Author: admin

Historical:

XARIFA 1927 has a long and interesting history full of racing, luxury, public service, scientific research and as in all original historic vessels, plenty of intrigue. Her first owner was Franklin Morse Singer, one of the many sons of the multimillionaire king of the sewing machine, Isaac Singer, and a well- known American yachtsman. Franklin Singer’s mother Isabella Eugeny Boye, French, was taken as model by the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi for the Liberty Statue stepped in New York harbour in 1866.

As Mr. Singer did with all his previous yachts, he named her Xarifa, an Arabic word which means ‘noble’, ‘honest’.

In 1930, he ordered his new next yacht and sold the Xarifa to the British businessman and newspapers magnate Edward Mauger (who was given the title of Baron Iliffe in 1933). Mr Mauger renamed her as Radiant. During this period, the yacht was raced actively and hosted important private social events on board.

In 1934, she was bought by Camper & Nicholson.

In 1936 the ship was sold to the Baron Louis Empain, the youngest son of Baron Edward Empain, a wealthy engineer, entrepreneur, financier and industrialist from Belgium, who gave her a new name, Oiseau Blanc. Under this ownership, she crossed many times the Atlantic Ocean, sailed the St. Lorenzo River and took several cruises in Europe and in America.

It has been published in many articles that around 1938 the yacht was sold again to Georgette Malou, who called her Georgette. However, since November 23rd 1936 until 1939, there are no records of the boat. In 1939, Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison, from the American History Department of Harvard, acquired her. As per the papers of Professor Morison, kept in the archives of Harvard University, in mid-1939, he and other benefactors “purchased a derelict three-masted schooner yacht, which we renamed Capitana and rerigged as a barquentine”. Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison re-baptized her as Capitana, in honor of Columbus´s Flagship. For a long time Prof. Morison was interested in Columbus´s voyages to America.

As published by the magazine Traffic World in June 8th 1940, the yacht changed hands once again and was bought by Clementino Benoliel De Carvalho, the son of Antonio Miguel de Carvalho, owner of the company Antonio Miguel de Carvalho et Cie. from Cape Verde. The boat was registered for trade use between New Bedford and Cape Verde in what was known as the Brava Packet Trade routes.

In April 1941 Capitana was acquired by an Icelandic merchant called Magnus Andersson in New Bedford, who took her to Reykjavik to be used for fish transportation between Iceland and Europe.

He later sold the vessel in 1947 to the Danish owner Tuxen and Hagemann, converting her into a fishing vessel, while preserving her name.

Negotiations were made by Hjamal Olsen, a Danish yacht broker.

It is thought that Hjamal Olsen navigated and was in charge of some of the “sikre ruter” (secure routes). After the meeting at the Hôtel Angleterre in 1944 between German Officers and members of the Danish resistance, where a secret collaboration was agreed (the resistance transported German goods through the “sikre ruters” between Denmark and neutral Sweden and they received weapons), Hjamal Olsen navigated these “sikre ruters” with a boat called “Capitano”.

In 1951 the famous Austrian Scientist and voyager Hans Hass (some refer to him as the Austrian Cousteau) bought the yacht. He initially renamed her Manta, in honor to one of the principle actors of his acclaimed film Under the Red Sea, released on October 2, 1952 and which was awarded first prize at the Venice Film Festival, as well as winning other major awards. However, he soon gave her back her original name, Xarifa. The yacht took many voyages around the world, especially through the Pacific and Indian oceans, thus becoming famous for Hans Hass’ oceanographic and scientific researches. By way of the International Institute for Marine Research, this new research ship was mostly financed through the proceeds of Hass´s film Under the Red Sea, and then by way of photo safaris in the Red Sea and by the BBC.

In 1960 she was purchased in Singapore by Italian multimillionaire Carlo Traglio. Under his ownership, she went through a refit in Italy and was then taken to her new home port, the Tee-Pier in Port Hercule, Monaco, where she remained berthed until 2012.

Finally, she was bought in 2012 by her current owner. A new full refit and her outstanding original architecture, made it possible for the Xarifa to recover all her strength and magnificence.

Since 2014, she has participated in several regattas, displaying once again her splendour and elegance: Cannes Régates Royales, Les Voiles de St Tropez, Argentario Sailing Week, Copa del Rey – Mahón, Regata Puig Barcelona, Monaco Classic Week, Panerai Transat Classique 2019.

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1927) – Franklin Morse Singer
Owner/Guardian: (1930) – Baron Iliffe, Edward Mauger
Owner/Guardian: (1934) – Camper & Nicholson
Owner/Guardian: (1936) – Baron Louis Empain
Owner/Guardian: (1938) – Georgette Malou
Owner/Guardian: (1939) – Professor and Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison
Owner/Guardian: (1940) – Clementino Benoliel De Carvalho
Owner/Guardian: (1941) – Magnus Andersson
Owner/Guardian: (1947) – Tuxen and Hagemann
Owner/Guardian: (1951) – Hans Hass
Owner/Guardian: (1960) – Carlo Traglio
Owner/Guardian: (2012) – Current owner

Since her launch in 1927, Xarifa welcomed onboard well-known personalities, such as Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson and Sir Thomas Lipton.

In 1967, she appeared in the film The Sailor from Gibraltar, with Vanessa Redgrave and Jeanne Moreau.

Historical:

(Unedited translation) – X was built by Lövholmsvarvet, Lövholmen Stockholm for manufacturer Harry Lychou, who wanted something extraordinary for the 1912 Olympic regatta, the Games of the V Olympiad. In front of it was a debate about sailing as an Olympic sport. The organizers seriously considered deleting it, partly with regard to the poor participation during the London Olympics in 1908, and partly due to uncertainty about whether the Swedes would make it to the event. August Plym was asked about the matter by Swedish journalists and replied that he assumed that the Olympic Committee consisted of men who were capable of deciding the matter themselves. Well, it would eventually be sailing and the committee assigned something surprising to KSSS and not to any national Swedish organization to arrange the competitions.

The Olympic medals were at stake in the R-classes, but in addition, a number of other classes started, among them 50 sqm racers. That’s where X belonged. She also did great luck and ran away like a steamboat. Yes, she was so successful that she came to be called the Silver Thief.

In 1916, Lychou sold the boat to Messrs. Per Rinman and Karl Steen in SS Brunnsviken. These sold the boat on in 1918 to an exiled Russian prince via a boulevard at NK. But the prince hurriedly got rid of the boat after certain events in his homeland. He put the cow to Argentina for good. X was then laid up a few years before she was sold in the autumn of 1922 to August Andersson in Nyköping.

One dark autumn evening in 1968, the cousins ​​Hats Hådell and Tomas Järnmark sat at a place of business in the said town and talked about GYS and old yachts. Then one of the city’s “village flags” (Hådell’s own words) enters the arena, listens to the conversation and puts in: “I know where there is such an old boat down on the shipyard with such a strange old sail”. Hådell & Järnmark were totally uninterested, rather a little annoyed by the new post. But God forbid the city flag stood on it. The next day he dragged the said gentlemen with him to Nyköpings SS’s shipyard. They were amazed at what they saw. X was discovered and bought in cash for SEK 4,000 which was paid by GYS treasurer Björn Enquist.

A consortium of ten shareholders was formed for X conservation. Many and stormy meetings were held but nothing happened to the benefit of the boat. One cool day, Messrs. Stor-Johan and Bokis snuck down to the GYS shipyard where X now lay. They began to pry and tear at the dead wood, which was, to say the least, rotten and hidden by nailed-on copper plates. It turned out as it did, suddenly the keel bolts were visible, significantly damaged by rust. Just as they were doing, the keel fell flat against the concrete floor. When the cost proposal for the renovation was ready, the interest of many of the consortium members quickly cooled. But in 1972 the work took off. 90 percent of the underwater body was replaced and Boki’s brother made new keel bolts. The following year, a new deck of wide mahogany planks was laid. Later, another part has been done and today X sails completely in original condition. one of the most extreme racers built in our country. Is praise enough to praise such an effort?

Much is known thanks to a benevolent fate. During The Scandal Beauty Trophy Race at Riddarfjärden in 1973, an elderly gentleman came forward and asked if the boat with the name X in the transom was built in 1912? The answer was short: “Yes”. – “Then it’s the boat I was a guest on 1916-18”. His name was Johan Magnusson, Jonne. He had a lot to tell about the boat and unique pictures. He is the one who told about the Russian prince. That story has also been confirmed by Harry Lychou’s daughter Mejt. Jonne died in 1978 at the age of 90.

Stefan “Bokis” Andersson sold the X in 2001 to a new GYS consortium consisting of Lars Björk, Johan Haasum and Sven Matton. The new owners came to refresh her and sail her as in the old days. Since 2005 she is owned by Sven Matton.

Read more about X on skumslev.se and the book “Pure beauties” by Bengt Jörnstedt and Malcolm Hanes.

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

• Guardian/Owner: (1910-1927) – 1912 Harry Lychou
• Guardian/Owner: (1916) – Per Rinman and Karl Steen in SS Brunnsviken
• Guardian/Owner: (1918) – Nameless Russian prince
• Guardian/Owner: (1922) – August “Ern-Anders” Andersson in Nyköping
• Guardian/Owner: (1935) – S. Hansson, P-A Jansson, B. Lönnbäck, Y Karlsson
• Guardian/Owner: (1937) – Benkt Blom, Bertil “Blomberg” Bergström, Martin Hultgren, Harry “Kikarn” Carlsson
• Guardian/Owner: (1963) – Henry Hultgren and Ulf Nilsson
• Guardian/Owner: (1968) – Ulo Vellet
• Guardian/Owner: (1969) – Consortium in Nyköping
• Guardian/Owner: (1969) – GYS consortium with ten partners. Mats Hådell, Tomas Järnmark,
  Björn Enquist, Stor-Johan, Stefan “Bokis” Andersson and others.
• Guardian/Owner: (1972) – Stefan “Bokis” Andersson
• Guardian/Owner: (2001) – GYS Consortium. Lars Björk, Johan Haasum, Sven Matton
• Guardian/Owner: (2005) – Sven Matton

Resources:

Sail Yacht Society – https://sailyachtsociety.se/

Historical:

Wolcott, a 100-foot patrol boat built to combat rum-runners during Prohibition (1920-1933), was one of 13 in her class, which were delivered to the United States Coast Guard. Corwin was delivered first on October 21, 1925, ending with WOLCOTT on July 26, 1926. These 13 were steel-hulled patrol boats that were capable of close inshore work but were slower than the 75-foot patrol boats. They made up for their slower speed and lack of maneuverability with better accommodations for the crew so that they could stay at sea for longer periods and work well off-shore. They were all built by Defoe Boat & Motor Works of Bay City, Michigan.

Wolcott was delivered and accepted by the Coast Guard on 24 July 1926 in Bay City, Michigan. She departed Bay City for Boston on 28 July 1926, arriving there on 19 August 1926. She then motored to Curtis Bay, Maryland and departed 22 August for Pascagoula, Mississippi. She arrived at her initial station of Pascagoula on 4 September 1926 where she served through 1934. She was then transferred to Milwaukee, Wisconsin until she was placed out of service on 12 May 1936.

The High-Seas Sinking of the I’M ALONE

After a spirited chase off the New Orleans Bar. The Cutters Dexter and Wolcott were forced to fire on the schooner “I’m Alone” when their captain refused to surrender or allow the cutters’ officers to board and search the vessel. The “I’m Alone” was known as a notorious smuggling vessel, having been engaged in smuggling liquor into the United States for several years. Until the latter part of 1928, the I’m Alone operated on the New England Coast and had caused the Coast Guard forces a great deal of trouble. The commanding officer of the Dexter spoke to the master of the I’m Alone through a megaphone and informed him that the I’m Alone would be sunk unless it obeyed the command to stop. Warning shots were fired ahead and when the vessel did not stop, the Dexter fired through the riggings and later put a dozen shots into the hull of the I’m Alone. The sea was too rough to permit the I’m Alone to be boarded and seized by force and the furthermore the master of the I’m Alone waved a revolver in a threatening manner indicating that he would resist forcibly any attempt to board his vessel. The I’m Alone sank at 9:05 a.m. on March 22. The Coast Guard vessels picked up the members of the crew of the I’m Alone with the exception of one person who was drowned. When the body of this seaman was taken from the water, the members of the Coast Guard worked more than two and one-half hours in an attempt to resuscitate him but without avail. On January 5th 1935 the International Commission concluded that although the I’m Alone’s business at the time she sunk was unlawful, the action taken by the Coast Guard was unlawful too. The U.S. Government apologized to the Canadian government and paid $25,000 as a token of regret.

Owner’s comments: – The vessel was commissioned as the USCG CUTTER WOLCOTT and was used in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. In 1929 the Wolcott fired from her 3″/23 anti-aircraft caliber guns the first shots against the now famous rum runner A’lone. The chase was on and two days later the USCG CUTTER DEXTER fired shots and sank the A’lone.

The Army Corp of Engineers acquired the boat from the USCG in 1936 They converted it into a survey vessel and put it into service on the Great Lakes.

During WW2 she patrolled the Atlactic coast. In the late 40s back in the Army Corp of Engineers hands she was put into service in the Panama Canal zone as a public relation vessel and was at the disposal of the Governor and other officials for outing and events.

In the mid 1950s Tidewaters Trans CO purchased her and used it for an oil survey vessel on the west coast of the USA.
In 1968 Willamette Tug and Barge purchased the vessel and used it as a company yacht; I believe at this time she had a teak paneled interior installed, along with the 671 diesels.

Fast forward to the 1990s the Corwin Class Patrol Boat WOLCOTT was bought at auction by a retired dodge dealer, and was now in private hands. She sat in Portland OR for the next six Years. By March of 2001, the current owner Shawn Berrigan, on his 40th birthday, purchased the vessel along with his now wife Diane. They hauled her out at the Foss Maritime Shipyard in Rainier OR and spent the next year replacing bottom plating, a new fuel tank, and wiring. After work was complete they moved the vessel to Sacramento CA, where they spent the next two years until they lost their mooring lease. They then moved to Steamboat Landing in the Sacramento Delta. In October of 2004 they purchased a small marina with a house on the property in Courtland, CA, which ensured a safe mooring and home for WOLCOTT.

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

• Owner/Guardian: (1926-1936) – United States Coast Guard
• Disposition: (1936) – Transferred to the War Department
• Owner/Guardian: (1936-1950) – The Army Corp of Engineers
• Owner/Guardian: (1954-1957) – Pacific Towboat and Salvage Co.
• Owner/Guardian: (1957-1978) – Russell Family, Inc
• Owner/Guardian: (1978-1995) – Willamette Western, Inc
• Owner/Guardian: (1995-1995) – Air-Sea International/Robert L. Jarvis
• Owner/Guardian: (1995-2001) – Lattitude Educational and Counseling Service, Inc.
• Owner/Guardian: (2001-2001) – Robert L. Jarvis Trustee RLJ Revocable Trust.
• Owner/Guardian: (2001-present) – Diane S. House/Shawn Berrigan.

Oliver Wolcott (1760-1833)

Wolcott was appointed by President George Washington to be the 2nd Secretary of the Treasury. He served from February 3, 1795 to March 3, 1797. Wolcott was retained in office by President John Adams and Served from March 4, 1797 to December 31, 1800. When Alexander Hamilton, the 1st Secretary of the Treasury, resigned from the Cabinet, President Washington appointed Wolcott, placing in the office a man known to be a vigorous supporter of Alexander Hamilton’s financial program.

Wolcott, a third generation scion of an American family prominent in Connecticut and national affairs during the colonial and early national periods, had attracted attention as a specialist in public finance for his work in settling the financial dispute between Connecticut and the Federal Government in 1784. After serving briefly as Comptroller of Accounts for Connecticut during 1788-1789, he was named Auditor (1789-1791) and then Comptroller of the United States, where he served from 1791 until 1795. An enthusiastic proponent of Alexander Hamilton’s financial philosophy and program, Wolcott spent much of his tenure as Secretary of the Treasury defending his increasingly unpopular financial program against the attacks of the Jeffersonians.

He was retained in office as Secretary of the Treasury by President John Adams, and served through that Administration until his resignation during the election campaign of 1800, effective December 31, 1800, to accept the U.S. Judgeship of Connecticut. Oliver Wolcott died on June 1, 1833 in New York City. He had served briefly in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

Resources

• Donald Canney. U.S. Coast Guard and Revenue Cutters, 1790-1935. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995.
• U.S. Coast Guard. Record of Movements: Vessels of the United States Coast Guard: 1790 – December 31, 1933.
  Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1934; 1989 (reprint).
• United States Coast Guard (Historians Office)
• Owners: Diane House/Shawn Berrigan
• Naval Cover Museum (NAMESAKE – Oliver Wolcott (1760-1833)
• Photo credits (in order of appearance: Diane S. House/Shawn Berrigan, The Army Corps of Engineers, Yale University Art Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
• British Pathé (Rum Running (1929)

 

 

Historical:

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: 1903 – 1920 William Rogers, Lake Champlain
Owner/Guardian: 1920 – 1921 B. Karl Sharp
Owner/Guardian: 1921 – 1942 Franklin Sullivan
Owner/Guardian: 1942 – 1946 Ken and Dorothy Saffer, Maryland Yacht Club
Owner/Guardian: 1946 – 1958 Aubrey L. Robertson
Owner/Guardian: 1958 – 1960 David Butler Sr.
Owner/Guardian: 1960 – 1966 James and Kathleen Thorpe
Owner/Guardian: 1970 – 2008 Paul Itzel
Owner/Guardian: 2008 – Present David S. Butler Jr.

Comments

Tory Salvia – September 23, 2018

The current owner has recently restored Witchcraft to her original yawl rig. Yesterday, I interviewed Dave Butler aboard Witchcraft in Annapolis, MD at the 2018 National Sailing Hall of Fame Wooden Boat Rendezvous. The boat is in pristine condition and Dave looks forward to racing her in many future classic regattas. i’m editing a short video about Witchcraft based on yesterday’s interview and will post it on Classicsailboats.org and TheSailingChannel.TV when completed.

Thanks David for having me aboard and granting the interview.