Our good friend Steve White of Brooklin Boat Yard was just over in Italy sailing on the beautiful classic yacht Impala, design #1056, built by A&R and launched in 1954. The image above was taken in Porto Santo Stefano on the west coats of Italy while the image below was taken on the island of Ponza a bit further south. Thanks Steve.
We have posted about this well utilized and popular design before. As can be found in a previous posting, various boats were built of both wood and fiberglass to this design. For the purposes of this article lets focus on the Aquarius 40, built of fiberglass in Finland.
A writer was kind enough to send us the article found below about the design.
S&S Design #1767 - a classic yacht Translation of an article published in the Finnish Yachting Magazine “Frisk Bris” Nr 1-2009 In the impressive list of all Sparkman & Stephens designs included in the book “The Best of the Best” Design #1767 is described briefly as follows: Year: 1964 Client: Various Name/Class Honey et.al. Job description: R.O.R.C. aux.sloop, LOA : 39.95, DWL : 28.75, Beam : 10.04, Draft : 5.52, Type : Sloop.
R.O.R.C. means the design was adapted to the British R.O.R.C. rating rule. S&S or more specifically Olin Stephens used to analyze the rating rules for finding out what was worth doing and not doing to get a favorable rating. The other dominating rating rule at the time was the CCA rule used in the USA. The rule differences were biggest for the rigs, and therefore the rig dimensions used to be different depending on where the yacht was going to race. Also draft variations were common.
It could be mentioned that the two rating rules were soon merged into one – at an ITC meeting in London in November 1968 it was decided to replace the RORC and CCA rules with the new International Offshore Rule which contained features from both of them.
S&S had with the time built up an extensive library of completed designs which could be used as a reference for new projects, and also in this case it is obvious that an earlier design was used as a basis for #1767. In the list of S&S designs one can find #1738 having exactly the same main dimensions except for the draft which is a little more, 6.23 ft.
Because lines drawings and related calculations at the time had to be made manually it saved a lot of effort if existing information could be used with just some small modifications.
It can be pointed out that a S&S design of this age has very good performance on the wind, particularly in a blow, but does not readily surf off the wind, instead there is a tendency to rolling and broaching.
In Finland 10 yachts of GRP according to Design #1767 were built 1966…68 at a yard started up for this purpose in Hämeenlinna, and the yacht type was denoted S&S 40 by the builder.
It can be noted that this type notation already existed in the S&S list for the mentioned base Design #1738. It appears the builder’s type notation is not necessarily the same as the designer’s, and some caution is needed in this respect if only one of the notations is known. It is also possible that the as built main dimensions differ from the numbers stated in the list of designs.
The name of the new yard was Teksoglass. A company with this name already existed, but so far it had manufactured glassfiber weaves. It is likely that these weaves were used for the boatbuilding, but the yard’s history was very short, it was laid down in 1969. 3 of the yachts were sold to Finland, 5 to Sweden, and 2 to Norway.
The driving force behind this boatbuilding project was Åke Lindqvist, at the time Chief Surveyor to Lloyd’s Register in Finland. He had an active interest in offshore racing, had established contacts with S&S, and the knowledge for performing scantling calculations for the yachts. GRP was then a new and unknown material for boatbuilding, and it is likely that Lloyd’s scantling rules at the time partly built on Åke’s contributions.
An interesting detail can be mentioned here – the builders knew that air inclusions in the laminate are not acceptable, and in order to enable easy control of this transparent gelcoat was used, this made the hull translucent. The outside was then painted in a color to the owner’s choice.
The owner of the first hull was Göran Olofsson, he named his yacht BOO-HOO, Åke built the second hull for his own use and named her EVA II, and the third owner was Peter Fazer with FÅGEL BLÅ. EVA II is nowadays in Sweden and named GRY, earlier names SCHALU and SPARK, the two others have remained in Finland. Olofsson owned BOO-HOO until 2006 when he sold her to Hans Johansson and Joakim Wilenius.
One of the Swedish yachts was named GALLANT, and she was painted light blue. The others were named GONNY, ANN-CHATRIN (later KRISTIN AF ARKÖSUND), NONCHALANT (later AXELINA), and GADFLY (later CATHENA). For the Swedish yachts the woodwork and outfitting was done by Bergviksvarvet, Bromma (near Stockholm).
The Norwegian yachts were named SIESTA and NORSEMAN, and the latter was somewhat different as she had the rudder moved aft and separated from the keel. NORSEMAN was extremely successful and won 45 prices out of 50 in IOR racing between 1967 and 1977 – an early indication of the dominating underwater concept of today. It is possible that some other of the Teksoglass-built yachts also has the modified rudder arrangement.
The Teksoglass moulds were bought in the 1970s by Turun Teräskaluste in Turku, and this manufacturer renamed the type Aquarius 40. The first hull was ready in the spring 1977. Six yachts were built, one of them has the rudder separated from the keel, and another has sailed around the world. A copy of the brochure for Aquarius 40 in German language is appended.
S&S also sold the same drawings to other clients. In Sweden Bröderna Martinsson had already 1964…1965, i.e. before Teksoglass, built 3 yachts in wood, they were named HONEY, PAVANE, and CHARLOTTA IV ( later BRILLIANT). HONEY was renamed ISADORA, and was sold to Finland, where she got back her original name. The name HONEY is mentioned in the S&S design list, and it is likely that she is the original Design #1767, although all 3 yachts were launched in May 1965, which is quite remarkable for a small boatyard.
In Denmark the Walsted yard built PAM to this design in wood 1966, she was recently bought to Finland, and has the rudder separated from the keel.
In New Zealand a wooden yacht was built 1964, she is called COTTON BLOSSOM, and is now in Ireland. Further two wooden yachts were built in Australia, one was named CORROBOREE. One was built in Hong-Kong named COLUMBINE, and two in Italy, more about them below.
S&S had a big and international clientele, and solely of this design 20 yachts were built. One wonders how Rod Stephens managed to inspect them all. He did inspection trips about once every month all over the world, and mentioned once that he had much more flight hours than aircraft captains – they have limits for this.
In the S&S list the next line after Design #1767 shows Design #1767.1, the added number means it is a slightly modified variation of the same basic design. The main dimensions are exactly the same, but the client was the Italian Navy, and the year 1965. Two wooden yachts were built, named NAUSICA and CALYPSO. They are still in good shape, but for some reason they are not mentioned in the list of Italian Navy Sail Training vessels. This list mentions, however, two much larger two masted S&S designs, #1505 and #1505.1, length about 70 ft, and built in the beginning of the 1960s.
They deserve a short presentation. One of them, named CORSARO II participated successfully in the Transpac Race 1961, and collected 1st price overall. She took also part in the Sydney Hobart Race 1965, both required very long sailing trips before and after the race, and this must have been remarkable experiences for officers and crew.
The other yacht is STELLA POLARE, she won the Giraglia Race in 1966, with a course record that stood 18 years. Two years later she won the Bermuda – Travemünde Race overall, this race was a predecessor to the Transatlantic.
Author: Lars Ström larsm.strom@gmail.com
Here is a copy of the brochure he references.
And finally here is the construction plan for the fiberglass boats. Sorry its in such poor condition.
By now it must be apparent that Doryman loves a double-ended sea boat. Then, it comes as no surprise that at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival last month, a particular boat stood out. Now, to claim you have a favorite boat at such an event is very hard to say. Impossible, in fact.
So, lets just say that Dan and Mettes Ness Yawl Otter was one of the finalists on Dorymans list. Iain Oughtred designed this fine sea boat on the lines of the Shetland Yoals. In days of yore, these boats were imported to the Shetland Islands from Norway, and then assembled by local builders. They were of lapstrake construction dating to the Vikings.
In the years since the development of the Ness Yawl, many similar boats have been built to its capable sea qualities, including several new designs by Iain himself.
The popularity of the open double-ender was apparent at the PT Festival, with several examples tied along the same dock, all rigged for open water sail-and-oar gunkholing.
Otter was moored at the end of the dock, amid a jumble of small boats and the activity of a cul-de-sac, but Doryman has a discerning eye for a well crafted boat.
Dan confessed he was not a professional boat builder though hes a fine woodworker, there is no doubt. His new Ness Yawl is beautiful.
Congratulations Dan and Mette! A fine vessel. May she provide you with many pleasant hours on the water.
The proud builder. He looks mighty pleased, and well he should.
Doesnt get better than this.
If you would like to see what a Ness Yawl can do, please visit the Man on the River, for Giacomo de Stefanos fabulous trip across Europe in Clodia.
For a very good example of how a Viking might build a boat like this, visit Adrian Morgan.
Doineann (Gaelic for "Storm"), a St Alyes Skiff, was launched last Sunday, in Portland, Oregon. She is the eighth St Alyes skiff built in the US and the second on the west coast. These boats were built at the Wind and Oar Boat School, a non-profit run by director Peter Crim, by the teams that will race them.
The first boat to come out of the school was Rosie, whose all-woman team will be participating in the Skiffie Worlds next month in Ullapool, Scotland. Rosie joined Doineann on the Willamette River, with Portland in the background, as the new team tested their fine craft for the first time.
Congratulations to the builders of Doineann and also to the Wind and Oar Boat School!
Belle Starr, as you know, is a Stone Horse, built in wood, as originally designed by Sam Crocker. She spent the summer waiting patiently for Doryman to pick up where he left off last spring.
A shipwright is trained in many disciplines, in fact, must be well versed in anything involving boats of all sizes, shapes and descriptions. This includes welding metal. Doryman does not weld. But for this, he might one day become a shipwright, like his grandfather.
But today, when it comes to metal work, he must resort to his resourceful cunning. Belle Starr was delivered last winter on a flatbed trailer intended for a backhoe. If Doryman were not as resourceful as he is, a new trailer might cost more than the boat itself. So, a used tandem axle trailer was procured and upgrades engineered to make the utility fit the trade.
In the absence of welding skills, four new padded tripod stanchions were bolted to the old trailer this week. The support plates are made of 3/4" plywood with recycled rubber horse-stall pads cut to shape and screwed to the plywood. The pylons are of 2" square mild steel with 2" x 2" angle-iron braces. At some future date, this assembly might be tack-welded for added security, but that will be redundant because the design is rock solid, as-is.
The only element remaining is to investigate and update her standing rigging and Belle Starr will be ready. For what, you might ask? Please stay tuned my friends - when the winter monsoons retreat, it will be an exciting sailing season, indeed. While winter rages, the search is on for a suitable wood stove for Belle Starr. She once sported a Tiny Tot, which rusted to oblivion. For cruising in the Pacific Northwest, a stove is not a luxury.
Other planned projects include a new galley sink, forward berth cushions and a depth sounder. A shipwright must have many talents.
Last evening, Doryman made a road trip north to Port Townsend to attend a winter planning session with the Pocket Yachters. Those guys know how to party. Cold cuts, crackers, wine and beer. Now thats my kind of meeting! Despite their serious demeanor, they are a fun loving bunch.
Saturday was our second sail of the year, and it was, shall we say, very interesting.
The forecast was 5-10 mph winds with temperatures in the low 50s (12c). Since the winds were forecast to be light, I decided to take Nina, our cocker spaniel, along. Nina loves to sail, although its been a few years since her last one. Turns out shes lost her sea legs, but more on that later.
We arrived at the Port of Everett ramp around noon. The winds were light, just as forecasted, and the sun was warm in the gentle breeze. I parked a short distance away from a family that was rigging a Macgregor 26. Maybe its just me, but I still have trouble embracing the concept of having a 60 HP outboard on a sailboat, towing a water skier. To each his own. The owner gave me a thumbs up and a "Nice boat" on his way to the ramp, and I returned the compliment.
We launched Ellie about 45 minutes later, but struck up a long conversation with a very friendly fellow boatbuilder at the dock. He was genuinely impressed with Ellie and had quite a few questions. There could be another Navigator plying the waters of Puget Sound someday soon.
By the time we finally departed I noticed that the wind had picked up. A lot, in fact. Flags were blowing horizontal so it had to be up to 10-15.
We raised all sail and headed south, inside the jetty, towards the sound with Nina on her leash in one hand and the tiller in the other. Nina was excited to be at sea again. Shes very curious so she had to explore every square inch of the boat. A couple times she would put her paws on the side decks and I told her to get down. The third time she did, the boat hit a wave, Nina lost her balance, and overboard she went!
Steve, over at Arwens Meanderings, has recently written several very interesting blogs about safety gear. One of the many items he has written about are life lines. Fortunately for Nina, she essentially had a life line and I was able to use it to reel her back on board. It all happened so fast. I dont think she was in the water more than 10 seconds, but it was frightening to see her being towed through the water at 6 knots until I could grab her. It would have been more frightening had she not had a lifeline. Would I have been able to drop sail, fire up the outboard, and been able to find her? How do lifelines work? If I had one, would I clip myself up near the bow, so Id function like a sea anchor, or near the stern where Id probably get towed along like a giant crankbait?
Nina was fine. She was cold and wet, but didnt appear to have inhaled any water. She shivered for a little while but dried out pretty quickly.
By the time we finally got out to Possession sound the wind had really picked up. Whitecaps everywhere and the water was like the inside of a washing machine. This was not in the forecast! I stopped and put in a double reef in the main. We sailed around for a little while. Ellie handled the conditions just fine, but it was too rough to get any videos, I was getting uncomfortable and I was worried about Nina falling in again so we headed back to safety inside jetty island. Conditions there were great. Calm water and loads of wind, so we had a blast sailing back and forth for a couple of hours.
A sailboat race had just finished and the boats were all returning to the Everett marina. Several of them sailed up to us to give us compliments. "Nice boat!" and "What kind of boat is that?". One of the crew members was a fellow I work with, and another fellow invited me to join the dinghy races that they have on Fridays that I didnt know about.
The wind seemed to be calming down so we headed back toward Possession sound again, but kept the double reef in to be safe. Conditions had improved enough so that I could get out the cameras. I attached one to the mizzen mast and filmed a bit with the other. Nina was completely warm and dry by now so we headed out towards Gedney island.
The wind dropped a bit more, and the sky cleared up so we shook out the reefs and sailed on.
By the time we got about halfway to Gedney, the wind completely died! The GPS said we were moving 0.0 knots, occasionally 1.5 knots, with all sails up.
We waited for a while, but still no wind so we dropped all sail, fired up the outboard, and headed back.
“I just talked to a camper who came over from the other side of the island.", said Steve. "He said they saw a bear" “Grizzly or black?”, I asked. “They weren’t sure.” Later that evening, just before crawling into my tent, I carefully packed away my food, eliminating anything with a scent. At 2:30 am, I awoke with a start. Someone in camp was frantically blasting an air horn. Oh shit.
The Eastern Washington Moveable Messabout was Ellie’s grandest adventure to date. Eleven boats, eleven sailors, seven days, 940 highway miles, two States, five campsites, hot days, freezing nights, fog, sunshine, gale force winds and dead calm.
It all began on Sept9, 2014. Joining Ellie and I was Steve Lansdowne from Austin, TX. Steve, who manages the Events Calendar for Duckworks Magazine, was here to visit friends and relatives, attend the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, join me as a crew member for this messabout, and then return home for Sail Oklahoma. Quite the schedule!
We packed the back of the truck with a weeks provisions and set off for Newport, WA. We decided to take the scenic route, Highway 2 instead of Interstate 90. This added an hour to the trip but was well worth it for the scenery.
No trip to Eastern Wa on Hwy 2 is complete without a stop in Leavenworth, a charming Bavarian village in the Cascade Mountain foothills. Our lunch stop included some outstanding brats and beer, along with some sightseeing. Leavenworth is gorgeous in the winter, and of course its the place to be during Octoberfest.
We arrived at our destination, Little Diamond campground, and were soon joined by Tom Gale from Port Townsend with his Bolger Old Shoe. We set up camp, as it was getting late and it gets dark quickly in this remote area of Eastern Washington. Next stop: the 8:00 am crew meeting at AJs cafe in Priest River, Idaho.
We raised all sail and headed south, inside the jetty, towards the sound with Nina on her leash in one hand and the tiller in the other. Nina was excited to be at sea again. Shes very curious so she had to explore every square inch of the boat. A couple times she would put her paws on the side decks and I told her to get down. The third time she did, the boat hit a wave, Nina lost her balance, and overboard she went!
