The Concordian
Issue #19, Spring 1995
This may not have much to do with Concordias, but I think most readers will find it of interest: sailing aboard the J boat Endeavor while watching an America's Cup race.
My work often requires that I spend several weeks each month flying throughout the Orient. After a multitude of time zones and sleep deprivation my mental and physical state upon arriving home is one of sheer exhaustion. Upon catching up on a stack of accumulated mail, imagine my reaction to a note from Elizabeth Meyer with an invitation to sail aboard Endeavour during an America's Cup race the next day. Overload. No way. Want to, but physically unable. I dashed off a fax stating my problem and requesting a rain check. (Fat chance.) I tossed and turned all that night in agony but then decided I'd be a fool to pass it up. I booked an early morning flight from Seattle and re-faxed saying I'd be there.
Who has not seen pictures of Endeavour? For the uninitiated, Endeavour was built for T.O.M. Sopwith to challenge for the
America's Cup in 1934. Although considered faster than the American defender, Rainbow, she only won two races before being defeated by superior crew work and tactics. She was probably the most beautiful of the ten J's built. She languished for years until Elizabeth took over the rebuilding project in 1985. Over $10 million was spent in her total reconstruction and she is absolutely stunning in design and finish. The finish work was completed by the Royal Huisman Shipyard in Holland. She was launched in 1989. No doubt Elizabeth's owning the proper and impeccably maintained Concordia yawl MATINICUS for 18 years set high standards for Endeavour. Having the means to take on such a project was one thing, but to carry it through with such a high degree of perfection came from Elizabeth's sense of nautical history and knowledge. Endeavour is 130' LOA and has a displacement of 162 tons.
Endeavour's home port is Newport, but she is currently on the West Coast for the Cup races and a summer cruise. I met her at the San Diego Yacht Club. Her towering 165' mast was visible miles away. Departure time was scheduled for 1100. I had arrived at 1000 so was able to witness the crew of eight preparing for the day's sail. Her freeboard relative to her length is low, but because of her immense size it is still about six feet above the waterline. Admirers were everywhere and I felt quite privileged to announce to a crew member that I was expected. What a rush. My duffel was taken and, since I had been invited to spend the night aboard as well, I was escorted to my own stateroom on the port side. Port out, starboard home? All the staterooms aboard Endeavour were POSH.
Elizabeth was having a light breakfast by herself in the main saloon when we met. As a fellow Concordia sailor, we had become acquainted through various fleet activities. I could immediately sense the magnitude of operating a vessel of this size. Although Endeavour has an experienced crew and very capable captain, much of the organization falls on Elizabeth. After several months in San Diego and the frenzy of the America's Cup, it seemed she was ready for a break. A yacht of this size and pedigree is a magnet for crowds of curious folk. Of course, it also attracts some very interesting folks judging from the name dropping I heard and the other guests we had on board. her Husband Michael was occupied during their stay in San Diego having shipped his Herreshoff S sloop out from Newport to race against the local PC's.
Elizabeth commented how different it was to go cruising on Endeavour than on MATINICUS. Early on she had planned a Maine cruise just like she would on a Concordia. It turned out that Endeavour traveled in one morning what it would take MATINICUS three days to cover.
Besides entertaining guests Endeavour is also available for charter. That keeps the crew hopping and helps with expenses. She was doing an occasional day charter in San Diego. During her upcoming cruise to the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and Alaska this summer she will be available by the week. Only $60,000. Food, fuel and moorage extra. She had done a charter the previous day and life lines and life raft canisters were required on deck. To return Endeavour to her sleek profile the life lines were being removed and the canisters placed below in the lazerette.
Before the rest of the day guests arrived the crew removed the mains'l cover, brought head sails on deck and rove the 1 1/2" sheets. Endeavour has a Park Avenue boom which is triangular with the bottom facing up. It is over 3' wide and coated with non-skid. Crew members can easily walk its length, either to tend the sail or simply as a neat place to hang out when under sail.
Shortly before departure the other guests arrived, including one of my sailing heroes, Bill Ficker, winning Cup helmsman aboard Intrepid in the 1970 defense. Also J.J. Isler, the original tactician aboard Mighty Mary this year, and her 19 month old daughter. She brought along her mother and two of the grinders from Mighty Mary, Shelly and Amy. There were about 15 guests total.
We pulled away from SDYC right at 1100 and powered out to the starting area along with hundreds of other boats. ESPN on-the-water commentator Peter Isler pulled up alongside and exchanged waves and goo-ga's with his wife and daughter. Endeavour then spent the next hour or so jockeying for position in the spectator fleet. That was some trick given the large swells, limited maneuverability and aggressive tactics from the other boats. In fact, J.J. Isler commented that staying on station in the spectator fleet was more stressful than calling starting tactics on an AC boat. With the help of a bow thruster (retractable) and large four-bladed propeller (feathering) the captain did an admirable job, although he still had crew standing by with fenders, just in case. It was noisy from all the diesel engines and 8 overhead helicopters, and smelly from the exhaust.
Just prior to the start of Race 4, lunch was served on deck. With such perfectly maintained teak decks I was quite surprised to see that potato chips were on the menu. I instinctively went around picking up after messy eaters to prevent stains. It was quite rolly but the motion of Endeavour was minor compared to the filled-to-the-gills party boats.
It wasn't until the ten-minute gun that we got a close look at Black Magic and The Mermaid. After watching every race on ESPN it was pretty uninteresting watching it live and without graphics or commentary. Interestingly enough, there was very basic commentary on marine channel 72, so we could hear what was happening. As it turned out, there wasn't a lot of excitement. Bill Ficker and I watched the start together and I enjoyed hearing his comments. J.J. Isler showed only minor interest and spent most of the time playing mother and keeping her young daughter out of mischief. Mermaid ahead by two boat lengths at the first cross and behind by ten at the second. More of the same. We decided to depart the fleet and go for a sail.
Hoisting a 1,500 pound J boat mains'l is not a casual affair: Guests are asked to go below or to the aft deck to stay out of the way. The (two) port running backstays are taken forward. The topping lift is taken up and the boom gallows lowered. Port and starboard preventers are in place to keep the boom centered. The sail stops are removed but the sail is kept in place on the boom with light string that breaks during the hoist so the furled sail won't come off the boom. The boat is powered slowly almost into the wind, just enough to keep the sail to port. The two-part halyard is taken up via an electric powered Lewmar winch. The captain, keeping a constant eye on the leech, gives a thumbs up to continue the hoist, or a fist to stop should a batten get caught on a weather runner. The process takes about ten minutes. One of the guests was Hood Sails president Tim Woodhouse, who had made Endeavour's sails. He mentioned that the clew loading on the main was 30,000 pounds and that the luff would stretch 1 1/2 feet. Endeavour has three mains. This one, the largest with a fair amount of roach, another slightly smaller one for sailing in the Caribbean in stronger winds and a trys'l used for passage making. This particular sail was due for replacement after six seasons of racing (against Shamrock V, or Velsheda, the only other true J's in existence, or against other large yachts in an occasional regatta) and cruising.
An inner stays'l and a small quadrilateral jib were hoisted forward. The term "small," of course, is relative. There are load cells on each headstay with readouts at each running backstay winch to monitor the rig. The numbers would really climb when the bow went through a wave or when a puff (what's Cayard's term, a "stinger?") hit. Quite impressive. It took all eight crew to tack the vessel. Guests were not encouraged to participate. Since this was a mere cruise, the electric overdrives on the coffee grinders were used, although I did see a Mighty Mary grinder give them a try.
Everyone that wanted to got a chance on the wheel. During my trick I noted that with 12.2 knots apparent wind and close reaching, we were sailing at 10.5 knots. Very impressive. The helm was quite responsive, but this was pretty easy going. The captain was always nearby - just in case. I had my picture taken with Bill Ficker on one side and J.J. Isler on the other. They weren't too impressed, but I was.
Thousands of pictures were taken that day, by us and of us. We returned to SDYC more enthralled with having sailed aboard Endeavour than having witnessed an America's Cup race. We all knew how that turned out. Endeavour backed effortlessly into her slip and within minutes of guests departing, the crew was washing down and polishing away.
Next morning I enjoyed a lazy hour walking the decks and admiring every detail. It was hard to miss the occasional Concordia touches: folding Concordia berths forward for the crew, the giant skylight over the main saloon, just like a Concordia. And the oh-so-subtle moon and star hiding in the covestripe fore and aft. I even answered a few questions to the dock walkers. Having just made a presentation on J boat history and Endeavour's restoration to a historical group I felt confident in my answers, but still insignificant compared to Endeavour herself. At 0759 a uniformed crewmember popped out of the forward hatch and headed aft with the ensign under his arm. At precisely 0800 the colors were hoisted. Perfect, just like Endeavour. At 0805 the rest of the crew appeared on deck with buckets and chamois. The polishing continued.
Although there was no racing that day, Endeavour was still entertaining guests and going sailing. I couldn't stay, but watched as guests boarded and Endeavour pulled away at exactly 1100. I felt most fortunate to have enjoyed such an experience.
Endeavour will be heading towards the Pacific Northwest and on to Alaska in mid-June. Her ports of call have yet to be determined, but wouldn't it be fun to have a little raft up of Northwest Concordia yawls and one big blue J boat?
NEWS FROM THE FLEET
Phalarope #13
Dan & Sarah Beard, Kennebunkport, ME
Life in our town has settled down a lot since George Bush is no longer President. PHALAROPE provided Sarah and me with another wonderful season last summer. It started with launching in early May and a few day sails. Then the barnacles set in. I think that every boat in the area, freshly painted or not, got them. We had a white blanket from waterline down. Back to our railway, scrape and repaint, this time with cayenne pepper added. It seemed to work. No more barnacles for the rest of the season. The bulk of the summer was spent in the Penobscot, Blue Hill Bay, Frenchman Bay areas -- about 6 weeks of actual sailing.
Sarah and I gave each other 18-speed full size folding Montague bikes, adding a wonderful dimension to our travels, allowing both exercise and side trips that we would not have been able to do on foot. We also had the pleasure of having our son-in-law, Dave, with us while daughter Amy was in a summer school graduate program. On our way Down East we stopped at Tony Correa's Open House which was a wonderful gathering at his new showroom on the Damariscotta River. There were only 4 wooden boats out of about 30.
We met up with Edgar Crocker on CROCODILE, Hank Bornhofft on MAGIC and Jim Brown, who was without SONNET, at the WoodenBoat Show in Southwest Harbor. The three boats had a pleasant evening in Somesville where it was actually warm enough to enjoy a swim. We have enjoyed watching the stages of SONNET's rebuilding at Rumery's Boatyard in Biddeford. It appears to be a first class job.
Late August took us across from Southwest Harbor to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We had superb winds both ways and only a bit of fog. We met a lot of wonderful people and the Concordia was usually immediately identified and admired.
This winter's projects are to recaulk the cockpit floor, wood much of the exterior brightwork and some engine work. We don't know where 1995 will take us, but with PHALAROPE it should be grand. A major challenge for us will be to sail with a two month old grandchild and its parents. Does anyone have a tried and true arrangements for crib placement, day and night, with four adults aboard?
Golondrina #65
John Eide, Portland, ME
The Newsletter is great. I look forward to it every fall and spring and find it a good way of recapping the season and getting the process going again in the spring. You've got to check your facts! GOLONDRINA was the first Concordia to finish on corrected time in the 1994 Camden-Brooklin feeder race, not WINNIE. At least that's the way I read the results sheet. Yeah, in the overall scheme of things it really is unimportant, but I've got to fan the flames of this friendly rivalry between Peter and myself. Anytime that an original fractional rigged yawl can beat the tallest masthead rig of the fleet, I feel I've got to flaunt it.
Getting serious, this winter GOLONDRINA is getting a new deck covering. The 1/4" plywood overlay with two layers on Dynel, all set, stuck and bonded with epoxy and coated with Awlgrip is very common, and quite effective. In addition, since the cockpit coamings had to come out to do the deck (and to cut out the only large chunk of rot I found in the carling), I decided to keep going and re-do the cockpit a la MALAY, leaving only the footwell open and gaining all that storage space under and outboard of the seats. Last spring the fuel tanks (mine came with one under each seat) were replaced with about a 35 gallon tank under the cockpit sole. Five gallons were lost in the process, but I gained lots of storage under the seats. When all is done the cockpit will be shaped, configured and looking just like the original.
In the process of checking everything outboard and aft of the cockpit I discovered rot, lots of rot, in the starboard forward mizzen chainplate block. The other five did not show any signs of rot, fortunately, since to replace the upper and aft mizzen chainplate blocks would mean removing the planking! The forward ones and the ones for the main can be removed with only minor hassle from the inside. So, fellow Concordians, make sure that you pull those little bronze plates around the chainplates and recaulk them every few years. I checked all the chainplate blocks before I purchased GOLONDRINA in 1991 and found now problems. Now, less than four years later, major rot was showing. Once I noticed the problem with the mizzen block, and since the canvas was off, I did some exploratory surgery around the main chainplates by removing the covering boards in the area. No problems were found, fortunately, so I gooped up the tops and buttoned everything up again, ready for the new deck covering.
Another one of those all too common Concordia stories occurred at the end of the summer as I was single-handing back to Portland, I left South Bristol, east side of the Gut, late morning with a going tide and a very light wind which held until I was just abeam Cuckolds Light when it died. Lots of other boats were coming out of Boothbay Harbor, motor sailing, with about half heading west, like me, to pass inside Sequin Light. Of course, just before reaching the Sisters, the wind came up from the Southwest. I reset the working jib (I never use anything but the three working sails when sailing alone) and settled down for the fun romp back home. And, of course, it really started to blow just before I got to the mouth of the Kennebeck setting up quite a chop since the tide was still going out the river. I was having fun, but I noticed all the boats around me were working in reefs, the crew getting decked out in their slickers, or they were dropping sails, turning around and heading for shelter -- in general, seeming to not be having that much fun. I did drop the mizzen, though, to relieve some pressure on the helm. Everyone seemed to be packing it in, except for me and a boat closing on me from the opposite course. A Concordia, of course, with two people in the cockpit chatting away and giving the impression that sailing is never a chore, never a need to work up a sweat and that we were all doing what comes naturally in a well designed sailboat. We waved, admired each other's boat, passed, and then did that dance that we all do after we feel the other boat has passed just far enough -- and dove for the binoculars to check it out! Why do we feel we cannot get them out before the boats are abeam? What is in our upbringing or our socialization or our whatever that says it is not proper to look at the other boat through binoculars before she shows her transom? The etiquette seems to be that if we can see the faces of the other crew we cannot look through binoculars, but that if the boat is far enough away so the other crew cannot be seen, then we feel it's OK to stare. It's an interesting dance we play. It was SAXON, but I'm sorry that the wind and wave conditions precluded a closer pass so that a hail could be heard. It felt great to be in a boat that was moving along like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. For a Concordia it was just another Buzzards Bay type day and that's exactly why they were designed. There's a fine line, at times, between arrogance and pride, but the combination of Ray Hunt, Bill Harris, Waldo Howland and the A&R crew gave us boats that come as close to perfection as we'll probably ever see. That gives us the right to be proud. PS: I'm getting to enjoy being chased by and chasing your ex-nemesis ALLURE now that she's moved to Maine.
Memory #35
Dyke Williams, Deephaven, MN
MEMORY has just been purchased by brothers Barry and Dyke Williams from Rick Navarro. These "elderly" brothers grew up teaching sailing in Marion and admiring and sailing on Concordias all over Buzzards Bay. As an affair of the heart (it doesn't make much sense financially), they have begun fully restoring and carefully making available for charter some classic CCA-era boats, mainly yawls. MEMORY is the latest addition to the fleet.
The Williams & Williams, Inc. "Modern Classics Charter Fleet" is based in Cataumet (Cape Cod) and managed by wood boat builder and restorer Tom Wolstenholme of Rivendell Marine. They also offer Happy (a Little Harbor 37' yawl), Antelope (a Hood Tor 36' yawl), Sweet Lady (a Hood Tor 40' sloop) and Gumdrop (the original Gumdrop 36' yawl). There may be a Bermuda 40 yawl or wooden equivalent thereof on board by May.
Lest you shudder at the idea of letting such gems (much less a Concordia) loose in the hands of mere charterers, rest assured the MCCF is very fussy. The idea is to make these classics available to folks like: West coast Concordia skippers who would like to sail New England for a couple of weeks in a known, loved and predictable boat; Sailors retired from boat ownership who logged many miles on now-classics like these who get a group together each summer to sail such fine restored boats; Younger able sailors who have known mostly IOR and fiberglass but are curious about or seriously interested in classic and wooden boats and want to cruise a proper yacht before committing to one of their own; Sailors wanting a wonderful boat for extended periods - one, two, three months or for the entire season.
Modern Classics charter reservations are generally handled by Swift Yacht Charters (800 866-8340), but I encourage readers of The Concordian to call me direct at 612 473-1856 for more information, a brochure, reservations or to query, scold or congratulate me. I believe these boats are getting the best possible care in that (a) they are fully restored (there can be no deferred maintenance in the charter business), (b) the brothers and Tom often sail them as their own personal boats, and (c) capable skippers understand and take extraordinary care of these classics.
Raka #43
Robert Stuart, Hingham, MA
Two years ago RAKA got a new full batten main from Manchester. I'm very happy with the way it looks, sails and handles. I have lazy jacks, and with the full length battens the sail is fairly well controlled when we lower it. Then, last year I finally converted to a roller furling jib using a Shaeffer furler. Part of the reason I put it off so long was I didn't want to give up all the assorted jibs I already had. But I worked out a way to use the old head stay as a second head stay when I want to use some of the other sails. The stay is still connected up on the mast, but normally hung back in the shrouds. It is fitted with a quick connect and a quick adjustable turnbuckle so that I can furl the gennie and quickly connect and tighten the second headstay. I used it a couple of times last season, but I do like the club jib under some conditions.
Last season RAKA didn't get as much service as usual because I spent three weeks sailing the coast of Newfoundland on SISYPHUS with Jack Towle and his permanent crew of Ed Preim. We sailed from the Bras d'Or Lakes in Nova Scotia across Cabot Strait to St. Pierre and then along the south coast of Newfoundland and up the west coast to Bonavista Bay where we spent a week of leisurely cruising. Beautiful scenery, whales and other wildlife, and the people are incredibly friendly. Other than St. John's we saw few other boats. The impact of the fishing ban is very sad. The fishermen get a government subsidy not to fish, but it is clear that's not a happy solution. Next summer Jack is planning to take SISYPHUS on a six-week cruise from the Bras d'Or Lakes up the coast of Labrador. I will be crewing for part of the time, so it looks like RAKA will not get heavy use again this summer. But with the weather turning better I've started some projects, including new Standard Horizon instruments and a holding tank installation. The comments from the other owners are helpful as I get into these projects, so keep up the good work.
Katrina #94
Jan Rozendaal, South Burlington, VT
Not much news, just cruising in Maine as usual. Although we have fought it and object on aesthetic grounds, we will probably be sporting a radome this year. Furuno model 1621 as it has the smallest radome. We are having a varnished mount made for the mizzen to minimize our feelings of guilt!
Paramour #72
Skip & Ann Bergmann, Waupun, WI
We've enjoyed our first year with PARAMOUR and our best sail was from Manitowoc to Sturgeon Bay at the end of September for November 1st haulout. After drifting and motoring off and on for most of the day until almost 7 PM, we finally ended up on a rollicking 35 mile reach in five foot seas on a drizzling, black night to reach the outer ship channel buoy around midnight. In October we brought all spars home (other than the main mast) for varnish and have just loaded them in the trailer to take to the boatyard this weekend (4/25). Even though we had snow ten days ago, PARAMOUR is scheduled for launching the last week of April.
Like many other owners, we continue to find small things that amuse us. Our A&R construction number, 5470, is still legible in pencil under coats of varnish on such things as drawers, battery box and companionway slides. The latter are of particular interest, since we discovered that the penciled number is 5580 - CORIOLIS! Perhaps slides were once switched when both boats used to winter in Padanaram in their younger days. Maybe Doug Adkins has PARAMOUR's slides, but his fit our boat very well.
Winter projects, in addition to varnishing spars, have included stripping and refinishing blocks, replacing running rigging with Sta-Set and Sta-Set X, making new wire/rope outhauls, inspecting and re-serving standing rigging wire splices, plus a host of other odds and ends. Joe Mello (Rigging Only, Fairhaven, MA) was a great help and our source for well-tarred marline. Our mizzen gooseneck fitting had a lot of play in it due to the elongated holes and wear on the vertical pin. Since the pin is metric and necked down for the downhaul fitting threads, a larger bolt would not work as a simple solution. However, the local machine shop turned down a piece of 1" bronze stock to 1/2" and came up with a pin virtually identical to the old one, with no play. For anyone disassembling wooden blocks, I have found the 2" Hall and Rice, 11 gauge, English copper rivets, available from the The Wooden Boat Shop in Seattle, work well for reassembly. I am looking ahead to rewiring the original electrical panel and would appreciate anyone's input as to what works and what does not: manufacturer, model, etc.
If you are situated in a marina, as we are, static cling vinyl cut to the shape of the trunk cabin ports provides good privacy. This is the material that holiday decorations are made from to stick on glass doors and windows and is available from most any small sign company that works with vinyl. It is easily cut to size, sticks well to glass, and can be stored under a book or magazine.
Late summer plans call for heading to Door County and upper reaches of Green Bay. Unlike Maine and Buzzards Bay, gunkhole cruising areas are at least 60-80 miles from Manitowoc, so getting there and back has to be a good part of the fun!
Irene #103
Doug Cole, Bellingham, WA
I finally got around to one project that showed up on the winter work list year after year: re-insulating the ice box. Wanting to keep things simple, I still use the Mother Nature drip method for keeping perishables cool. The original box was adequate in spring and fall but marginal in summer. First step was to remove the old stainless liner. The upper trim pieces were easily removed but I discovered the only way to remove the liner itself, due to the tight fit, was to de-solder it in place. With the help of a portable Bunsen burner it came apart in four pieces. The nasty part was removing the old 1" pumice insulation. It was very smelly, gritty and dusty. While the original plan was to install 3" of insulation, I found that the volume would be drastically reduced. I settled on 2" of rigid foam. All corners and joints were taped and then I carefully measured. Trimming stainless isn't quite like shaving off a few slivers of wood. Even with careful measuring I had to make four extra trips to the shop for minute adjustments.
The new liner was beautifully made by a company specializing in dairy equipment. The tricky part was figuring out how to install the drain nipple The original was soldered in place after installation. We ended up welding a small nut on the outside of the box and then the hose bib was threaded in after the box was in place. The lid insulation had to be recut to accommodate the smaller box. I used 1" here and had the original liner cut down and polished up. A small access cover was cut into the aft side and riveted in place, just in case a suitable mechanical refer ever comes along. After several spring cruises it seems much better. If nothing else it's all bright and sparkly.
IRENE has already had several spring cruises and the wooden boat racing begins this weekend. We'll miss our old competitor, ALLURE, and I suspect we might get lazy and complacent. Looking forward to a three week cruise in August and will keep all lookouts on the alert for wandering J boats in local waters.
Allure #87
Ben Niles, South Freeport, ME
(November) With the arrival of a new crewmember in our family I didn't sail much last fall. The sail to Rockport, where we hauled ALLURE, was great. Mostly reaching in 25-30 knots for 11 hours with a small jib and single reef in the main. Average speed 6.4 knots. ALLURE is not hauled and in the shed waiting for the mast step, keel and stem bolt work to begin.
Java #1
Freeport, ME
JAVA #1 is in storage nearby in Freeport and I went to take a look. She's a sorry sight having been hauled since 1988. I can't tell if the owner is totally discouraged as he still talks of having the re-build completed, but I'm pretty sure nothing is happening with the boat for another year. She's in a pretty good (tarped) shed, but must be pretty dried out by now. The forward cabin bulkheads, bunks, benches lockers and ceiling are out and things are pretty open around the garboards forward. But mostly the rest of the boat just looks tired and dirty. She's going to be a huge project for someone, but not yet unsalvageable. (Editor's note: Chuck Rhone at H&H Boatworks in Bath called in February. He said that JAVA's owner offered to give the boat away with the following provision: That a proper restoration be done and that the current owner would then be allowed to sail her several times a year. Rhone was trying to locate such a person so that H&H could perform the restoration.)
Jakarta #50
Peter Kieley, South Hampton, NH
JAKARTA, ex-NJORD, is going strong after wintering in Rockport. Will summer in Portland, ME. JAKARTA was at one time called Djakarta to which we have converted to the modern spelling.
Abaco #102
Jonathan Goldweitz, Stamford, CT
We decided to strip and refinish the topsides this winter. I almost decided on a bright finish but there are at least 10 small repairs (filled with white putty) where various docks, anchors and launches have met ABACO over the years. Some of them I remembered and it was fun recounting the stories. We'll stick with white. Also decided to replace one plank at the waterline and the top plank on the transom on which we had unsuccessfully repaired delaminated ends. Several frame butts in the bilge had delaminated slightly and I repaired these by coating with epoxy and fastening with a 2" screw (from the inside) and large fender washer. It drew up quite snug. HERO is alongside us at Dutch Harbor Boat Yard in Jamestown, RI. She is having her wood keel replaced. May 8 update: Just returned yesterday after spring delivery from Jamestown to Stamford. Sustained 35 knot winds with gusts to 45. It made for an exciting trip. The new topside paint came out great and she doesn't show a seam after the pounding. Now is the time of year we can enjoy the fruits of all our winter labors.
OTHER NEWS
From J-Class Management and Elizabeth Meyer: She has a mixed inventory of Concordia 50th Anniversary clothing and would like to clear it out. Sweaters are navy or white. They are 100% wool with V-necks in various, mostly small sizes. Limited quantities at only $10 each plus shipping. They have the Concordia star and moon plus "1938-1988" embroidered. Tee-shirts are white 100% cotton, short sleeve. Assorted sizes. $2 each plus shipping. She also has Concordia art prints for sale. These are reproduced in the 50th Anniversary book. Demers "Crossing Tacks" and "Waiting for a Breeze." $80 each or $150 a pair. Also Mecray "Concordia 50th Anniversary" for $100 (now valued at $190). Call or fax J-Class Management for availability. MasterCard and Visa accepted. Phone 401-849-3060, FAX 401-849-1642.
Correspondent Andreas Borrink writes from Hamburg: I am a sales-rep for a southern German company supplying core materials, resins and fiber reinforcements to the composite industry in Germany. Abeking & Rasmussen is one of my customers and I thought you might like to hear what they are working on. A&R recently founded a new sub-division exclusively producing rotor blades for wind turbines in GRP, hand lay-up. We are talking about quite large components - 21m in length for 600kw machines. Some of the panels on the trailing edges are cored with our HEREX type foams to increase stiffness, quite similar to sailplane wings. (A&R built 99 Concordia yawls.)
Correspondent Franz Whowsky writes from Denmark: I have had a long interest in Concordia yawls. The reason is that we lived in Hamburg and sailed on the river Elbe and in Scandinavian waters. In 1950 Henry Rasmussen offered my father and two of his friends to build each of them a 54 foot yawl for a very good price. The reason was to keep all the skillful boatbuilders on the yard. So our yawl, named Christiana was launched together with two others, Rubin and Konigin. We sailed her until 1965 and had a wonderful time. Since then I always sailed on wooden boats and now I own a wonderful Folkboat of wood. In 1993 I had the pleasure to sail with my Danish friends along the coast of Maine and saw these beautiful Concordia yawls. They looked just wonderful, with nice sheer and proportions. Very elegant. And of course they reminded me very much of my father's boat, just a little bit smaller. Since then I have read the books of Waldo Howland and of Elizabeth Meyer about the Concordia yawls.
Your editor reports: I visited the Concordia yard early last November. My previous visits had always been during the yachting season so it was interesting to see the difference. It had been a very mild fall so a few boats were still being hauled. Mooring buoys in Padanaram had all been replaced with stakes. Pennants were being cleaned, inspected and put away. JAVELIN was still in the water. MALAY, ARAPAHO and HORIZON were in one shed, BEAUTY, RENAISSANCE and SUMATRA in another. PRINCIPIA, which has not been in commission for several years while undergoing overhaul, was alongside HAVEN in yet another shed. Outside were NIAM and SNOWBIRD. CHOSEN was expected soon. "Alice," the trusty Concordia rigging crane had recently gone to "crane heaven" and was replaced by something more modern. Jerry Smith spent some time showing me the winter projects that were getting underway. He also explained how the yawls were moved about in the sheds using rollers and come-alongs. Quite ingenious. My thanks to Jerry for helping to keep track of new owners and change of addresses.
NEW OWNERS
| # | Name | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 31 | WHITE FLOWER (ex-CHOSEN) | Eliot Wadsworth II, Brookline, MA. He was a previous owner of #49 MOONFLEET, ex-DALLIANCE. |
| 35 | MEMORY | Dyke Williams, Deephaven, MN |
| 59 | SNOW BIRD | Guilliaem Aertsen IV, Boston, MA |
| 80 | BATAVIA | Greg & Darlene Nulk, Salem, MA |
CONCORDIAS FOR SALE
| # | Name | Year | Price | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | TEMPO | 1947 | $35,000 | Call MD, 410-745-3457 |
| 18 | CRESCENT | 1954 | $57,500 | Call VA, 804-758-3267 |
| 39 | CANDIDE | 1956 | $62,500 | Call WA, 206-325-7605 |
The previous edition of The Concordian featured a story about Dr. Raymond Curtis and his ownership of Concordia #7 RAYANNA. I was informed by his son Randy that his father passed away just before the story was published.
Concordia burgees are still available for $35, which includes shipping.
I have an original Concordia wood stove that has been collecting dust in my basement. I recall that several owners are looking for one but I've felt obliged to keep all of IRENE's original equipment. However, it was replaced by a nice diesel stove and is now gathering dust. I'm not wild about crating it up for shipping, but I'll part with it for $300. You pay the shipping.
Thank you for your response to the plea to send subscription payments. Several readers sent more than the annual $5.00. This barely covers the cost of printing and postage. I would estimate that less than half of the Concordia owners actually support this publication. So, if you enjoy keeping up with Concordia fleet news and want to do your part, send in your $5.00 and, most important, your stories, photographs and reports. Keep them coming.
1998 will be the 60th anniversary for the Concordia fleet. How shall we celebrate? A rendezvous? A cruise? How about a book? Will the event pass unnoticed? Let's hear your ideas.
Fair winds and pleasant sailing in 1995.
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