M bo batan

I was with Olin one day very late in his life and someone asked him what his favorite design was. His reply was a New York 30. I almost fell off my chair thinking he would certainly mention Dorade, a New York 32 perhaps, Ranger? Not another designer's work! The New York 30-Class was designed by Nathaniel Herreshoff (and built by Herreshoff Manufacturing) for the New York Yacht Club in 1905. Here's a sail plan.


The sail plan at the very top of this posting is design #4, designed in 1930. The similarity to the little row of windows in the deckhouse is hard to ignore. Olin's preference for a marconi rig is evident as is the omission of any sprit.

I was fully aware of the influence the designers Olin had worked with (and sailed against) had on his work such as Clinton Crane, John Alden and Starling Burgess but it was the first time I had heard him give such a strong endorsement of Cap'n Nat. Upon review of Olin's autobiography I do find reference to Herreshoff. In the second paragraph we find the following statement: "Of course, a sound engineering background has always been valuable, as demonstrated so well in the work of Nathaniel Herreshoff, whose ability with structures made him the greatest yacht designer of all time".

A number of these beautiful boats have been restored in recent years by yards such as Boothbay Harbor Shipyard.

Here's a nice shot of Alera, NY30#1 taken by professional marine photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz. She's currently on the brokerage boat market.

Front Street Shipyard (Belfast, ME) just unveiled two new S&S designs - the Front Street 130 & 118. Read the press release by clicking here.

We have been asked to publicize the following event. From the organizers:

A Sparkman & Stephens Rendezvous will be held at Elliott Bay Marina (Seattle, WA), the weekend of June 9, 2012. If you have a boat designed by Sparkman & Stephens either power or sail, you are encouraged to attend this event. Elliott Bay Marina is providing free weekend moorings for all boats participating in this Rendezvous, and there will be an opportunity to see other S&S boats and talk with other owners. There will be catered hors d’oeuvres served during the afternoon no-host cocktail party for Rendezvous participants.

The Rendezvous is being held in conjunction with the Leukemia Cup. The Leukemia Cup is a fun filled sailboat race to raise money for and awareness of leukemia and lymphoma. Over $39 million dollars has been raised nationally since the Leukemia Cup was started. The Leukemia Cup will have a sailboat race on Saturday afternoon followed by an evening dinner and auction. Skippers register their boats and recruit their friends and colleagues to help crew and raise funds. The $150 registration fee includes two tickets to the after-party that evening, an event t-shirt and a skipper swag bag. You are encouraged to participate in the Leukemia Cup but it is not mandatory.

Please contact woodleygroup@comcast.net to answer any questions you might have, or to let them know that you will be attending. Information is available at www.ssrendezvous.org. Leukemia Cup information is available at www.lls.org. Registration for the Leukemia Cup will be available at a discount at the Seattle Boat Show in January, 2012 and through the Leukemia Cup website.