1993 FSS Yearbook

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FRIENDSHIP SLOOP DAYS 1993 YEARBOOK AND GUIDE 33rd* Annual Regatta

71 Commercial St. Boothbay Harbor, Me. 04538 207-633-7066 We’re the new collectible store in town and have Bossons, Lilliput Lane, Hudson Pewter, Santonnes, Ron Lee, Melody in Motion, Coca-Cola, plates and more! Open seven days a week through the season HARBOR MARKET ( Lower level of the Maine Trading Post) Commercial St. Boothbay Harbor, Maine 207-633-0723 The entrance is under the green awning in the Pier 8 Parking Lot. Open 7 days a week 7a.m. ’til 10p.m. Deliveries Available Mornings – Afternoons • Fresh Produce • Fresh Baked Breads and Muffins • First Quality Meats (available fresh or frozen) • Freshest of Fish & Lobster • Bulk Grains, Herbs & Spices Our grocery selection is geared to your needs. Delivery by land or water, Monitoring channel 9 or order by phone. 633-0723 *, Booth/iay 633-4900 XT war &/!(<)> coaster pound, serv-iM westers, steamed c/a/KS, a v-arieta< o& seafood, hotdo&s, haixi & sandu/iohes , Ta^es are OK the docK, axd inside far mete/Kent weather. I he Co-op is ou/Ke>daxd operated l>y> ooca/?KisheriKen. i f a u 11:30 a. IK.- 8:30 f>. m. whooe^a.ce or retail lobsters— 8 a., K. -8f>.n<. . . . „ coiisters or SUPPLIES AT DISCOUNT Rope..Gear..Electronics Safety..Hardware..Charts Electrical..Plumbing..Paint Fasteners..lnflatables..Dinghies Largest Chandlery North of Boston 14,000 Items In Stock Free Catalog HAMILTON MARINE A A Route 1 Searsport, Maine 04974 JL T JL (207) 548-6302 Friendship Sloop Capt. Roger F. Duncan 6 — Rubicam Photo Sailing Parties Up to 6 Passengers Day and Half-day (207)633-4780 Box 66, East Boothbay, ME 04544 MARINE SUPPLY, INC. 55 Atlantic Avenue Boothbay Harbor u - 633-0709 • Next Day Service • Across Harbor from Yacht Club • Water Access • Open Seven Days a Week • Monitor Channel 9 Best of Luck to All in the Races R i v E R v r E w S Y S T E M S Specializing in Computer Services for Small Businesses Services include... } I • Comprehensive training 4nd support • Computer and software selection • Productivity analysis of installed systems • Conversions to Microsoft Windows • Design of networked systems • Multimedia productions•>••?•-} GiHgffS’iSSJ . . __, 245 IUVER STREET’ NORWELL, MA 02061 (617)659-6782 ^ OldBaldy Commodore’s Message “You know, it takes a special kind of person to want to go in a Friendship sloop.” Roger F. Duncan I laughed out loud when I first heard Roger utter those words in the film Friendship Sloop: A Heritage Retained. I felt that Roger had both called me a fool for wanting to own and sail a living fossil and congratulated me for the good sense to do it. For me, sailing in wind and water with just the technology provided by bent wood, sail cloth, rope, and a magnetized needle was to provide balance to the frenetic, organized and somewhat predictable life I lead on shore in the computer industry. The need for this “technology antidote” must have been a rather common motivation in the Friendship Sloop Society, because it seemed that every other sloop owner I met in the Society worked for IBM. The decision to own the most beautiful sailboat I had ever seen was greeted by my sailing friends with a mixture of envy and pity. Friendship sloops, I was told, are beautiful to look at, but you don’t really want to attempt to own one. I mean, really, wooden boats are supposed to be just a bunch of organized rot held together by sheer force of habit. The advice I got was, “Buy fiberglass if you want to sail the boat, wood if you want to work on it.” Gaff-rigged boats are sailed by those who don’t care about the ability of a sailboat to sail to windward. I was being romantic, not practical, I was told. I did, however, get the feeling that each one of my detractors would have gladly traded places with me. After a few years of sailing an “impossible” rig, I came to fully appreciate the advantages that a sail plan such as the gaff rig on a Friendship has to offer. I’m also sure a few sailors of the more recent rigs wondered how that old gaff-rigger managed to sail past them. After a few years of owning a wooden boat, the physical exertion of sanding and painting really has provided the perfect antidote to the sort of mental exhaustion that comes in my line of work. And, I’ve finally stopped blushing at the “prettiest boat in the harbor” compliments invariably cast our way when we drop the mooring pennant. I suspect that these are the reasons that the Friendship sloop has survived these many years. Sloops were pretty boats when they were work boats, and they are pretty yachts now. Sloops were handy boats to sail a formidable load of fish to market then, and they are handy boats to sail a formidable load of friends and family on a day’s outing now. These attributes have served to attract the sort of special person to the Friendship sloop that Roger was referring to… the slightly daffy romantic who is sharp enough to want something useful, beautiful, and unique. For those of you who are dreaming about “going in Friendship sloops,” you can find encouragement, support and advice as well as a delightful time at any one of the Friendship Sloop Society events. We’re looking forward to meeting you there. James L. Wilson

For an outstanding assortment of quality apparel for men and women. We carry full lines of outerwear, raingear, sportswear, dresses and accessories. In two mid-coast locations. Open, 7 days a week 633-2293 BOOTHBAY HARBOR & CAMDEN VILLAGE STORE & Children’s Shop Furnishings and gifts for homes, cottages and boats. Children’s boutique, sizes infant to 14. BOOTHBAY HARBOR all on the Main Streets of town. get hooked & on Maine’s maritime history at Maine Maritime Museum & Shipyard A Summer 1993 and ongoing exhibitions i Apprenticeshop i Museum Shop i Moorings A Waterfront activities A Educational Programs and visiting ships Open daily, 9:30-5 p.m. $6 adults, $2.50 children, $16 families. Come aboard… Membership privileges include free admission. 243 Washington St., Bath, ME 04530 The Boothbay Harbor Region Welcomes The Friendship Sloop Society Quaint seacoast village, picture post- card scenery, many excursion boats, deep sea fishing, golf, unique shops and galleries, antiques, museums, variety of accommodations and restaurants, lighthouses and lobsters. Call or write for free brochure 207-633-2353, ext. 7 P.O. Box 356 F Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538 Friendship Sloop Society Officers 1993 Commodore Vice-Commodore Secretary Treasurer Historian Measurer Race Committee Chairman Membership Chairman Publicity Chairman Friendship Day Chairpersons New London Race Committee Marblehead Race Committee Pendleton Scholarship Fund Chrmn. Yearbook Editor Newsletter Editor Piper Cannoneer Honorary President Secretary Emerita James & Andrea Wilson Richard & Beth Langton Caroline Cronin David Bell Betty Roberts Richard Salter Robert Rex Douglas Amsbary Robert Monk Betty Roberts & Bill Zuber Jack Vibber David Graham Elbert Pratt Roger Duncan John Wojcik Donald Duncan Elbert Pratt Bernard MacKenzie Betty Roberts Portsmouth, NH Edgecomb, ME 164SturbridgeRd. Charlton, MA01507 Box 354, Waldoboro, ME Friendship, ME Manchester, MA Reading, MA Franconia, NH Burlington, MA Friendship, ME 5 Soljer Dr., Waterford, CT 203-442-7376 7 BatchelderRd., Marble- head, MA, 617-631-6680 Friendship, ME Box 66, E. Boothbay, ME 347 Lincoln St. NorwelI,MA Milton, MA Friendship, ME Scituate, MA Friendship, ME Honorary Members: William Danforth, Dorothy Gould, John Gould, David Graham, Cyrus Hamilin, Bruce Morang, Marcia Morang, Bernard MacKenzie, Albert Roberts, Betty Roberts, Carlton Simmons. The Bill Hadlock Memorial Award This award is given in memory of our past Commodore and skipper of Heritage, Bill Hadlock. It is given for: 1. Safe sailing and sound seamanship 2. Family participation 3. Sharing knowledge and helping others 4. Supporting the aims of the Society 5. Appreciation of the beauty, charm, and splendor of the Maine coast. At the annual meeting the award was given this year to Al Beck, skipper of Phoenix since she was built in 1970. He has brought up his family, nautically speaking, aboard her so effectively that his son Tad is now a formidable skipper. Al was President of the Society in 1981 -82 and now moors Phoenix year-round in Carvers Harbor. The Bancroft Award The Bancroft Award is given in memory of Winthrop Bancroft, owner of Elicia III and an enthusiastic supporter of the Society. It is awarded for an unusual contribution of the Friendship tradition. It might recognize an outstanding voyage, the launching of a new sloop, or the restoration of an old one. It might recognize the work of a poet, a painter, or a model maker. A committee appointed by the Executive Committee awarded the trophy this year to John and Carole Wojcik for originating, maintaining and constantly improving the Newsletter, an important way of holding together a Society scattered through many degrees of latitude on both coasts and lakes between.

HUNTER SAILMAKERS Quality Custom Sails STANDING AND RUNNING RIGGING (207) 236-3561 16 Limerock Street, Camden, Maine 04843 -, Conley’s Garden Center & Nursery EVERGREENS • TREES • SHRUBS PERENNIALS • FLOWERS • BIRD BATHS • GIFT SHOP • MAINE JAMS, JELLIES, MAPLE SYRUP « NATURAL FOODS, VITAMINS Complete Tree and Landscape Service Landscape Design Boothbay Harbor, Maine 04538 207-633-5020 “Helping To Beautify Maine Since 1939” J c Jil RST Feaera saviigs DAMARISCOTTA 563-3111 • BOOTHBAY HARBOR 882-6124 BATH: Main Office 442-8711 • Congress Ave. 442-8717 Member SAIF Insured $100,000 Doug Amsbary Contractor / Builder Building Design Shop facilities Renovations Construction management Never Go Out On A Limb! Leave Your Building Up To Us 603-823.8459 COOLEY HILL ROAD FRAMCOMIA, MH 03580 Wenonah’s Rookie Skipper by Thomas L. Berry Last May I defied all logic and friendly advice to plunge headlong into the trials, joys and anxiety of boat ownership. I bought Wenonah, a well-maintained 21-year- old Bruno & Stillman 30′ fiberglass Friendship with enough wood to keep any varnishing fool content. The joys are many, as anyone who sails knows (particularly anyone who sails a gaffer). But, the apprehensions of boat ownership that first season were unexpected. I was suddenly sailing “my boat,” not crewing for someone or captaining a chartered vessel with seasoned sailing friends. I was now responsible for the safety of Wenonah, my crew and guests, most of whom usually turned out to be non- sailers. I alone was responsible for steering, navigating, watching the weather and warning folks to mind their heads because the boom is a dangerous weapon. All the while, I felt compelled to be calm and play the gracious host, even during some rare but memorable uncomfortable moments. Guests weren’t supposed to know that I was frequently nervous in my new position. Simple things that we take for granted were mine to introduce to guests. You flush the head by pushing the button… but don’t flush until I see if the bowl is full enough! I’m a conservationist at heart, particularly when it involves spending my money on expensive batteries. Never step on the pedal that pumps the water to the folding sink unless the sink is in the down position. Doing so would break the bladder and the only way to get at it is to remove the head, a laborious, undesired

ettable Maine MONHEGAN ISLAND DAY TRIP Departs daily at 9:30 from Pier 8 SUPPER SAIL CRUISE Tuesday through Saturday Reservations (207) 633-2284 Pier 8 Boothbay Harbor, ME Where Ocean, Land and Sky Harmonize The Ocean Point Inn is nestled out on a majestic tip of the Maine Coast, away from the bustle of the outside world yet only 6V4 miles from charm- ing Boothbay Harbor. We offer at- tractive accommodations, fine dining, a swimming pool and other amenities. For information on rates David Dudley * Ocean Point Inn Shore Road P.O. Box 409 East Boothbay ME 04544 207-633-4200 SAIL AT JINEKIM BA RESORT Y Boothbay Harbor, Maine O4538 Tel. 633-2494 A seacoast resort featuring activities for all the family. Lodge and Cabins. Natural Setting. Informal. Our own fleet of sailboats. Water skiing, fish- ing, swimming, boating, tennis, shuffleboard, television. Heated Salt Water Pool Overlooking Bay Write for folder. Downcast Embroidery Wholesale —Retail Official Friendship Sloop Society logo and burgee We make a donation to the Friendship Sloop Society on every official item embroidered. Main Street P.O. Box 601 Wiscasset, Maine 04578 (207) 882-4240 Overlooking Beautiful Linekin Bay is LEEWkEP MOTEL & EFFICIENCIES Route 96, Ocean Point Road, East Boothbay, Maine 04544 Motel, Efficiencies, Cottages Color Cable TV, 165 Foot Pier, Beach, Fishing, Swimming, Scenic Cruises, Boat Moorings to 30 ft., Spectacular Sunsets, Lawns and Gardens to the Ocean’s Edge. Handicap Accessibility in 2 Units Summer 207-633-3681 • 1-800-854-0690 • Reservations highly recommended task in the middle of the sailing season. Please don’t drag the icebox lid across the teak seats. It scratches the varnish. Here I was with a list of “don’ts” when I wanted to be the perfect host and make everyone feel comfortable. One glorious sunny, light-wind day, I took my family and friends with their two children out for a day sail. I was the only one who knew a thing or two about sailing, of course. We set the main, staysail and jib, and slowly beat our way out the Magothy River. I was cautious, as we were being set a bit too much. Approaching a channel mark close to port, I decided that tacking was now the prudent thing to do and, according to the chart, there was room to do it. Wrong! I had no sooner turned the wheel than we were aground. My wife started the engine (in neutral) as I sprang forward past our lazing, startled guests to the mast. The main came down smartly atop the boom as its end hovered just above the water to port. Thank God for lazy jacks. Of course our guests wanted to know what was going on. I said “we’re aground” as I reached for the staysail halyard. Someone asked if they could get their sunglasses before they fell overboard. I tried to be gracious, but did I really give a damn if the glasses fell overboard (which they wouldn’t)? Then it was a quick bolt back to the cockpit to furl the jib. There’s nothing like roller furling on a traditional boat, is there? Embarrassed by this incident, I nonetheless calmly directed everyone to the port side and instructed them to grab the hand-hold on the cabin top and rock the boat in unison while I revved the engine in reverse. It took some doing to get the unison part down. Also, the simple direction of “throw your butts off the boat,” even after a lively demonstration, meant different things to everyone. Not surprisingly, the children caught on to what was to be done quicker than the adults. I wound up rocking from the end of the boom, with my wife at the throttle, all to no avail. Had it not been for a kind neighbor in the Wee Bit, powered by a 287 hp inboard, we’d still be where we never intended to be. Thanks, Alan. Had I been a guest or in my old “crew” position, I would have given it not another thought and reached for a brew. However, as the “skipper” I found myself dwelling on the grounding and explaining its ramifications in detail to our guests. I explained why all sails were lowered so quickly, why I went to the end of the boom, and why we stayed stuck to the damn bottom despite our best efforts. Talking helped my nerves… and embarrassment. Didn’t someone once say that you’ve never really sailed until you’ve run aground? But no one forewarns you that it’s a different feeling running aground as “crew” versus “skipper” of your own vessel. On the last weekend of my sailing season, my friend Joe and I were bringing Wenonah to Annapolis, a usually pleasant sail, for the start of the Tiller Club’s Fall Regatta (Regretta?) the next day. Fresh 15-knot winds allowed us to back away from the dock and immediately raise the main. After beating badly for a while, we looked at each other and decided it was time to fire up the engine. I turned the key and nothing happened. “Pshaw” (or something a little stronger), I muttered. What was planned as a four-hour sail now looked like an all-day and post-sunset affair. Wenonah had a lot of tacking ahead of her just to get out of the river. I immediately thought the worst: abandon tomorrow’s race and go back to the dock. That idea was

COASTAL MAINE A Maritime History by Roger F. Duncan Here is a book to put the history of the coast in context, to help the sailor in this century to see the islands and capes, the coves and harbors not as mere outlines on a chart but as reminders of what real people did here. ” Too interesting to be history.” “… a narrow band between scholarship and entertainment.” At local bookstores or from the author. Specializing in Wooden Boat Restoration, Rigging, Spar Work All Types of Repairs and Retrofits Dan Butcher 8 East Street Dover, NH 03820 (603) 749-0173 TAKE HOME A CLASSIC THIS SUMMER! Great ocean-going boats are the quintessence of New England’s mar- itime legacy. And you can own one…With a model kit from Laughing Whale. From the stalwart Friendship Sloops (pictured here) to the Grand Banks Dories to the classic Maine Lobster boats, Laughing Whale repro- ductions offer you the chance to experience the rugged beauty—and the tradition—of over 25 historic vessels. Visit our factory outlet soon. The Laughing Whale 174 Front St. Bath, ME 045 30-2609 207-443-5732 Open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Tues. through Sat. MC/Visa/Discover 10 quickly dispatched to the old-thoughts junkyard, and on to Annapolis we pushed. I realized that my familiarity with Wenonah was gaining confidence and “skipper” thinking was outweighing the old “crew” logic. We beat our brains silly until we got to the Bay, then started the broad reach to Back Creek in Annapolis. Soon, I turned around to check on the dinghy we were towing and saw water where it shouldn’t have been; it was about one-third full, mini-waves splashing playfully on the seats! We hove to, pulled the dinghy alongside, and commenced bailing. What happened? The “crew” in me totally faux pased; I had forgotten to insert the cap in the centerboard trunk. I’d left it right where it’s kept, in the basement, next to the oars I faithfully remembered to bring along. Water bailed, towel shoved in the trunk, we moved on a half knot faster than before this delay. Sure enough, we arrived at Back Creek after sunset and reached our chosen anchorage in the encroaching darkness. There, we confidently turned back into the wind, luffed the sails, drifted to a stop, and lowered the anchor. The “crew” definitely felt more like “skipper” at the end of this day. At the end of the race the next day, another boat kindly towed us up the channel to the gas dock at Herrington Harbor. Suddenly, in the middle of our turnaround at the dock, someone on my boat yelled, “Okay, let the line go.” Without hesitation I barked, “NO, not yet!” Had he let go then, we would have been caught by the wind on our beam without steerage and drifted down the fairway to create God-knows- what chaos. I then understood that the “skipper” had fully arrived. There was no slow decision, no panic, no consultation with the crew, just a quick correct decision to do what was right, what had to be done to finish the docking the way it should be done, without incident. A confident “crew” was transformed from timid “skipper” to assured “captain.” I sense that the challenge of single-handing Wenonah is but a fresh breeze away. Let the season begin! On the Cover Jolly Buccaneer, 45 feet on deck, was built by Eugene McLain, son of “Grandpa Rob” McLain and Mary Morse, on Bremen Long Island in 1909 as Myrtle E. After a year fishing, she was sold to Reverend Nehemiah Boynton of Five Islands, fixed up as a yacht, and named Sky Pilot. Skippered by the minister and then by his sons, she was a familiar sight on the coast for years. In December 1949 she sank in the passage behind MacMahans Island. Frank L. Sample, Jr. of Boothbay bought her, raised her, ballasted her with 9,000 two-pound axe heads, and sold her to Richard Swanson of Rockport, Massachusetts, second President of the Society. He sailed her regularly in annual regattas at Friendship, and in 1967 sold her to Bill Johnson, who took her to Florida. She was neglected, and finally sank in the Dania Waterway. Ordered removed as an obstruction, she fell apart as she was raised. A piece of her may be seen in the Friendship Museum. 11

SAILMAKmi Eastward COTTON & DACRON SAILS TEL. (207) 633-5071 BOX 71. EAST BOOTHBAY. MAINE 04544 Ik PAUL E. LUKE, INC. Custom Yachts Fireplaces • Automatic Feathering Propellers • 3-Piece Storm Anchors Full Winter Services P.O. Box 816, East Boothbay, ME 04544 TEL. (207) 633-4971 A. Franklin Luke FAX: (207) 633-3388 ” On the By-Way” 4 Bridge St. Boothbay Harbor • 655-7447 Breakfast — Lunch Light Fare Dinners Beer & Wine Sandwiches • Chili • Chowders Salads • Pockets • Kids Specials Orders Made to Go At the Footbridge 12 Bath Savings Institution Since 1852 105 FRONT STREET, BATH 3 PLEASANT STREET, BRUNSWICK CHURCH STREET, DAMARISCOTTA 239 U.S. ROUTE i, FALMOUTH MEMBER FDIC A Letter to Bennett Noble by David Graham Bennett Noble is the author of frequent letters to the “Reading Chronicle,” of which Bruce Morang is editor. Mr. Noble, whom we have been unable to locate, appears to have a detailed knowledge and appreciation of the Maine coast, equal to the editor’s, especially as it relates to Friendship sloops and the Friendship Sloop Society. Mr. Morang may know more about him than he has thus far revealed. Dear Mr. Noble: … When it was discovered that Mother Earth was not flat and that falling off the edge was no longer a problem that could ruin an entire day, navigation has proliferated and eventually brought us to maneuvering vessels for pleasure – as in racing Friendship sloops. …We met for lunch slightly more than a dozen years ago, he and I. It was a great get- together. The conversation quickly settled into the not-so-mundane subject of running sloop races. He had “Maine” written all over him – Nobleboro – not way down east by most standards, mind you, but far enough to convince the vast majority that it is close to the earthbound version of Heaven. His mindset was open, yet inquisitive. He was seriously concerned with the task that was to become a major portion of his non- workaday world for the next 12 years to come. “What’s the best method for accomplishing this – and that?,” he’d ask. Then, with an uncluttered mind, the kind that is not often found in the instant “expert” of today, he’d sit back and absorb the response. “Don’t be afraid to do it with conviction,” I told him, “and eventually they may cross the finish line waving at you with all their fingers instead of just one.” Off he trotted from that luncheon meeting, fully convinced that he was in the beginning stages of losing all manner of sanity, to say nothing of a few marbles. Later 13

(CSOSIVCNL. D ARRUS NEW HARBOR, MAINE O4SS4 207-677-3727 7nn an