Sail Number:
Type: Schooner (full keel)
LOA: 80’1” / 24.41m – LOD: 63’5” / 19.33m – LWL: 47’3” / 14.40m – Beam: 15’1” / 4.60m – Draft: 8’6” / 2.60m – Designer: John G. Alden – Design Number: 669 – Current Name: When and If -/Original Owner: Colonel George S. Patton, Jr. (45 years old) – Current Owner: Captain Seth Salzmann – Year Built: 1939 – Built by: F.F. Pendleton, Wiscasset, Maine. – Hull material: Double planked Mahogany and White Cedar over Hardwood Frames – Displacement: 84,640 lbs / 38,392 kg – Engine: Lugger 110 HP Diesel (2008)
Historical:
When and If was commissioned after the Arcturus, with Patton and his wife Beatrice aboard, was badly damaged in a storm while en route to San Diego. Patton was hospitalized as a result, and while there, Beatrice contacted John Alden, the “world’s most celebrated marine architect” at the time, to recruit him to design a new yacht along with Patton in the hopes of cheering him up.
Patton intended to sail the schooner around the world with his wife “when and if I return from the war”, this phrase being the source of the yacht’s name. He confided his plans to Clifford Swain, who drew the lines for the yacht. As Swain later recalled:
“He was passed over twice for promotion to brigadier general by President Roosevelt and that if, as anticipated, he were passed over a third time, he would resigned from the army and cruise in (When and If) around Cape Horn to the West Coast and Catalina Island, which his family once owned.”
Patton never fulfilled his dream in 1945 near Speyer, Germany, shortly after the end of World War II, after suffering from depression. To lift his spirits, another commander suggested going hunting for pheasant. On the drive, the car veered and collided with a truck. Patton struck his head and broke his neck.
“This is a hell of a way to die,” he reportedly said, and spent twelve days in traction, paralyzed from the neck down.
Beatrice flew to see visit him in a German hospital, where he died in his sleep, and both never realized their dream of sailing the When And If around the world.
Captain/Owner Seth Salzmann – In his will, Patton had three things for the boat. He said, “When I die, I want one of three things to happen to the boat. I either want it to stay in the family or two, get donated for educational purposes, or three, be scuttled.”
When and If remained in the harbor at Manchester-by-the-Sea in Massachusetts and was passed successively from Patton’s wife to her brother Frederick Ayer and then on to his son. Frederick Ayer Jr., who donated it to the Landmark School in Beverly, MA in 1972, where she was used for sail training programs for children with dyslexia. (Patton himself was dyslexic.)
Due to financial difficulties, arrangements were made share ownership with Jim and Gina Mairs. However, in 1990 she broke loose in a gale and was wrecked. Assessed as a total loss, she was successfully salvaged and towed to the Gannon & Benjamin shipyard in Martha’s Vineyard. Describing the state of the yacht Jill Bobrow wrote:
There was a huge gaping hole in her port side, broken frames, twisted cabin sole, thoroughly demolished interior, destroyed rudder, smashed keel – problems galore. After a three-year rebuilding process, she was re-launched in 1994.
Early in 2012 Doug Hazlitt, well known in yachting circles for his complete restoration of another famous Alden schooner, Malabar X, purchased the When And If with plans to return the vessel to its original and Bristol condition.
Following an extensive 2 year restoration When and If is back in all her glory and ready for you to come and sail her away!
Purchased by Captain Seth Salzmann in 2015, she has been a part of Tall Ships Festivals in both 2015 and 2016, and in 2017 When and If sailed with Sail Training International to Bermuda, Boston and on to all corners of the Canadian Maritimes. Her home port in the winter is now Key West, where she offers public and private charters….see website
When And If, Owner/ Guardian
To all our loyal sailors and followers,
In the 81 year life of the Schooner When & If, she has seen her share of tough times. The yacht spent the duration of World War II waiting patiently in an estuary of the Chesapeake Bay while her owner, General Patton commanded the 3rd army. She rode out a severe hurricane in 1957 offshore of Manchester by the Sea, MA, only barely surviving due to the eye of the Hurricane allowing her Captain and first mate to move her to safety. When & If taught students for 20 years what it’s like to work hard and navigate coastal New England through teamwork and endurance – we still receive from her alumni extolling the lifelong values of such an experience. She survived her near-death at the hands of a November gale in 1992 due to the determination of a (at the time) small shipyard in Martha’s Vineyard. After many tens of thousands of miles of Ocean passages she has survived knockdowns, hurricanes and countless gales. The unique beauty of When And If has made her a beacon of ambition for proud captains and crew up and down the East Coast. She has trained new sailors and provided a platform for improvement and education in the skills of her Captains.
No doubt, because of the great care of her proud custodians – myself, her devoted captain, and her crew, she will also survive these tumultuous times. As was always the goal with purchasing the When And If and making her available to the public, her preservation takes precedence. She is a fine vessel with a great history and, now more than ever, we look to maintain her through this crisis.
With time, we will get people out on the water again and hope that our loyal fans, customers and shipmates will help us though the coming obstacles. We will for the next week honor our existing bookings, however with a maximum capacity of 10 guests. After that we will go into maintenance and project mode. We will reopen our T-shirt sales online and will sell gift certificates for any future sailing in an effort to maintain our crew pay and the vessel’s expenses.
We will all get through this and dream of setting sail with full loads of happy people very soon. Until then, please be safe, heed the suggestions of your local governments and please, please, support local!
Always the sailor,
Capt. Seth Salzmann
Provenance
- Owner/Guardian: (1939-1945) – Colonel/ General George S. Patton, Jr., Manchester-by-the Sea
- Owner/Guardian: (1945-1953) – Beatrice Ayer
- Owner/Guardian: (1953-1972) – Frederick Ayer (brother-in-law), Frederick Ayer Jr.
- Owner/Guardian: (1972-1990) – Landmark school, Prides Crossing, MA (Gifted by the General’s nephew, Frederick Ayer Jr.)
- Owner/Guardian: Jim Mairs/Gina Webster/Gannon & Benjamin (shared ownership) restored by G&B.
- Owner/Guardian: (2007-2012) – Candace and Paul Ruitenberg (acquired for $650,000)
- Owner/Guardian: (2012-2015) – Doug Hazlitt, Watkins Glen, Hazelit Winery. Cayuga Wooden Boatworks, Beacon Bay Marina replanked and caulked. (acquired for $180,000.)
- Owner/Guardian: (2015) – Captain Seth Salzmann
Friends of When and If
Sail When and If (bookings and purchases through the online store help continue her legacy)
Resources
The Woodenboat – Issues 176-181 – Page 104
John G. Alden and His Yacht Designs – Page 14
Around Wiscasset: Alna, Dresden, Westport Island, Wiscasset – cited
Jill Bobrow Associates – cited
The Cronicle Express – cited
True Ink (Welcome aboard the When and If) – cited
Cornell University – Preservation News – cited
Classic American Sailing Craft
HaveWindWillTravel.com
AldenDesigns.com – cited
Democrat and Cronicle – cited
Northshore Magazine