CRAFTSMANSHIP Yard News SWANAGE, DORSET
Buzzards Bay 15 under way at Summerwine
A Buzzards Bay gaff-rigged day racer designed by Nathanael Herreshoff at the height of his powers in 1898 is in build by classic boat enthusiast Pete Sedgwick at Summerwine Boats in Swanage, Dorset, writes Barry Pickthall. The 24ft 6in (7.5m) Buzzards Bay 15 was the second of Herreshoff’s one-design classes and, adopted first by the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Massachusetts, USA in 1899, became a popular design during the early part of the 20th century.
The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company built 91 of them between 1899 and 1927 and fostered variations for different clubs: the Newport 15 drew 6in (15cm) more with its centreboard down; and 11 Watch Hill 15s for the Watch Hill Yacht Club had a Marconi rig. The hull was designed under the Length and Sail Area Rule. Of the 91 built, only 20 are still sailing.
Compiled by Steffan Meyric Hughes +44 (0) 207 901 8055
steffan.meyric-hughes@
classicboat.co.uk
Above left: Pete Sedgwick at work on the first Buzzards Bay 15 to be built outside America
Pete Sedgwick, who built a Herreshoff 12½ a year ago, was looking for a new challenge and came across the Buzzards Bay 15. He contacted the curator of the MIT Hart Collection which holds all Herreshoff’s designs and found they had the original set of handwritten offsets with a part of the plans and elevations. “The design is fast, stiff and responsive. It’s a beautiful boat just waiting to be built,” enthuses Sedgwick.
ROCKPORT MARINE, MAINE, USA Top yard reveals tricks of the trade
Rockport Marine has launched a blog chronicling the restoration of several yachts throughout 2012. The blog, by Rockport builders and designers, is called “No Greater Passion for the Craft” and is online at
rockportmarine.blogspot.com.
BRIXHAM New deck for Leader
Work to re-deck the largest (105ft) and oldest (1892) Brixham trawler Leader was finished late February. It also involved deck beams, beamshelf, bulwarks and stanchions, and was carried out by boatbuilder Bob Cann and team with Leader afloat in the inner harbour. Her sheerline was restored at the same time: use of bottlescrews rather than deadeyes has caused deformation around the chainplates. Leader’s owner, the Trinity Sailing Trust, hopes to have her ready for this year’s Brixham Sailing Week, starting 26 May. Next on the job list is the interior.
84 CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2012
Among the current posts is a step-by-step illustration of the design and production of blocks for the 83ft (25.3m) Fife III gaff schooner Adventuress, using CNC routers and 3-D printing. From the initial CAD and Rhino designs to the resulting parts generated overnight by a UV laser beam and liquid polymer, the fascinating process demonstrates the 21st-century thought processes and methods that are behind some of the world’s most beautiful classics. Also on Adventuress, you can see how the boat’s pipes and wires are hidden between hull and ceiling. Elsewhere, there is the story of a visit to the model room of the New York Yacht Club; it’s a mixed bag here. Suggestions for content can be offered through the blog, via the Facebook page, or through email at
info@rockportmarine.com.
Alaskan yellow cedar has been selected for planking on English oak ribs and floors. The stringers are all in Douglas fir as on the original plan, and her deck will be either marine ply or cedar, but laid in the traditional way to retain the original shape. “The finished deck is canvas covered, so ply seems an acceptable compromise,” says Sedgwick. The launch date has been set for June this year.
BARY PICKTHALL
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