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Historical:

Winwood, originally named Odin, was launched in 1936 as a Seefahrtkreuzer for use by the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine during World War II, primarily as regatta and recreational vehicles. Also said to have been used on a larger scale for secret reconnaissance, courier and espionage trips in foreign waters.

After the end of World War II, in 1945, approximately 100 of these vessels were taken as reparations from Germany by British forces, liberated, and used as winfall for sail-training and honing British’s navigation skills. For fifteen to twenty years they served the British valiantly, until their decommissioning, and release to private ownership.

The Windfall Yachts – A Legacy of Goodwill    by Michael Cudmore

Foreword by H.R.H The Duke of Edinburgh (see photo)

Michael Cudmore – The yachts were built in Germany in the 1930s to provide training for the German armed services. They were owned by the German Government and after the war were taken by the British Government as reparations. The majority were then sailed to England, where they were promptly dubbed Windfalls and initially allocated to Navy, Army and Air Force of the British and Commonwealth Services.

The yachts varied in size from 85 ft to 32 ft and included some very fine large craft. During the 1940’s the Windfall fleet was mainly condensed to three main classes: 100 square metre (sq m), 50 sq m and 30 sq m, with an overall length of 55 ft, 42 ft and 32 ft respectively. Virtually all are now under private ownership, sailing as classic boats and much admired at classic boat rallies or Tall Ships Races.

Despite being built for use in the Baltic they have since sailed far and wide, cruising extensively and racing in most of the Northern Hemisphere offshore races including the Fastnet, Bermuda and Trans-Atlantic Races. That they were very well constructed is amply demonstrated by the fact in 70 years not one has been lost at sea due to stress of weather.

The Seefahrtkreuzer Class

During the “Seglertag”-meeting in the state hall of the Vienna Hofburg in October 1927, aside from the big entertainment program, the question of which basis a new class for coastal and offshore racing should have, was discussed very controversially. The only yachts attempting to fulfil this purpose were the “Nationale Kreuzer”-class, but they had proven unfit.

Opposing parties were most of the German sailing clubs under the lead of the NRV and a team of 7 experts deployed by the “Deutscher Seglerverband”. The sailing clubs pleaded for a new so called ‘KR’-formula, similar to the International Rule which put the most important measures of the hull, the rig and the sail area in a mathematical relationship. Resulting from the calculations was a ‘KR’-value instead of ‘mR’-value. The 7 naval architects of the expert committee argued for classes with corresponding limit measures for length, depth, displacement, sail area, etc. Interestingly it was the committee arguing that a mathematical formula would first and foremost serve them as naval architects and not the owners, because these wouldn’t know what they’d get. The committee argued that architects always look for loopholes in the rule, in order to design the fastest yacht possible, the problem being that this leads to extreme designs which only favour speed. In an article written for the “Freundeskreis Klassische Yachten”, Klaus Kramer quotes the chairman of the commission Harry Wustrau: “Every measurement formula practically puts the buyer in the hands of the naval architect. It is wrong to say that the buyer gains the freedom of building whatever he wants. On the contrary, he will have to build what the naval architect wants, because every naval architect must have the ambition to exploit the formula in such a way, that produces the fastest yacht.”

It is a different story with the establishing of limit measures, because they decide the room, speed, seaworthiness and comfort relatively independent of the designer. “If we”, continues Wustrau, “muster the courage – finally, now – to set per-class limits to width, displacement and spaciousness as great as possible, based on proven designs and at the same time limit length, draft and rig-height as possible, then the results will certainly be solid and useable cruisers. The naval architect then has the thankworthy task to draw the fastest yacht around these requirements and limitations.”

The spokesman of the KR supporters, Erich Laeisz, agreed in the end under the condition that the sailing clubs asking for considering the compensation of different rigging types of two masted yachts, as well as the establishment of sail height being taken into account.

This compromise did not only save the following ball-night, but it lead to the construction regulations for the “Seefahrtkreuzer”-class-structure, devided into 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 150 and 250 sqm. This started the success story of the “Seefahrtkreuzer”-class.

Provenance

• Owner/Guardian: Arsenal Kiel-Wiek (MRV)
• Owner/Guardian: Lee Nyboer, Grosse Point, USA
• Owner/Guardian: James Green

Resources

James Green
Seefahrtkreuzer Register (Register of all seafaring cruisers known (to us), based on the ASMY and FKY register (RKY) and a list of Thorsten Wildies (Wedel), continued by Jan Huerkamp, 2004)
Register – takel-ing.de
WindFall Yachts
Yacht AR

Historical:

In 1891 Nat Herreshoff invented the fin keel. He sent two yachts of this type, the Wee Winn and the Wenona to England. The Wenona won 17 out of 20 races, the Wee Winn won 20 out of 21 races. These fin keelers were so successful that they were effectively barred from competition.

Comments

Chris Thompson – May 27, 2016

It’s a lovely boat, but the claim that Wee Win and Wenona were effectively banned from racing doesn’t tally with anything I can find in the race records and reports of the time. It also seems illogical; after all, around the time the Herreshoffs came out there were some much more radical Raters hitting the water, and they didn’t get banned.

Historical:

W-76 Yachts comments

“A spirited descendent of the swiftest boats of the early 20th Century, the W-76 racing yacht was conceived to pay homage to the legendary New York 50s, the thundering J-Class boats, and the nimble 12-Meters. The W-76 was the last of more than fifty distinctive designs from the drawing board of the late Joel White, the naval architect acclaimed for so beautifully reincarnating traditional wooden vessels using the most modern construction techniques. The W-76 is handcrafted in Maine. These award-winning, record-setting Spirit of Tradition racing yachts are fast, race-proven sloops with a bundle of trophies from wins in New England, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean.”

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

Owner/Guardian: (1998) – Donald Tofias

Historical:

Whitefin was the second commission by Bruce King for Phil Long of Hollywood California and Camden Maine. Upon completion of design work, Renaissance Yachts was formed to build Whitefin on the grounds of Phil’s new home in Camden, Maine. It was here that construction began on the tennis courts of its owner.

Whitefin was built cold molded with West System technology of multiple plies. A total of six layers were vacuumed bagged together. An inner layer of 3/4″ tongue-and-grooved white cedar, four layers of 1/4″ white cedar, and an outer layer of Port Orford cedar to a total thickness of 2 1/4″. The 1/4″ layers are diagonal and the others fore-and-aft. Laminated black locust serves for the stern, keelson, horn timber and floors. Deck beams are seven-piece laminations, two outer layers of locust and five inner ones of cedar. The cabin soles and the counters are of yew, and the trim in Honduras mahogany. Baltek balsa-cored paneling is used in non-structural areas, and in the area of the mast is a massive ring frame.

Whitefin’s keel was optimized at the Davisson Laboratory of Stevens Institute. She has a removable neutral buoyancy shoe which lowers the draft for deep water cruising, or reducing drag for downwind races.

The Launching

After completion, it was time to transport Whitefin from Camden to Rockport via Russell Avenue past Aldermere Farms and the Belted Galloways. Then on to Central Street, Main Street, Pascal Avenue, and finally to Rockport Maine’s most famous past resident….Andre the seal and his proving grounds at Rockport Marine Park.

A beautiful scenic short drive, but nearly a day in tow with powerlines, trees and numerous other obstacles, including the steep road down to the launching site.

A Date With Destiny

Whitefin real mission was to beat Whitehawk, for undisclosed reasons. Shortly after launching Whitefin headed south down Penobscot Bay, past the Cape and through the Nantucket Shoals in time for the 3rd weekend in August race. Tee-shirts with “We Eat Hawk Meat” were cleverly hidden. Although she had some technical problems during her encounter with the “Hawk” in the 1983 Opera’s House Cup Race off Nantucket, Massachusetts, Whitefin did take line honors, but Whitehawk won the overall corrected title for the win.

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

Owner/Guardian: (1983) – Phil Long
Owner/Guardian: Pasquale Natuzzi
Owner/Guardian: Alfredo Canessa

Historical:

“Whirlwind” was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff, and was built of composite construction at George Lawley & Son in Neponset, MA for syndicate members Landon K. Thorne, Alfred Loomis, Paul Hammond, George M. Pynchon, Elihu Root, and Marshall Field, in response to Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton’s fifth challenge for the America’s Cup in 1930. A total of four defenders, Enterprise, Yankee, Weetamoe and Whirlwind were built within a month of each other; Weetamoe and Enterprise from the Herreshoff yard in Bristol, and Yankee and Whirlwind from Lawley & Son’s yard in Neponset.

Enterprise was launched first on April 14th, allowing her more time to be tuned, which may have been a factor in her becoming the successful boat to defend the Cup. Whirlwind, launched May 7th…the second J, was the most revolutionary of the four. She was skippered by Paul Hammond with John Muir as his sailing master, while Landon K. Thorne managed the boat. Her launching was delayed due to Lloyd’s inspectors who insisted she should have an entire new set of lower scantlings, which had to be rushed through and fitted.

Once all were commissioned the yachts were thoroughly tuned, then an intense trial period began against one another.

The mutual cooperation, and sportsmanship amongst the defenders were unheard of before the 1930 Cup Races. All four potential defenders were on display at the New York Yacht Club and secrecy was abandoned.

During this time Francis L Herreshoff had moved away from conventional yachts to design a vessel which took the new rating rule to its extreme.

Whirlwind, a name derived from a previous vessel that head of the syndicate Landon Thorne once owned, combined many new ideas and Herreshoff experimented with hull shape and rig. She was the longest of the early J’s at 86ft on the waterline and remained so until Ranger and Endeavour II were built in 1937. She was built of semi-composite construction (the other three American Js were built out of the highly expensive Tobin bronze), was double-ended and had a permanent backstay.

L. F. Herreshoff “although there is little variation possible in the complete and complicated rule under which these boats are built, I believe that Whirlwind embodies more of the recent developments in small boats, such as those in the R and Q Classes, than the other three boats in the class. I have therefore tried to make Whirlwind appear longer, lower and racier than the type of boat normally expected under the Universal Rule, with its present requirements of freeboard.”

Time Magazine, Sport: Launchings “Mrs. Edwin Thorne, mother of Landon Ketchum Thorne, Manhattan banker, broke the bottle, and the America’s Cup contender in which her son owns the biggest share tilted easily down its ways in the shipyard of George Lawley & Son at Neponset, Mass. Head up, like a horse freed in pasture, the Whirlwind checked up off Squantum Island, her waterline standing out between her white topsides and the green paint on her mahogany underbody.”

Uffa Fox “Very pleasing to the eye, the stem sweeping down to the keel in a very sweet line, and to a man who, like myself, believes that a pointed stern is a logical ending for all vessels, her stern is a joy to behold.” He predicted, “If the Yacht Racing Rules govern well and wisely, we shall see Whirlwind racing 50 years hence. If they do not she will probably be cruising then.”

Paul Hammond “We changed the position of the mast six times and that was time lost when we should have been racing.” “She was a bitch to steer. I used to start her and then Landon Thorne would take over and within half an hour he was worn out.”

New York Times March 1930 “there has been much mystery about her”

In a letter from N. G. Herreshoff to Paul Hammond he advised not to have her ‘cut up,’ asserting that she was the right length and only her steering gear needed altering, unfortunately no one tried to put matters right, not even her new owner Mr. Pynchon, the owner of Istalena

Whirlwind met an early demise, she was often out-performed when close hauled, her steering gear making her difficult to steer.

She was eventually scrapped along with Enterprise in 1935. However, her unusual double-headsail rig was later adopted by the rest of the Js.

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

Owner/Guardian: (1930-1935) – Syndicate: Landon Thorne, Alfred Loomis, Paul Hammond.
Owner/Guardian: George M. Pynchon

Resources

Enterprise to Endeavour: The J Class Yachts, Ian Dear
America-Scoop.com – Yves GARY – great grandson of Landon Thorne.
Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II
Photo credits: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection