven Ted and I would take the ferry, then with Al the three of us would cruise to the races. Al introduced us to swimming in the Basin, sailing in the fog on Penobscot Bay and restful nights at Harbor Island or Poorhouse Cove. Come race day, Ann and Tad Beck, Bob Stein and Nancy Bell joined us for crew. What an honor it was for me to be asked to conduct services for Ted on the Constitution and for Al at Phillips Andover Academy. In 1993 we were staying at the Newagen Inn and sailing out of the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. Nancy and I met Bob Jacobson and were invited out on Perseverance #83. In 1994 we sailed on Resolute #123 and Banshee #180 with the Wojciks. At night 100 of us had a good dinner at the Newagen Inn. In 1995 the races were invited to Rockland and we crewed for Doug and Irene Amsbary on Departure #156. I think that was the year Surprise sailed too close to our bow and we took off ten feet of her boom. (Continued to Page 9) Volume 37 Winter 2025 FSS.ORG Issue 1 Friendships Newsletter of the Friendship Sloop Society 1
Membership Report By Carole Wojcik, Membership Secretary The membership numbers for 2024 are comparable to what I reported at the 2023 annual meeting, with about 75% having paid their dues. We currently have 136 full members of which 94 are sloop owners. In addition, there are 67 associate, nine complimentary and four honorary memberships. The drop in total membership from 231 to 216 is due to my deleting 19 non-dues paying members. These members last paid their dues sometime prior to 2020. I mailed each a letter informing them that I was removing them from the membership list and encour- aging them to renew their membership. New members include: Joseph Carson of Bayport, NY has joined as a “Friend of Friendship Sloops” . Robert Armstrong, who skippered the patrol boat Miss Linda for the Homecoming Regatta, has joined the Society. Vincent & Shawn George of Harpswell, ME joined the Society at the Annual Meeting in November. They are the former owners of #97 Gannet and attended the meeting with Gannet’s current owners Perry Davis & Bethany McNelly. In this past year we have lost several members who served in various capacities: Dick Campbell – Race Committee Bob Rex – Race Committee Chairman Emeritus Paul Haley – Past Commodore Bill Zuber – Past Commodore and owner and skipper of Gladiator #71 David Bell – Past Treasurer In addition we also lost: Donald Benoit – owner of #174 Tupelo Honey Ray Perkins – you may remember Ray at Homecoming sitting under the tent selling his book. Registrar’s Report By John Wojcik, Registrar Once again, this is a year where we have not added any new sloops to the registry, and the number stands at 285. The last time we added a sloop to the registry was in 2019 with Greg Ross’s Swan’s Isle, but it appears that we will be adding a new sloop in 2025. In October, Penny Richards, our Recording Secretary, received an email (see page 12) from a boat building school in France regarding a sloop they are building to be launched in August 2025. Unfortunately, the Society was informed of a sloop no longer in existence. Amie #213, owned by long-time member Harvey Nobe of Seattle, WA was broken up because of exten- sive rot. In May we received information that #161 Adagio has been sold to Nadia Rosenthal of Northeast Harbor, ME. Adagio was owned by Jim Thoen. The sloop was completed by Larry Plummer and was launched in 1993 as Desiree. Lee Fox joined the FSS at the Rockland Homecoming. He is the owner of #161 Love, formerly Jenny. Lee lives in Rockland. The sloop is 22’ and was built in 1976. At this year’s Homecoming we were surprised and pleased to have #82 Morning Star at the event. Bennett Mark has acquired the sloop from Ross Branch. We understand that Ben is living on the sloop in Rockland Harbor. Donald Benoit passed away at the end of last year. His sloop, #208 Tupelo Honey has been purchased by Greg James of RI and renamed Lady Bird. He has painted the sloop pink in order to draw some attention to his charter business. Jeff Beck of Camden, ME, owner of #50 Heritage, is now a member of the FSS. Jeff charters Heritage out of Camden. but this past year the sloop was undergoing a rebuild and was not launched. Jeff instead sailed the Goulding’s #156 Inherit the Wind in its place. – 2 – Steve and Adrienne Major own Sazerac #44 and make the trip to Rockland from Friendship, ME annually, bearing maple syrup for sale from their farm in Putney, VT. (Bill Finch photo) A little wind wouldn’t hurt in sorting out this tangle of sloops. (Bill Finch photo)
Race Committee Update By Rich Langton, RC Chair The Homecoming this last July included three weather perfect days of racing in Rockland’s inner harbor. The harbor provides a perfect location for our races and, consequently, the course has changed little since the Friendship Sloop Society moved our venue from Boothbay Harbor to Rockland in the 1990s. We have, however, seen things change in the harbor itself. Most noticeably there are new moorings and more boats, which caused us to rearrange our course slightly following day one of the races. Because the mooring field has crept out to surround Mark E, we moved the mark to the east a bit, giving our sloops more maneuvering room as they rounded E. Fred Lincoln, who had stepped up to fill in after the passing of Dick Campbell last March, is now our official score keeper and is doing a great job! As in the past we had the help of Jeff and Jack Cronin on the Effie M to set the racing marks and Rob and Linda Armstrong came over on Miss Linda from Friendship to serve as a safety vessel. Peter Clapp surprised us at the dock when he arrived in the committee boat, but it wasn’t his Aestamare as expected. She was in the shop and unavail- able for our races in Rockland, but thankfully Peter’s son John loaned his boat to his dad for our three days of racing. It turned out that the Best Ever was indeed the “best ever” since we would have been in real trouble without a committee boat. And lest I forget the other members of the Race Committee, Dave Graham, Dick Salter, Bill Whitney and Beth Langton all worked hard as a team to make sure the Homecoming races and award ceremony went off without a hitch. As we look forward to the Rockland Homecoming Regatta on July 17-19, 2025 the RC is contemplating some changes to “spice up” our racing options. After 30 years of the same racecourse we are open to suggestions on trying something new, if the skippers agree. With the advent in 2024 of Rockland’s Maritime Heritage Festival and its focus on our sloops, we would like to create better opportunities for the public to view our boats under sail. One thought has been to initiate a bang and go back race that would sail along the seaward side of the breakwater. This would not necessarily be scored as a ‘race’ but, weather permitting, it might be fun to try and might get a bigger crowd observing our boats under sail as we cruise along the breakwater. This is only one thought, and this and any other ideas will be discussed at our skippers meetings, so come with your suggestions and we look forward to a lively discussion. Looking Back Historical Facts Relating to the Early Friendship Sloop Society By David W. Graham, Society Historian Part 1 – In The Beginning As most of us know, it all began in 1961 with a one-day race program that was scheduled for Saturday, July 22nd. A modest 8-page yearbook was published for distribution during that year, containing a schedule of events that noted the arrival of visiting sloops on Friday, the 21st. All sloops were to be at anchor by the evening sunset within the harbor in preparation for the next day’s racing. On Saturday, the 22nd, all skippers were directed to meet at Bob Wallace’s wharf where “final” instructions for the day’s race would be provided, A parade of sloops was scheduled to pass the town wharfs at 10 AM, where, with a loudspeaker on Wallace’s wharf, the duty-announcer would name each sloop, builder and owner – much as is done today. At 11 AM, the race was programmed to start between Nun #8 off Martin’s Point and George Morill’s Race Committee boat anchored off Friendship Long Island. From George’s boat, a brass cannon of the War of 1812 vintage fired a blast, starting the race. You will need a Muscongus Bay Chart # 13301, or Chart Kit Page 63 (Block Island to the Canadian Border) to follow the course, which consisted of roughly 16 miles, first “toward Killick and Thief Islands, past Black Island to Thomp- son Island, back between Crane and Franklin Islands, where (assigned) handicap buoy(s) will be picked up in open water and sloops will head for finish line in Friendship Harbor”. It was anticipated that the sloops would be approaching the finish line at about 3:30 PM. (Continued to Page 10) – 3 – With John Fassak at the helm and Diane forward, 40 foot Westwind #95 and crew sail along smoothly. (Bill Finch photo) The races in Friendship in the early years, sloops as far as the eye could see! (Roger Duncan photo)
Marlinspike Seamanship Marlin Spikes By Ted Walsh The marlin spike has become synonymous with the traditional sailor, as evidenced by the name of this column. That said, is this something you really need? It is true that if you are splicing wire standing rigging, you will want to have a duckbilled marlin spike. The ability of the flattened tip to slide between yarns or wires makes rigging jobs much easier. Finding one that is well made and that has a hole at the head for a lanyard, however, can be both challenging and expensive. Unless you do a lot of wire splic- ing, this is really a specialty tool that will get little use. I will admit to having a massive 14-inch, duckbilled marlin spike but the reality is that I only use it occasionally for big splicing jobs, so it lives in the shop in the sailmakers chest and mostly gathers dust. The 6-inch duckbill also lives in the same chest. More versatile than the 14-inch, it gets used primarily when we are replacing major parts of the running rigging, which tends to happen on dry land. So again, is this something you should be chasing after? Probably not. So, what do you really need? If you need a spike primarily to loosen shackles and break the occasional jammed knot, then the round spike on a folding sailor’s knife is a more useful tool. Or, alternatively, if you prefer something with a bit more leverage, the spike made by Myerchin is quite good and reasonably priced. Judy and I each have one, used primarily during fitting out in the spring, and breaking down the rig in the fall. The round cross section of these marlin spikes are better suited to opening a stuck shackle or breaking a jammed knot. A duckbill tip is wider, does not typically fit the hole in a shackle pin and if forced will damage both shackle and the spike. The other advantage to a good solid folding knife with a marlin spike is that you can have one tool in your pocket that does double duty. My one reservation with these is that the tip of the marlin spike is often needle sharp, which is more hazard than help and you might wish to file that tip slightly rounded. The tool will be better suited to separating yarn of rope rather than stabbing them, and you’re less likely to stab yourself as well. – 4 –
Highlights of the FSS Annual Meeting November 23, 2024, South Portland, ME By Penny Richards, Recording Secretary (Many topics covered at the meeting appear elsewhere in this issue as separate reports) Commodore Andy Zuber opened the meeting at 4 PM and asked for a moment of silence to remember those members who are no longer with us. The many names mentioned brought back fond memories of the warm and meaningful friendships shared through the years. Andy introduced Dave Grogel, a member of the Rockland Main Street business group. Dave is on the organizing committee for Rockland’s new Maritime Heritage Festival and shared the plans the group has for this event in 2025. It will take place at the waterfront park and the town docks for three days on Friday – Sunday, July 18-20 and will be an expanded version of the inaugural festival in 2024. There will be two tents rather than one, with more seating and a dedicated area for FSS members and meetings. A live band has been booked for Saturday night, and beer and wine will be available for purchase on site. There may be other local live music during the festival. The plan includes more maritime related vendors as well as speakers, lectures and presentations, including some by FSS members who are interested. The group is partnering with the local YMCA to get area youngsters more involved and there is talk of a documentary film about Rockland’s maritime history being shown at the Strand Theater. Dave and the group are very enthusiastic and welcome sugges- tions and ideas going forward. Andy and Rich Langton will continue to be the FSS liaisons with the Rockland Main Street group. FSS Treasurer Greg Merrill gave his usual detailed and thorough report about the finances of the FSS. The cost-cutting and revenue enhancing measure that were implemented in 2024 have paid off with a healthier bank balance and an improved bottom line. On the cost-cutting side we no longer rent a storage unit for Homecoming and racing paraphernalia thanks to Andy Zuber’s offer of free garage space, and the Society’s annual donations to four local charities were cut by 50% from $1600 to $800 as a temporary measure. The Maritime Heritage Festival is now paying for the rented tent, tables and chairs at Homecom- ing, a huge savings for the FSS. Membership dues were raised by $5 starting in 2025 and the Regatta entry/participation fee increased substantially. Yearbook advertising did well and thanks to George Hegarty the Society received a $5500 grant from the Sprague Corporation to help defray Yearbook and Newsletter expense. The Chandlery, under the excellent oversight of Caroline Cronin and her team of volunteers, continues to bring in revenue steadily, with a net gain of $1300, similar to that seen in previous years. The 2025 Yearbook is budgeted for a 48-page book with the usual 4500 copies printed for free distribution. Yearbook publication costs have gone up slightly as have the dockage fees in Rockland. The 2025 budget includes an across the board 3% increase for inflation and plans for receipts of $23,000, which does not include a repeat of the Sprague grant. The budget was approved unanimously by those in attendance. The minutes of last years’ Annual Meeting were also approved unanimously. Peter Toppan discussed the Yearbook and the advertis- ing that supports it. He described the efficient “all hands on deck” method for Yearbook distribution which involves getting the books from the printer to numerous Society members who distribute it to businesses all along the New England coast. Editor George Hagerty was not present but has established a deadline of April 1, 2025 for submissions of stories, photos, tall tales and the like. The Bulletin Board page in the Yearbook carries inspirational messages from boats and their crews and still has space available (see page 6). The cost is $25 for a two or three line message. Advertising revenue is critical to the success of the Yearbook and Peter continues to encourage members to approach businesses that might consider a very reasonably priced ad with great geographic distribution. (Continued to Page 10) – 5 – Kathy Whitney to the left, and former Commodore Diane Fassak share a laugh before the start of the Annual Meeting in South Portland. (L. Raymond photo) Shipwright Harold Burnham, center, flanked by Bill Cronin and Cynthia Pendleton enjoy a respite after the banquet. (L. Raymond photo)
Petrel Goes To Rhode Island By George Hagerty, with thanks to Jacki Elgar (and kudos to Kumako) Our first season with Petrel #144 has been a blast! Now in her new homeport of Wickford, RI this spring we patiently commissioned all her new (to us!) systems, hauled, launched, stepped and rigged her. Former owner Bill Lundquist’s exten- sive documentation and advice greatly aided our efforts on land, and he was kind enough to spend a day alongside the floats helping us bend on to get things just right. (I was close but there are some new toys…) We then tested all her systems, and ourselves, with a series of day sails first with her lovely inboard Westerbeke 13, then with successive sail plans and various wind conditions and crew. As all of you Jarvis Newman Pemaquid owners know, the model handles brilliantly and is very steady. We were quite comfortable in 16 kts of wind with no reef. As suspected, the autopilot system greatly aids the crew in keeping her into the wind whilst I go forward to hoist the mains’l which, while slightly bigger than Echo’s, seems lighter and much faster to hoist. The worry of changing from tiller to wheel hasn’t been an issue. We then spent the balance of the season getting our 95lb Japanese Akita KUMAKO (“little girl bear”) used to dinghy rides and Petrel’s spaces and motions. The final training was on a collapsible ramp to get her in and out of the cabin, the companionway being too steep for her to descend and my back too worn out to lift her up and out. We practiced the ramp on land and then at the mooring and then finally underway. She took to it quite readily – which was our last imagined hurdle to cruising together as a family. To cap off the season, all three of us spent a wonderful night aboard including a dinghy trip to a nearby island to “do business” and sniff the seashore before dinner. A wonderful sunset with sandwiches and drinks was followed by a dramatic quick burst of wind and buffeting rain as we battened down the hatches and nestled into our spacious V-berth, with Kumako on the cabin sole quite comfortable despite the stormy noises just outside. A special moment in the dark was when a 70’ schooner ghosted quietly by a few feet off, visible only by her darkened silhouette against the then moonlit sky. We had seen her alongside the Wickford Yacht Club as we set off for our adventure earlier in the evening. I hailed the captain by voice, asking what she drew and his reply, “11”. The Mill Creek is narrow there and the channel quite shallow, so she had to wait for the 11 PM tide to get out to Newport. Anyway, all our gear preparations and purchases of sleeping bags, pillows, lights, galley accouterments (from L.L.Bean as we left last year’s Homecoming), food and Tanqueray all paid off and in the morning, after a requisite trip to the island, I was pleased to cook a fine shipboard breakfast of eggs, toast and hot coffee with one of the several camp stoves that came with Petrel’s purchase. Many, many thanks are owed to Stephen and Adrienne Major’s “training” of us on cruises with them aboard Sazerac in Muscongus Bay. Of course, we are sad the season is over but look forward to next year and stretching our sea legs even further with Petrel and Kumako. I think we are definitely MESSING ABOUT IN BOATS (Thanks again for the Trophy, Dick Salter – via Bill & Kathy Whitney)! Come one, come all! Friendship Sloop Society Yearbook Bulletin Board slots are still available. Get yours now for only $25! Sing your praises, send good wishes or just have your boat say HELLO, These messages help personalize our Yearbook, and they help defray the cost of mailing books to our members. Please think about adding your voices to the 2025 edition! Yours respectfully, FSS Yearbook Editor, George Hagerty Please send your $25 check directly to: FSS Treasurer Greg Merrill PO Box 166, Butler, MD 21023 and your BB message by email to: editor@fss.org – 6 –
Tech Tips: Where Are You Going? By Bill Whitney Eventually your electronic instruments are going to fail. It’s a fact. All those fancy gadgets that you instinctively rely on to tell you where you are, where you are going, and who may be sharing the same plot of ocean will quit at the worst possible moment. When the electricity fails you are on your own. You may be lucky enough to be within sight of land, or noticed where the sun, moon or stars are, but given “Murphy’s Law” you may be up the creek without a paddle unless your boat is equipped with a good, calibrated, magnetic compass. I say “calibrated” because I’ve been on too many boats that had compasses, but they were poorly installed and not tuned to the boat. A magnetic compass is a great tool. It’s been around for several thousand years in its basic form, well before man discovered electricity. That’s the beauty of it. They won’t fail when the power goes out. A compass will always give you a heading reference, but you have to have it installed and calibrated correctly to give you a “good’ heading reference. To start, the compass has to be physically aligned fore and aft with the boat. The white “lubber” lines in the compass base must be pointing dead ahead, in-line with the keel. If they are not aligned you will always be heading off course! Several things influence the magnetic field around the compass. First and most importantly is the magnetic field of the earth. That’s the primary mechanism telling you the direction on earth you are heading. Unfortunately there are several things in the magnetic environment around the compass and around the earth itself that influence where the compass points. The compass’s location on the boat is a major factor and can cause quite a deviation in the magnetic field sensed by the compass. Masses of metal (the engine, anchors), electric currents (big batteries, dashboard instruments), placement of magnetic tools, even the stray magnetism of metal coffee cups, kids toys, plates, knives and forks and binoculars can significantly impact the compass. Every boat needs to establish a consistent stowage plan for potentially magnetic material and have a professionally produced compass deviation card. A good compass adjuster will be able to neutralize much of the deviation by placing compensa- tion magnets in the binnacle or at the base of the compass. They will then produce a deviation card showing how many degrees correction needs to be added to/subtracted from each planned heading. If you re-stow any major metallic material, reposition major electric wires or leave that metallic coffee cup next to the compass you may have just invalidated your compass calibration. Another significant impact on variation is that the geographic North Pole and magnetic North Pole aren’t in the same place. Making things even more complicated, the north magnetic pole moves over time due to changes in earth’s magnetic core and changes in the shape of the earth’s outer crust. Currently it is just outside the Canadian arctic moving toward Russia at about 35 miles per year and about 500 nautical miles from the geographic North Pole! This variation in the position of the magnetic pole also changes depending where you are on earth. Every chart produced by NOAA and other mapping agencies will have a compass rose, sometimes two or three, with the variation published in the center of the rose. The further north you go along the east coast, the greater the variation. The phrase: “Can Dead Men Vote Twice At Elections” is a handy way to convert a compass heading to a true heading and vice-versa. Compass + Deviation = Magnetic. Magnetic + Variation = True (Add the variation if you are on the East coast and subtract it if on the west coast). If you are sailing Lake Michigan you can just about forget the variation because the two poles just about align! (Continued to Page 8) – 7 – Ralph and Richard Stanley built the handsome 36 foot #272 Noel in 2004 in Southwest Harbor. She is owned by Steve and Dee Dunipace and sails out of Friendship, ME. In Rockland she got to take full advantage of the lighter breezes with a full set of sails. (Bill Finch photo) The “Buzzards Bay Fleet” makes its way west bound through the Cape Cod Canal returning from the annual four week excursion to Maine. This year the boats were Banshee #180 out of Mattapoisett, Gaivota #214 from Red Brook Harbor in Bourne, Amicitia # 64 from New Bedford and Hegira #230 hailing from Woods Hole. Mike Heath in his Cape Dory 28 Serendipity was also part of the group. (Suzanne Chouinard photo)
Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund By Phil Pratt, Chairman The Friendship Memorial Scholarship Fund has grown substantially over the last decade, increasing the Scholarship dollar awards per Friendship, ME student four-fold! This Schol- arship Fund was initiated in 1968 by the Friendship Sloop Society at the behest of founder Bill Pendleton. The Trustees of the Fund have recently developed the first ever Five Year Plan. This plan charts a path going forward upon which the Trustees and the Maine Community Foundation (MCF), which helps manage the Fund, can focus. All efforts of the Fund Trustees and the MCF will be in support of the key goals of the Five Year Plan, including steady growth, expanded outreach, and increased awards. The 2025 Annual Appeal will be circulating shortly, and is the next step toward further strengthening the already robust performance seen in previous years. Please review it carefully and don’t hesitate to contact John or Phil (contact information below) with your thoughts, ideas, and questions! The Trustees of the Fund, and the students in Friend- ship who have benefited so greatly, want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported the growth of the Fund! Sincerely, John Homon, Vice-Chairman (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 2025 FSS Yearbook will be April 1 (no joke!), 2025. 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 contributions and advertisements 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 4500 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. Tech Tips: Where Are You Going? (Continued From Page 7) Knowing how to care for your compass is just as impor- tant as knowing how to use it. The marine environment is hard on equipment. Give the compass a fresh water bath now and then. Keep it covered when not in use to protect the top lens from scratches and take it home with you in the winter. It likes a nice warm house too, and that will help prevent formation of an air bubble at the top of the dome. This occurs when the volume of the liquid (usually oil called Varsol) shrinks due to the cold and the bellows at the bottom of the compass leaks, letting air into the card chamber. If this happens it’s time to find a quali- fied instrument repair shop or call the manufacturer to have it repaired. The magnetic compass just might be your lifesaver someday. When all else fails a good compass will point the way home. Reminders TROPHIES: If you received a racing trophy in 2024, now is a great time to have it engraved to document your success. Though summer seems a long way off, before we know it we’ll be counting down the days until the 2025 Homecoming in Rockland when your trophy will likely go to a new recipient! Trophy chair Beth Langton is happy to answer any questions you might have. Beth can be reached at bwlangton@gmail.com. MEMBERSHIP DUES: If you have not yet paid your FSS membership dues for 2025, it’s not too late, in fact it’s never too late! Send a check made out to the FSS for $45 for full members and $35 for co-op members to Carole Wojcik at 347 Lincoln St., Norwell, MA 02061. We’re counting on you! DIGITAL NEWSLETTER: Let us know if you would like to receive the digital edition of the FSS Newsletter in addition to or instead of the print version. It arrives a week earlier than the print edition with color photos and an additional page of pictures and captions. Send us a note at newsletter@fss.org and sign up! – 8 – From left, Rights of Man #52, Lady M #193 and Tannis #7 all have the same idea as they head down the course on a port tack. (Bill Finch photo)
40 Years of Crewing (Continued From Front Page) In 1997 we again sailed with Bob Jacobson on Perse- verance #83. Bob put me on the helm as he instructed the crew and took care of the sails. In light to no air we were about to drift into the breakwater when the committee boat said to “motor to the starting line”. In light air the race was shortened to end off Owl’s Head. By then the only thing moving was the outgoing tide. Some boats drifted into the rocks, some outside the finish line, and we had picked the middle so passed all but four boats to finish fifth overall. In 2000 we joined Richard Stanley on Endeavor #196 and again in 2001 when the five of us went swimming in Penob- scot Bay after a 30 knot gust of wind blew us over and the boat sank in about one minute. Thank God Ralph Stanley was watch- ing our good progress in the race and motored his committee boat Seven Girls over to pull us out of the water. In 2002 we crewed on Sazerac #44, a boat we had watched in Round Pond Harbor in the early 60s. Now is 2004, my 40th and Nancy’s 24th year. Who needs a crew this year? What wonderful memories we have. What good friends we have sailed with and shared stories with at meals afterwards. How good it has been to see the Friendship Sloop Society grow and continue over the 40 years. (The Reverend David W. Bell died on October 1, 2024 at age 92. He had served Methodist congregations in Maine and New Hampshire for 38 years and continued to fill in where needed after retiring. He was passionate about small commu- nity churches, caring for his congregants, the Maine coast and waterfront activities, especially sailing. He served as Treasurer for the FSS for 10 years and was an active member for decades.) William H. Zuber 1938-2024 Former Friendship Sloop Society Commodore, longtime skipper and Honorary Member Bill Zuber passed away in June 2024 at age 88. Bill was a New Jersey native who learned to sail at an early age. He earned his USCG Captain’s license at the age of 18 and maintained it well into his 70s, attaining his 100-ton Master’s license. With his father and brother-in-law he captained charter-fishing trips from the Jersey shore and owned and operated Zuber’s Seacoast Yacht Basin in Brielle, NJ. Bill was always enamored of Friendship sloops and quickly found his way to the town of Friendship, ME. He was an early member of the FSS and served as Commodore from 1987-88 and in numerous other capacities for the Society over the years, including most recently many years on the Race Committee. In 1967 he bought the 32 foot Friendship sloop Gladiator #71, built in 1902, maintaining her and sailing her through the rest of his life. In the 1970s he moved to Friendship to work as the waterfront director at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, bringing Gladiator along with the family. After retiring from Hurricane Island, Bill worked for the Sea Education Association (SEA) in Woods Hole, MA where he helped design and build their educational research vessel SSV Seamans and enjoyed a subsequent sailing tour/sea trial in the South Pacific with his wife Caroline. Bill continued to be active in ‘retire- ment’, working for the Apprentice Shop, Prock Marine and other maritime endeavors in midcoast Maine involving captaining, building and sailing boats. As an avid seaman, boat builder and educator, his life truly revolved around the sea. Bill never tired of recounting adventures, enthusiastically teaching what he knew and generously sharing his vast knowledge and years of experi- ence involving boats and ships and the ways of the sea. Bill is survived and greatly missed by Caroline, his wife of 66 years, also a stalwart member and contributor to FSS history, and three sons, including current FSS Commodore Andy Zuber who is now the keeper and skipper of Gladiator. Bill leaves five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and countless friends and associates who have been so very fortunate to know him. – 9 –
Highlights of the FSS Annual Meeting (Continued From Page 5) Richard Schwartz reported on the ongoing efforts of his wife Karen and himself with media outlets like WoodenBoat Magazine, Knox and Lincoln County newspapers, local Chambers of Commerce and local TV stations to keep FSS news and activities in the forefront. He continues to work closely on an updated Website design with Dennis Whitney. There is a “beta site” in process and they hope to have it live by the end of the winter, ideally cross-linked to the Maritime Heritage Festi- val site, which is also still in development. On a personal note Rich asked members to stop using water balloons during the races as even the biodegradable ones are dangerous to marine life and marine pump systems. A brief awards presentation followed, with John Fassak presenting the Omaha Trophy to Bill Cronin and the gang that helped him rig Westwind at Rockland at the last minute. The Messing About Trophy was awarded to Anne Marie Chouinard (by phone) from previous recipient George Hagerty. Diane Fassak presented the Donald Huston Trophy to Martin Thomas of Lady M and Penny Richards awarded the Bruce Morang Trophy to Rich and Karen Schwartz for their Yearbook story about their sloop Freedom. Prior to the start of the meeting, Bill Whitney presided over the live auction, which saw numerous lots of electronics, line, tools and all manner of boat stuff disbursed through some brisk bidding. The silent auction concluded at the end of the meeting, followed by cocktails and a delicious buffet dinner. That too was followed by the ‘after hours’ Commodore’s get-together, with more visiting, sharing, reminiscing, planning and fun. All in all roughly 70 people were in attendance at the meeting and it was a very lively, enjoyable and successful event. Looking Back (Continued From Page 3) It was further noted that “In case of flat calm, dense fog or gale winds, the race will be postponed until Sunday at 12:30 PM”. Registered sloops for that very first race were listed alpha- betically as: Amity – J.R. Wiggins, Washington, DC Banshee – Ben Waterworth, New Bedford, MA Carolyn – A.J. Rousseau, Warwick, RI Content – Stuart Ford, Bailey Island, ME Dictator – Dr. Alan Chesney, Deer Island, ME Easting – James Pierpoint, Milford, CT Eastward – Roger Duncan, Newagen, ME Ellie T – Roger Thorp, Bath, ME Finette – Frank P. Smith, Wethersfield, CT Friendship – Robert Cavanagh, Scituate, MA Golden Eagle – William Haskell, Marblehead, MA Jolly Buccaneer – Richard Swanson, Rockport, MA L’Aigle D’Or – John Adams, Marblehead, MA Mary Anne – Capt. John Dallett, Cushing, ME Princess – Joe Richards, Key Biscayne, FL Sadie M. – Commodore Jarrison, Castine YC, ME Stella Maris II – Ted Wells, Duxbury, MA Suchel – C.A. Falkenau, Marblehead, MA Tannis II – Douglas Randall, Quincy, MA Vida Mia – Ted Brown, Kittery, ME Voyager – Bernard MacKenzie, Scituate, MA Wilber Morse – C. Wilfred Brann, Friendship, ME First to cross the finish line in that single race of long ago back in 1961 was Eastward – but when the handicap calcu- lations were completed, Governor Reed presented the Gover- nor’s Trophy to the winning sloop, Voyager, captained by Bernie MacKenzie, the first president of our Society. Although twenty-two sloops were registered for the Society’s first year, fourteen participated during that single-day race back on July 22, 1961. But it was a beginning! – 10 – Diane and Jeff Pontiff receive the Gladiator trophy for coming the furthest from Commodore Andy Zuber. They sailed Amicitia #64 to the Homecoming this year to celebrate 50 years of ownership! (Bill Finch photo) It’s no surprise that Martin Thomas’s Lady M #193 took the overall State of Maine trophy this year as she races toward the mark in full sail. (Bill Finch photo)
TROPHY NAME GIVEN FOR 2024 RECIPIENT Racing Trophies: State of Maine Overall Regatta Winner Lady M Commodore’s 1st Place Division 2 (sloops > 27 feet) Lady M Gordon Winslow 2nd Place Division 2 Tannis Homecoming 3rd Place Division 2 Rights of Man Herald Jones 1st Place Division 1 (sloops < 27 feet) Hegira Bruno & Stillman 2nd Place Division 1 Celebration Lash Brothers 3rd Place Division 1 Salatia 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 Hegira Liberty 1st Division 2 bald-headed sloop Rights of Man Non Racing Trophies: Stanley Cup Outstanding contribution to FSS Fred Lincoln Owner - Builder New owner-builder who sails to Homecoming Not Awarded Gladiator Sloop who sailed the farthest to Homecoming Amicitia Cy Hamlin Skipper who returns to Homecoming Amicitia after several years' absence Chrissy Woman who keeps sloop and crew together Cynthia Cronin Nickerson Youngest crew member Parker & Cole Fassak on Tannis Spirit of Friendship Skipper who exemplifies FSS spirit Bill Whitney Ray of Hope Person or boat who has overcome adversity Not Awarded Post Office Greatest gaff in boat handling during Homecoming Salatia Bancroft Person contributing to FSS traditions Not Awarded Omaha Good natured contributions to FSS Bill Cronin Family Messing About Person who truly loves "Messing About in Boats" Anne Marie Chouinard owner of Hold Tight & Ghoti Bruce Morang Award Outstanding contribution to the Yearbook Karen & Richard Schwartz Donald L. Huston Seamanship, fun and safety Martin Thomas Spirit of Fun Encourages spirit of fun in the fleet Steve Dunipace
On Tue, Nov 19, 2024, Boris Proutzakoff
A perfect breeze for topsails. Fully loaded from left are Tannis, Noel and Lady M with Jabberwocky in the foreground. (Bill Finch photo) Jack Cronin, center, is flanked by sons John on left, and Wayne as they enjoy a good look at the Wojcik’s Friendship sloop scrapbook before the Annual Meeting got down to business. (L. Raymond photo) Surrounded by his crew, Martin Thomas, center, skipper of Lady M #193, proudly holds the well deserved State of Maine trophy presented by Commodore Andy Zuber on the right. (Bill Finch photo) Gaivota #214 at rest in Gosport Harbor, Isles of Shoals, NH as the sun goes down. The three masted schooner visible over her stern is the Denis Sullivan providing ship based educa- tional opportunities out of Boston. (L. Raymond photo) Celebration #227, Sazerac #44 and Jabberwocky #189 slowly make their way around the course in the lightest of breezes. (Bill Finch photo) Hegira #230 had a strong race series with Bill Cronin, Cindy Pendleton and their kids Bramen and Kennerson calling the shots. (Bill Finch photo)
