J Class Blog - Bonjour Yves!

We met Yves about 10 years ago on the IYRS Classic Yacht Cruise. The cruises always brought together interesting people with a common love of wooden boats. The boats were spectacular and the owners convivial. BOLERO, AMORITA, PRAXILLA, SUMURUN and NEITH were just a few of the sailboats that were accompanied by motor gems such as SCOUT, BELLE,  LION'S WHELP and MARINER III.


On one cruise, Yves offered his services as Race Chair, which was quite a job given the grueling schedule of long distances to be raced balanced against a very full social schedule and a seemingly endless supply of Vueve Clicquot. Somewhere there are photos of Yves on deck wearing a wild cap and explaining to the fleet that while most of the starting sequence would be in French, that we should be able to recognize the count down just the same and get to the line 'rapidement'. Most of us also understood that the racing was to be competitive, but at the end of the day the awards were primarily presented on a very biased, non-performance basis. It was a lot of fun.


We've recently discovered that Yves publishes a lovely site called J Class Blog dedicated to the technical measurement system used by designers over the years as well as to beautiful wooden boats in general.  He is very knowledgeable about classic boats. We were pleasantly surprised to find our NOR'EASTER (Q-10) on one of his pages in a comparison to the 8-Meters. It is a sound comparison. Merci, Yves!

If you do not speak French, freetranslation.com will gladly translate for you. Enjoy!

More Sea Treasures

As promised, here are some of the other maritime themed items I found while antiquing.

An early New England clipper ship

An antique compass to find your way

A mahogany Captain's chair after a day at sea

Antique flax pillows to cushion a tiller tired back.

A full model of the 1885 America's Cup racing machine Puritan, for whom the PURITAN CUP was also named. Designed by the noted naval architect, Edward Burgess, she bested GENESTA in the fifth America's Cup contest. For a race recap, try this LINK. 

Also notice the nicely matted and framed chart of the Cape in the background.

Bow detail

Her plaque - (sry it's sideways)

 Finally, an oil painting for your salon.

All great items for a classic yacht lifestyle. Have you seen any wonderful maritime antiques lately? Send me a line - would be great to hear from you!

Sea Treasures

Our little farmhouse is in need of many things, and it's inspiring to visit our local antique shops with my never-ending wish list in mind. This week was no exception and part of the fun was seeing numerous maritime antiques for sale. In most cases, the prices were realistic and the quality quite nice. As usual, the photos are from my iPhone, but you'll get the idea.


If we had more wall space, I would have picked up this signed, limited edition of the mighty J-Class RANGER by noted American artist JOHN MECRAY. At $650, the cost of the print and the lovely frame alone make it a real steal for a lucky buyer since John's prints are highly collectible.

Or, if motor boats are your idea of fun, how about a stunning model of Caleb Bragg's GOLD CUP Speedster BABY BOOTLEGGER?  One of these models sold at CHRISTIE's a few years ago for over $5,000. The first pic is from the CHRISTIE's catalogue, but the others are of the model I saw on Saturday.

BABY BOOTLEGGER was a rare two-time winner of the American Power Boat Association's Gold Cup Race. She won in 1924 and 1925. She was beaten in 1926 and 1927 by Indian Harbor Yacht Club's  member George Townsend in GREENWICH FOLLY. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Gold Cup races, visit this LINK.

I wonder if this is THE model from the Christie's auction a few year's back or from the Bonham's Auction in NYC last year? Check out the feet supporting the model. The case and name plate are exquisite, too.

Or, how about antique hand-tinted line drawings of the FIFE designed ISOLDE? The set of three even show the vertical fold lines that are typical in antique line drawings so they fit in the naval architect's drawers.

A closer view of ISOLDE's bow

 The set of three was priced at $1,900.

In a few days, I'll post other treasure's I recently found while hunting.

Nellie - 1903 Herreshoff

This just in: film footage from NELLIE in Newport thanks to Tripp Clemens. The setting is Newport Harbor at the 2010 Museum of Yachting Regatta. To watch the video click HERE.

Nellie from Wind Powered Productions on Vimeo.


NELLIE is 46'6" on deck with a massive boom, which brings her overall length to 64ft. Owners Fernando Alva and Jeff Boal, plus their wives and good friend Wayne George spent several years bringing NELLIE back to life with one of the smartest and best executed classic yacht restorations in recent memory. Jeff, Fern and Wayne are all talented designers and marketers and they knew a wonderful story the moment they heard about NELLIE.


She even has her own website at www.synellie.com, which perfectly demonstrates the time, care and effort required to restore a nearly gone boat. It is also a fine reminder to dream big and to relish life. The following photo is from her launch in October 2009, when dozens of us went to York Harbor, Maine to celebrate her re-Christening.

At the MoY, NELLIE performed well in blustery 20-30+knots - essentially the wake of Hurricane Earl - in this very eventful race. She was also honored with the TOM BENSON Restoration Award.

Can't wait to see how she does next year with her dedicated crew with their first season behind them and a whole bunch of us cheering her on!

Book Collectors in Serious Need of Shelving

Our small 1832 farmhouse probably didn't intend to have a library when Farmer Palmer built it. One can reasonably assume that if it didn't include food, clothing, shelter and keeping warm in Connecticut winters, well, he probably wasn't too interested.


And so, here we are with a book problem. First, because my husband the Architect collects books on residential design, landscaping and style of all periods. Second, because I have a collection devoted to gardening, interior design and a decent collection of fiction and non-fiction. There is the first edition IN COLD BLOOD sitting on the shelf near LES MISERABLES and Shakespeare. Finally, we both have a soft spot for Maritime books and history. I am particularly enamored of annuals such as Lloyd's Registry of American Yachts and certain Eastern Seaboard Yacht Club annuals. For this segment of our collection, which now represents about 300 books, I positively enjoy blaming our good friend, Robert.


Robert is a very committed maritime book collector and our official advisor on building our own collection. At least once a month, he'll send an e-mail with a link and a simple note that says 'Buy this'. And, we usually do.


We are almost complete with our Lloyd's set and are progressing with our NYYC books although in both cases we 'start' at the turn of the last century.  Most of our almost 1,000 books are either in my husband's office or stuffed in myriad shelves upstairs. Here are two pics of the one meager bookshelf we have downstairs next to our living room fireplace with Lloyd's, NYYC and antique leather  bound books we've collected over the years. Not great quality pics as they are from my iPhone, but you'll get the idea.

The top two shelves

and the rest of the bookshelf

And, yes, that is a collection of Barient 28's that will replace the hodgepodge of winches currently on board that have been assembled over eight decades of prior owners. But that, is another story.

EIGHT BELLS - Donelson C. Glassie, Jr.

The Eastern seaboard lost a great sailor this week: Don Glassie. His passing has already been recorded in meaningful ways by many fine publications. He was a wonderful man, a creative and highly successful entrepreneur and a force to be reckoned with whenever he was at the helm of his very special B.B Crowninshield schooner aptly named FORTUNE. Scuttlebutt has written a fine ode to Don here. Everyone has more than one good adventure story about Don - he was that kind of guy.


When we purchased our 1926 Q-Class NOR'EASTER IV in 2005, she was a white semi-sleek/semi-gawky machine named TAYGETA. One day, I'll post the original photos, but the point is that Don knew her well - knew her strengths and weaknesses - but he didn't know us. And we didn't know Don. Not yet, anyway.


Our early research revealed that TAYGETA's name was originally NOR'EASTER IV. She was designed by John Alden and launched black (sorry Capt Nat). As a result, the first two cosmetic changes we made were to change her name back to NOR'EASTER and to paint her a glossy black.
 And so it goes we made our first trip to Newport to race in the MoY in our newly black boat. Don was at the helm of his beloved FORTUNE. He came alongside and asked "is that TAYGETA?" We said "Yes". Don circled us respectfully, encouraged us to have a good time, and then proceeded to soundly, roundly and totally beat us in that race. At the after party, he was gracious and pleased that our Q-boat had new owners who wanted to bring her back to a vibrant life.


Over time, we learned that our two boats were very different, but somehow well-matched. FORTUNE is a marvelous reaching boat and we fair a bit better at beating in heavy weather. Sometimes we got lucky. Don enjoyed racing the edges of tide and shore to gain advantage and sometimes it took FORTUNE hitting a sand bar just long enough to slow him down so we could get a break. Don and his team always brought their A-game and they were never easy to beat. We rarely did.


"Where's Glassie?" Don's fantastic crew superbly orchestrate the raising and lowering of numerous sails in any given race. A constant question on NOR'EASTER while racing is always 'where's Glassie?' I'm sure others racing in our class had a similar concern. He was a benchmark we will all forever miss.


This year, as was typical, we received a nice wave from Don before hitting the line at both the Herreshoff and MoY. Our result at the 2010 Herreshoff Regatta was achieved after a 4-hour floater of a race. Half way through the race, we ghosted by FORTUNE in a stream of current only later to be passed. Sails were hardly filled, yet Don and his fine crew once again finished ahead. At the MoY, it was blowing in the 30s and we missed the start by five minutes as a result of fouled lines. We were heartened to even see FORTUNE's distant transom as we neared the Newport bridge leading to the finish. We were honored to tie 4th with FORTUNE - but it was just barely.


One day soon I will write about Don's connection to one of Indian Harbor Yacht Club's finest Commodores. It would have been a fun conversation to have.........Or, to use Don's well know phrase: 'it would have been a blast'. A great man. He will be missed.

Daniel Forster photo of FORTUNE circa 2002 from Projo.com.

Larchmont Yacht Club Revitalizes Classics for Race Week

Larchmont Race Week has been a fixture on Long Island Sound for 112 years.  Last July, Larchmont re-launched the classic division as part of  their lineup for their annual Race Week. Pamela and Alex Dubitsky, members of Larchmont and owners of the lovely P-Class BERNICE, organized the fleet. They did a great job.

Anyone who owned a classic was invited to join the event. The fleet included nine boats of excellent quality from both shores of the Sound. More importantly, the Corinthian spirit of those who sailed was strong and the race management was excellent.  The start was actually delayed due to lack of air, but that suddenly changed when a squall rolled through. Maureen Koeppel, who was on race committee and who is also a very fine photographer took the below photo of Nor'easter just as the squall hit and the wind speed registered 24knts pre-race (yes, we remembered to take our colors down for the start).

This year, on July 17th, we'll all be returning to Larchmont for another great race and to enjoy the fine hospitality of Larchmont Yacht Club. 

NOR'EASTER in a blow. Photo courtesy Maureen Koeppel.

Dinner in the City - Classic Yacht Style

Luckily for all of us, Benjamin Mendlowitz is an extremely patient and talented photographer. Last Tuesday, our cheerful group forged our way through yet another East Coast snowstorm, and the good news is that it was more than worth it. The camaraderie in NYYC's stunning model room was strong - after all,we had all just trudged through another storm to get there.



Benjamin's photographs have graced the covers and feature articles in WoodenBoat magazine more than any other photographer. His work has been seen and appreciated for 25 years by hundreds of thousands of wooden boat enthusiasts and dedicated fans of the magazine. He has a new book - his third - and the photos are of so many boats and sights we know and love on the Eastern Seaboard: the NY40 Marilee, the classic Peapods, the Maine coastline on a late summer day and endless other beautifully captured moments. Get the book - it's just as fine as the first two.

And yes, there is still time to get the 2011 calendar, too!

Needless to say, our merry group of NELLIE, BERNICE, SALTY and NOR'EASTER had a great time catching up to celebrate a sport we love while our lovely old gals are resting quietly under cover from Mother Nature's harsh winter.

Celebrating Classic Yachts - Dinner in the City

It's snowing, sleeting and freezing in Connecticut. And, we have been looking forward to Benjamin Mendlowitz's talk tomorrow at NYYC since early December. So, what's an intrepid  sailor to do? The answer is: trug into the City via Metro North and hope the City doesn't cancel.

NELLIE, BERNICE, SALTY, NOREASTER are all coming to dinner tomorrow. More to come,  and I promise to  fill you in....

the Quartermaster