Sail Number: X 4
Vessel Type: 30 Square Meter
LOA: 39’0″ / 11.88m – LOD: 39’0″ / 11.88m – LWL: 27’0″ / 8.22m – Beam: 6’11” / 1.82m – Draft: 4’9″ / 1.21m – Displacement: 5,557 lbs – Original Name: Oriole II – Original Owner: Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Hovey, an early pioneer of women’s yachting who grew up racing in Massachusetts. In the thirties, the family name Hovey was widely associated with yachting and America’s Cup history. – Year Launched: 1930 – Designed by: L. Francis Herreshoff, design number #46 – Built by: George F. Lawley & Son – Hull Material: Caravel planking mahogany on white oak frames – Location: Greenport, New York, United States
Ship plans:
Herreshoff, L. Francis; George Lawley & Son Corp.
1928-11-20; 1939-07-29
21 sheets of plans for 37 ft. 30 square meter sloop, ORIOLE (built 1929), design #37 by L. Francis Herreshoff. Dates on plans range from 11-20-1928 to 07-29-1939. 4 sheets are duplicates.
SP.38.62
Historical:
Oriole II was one of the first American designed and built thirty-square meters to race competitively in international competition. She was designed in 1930 by the famous yacht designer Lewis Francis Herreshoff for Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Hovey. Driving ORIOLE, Miss Hovey would become the first woman to race and win an international sailing event. Her purpose was simple, to race in Kiel, Germany and Sandhamn, Sweden to recapture the Marblehead and Hoover Cups in 1930, both lost the prior year to the Swedes.
While the American’s lost both regettas, Herreshoff relayed, ‘we had only one new boat on the team, the Oriole II, sailed by Miss Hovey, and it is said she proved to be nearly as fast as the best German or Swedish boat in this class.’
Oriole II stayed in the Marblehead area for many years after Hovey sold her in 1934, placing respectably in capable hands against larger Swedish-built boats. By 1994, she had been acquired by the Museum of Yachting in Newport, Rhode Island. The Museum completed a full restoration of the yacht before adding it to their collection. The boat was acquired by her current owner in 2006.
Later recalling ORIOLE II, Sis Hovey wrote, ‘To me there is no boat as enjoyable to sail or as enjoyable to look at as a 30 square metre. They are easy to handle, lovely to the touch, as fast as a scared rabbit. I’ve raced many different kinds of boats since (ORIOLE II); from J-boats, YANKEE and RAINBOW, 12 metres EASTERN and WEATHERLY, down to 210s and 110s and everything in between, and to me there is nothing to compare to ORIOLE. Correspondence with George Fisher
L. Francis Herreshoff
ORIOLE II was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff, the first major proponent for the thirty-square meters in the United States. In an article printed in 1931, he stated, ‘It is safe to say that they (thirty-square meters) are the most modernistic-looking type we have, with their long fine ends and high, narrow sails. They are in their element in a strong wind and rough sea when they make really phenomenal speed for their sail area. In the races abroad, when there is any wind, they easily overtake and pass the Six-Metre boats.’
One of the most influential and successful yacht designers of the twentieth century, L. Francis Herreshoff, worked for: his father, Capt. Nat Herreshoff; the U.S. Navy in World War I; and for Starling Burgess, before going out on his own. L. Francis was also a prolific writer and, in addition to numerous articles, he authored The Common Sense of Yacht Design, The Compleat Cruiser, Sensible Cruising Designs, An L. Francis Herreshoff Reader, and a biography of his father, Capt. Nat Herreshoff: The Wizard of Bristol. Herreshoff’s writing influenced generations of designers and builders.
Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner: (1930-1934) – Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Hovey
Owner: (1994-2006) – Museum of Yachting – Newport, Rhode Island.
Sailing on Oriole II from matt gineo on Vimeo.
