LOA: 91’0″ / 27.73m – LOD: 91’0″ / 27.73m – LWL: 60’0” / 18.28m – Beam: 16’3” / 4.99m – Draft: 7’0” – 14’0 / 2.13 – 4.26m – Ballast: – Displacement: 104,000 lbs.- Sail Area: 2985 sq.ft. – Hull material: Wood construction – Designer: Bruce King – Built by: Renaissance Yachts, Maine – Year Built: 1991 – Current Name: Sophie – Original Owner: Jan Stenbeck
Historical:
Jan Stenbeck, a Swedish lifelong sailor who went to Harvard Business School and who worked at Morgan Stanley in New York, chasing the America’s Cup had been a longtime dream. In 1983, after Conner lost the Cup to Australia, Stenbeck later told friends, ”I just felt joy.” He bought the committee boat used in that race, Black Knight, and built a 90-foot replica of the America’s Cup yacht Endeavor, and named her after his youngest daughter Sophie. Unfortunately, Stenbeck passed away in 2002, giving the yacht a huge emotional significance to his daughter.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
LOA: 53′ 6″ / 16.30m – LWL: 39′ 0″ / 11.89m – Beam: 12′ 6″ / 3.81m – Draft: 7′ 7″/ 2.31m – Design Number: 94 – Rig: Sloop – Displacement: 46,774 lbs – Sail Area: – Sail Number: – Designer: Sparkman & Stephens – Built By: Jacob’s Shipyard, City Island, NY – Original Owner: Albert D. Phelps, Connecticut – Current Owner: Joe Dockery – Launched: 1935
Historical:
Sparkman & Stephens has designed many ‘classics’. While embracing the bloodline of Dorade and Stormy Weather, Sonny has benefited enormously from loving care extended by eight owners bent on preserving her originality. We remain in communication with the son of the gentleman who commissioned her build and also the son of the gentleman who owned her from 1957 through 1992.
Commissioned by Albert D. Phelps of Connecticut, design number 94 was built by Jacob’s Shipyard on City Island New York, launched and christened Sonny in the spring of 1935. Sold and re-named Gladja she was commissioned for service during World War II. She foundered after colliding with submarine off Nassau but repaired quickly and placed back in to service.
She was sold to Albert E. Peirce, owner of the 172’ square foretopsail schooner Cressida who re-named her Sonny. Ownership was transferred to George T. Bowdoin of Seawanaka Corinthian Yacht Club who cruised and raced her from New York to Maine. In 1957 Van Dorn C. Smith purchased her and while maintaining a similar sailing program for the next thirty years. During that period, the Smith family was fastidious with her upkeep and devotion to maintaining the condition of original equipment, fittings and inventory.
Following a short, intervening owner-ship in the late 90s, a gentleman from Germany became the owner in 2001. He shipped her to Cantiere del Navale Argentario for major refurbishing. She was re-planked below the water line, the stem was replaced, a new keel attached and the horn timber replaced, thereby correcting the ‘quick’ repair done after her foundering during WW II. Following this major work she was raced successfully in the Mediterranean for the next few years winning in Argentario, Antibes, Cannes and St. Tropez.
Sonny was returned home to US waters in 2007 by her current owner and sailed for one season prior to continuing her detailed maintenance and improvements. East Passage Boatwrights of Bristol, RI has performed extensive work including re-fastening the topsides, replacing any remaining original frames and stiffened her extensively at the mast partners. Her worm gear steering was replaced with a quadrant and wire cable and the bottle screw/lever back adjustment replaced with a purchase system. Any original equipment and fittings removed from Sonny are marked clearly and placed in safe storage.
The sail inventory is continually updated and with only slight modifications, her original 1935 Sitka Spruce rig is still contributing to the performance of this beautiful vessel the way Olin Stephens intended.
In addition to her regular maintenance over the winter of 2014/15 the 1-1/2” laid teak deck, was re-fastened and re-caulked. The topsides are in perfect condition, the varnish maintained to perfection. Sonny carries the most detailed maintenance records I have seen on a boat of this vintage; in fact they are more in line with the log books one would find accompanying a highly valued vintage airplane.
Sonny had a very successful season of racing in 2014 including class wins in the Annual New York Yacht Club Regatta along with class and overall victories in the Museum of Yachting Classic Regatta.
She commenced the 2016 season by finishing second in her class in the Leukemia Cup Regatta in June followed by a second place finish in her class at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta held in Newport, RI. From there she cruised up the New England coastline to compete in the Maine Series where she placed first overall in the Castine-Camden Race, sixth in class in the Camden-Brooklin Race (carrying a 25% performance rating penalty) and second in class in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta (carrying a 25% performance rating penalty). She concluded the season with a second in class finish back in Newport, RI at the IYRS Museum of Yachting Classic Regatta in September.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner/Guardian: (1935) Albert D. Phelps Owner/Guardian: Joe Dockery
LOA: 52′ 7″ / 16.02m – LOD: 52′ 7″ / 16.02m – LWL: 35′ 0″ / 10.66m – Beam 10′ 9″ / 3.27m – Draft 7′ 6″ / 2.29m – Displacement: 16 tons – Hull Number: 825 – Hull material: Wood – Year Built: 1938 – Original Owner: F. Ivan Carr. – Current Owner: Private – Designer: William Fife III – Built by: William Fife & Son, Fairlie, Scotland – Engine: Yanmar 4-JHE 44hp – Flag: – Location: Malta
History
Design influenced by the Metre Classes, built on spec 1938, sold in 1940, and laid up for the duration of WWII. The last of the Fife’s to leave the Fairlie yard. 1940-1974 “Solway Maid” was owned by F. Ivan Carr and sailed in Scotland waters extensively, and maintained in original construction form, except for replacing the tiller for wheel steering. She remains the least altered of all Fifes designs, and a formidable competitor on the Med racing circuit.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner/Guardian: (1938-1940) – Wartime designation A32 Owner/Guardian: (1940-1974) – F. Ivan Carr Owner/Guardian: (1974-1987) – F. Ivan Carr estate (Stored indoors for 14 years) Owner/Guardian: (1987) – Current owner
LOA: 36’0” / 10.97m – LOD: 36’0” / 10.97m – LWL: – Beam: 8’10” / 2.67m – Draft: 5’6” / 1.68m – Displacement: – Ballast: – Hull material: Wood – Sail Area: – Designer: Trygve Halvorsen – Built by: Lars Halvorsen Sons – Year Launched: 1950 – Current Name: Solveig – Original Owner: Halvorsen family – FLAG: Australia (AU) – Club: RANSA
Historical:
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) – “Solveig” is a timber racing yacht built in Sydney in 1950. It was designed and built by members of the famous Halvorsen family, and represents their first offshore yacht where the design combined speed with safety. It was also Trygve Halvorsen’s first offshore racing yacht design, his older brother Magnus had planned their previous yachts.
The Halvorsen Brothers particularly Magnus, were yachting pioneers. Their name was synonymous with the CYCA and the Sydney Hobart as designers, builders and hardy, winning yachtsmen. Trygve Halvorsen designed “Solveig” in 1950 at 36’, “Anitra V” in 1956 and then “Freya” in 1962, both at 38’ LOA.
“Solveig”, built at Lars Halvorsen Sons Ryde, is the only Halvorsen yacht to have achieved a Sydney Hobart line honours win, doing so in 1953. She is the third smallest yacht to have achieved this result. “Solveig” won the Sydney Hobart overall the following year.
With the design of “Solveig” the Halvorsens decided to go for a lighter vessel than they had done previously but retaining the seaworthy double ended shape, and using a spade rudder as it gave them a vertical leading edge and balance to the rudder. They were not keen on the raked rudders as this type did not steer as well as a vertical rudder.
The boat had a masthead sloop rig and was well fitted out. Trygve always maintained their philosophy was to design a good fast cruising yacht that could be raced as well, as this would give them a safe and fast yacht that they could still sail hard in rough conditions.
“Solveig” raced in the 1950 Sydney to Hobart race and finished 5th on handicap and after this event crossed the Tasman Sea to Auckland New Zealand to race in the 1951 Trans-Tasman race. The Halvorsens were impressed with its good speed downwind so they then took it over to Los Angeles to sail in the 1951 Transpac ocean race to Honolulu, a race known for consistent downwind sailing throughout each event. At one point “Solveig” was 6th on handicap but did not take a place at the finish, as they experienced two days of unusual, adverse southerly conditions. In July 1951 it was offered for sale in Honolulu, but no sale eventuated, and it was sailed back to Sydney by three crew leaving in mid-August.
In 1953 “Solveig” participated in the ocean race to Noumea, New Caledonia but retired with mast head damage, a rare thing to happen to a Halvorsen yacht.
The boat recovered to take the line honours win in the Sydney Hobart yacht race that year.
Although second across the line, “Wild Wave” skippered by Jock Muir, was disqualified for “an incident on the starting line”. Notably neither Trygve nor Magnus Halvorsen were on board for this race.
In 1954 “Solveig” became the first Halvorsen yacht to win the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race overall, leading the fleet off the coast of Tasmania at one stage. The feat was then repeated by the Halvorsens later designs, Anitra V in 1957 and three times in succession by Freya from 1963.
In 1955 “Solveig” was sold and rehomed in Honolulu, Hawaii, it raced once again in a Transpac event and remained in Hawaii for many decades.
After a 5-week voyage on board a Hamburg Sud container ship from Honolulu via US West Coast ports, “Solveig” returned to Australia in late March 2017.
She joins Anitra V on the harbour, her sail number will change from her original CYC54 to A50.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner/Guardian: (1950-1955) – Trygve and Magnus Halvorsen, builder’s famous sons. Skipper: (1954) – Stan Darling (Sydney Hobart Yacht Race overall winner. Navigator: (1950-1953) Stan Darling
Owner/Guardian: Anne Lawrence, West Pymble (RANSA) Skipper: John Whitfeld, husband
Resources
Australian Register of Historic Vessels Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Tasmanian State Library and Archives Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania
LOA: 40’8″ / 12.39m – LWL: 27’6″ / 8.38m – Beam: 11’9″ / 3.58m – Draft: 3’11” / 1.19m / 8’5″ / 2.56m – Hull Number: 19 – Designer: Bill Tripp – Current Owner: Paul Tetreault – Year Built: 1961 – Built By: American Boat Building Company, East Greewich, RI – Hull Material: GRP – Gross Displacement: 20,000 LBS – Ballast: 7,800 lbs – Sail Number: BI-40 / 471
Historical:
Bill Tripp began his design work with Philip Rhodes, then after service in WW2, joined Sparkman & Stephens until 1952, whereby he opened his own design firm, and was one of the early pioneers in the use of fiberglass. The first Block Island 40s were said to have been built like “Sherman Tanks” with Tripp’s fiberglass layup schedule calling for up to two inches thickness in the hulls.
Solaris Article Courtesy of Paul Tetreault – Quietly basking in the Florida sun and nudging at her spring line as the tide ebbs at Marina Cove, just across the fairway from the Palm Coast Marina, a recent derelict is quietly going through a rebirth.
She was found almost four years ago in the tidal marshes of North Carolina’s Bay County, up a meandering creek just a stone’s throw east of the Intracoastal Waterway, every east coast boater’s I‐95. Found behind a back‐water, long forgotten fish processing shack at the end of a meandering dirt road in a town with only one stop sign aptly called Low Land.
She was surrounded by a swarm of soft-planked trawlers each slowly finding their natural resting places with several years of vegetation on sprouting from their discarded nets and hard rubber tire fenders. She had been “rode hard and put‐up wet”. She had almost gone to seed, but not quite.
Her tanks and powertrain had long since lost all utility. The mahogany top-side wood trim was black with mold and her generous cockpit a depository for many years of autumn‐brown leaves. Open hatches and bone‐dry weather stripping invited the rain, insects and dirt into call her winsome hull home. She was on the verge; but not quite ready for the wrecking crew.
In better days, she had won the Newport to Bermuda race, as well as many other prestigious races in and around Long Island Sound and throughout New England. In one early 60s Newport to Bermuda Race, six of the 11 boats finishing first were all identical, all like this long‐forgotten triple‐crown winner discovered in a North Carolina marsh, They were all identical except for their race numbers and name boards. They were all Block Island 40s and the very spark that ignited today’s whole off‐shore yacht manufacturing industry.
The Block Island 40 was the first “big” boat to be made completely of that new-fangled product called fiberglass, a material that L. Francis Herreshoff, called “frozen snot”.
In the late 50s and early 60s no one knew what to expect of the new experimental fiberglass material. Would her bows splinter from the Atlantic rollers? Would the decks continue to cure after launching? Would the centerboard trunk not withstand the stress of off‐shore sailing? Would she simply be too heavy and slow to hold her own in light winds?
All these considerations weighed heavily upon the designer, Bill Tripp, as he drove his 2800 pound Jaguar XKE repeatedly over test samples of the hull to determine its characteristics and potential strength, and while The American Boatbuilding Corporation in East Greenwich, Rhode Island continued to make the hull sections thicker and thicker by adding additional layers of solid fiberglass roving and hand‐applied resin.
Only 22 Block Island 40s were built by the American Boatbuilding Corporation. After roughly four production years, the builder sold the design to the Hinkley Boat Building Company in Southwest Harbor, Maine. Then, Bill Tripp’s Block Island 40 master‐piece was reintroduced as the now venerable Bermuda 40, destined to boast the longest production run of any off‐shore yacht. The Hinkley Company produced a total of 203 Bermuda 40s, both yawls and single‐masted sloops, with the last build launched in 1991.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
