The 1938 Governor's Cup Race

Once again Flea-bay has produced a piece of Moth Boat history.  This time in the form of an old newspaper photograph dated the 17th of October, 1938.  I was particularly drawn to this photo because William Duffield and I have been slowly restoring the 1938 National Champion, Imp Too, Nr 449. 

Imp Too was designed, built and raced by Edwin Channing, a naval aviator.  At the beginning of hostilities, Channing asked Dorr Willey to store his boat for the duration.  Channing did not survive the war and Dorr had this boat in storage along with one of his own Moths until a local Elizabeth City man, Gordon Fearing, asked if he could buy them.  Dorr agreed.  One of the interesting features of Imp Too is that she has "soft" or rounded chines.  This feature is very difficult to build but Dorr, obviously influenced by Channing's boat, built four or perhaps five examples of his own design, incorporating this feature rather than the normal "hard" chines which are featured on not only on his stock design but many other Moths as well.  The other Moth which Dorr held onto after the passage of time was one of his own soft chined Moths, Miss Inez, Nr 808.

The Governor's Cup was one of a number of races held during the National Regatta.  There were also separate races for Junior sailors, Ladies, etc.  This permitted some boats to be shared and gave those skippers competing in the heats that constituted the Nationals a chance to tune their boats and sharpen their boat handling skills prior to the main event.

The back side of the photo.  Many old press photos have a note like this one which provides a limited  description.  Sadly, there is no mention of which newspaper this photo was published.  However the note provides the location (Elizabeth City) and the name of the winner of this race (Harry Andrews).  Harry Andrews won the inaugural National Moth Boat Regatta five years earlier in 1933.

A close up of the photograph.  One sail number, partially obscured, appears to end in 49.  Could this be Nr 449?   If so, is that Edwin Channing at the tiller?

One might ask what I mean when I speak of hard vs soft chines.  A few pictures might clear that up.  First, here are a couple of pix of my "stock" Dorr Willey- build Moth which has hard chines:

Note the sharp chine edge of the blue side board.

Another pix showing Blondie on her lines in the water.

Compare that with these photos of Imp Too, currently under restoration:

In contrast, Imp too (and a very limited number of Dorr Willey's Moths) do not have a chine edge, but rather the planking "wraps around" the hard turn of the bilge.  Imp Too was quite revolutionary in the late 1930s and by accounts from the old timers I've talked with was considered very tricky to sail.  Indeed, when I acquired this boat she came with a dagger board with the leading, trailing and bottom edges covered with heavy bronze strapping.  I haven't weighed this board but it's heavy; the bronze was fitted no doubt to add ballast to an otherwise very tender boat.

Another view of the "soft" chine.

The next two photos show the shape of the frames.

We have to make wood planks, at the turn of the bilge, conform to the shape of those ribs!  There are three ways we could do that. 1. we could take a thicker than required plank and "back it out" on the inside to fit the shape of the frames; 2. we could steam planks of the actual required thickness and hopefully not have them split once they cooled; 3. we could resort to using thin cedar strips with bead and cove edges as is commonly done during the construction of wooden canoes.  The first choice produces a heavy plank and requires a special plane.  The second approach is probably the one Channing and Willey used.  The third option, while the easiest is unauthentic and in my mind not suitable for this restoration.  William and I have built a steam box twelve feet long and will no doubt waste some good cedar before we master the technique.  Since this photo was taken, we have removed all of the original planking in order to repair the keel and framing.  The boat was heavily damaged after being hit by a car while on the way home from a regatta.

So, getting back to the picture which started this post, while I may have a rare photo of the 1938 U.S. National champion on the water, the resolution is too poor to learn anything new about the boat or her skipper.  I will keep trolling Flea-bay in the hopes that a better photograph will eventually surface.

An old Moth in Lewes, Delaware

Several years ago Bill Boyle drove over to Lewes, Delaware to look at an old Moth Boat which had been donated to the local Historical Society.  I've been trying to see this boat for the past two years without any luck (the Museum was closed on one occasion, the "right" person was out of town on another).  We happened to be in Lewes for a few days before New Year's Eve, and the way the calendar fell, we were in town on a day which the Historical Society's buildings were supposedly open.  So with great anticipation I went to the Society's main building.  That building was locked but a nearby workshop was open.  I asked a man who was working on an oyster boat if he knew anything about an old Moth Boat.  He listened to my story and we looked all through the shop (including the overhead loft) without success.  Little did we know how close we were to the actual boat--more on that later.

After a bit of head scratching I was told to go to another building about a mile away where that the little boat in question was sure to be found.  Trouble was, that building was not open until the next day.  The next day I drove over with great anticipation.  I went inside and asked the volunteer on duty if I could see the Moth Boat.  He said "the what boat?" and then directed me to various small boats on display.  One was a dug out canoe, another turned out to be a fiberglass Sunfish, but no Moth.  He started to give me the impression that I was either crazy or misinformed or both (I get that a lot).  I indicated that I indeed was of sound mind and asked him if I could see his iPad for a  moment.  He did so just to humor me and I  quickly showed him the Historical Society's page concerning the Moth:

As seen on the internet. "The Lewes Moth Sails Home."

 With the existence of some sort of Moth Boat now established, my stock went up a couple of points and the volunteer started to call various Historical Society members.  I was told to return to the shop building where I'd meet one of the society directors.  And so I did.  The director took me on a hike through several other storage buildings.  We admired several interesting and no doubt historical boats, but no Moth Boat.  I could tell that the director was getting a little embarrassed that he had no clue as to the whereabouts of this boat which had been, ten years earlier, donated to the Society, but he told me that I had piqued his curiosity and that he would find the boat in question and give me a call.  We left things at that.  New Year's eve came and went. 

Lewis is an interesting old town with other things to do and see besides suss out a misplaced Moth Boat.  

The town of Lewes is adjacent to the Cape Henlopen State Park which features many fine hiking and biking paths close to the mouth of the Delaware Bay.  My wife and I were well into a long walk when my cell phone rang.  It was the director.  He said he knew where the Moth had been stored and if I could return to the work shop before closing time (4:30 pm) I could see the boat.  I looked at my watch and told him I would try my best to make it but it would be close.

 I did make it.  The boat was "hiding in plain sight" behind a bunch of lumber and tools, tipped up on one side, leaning against a wall.  A day earlier we had walked right by it!

Can you see the Moth?

Here's a better look after pulling some stuff out of the way.

She is plank on frame and has a pivoting centerboard, which are marks of an early Moth.

The strips of filament tape are to keep the centerboard from sliding out of the trunk while in storage.

A view of the rudder.

Note the clinched nails holding the pintles in place rather than rivets or nuts and screws.

The next three photos were taken by Bill Boyle several years ago when he visited Lewes and the boat was more accessible.

The splash boards look like a recent addition and seem too modern for the rest of the boat.

This photo suggests that for the purpose of a static display little is needed beyond a general clean up.  below is a letter which accompanied the boat when she was donated.  The build date is obviously suspect--indeed if this is a Moth, in as much as Joel Van Sant's Jumping Juniper which is taken to be Moth Boat Nr 1, wasn't constructed until 1929.

 After viewing the boat, I told the director one way to raise money, if the society wanted to fully restore the boat would be to start a crowd funding site on the internet.  He liked the idea, and I said if that happens I'd help spread the word. 

This little story of a local Historical Society and a Moth Boat brings several points to mind:

- Most museums and historical societies are artifact rich but cash poor.  Ideally, they want donations which can immediately be placed on display with no or minimal work/expense involved. Basically it's easier to donate than it is to receive, house, and maintain something.  Indeed many donations occur because the donor can no longer store or provide upkeep for the item in question.

- A donation requiring that money, skill and energy be invested before being displayable must be very significant to the locale which the museum or society is attempting to promote.

- Donations requiring inputs of time, skill and money tend to be "stored", and if not compelling to the museum's mission, can sometimes be "lost" in storage until someone (like your old diarist) makes a concerted effort to see them.

Bottom line: if  you plan to donate a boat, she should (a) go to an appropriate museum, (b) be restored before being donated and (c) if possible, an endowment of funds earmarked for the boat's upkeep should be part of the donation.

I will follow up on this particular Moth in the hopes that she eventually does go on display and that more info about the correct build date, who the builder was and so on can be explored.

Greetings from Painesville (Ohio)

Click on picture to enlarge it.

Eagle eyed CMBA member, Chandler Owen spotted this old postcard on flea-bay.  As can be seen, the card greets us from Painesville, Ohio.  However, of the boats which I can identify by sail number, I'm led to believe that the venue isn't from the "buckeye state", but instead somewhere in the Charleston, South Carolina area.  Perhaps Mount Pleasant?

The boat on port tack, closest to the camera, is Randall Swan's Connecticut design Blue Moon II, Nr 1149.  I don't know if Randall is at the tiller or not but the ID of the boat is not in question.  Interestingly, this boat and several others are being sailed two up which tells us that the young skippers were too light to keep their boats flat with the available wind at their disposal.  Now that we're adults this is no longer a requirement!

Randall's father bought this particular boat from a display at the 1949 New York Boat Show, directly from her designer/builder, Skip Etchells.  At the time, Etchells operated a business called "Old Greenwich Boat Works", located in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.  Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Connecticut was the rig.  Etchells is probably better know as a Star boat builder and competitor.  As such he was largely responsible for introducing the Moth Class to "bendy" masts.  Randall once told me that the young sailors with Connecticut Moths didn't quite know what they were doing when they sheeted in hard and bent the mast, but they knew that the boats were more controllable and thus faster in a big breeze.

The boat with sail number 1202 is, I believe, Rob Johnson in Gremlin.  I'm fairly sure that this boat and Nr 1103 are Darby-built Ventnor Moths.  The old records in my possession indicate that Nr 1203 was owned by Gordon Darby.  Gordon may well be in this picture.  As is the case with many pictures, the more distant boats defy identification and so their designs and skippers remain a mystery.  A mystery which perhaps some reader can partially elucidate with a comment.

In closing, here we have another interesting old postcard featuring Moth Boats on sunny, sparkling waters to ponder over a chilly winter night--even if I remain unconvinced of the venue.  It's a pity that modern postcards so seldomly feature scenes with boats or yacht clubs or races any more.  That makes ones like this one, which I think dates to about 1952, all the more interesting to find.

Added after posting:  I just rec'd this input from Randall Swan:

You are right about the location of the race being Mt Pleasant.Photo shows Castle Pinckney to the West and the only regatta in that location would have been the Mt. pleasant regatta. I believe the dote is 1951, as that was the last year I needed a crew for ballast in most conditions.

Thanks for the photo. Those were the days!

 

Thanks Randall!  I was off a year!

Weldwood

This past weekend I sold one of my Moths that needed a full rehab and I hadn't gotten around to doing that.  The buyer had owned a boat just like the one I had so I sold him back his childhood.  He left a happy man.  While I was waiting for him to arrive I took one last detailed look at the old dear and rediscovered a small decal just forward of the cockpit:

"WATERPROOF WELDWOOD".  Weldwood was an early trade name of the United States Plywood Corporation for it's marine grade plywood.  How that decal has survived almost 70 years of sanding, re-varnishing and benign neglect is mind boggling.  But never the less, there it is.  A tiny bit of the forgotten history of waterproof plywood.  This boat was proudly built from a quality material and its manufacturer clearly wanted people to know. 

Moth Sailboat Fleet, Stone Harbor (1952)

Here is a facsimile  of an old post card which I bid on but failed to win from a well known on-line auction site.  This photograph, showing the up-wind leg of a race at the Stone Harbor YC, reinforces my assertion that most so-called development classes boil down to a series of very similar boats for a given era and venue.  In this picture 100% of the boats close enough to be clearly identified are those built by the old Ventnor Boat Works from roughly 1940 up to about when this exposure was made.   The only differences seen among these Moths are those of the two slightly different Ventnor designs-- early Ventnor Moths, produced prior to (and a very few during) WW II, had transom bows while post war Ventnors featured a redesigned "bull nose" bow.  A very few pre-war boats also sported canvas fore decks in an attempt to reduce weight.

If I were to substitute this picture taken in 1952 with one from 1962, most of the boats would be of the Cates Florida design. In 1972 the majority of the boats would be narrow water line designs such as the Duflos and the Mistral.  The top dogs of the fleet tend buy the latest equipment and the rest follow along in a herd mentality sort of way.   For the most part, "development" staggers along at a generational pace with occasional "break through" designs and occasional flops.  This is a good thing--no one wants their new boat to be totally obsolete within a few months.

 Checking the surviving Moth Class records from this era I found it interesting that none of the boats with sail numbers close enough to the camera to be read are from Stone Harbor YC!

Nr 742 Black Beury, sailed by Harry Beury, Margate City YC
Nr 659 Name unknown sailed by A. McGee, Margate City YC
Nr 686 Champ sailed by Bob McGurk, Margate City YC
Nr 752 Nutshell sailed by Bill Maguire Ocean City YC
Nr 642 Circe sailed by John Elfman Margate City YC
Nr 640 Black Cloud sailed by Henry Hood Ocean City YC

Perhaps the boats in the lead are Stone Harbor boats, making full use of local knowledge!

Ventnor Moth for sale

One of the more pleasant aspects of putting together a blog about Classic and Vintage era Moth Boats is the unearthing of a survivor boat.  Particularly so if the survivor is more or less intact and hasn't been subject to change from period authentic hardware.  Such is the case of the subject of today's post.  The current owner of this boat first contacted fellow blogger Tweezerman and Tweezerman, in turn, tipped me off.  After exchanging a few emails I rec'd the following ad with photos to share.  Interested parties can contact the seller directly.

Classic Ventnor Moth circa 1947

This is a post WWII Ventnor Boat Works moth.  It was bought from Ross Equipment Company in Norfolk, VA by my grandfather.  It was used sparingly by my mother for a few years.   The boat has been stored in garages for at least the last 55 years.  The boat and all the equipment are original except for the sail.  The sail appears to be an aftermarket sail from Hilton Head, SC.  The sail is the correct size and is in good shape.  The boat needs work to make it sailable.  I do not know how much.  The boat is located in Winston-Salem, NC.  I would like to find her a good new home. Sale Price:  $500.

Email: burtonkshields@gmail.com

A bow view of the boat and her equipment.

A relatively rare builder's tag.  I've seen a couple versions of this tag but many boats either didn't get one at the works or lost the tag along the way.

Russ Equipment Company was a general seller of boats, including war surplus.  From what I can gather they are no longer in business.

A view of the cockpit.  Note the broken floor board. Nice to see a natural finish inside the hull. The future owner will be spared the task of removing peeling paint from around the frames of the boat.  I've been there, done that--not fun.

A view from the stern.  The period correct barn door rudder with wishbone tiller appears in good condition.

 

The sail appears to be relatively new and is not the Egyptian cotton sail originally issued with the boat.

Sail maker details.  This tells us that the sail is no older than postal zip codes or telephone area codes.  A quick google search suggests that either the loft is out of business or has changed its name.  A quick phone call might prove me wrong, but I'll leave that up to the prospective buyer.

In sum, this appears to be a nice way for someone to enter into the world of Vintage Moth Boat sailing and racing.  I hope to see this boat on the race course soon!

Can this Moth be saved dept, Nr 2

Earlier I posted about a fiberglass Moth in desperate shape.  This time the Moth on offer is a wooden boat dating to somewhere in the early to mid-1950s.  The current owner took  possession of the boat after the previous owner threatened a bonfire.  Sadly, the current owner can't provide long term storage or a dry place to work on the boat or she'd keep it.  So while this boat has survived her long time owner's pyromania, her new lease on life is limited to the next two weeks.  If no one steps forward, this little yacht will be broken up for bulk trash pick up. Those interested can PM me at the email address found in my profile for contact info regarding this Moth.  A series of photos follows.

From this prospective the bow strongly resembles an Abbott Moth.  One can see the remnants of fiberglass cloth.  The current owner indicates that the wood beneath is stable and not rotten.

Port side view.  The fore deck is not typical of one of Fran Abbott's boats. Fran's boats had a softer crown rather that a peaked shape to the fore deck.  However, the darker wood may be a replacement deck.

Transom view.  Again, from this angle the boat looks very Abbott-like.

One can just make out the hull number under layers of old varnish--Nr 1493.  Checking the old Moth Class records I found a mention of this boat in  the Cooper River Moth fleet report from the year 1956.  However, the owner's name was not indicated.

Starboard side.

The frames are on 12 inch centers.

The rudder shape is like that seen on early Ventnor and Dorr Willey Moths.  Abbott's blade shapes were more evolved than the one seen here.

At the time of this post, the PO has looked in his garage and found the mast, dagger board, and sail so the story is getting a little better in terms of completeness. 

Miss Fortune

A while ago, Roland Hunn sent me the photo below of his parents, Ethel (Toby) Hunn and Knute Hunn standing next to Toby's Moth, Miss Fortune, Nr 500.  The venue is the Riverton Yacht Club which is located on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, across from Philadelphia.  The date is some time in the immediate post WW II era.  Although the specific design and builder of the Moth are unknown, the sail number suggests that Miss Fortune was most likely built in 1938 or 1939.  Mrs. Hunn enthusiastically raced the boat with perhaps her best result being the third place she achieved in the women's division at the 1946 Nationals down at Elizabeth City, NC behind Peggy Kammerman (Evening Star YC) and Ruth Nickerson (Pasquotank River YC).

Knute Hunn reminds us that most Moth Boating problems can be resolved with the aid of a willing assistant, a couple bottles of beer, a good selection of hand saws and a big hammer.

Riverton is interesting in as much as it was a hot bed of dinghy racing activity, spurred by the presence of the Lippincott Boat Works. During the forty years spanning 1946 to 1986, Robert and Howard Lippincott built a number of class boats including Lightnings, Comets, Stars, and Dusters.   Howard's obituary, which briefly details the family business and involvement in one-design racing can be read here.  

I attended just one regatta for Moths and Comets in the early 1960s at RYC and in the end didn't race.  Here's why:  My father and I arrived early on the Saturday morning, for Riverton YC's annual two day invitational regatta, in order to register and put my boat together.  As it turned out registration had not yet opened so I wandered down to the docks in order to scope out the intended race area.  When I got to the pier I noticed that the water was fouled with heavy "Bunker C" fuel oil from one side of the river to the other.  I asked an elderly man what was up with that and he said "Boy, look across the river. Do you see the shipyard over on the Philly side?"  I nodded that I did.  He continued, "They salvage old Liberty ships for scrap over there and yesterday they cut one below the waterline."  I looked again at the river and said "I'm not going to put my boat into that mess."  A man using the chain hoist to launch his brand new fiberglass Comet overheard me and said "I need a crew.  Since you're not racing your Moth how about crewing for me?"  He then launched the Comet, and since it was light air, pushed off for a solo sail.  When he was several hundred feet away from the pier I heard him exclaim "I think my boat is dissolving!"   I looked at my Dad and said "Let's get out of here."  In all my years of racing small boats I've never been back to Riverton. 

Now this was years before environmental concerns where large in the public's mind and I'm sure the river is much cleaner now than then, but thinking back to that day I now appreciate why my father was fond of declaring that politicians should be tied up in bunches of three and thrown into the Delaware!

24th BYC Moth Regatta Photo Collage

Those who follow my figure skating blog no doubt know that I took a spill awhile back.  Now that my head no longer aches and my vision isn't blurry I suppose I'd best get some pix posted from this year's regatta.  Many Thanks to diaristdaughter for being the designated photographer and diaristwoman for helping not only with lunches but many other behind the scene tasks as well.  The Courters are also to be thanked for hosting their always well enjoyed pre-regatta party.  This event wouldn't take place without lots of help.   Next year this regatta turns 25!

Rigging up.  I borrowed the white Ventnor (nr868).  We had 14 boats with at least three in each of the divisions (Vintage, Gen I and Gen II).

Victor Stango gets down to business in his Lindenberg Moth.

One of the starts.  I'm late as usual (one can see the bow of the Ventnor just entering the photo on the far left).  Joe Bousquet (Nr 48) is sailing my newly configured all wooden Europe.  Tweezerman is sailing Nr 105.

A bit busy at the marks.

Bob Patterson in his Mk I Shelley.

Bill Boyle's Abbott (Nr 1603), also a Vintage boat.

Greg Duncan's Connecticut (Nr 1667) rounds out the Vintage fleet.  At one point I owned that boat.  Shouldn't of sold her!

Ed Salva (Nr 10) had a good day out.

My son Erik (Nr 43) hoping not to get pinwheeled off at the mark by Joe Courter (Nr 40)!

Greg showed the rest of the vintage fleet his transom most of the day.

After the second race I headed in to adjust the outhaul.  The leech on this sail was way too tight.  I wish I'd had a chance to sail this boat before the regatta!  She's a good boat and with a bit of tuning could be competitive with the others.

That's not a Moth!

At times I was able to push the Ventnor's bow up with the other boats.

Nr 217 was the sail number of Bob Patterson's father's Comet class boat.

John Z. leads Joe Bousquet.  Nr 48 was not quite finished in time for this regatta but Joe did fine in spite of some of the controls not exactly being user friendly.

John Z. sailing Y2K Bug--we keep waiting for him to finish the new boat!

Tweezerman took top honors in the Gen I fleet.

Greg was the vintage division winner at the end of the day.

Mike Parsons, Nr 79 took 1st in Gen II.  And that's all folks!