Thad
03-08-2002, 01:33 PM
Norske told me to post something about SEA HARMONY and reading LULU's story reminded me I had written this for the yearbook of the Albert Strange Association. Albert Strange was an artist and boat designer, designing some 180 boats between 1880 and 1917, most of these one and two person cruising boats. SEA HARMONY was the last of four boats built for the same people to Strange's last design. The last three were built by Ernest Wood, SEA HARMONY at Harding, Norfolk. She sailed out of Great Yarmouth at least through the 1950's. In 1976 she sailed from England to the States. If I posted this before, my appologies.
2001 in SEA HARMONY
This has not been the year for a cruise but there has been some great sailing. I have been too busy in the shop to leave for an extended period, but we have been out every week for daysails and did get in on two local events – the Boston Antique and Classic Boat Festival and the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
This Spring Dotty’s Mother died at the age of 102, so we have been working on adjusting to the change, including the possibility of getting out on the water with Bert, our little fuzzy white dog, in SEA HARMONY. Almost every weekend we have been out in the Sound, with the many other boats that frequent these waters. Back in July we had Dotty’s daughter and her husband aboard for a day. The 16th of September we had another crew.
For years we have talked to a local fisherman and his wife. Our dogs are friends and we have enjoyed many hours visiting outside his shanty, on the street, and sitting in their yard with a view of the harbor. Jack has talked many times of sailing in his youth with his father, successfully racing a mahogany Rhodes 19. He speaks of his father’s working to get her bottom smooth, and their taking turns at the helm, arguing endlessly about tactics and winning consistently. He has always been interested in our boats, the knockabout, the catboat, and now SEA HARMONY. Jack is 77 and within the last year turned the fishing over to his son as his ankles couldn’t take the strain any more. A couple of weeks before, I was out of town and Dotty walking Bert without me got talking to Jack and Barbara about SEA HARMONY. In the course of the talk she asked if he wanted to go for a sail, “Yes” came the answer.
So come that Sunday, a splendid day, S 10-15 and sunny. As we left the house walking Bert, I said we should ask Jack if he wanted to go for a sail. When we got around to their house, Jack was coming out the front door to meet us and before we had a chance to speak, he says, “This is a great day for a sail”. “Do you want to go?” “Yes.” So I said we would bring SEA HARMONY to the float at noon and all was arranged.
We rowed out to SEA HARMONY, fired up the engine and motored in to the town float, where Jack hauled himself aboard. Astern and off, we headed out the channel and I got Jack to take the helm while we got the sail covers off and prepared to raise sail. With the moderate breeze I got the mizzen, main, fore staysail, and jib topsail up as Jack held her into the wind. Bearing off, we were sailing, headed off ESE. This was all well and good, we were moving along and Jack was remembering how to sail after 55 years in power boats, but I knew that to really get her going we needed the topsail so out it came as well.
Our topsail was not made by a maker experienced with topsails. He got confused in the making and the recutting, so I brought it back this Spring to try a third time. For months he didn’t get around to the job, so I took it back as is. This was the first time this year I had hoisted it so it took a little time getting everything straight, but then, there it flew. With the topsail pulling and everything below, SEA HARMONY took a little more heel and began to drive in the way she loves.
The breeze came and went a little. When I took these pictures we obviously were not screaming along, but it was a great day for a sail. Here’s another picture of Jack at the helm:
http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=22560620&photoID=22601792&security=ZnfBHMbgMQ
After going out on the wind for 12 miles or so, we jibed around to reach in on the other side of the Sound. Jack knows all the rocks and shoals around from the fisherman’s point of view, but sailing around them put things in a little different perspective. Back in the channel for Marblehead I was about to begin taking in the sails when the breeze freshened from the South giving us a real rush, even when the topsail came down. Jack wanted to carry on into the harbor, but it had been a good afternoon sail and we dropped the other sails with the engine holding us unto the wind. Dropping Jack on the float, we put everything away at the mooring and made our way home to feed the dog.
The weekend before the sail with Jack was the Gloucester Schooner Festival. After getting my entry in I thought I had a small crew lined up, but one of these friends at the last minute had a little emergency so he pulled out. The previous weekend had been the Boston Antique and Classic Boat Festival where SEA HARMONY sat at a float and I was a judge looking at all the other boats assembled. The fellow who came with me to and from that event is a compass adjuster and teaches navigation. Coming away Sunday afternoon we had a lively sail with the effect that Tim wanted to sail the race. Also I had seen the Curator of the Hart Nautical Collection at the MIT Museum with his girlfriend and they expressed interest in coming. Talking to Kurt during the week, it was agreed that he and Claire would meet us in Gloucester. The final serendipity involved a neighbor lady we have known for some time through our dogs. She is Irish and grew up sailing, but didn’t know we had SEA HARMONY until she saw me at the Antique and Classic Boat Festival, and saw us sail away in a smother of foam. Before I was in from that sail Liz had told Dotty how SEA HARMONY was like boats she had sailed with her family and how she wanted to sail with us.
Friday before the Gloucester race Tim said he would stop by but didn’t. Saturday morning I was at the dinghy at 6AM as planned and Tim was no where to be seen, so it was just me with the prospect of finding Kurt and Claire at the Skippers Meeting scheduled for 10 o’clock. The morning was beautiful, but there was little wind as I motored out towing the dinghy. When 7:30 came along I got on the cell phone to Dotty and told her I was going it alone, but she might call Tim and Liz to see if they could come to Gloucester. Soon she called back saying Tim had forgotten all about it and Liz was thrilled, so they both would drive out for the race.
The day started with a very light Westerly breeze so I had to motor all the way, but I did get the jib topsail set to help us along. Later I raised the mizzen too, more for style than to hold her head up in the anchorage. I also had to get an anchor on deck and the rode set for anchoring. I had talked to the Harbormaster’s office and had been told to anchor in the anchorage in the middle of the inner harbor. So, in we came having pulled down the jib, found a likely slot, let go the hook, and prepared to row in for the skippers meeting.
At the skippers meeting I saw lots of old friends, the course and race directions were passed out and discussed. There were to be more than 70 boats in 6 classes. Eventually my whole crew showed up ready to go. The five of us got into the dinghy and I rowed out to SEA HARMONY, waiting patiently for her race. Motoring out of the inner harbor we could feel the force of the wind, building to it’s forecast 20-25 mph. Heading up to raise sail, we were off and away with all lower sail set, no need of the topsail to get her going on this day.
Winging past the breakwater we found the committee boat. Heading up on a reach we waited for the committee to set their flags before turning to find out what course was set. The traditional gaff rigged class was the first off, so we had to be ready for the guns. It was a reaching course out and back, with short windward legs to the finish. All this time we had been talking about handling SEA HARMONY, getting jobs figured out. Kurt was our fore deck man to help the jib around if needed, Claire was staying out of the way on the cabin top. Liz and Tim manned the cockpit and took care of the running backstays. I tacked the jib sheets. Tim and Kurt were our navigators, Kurt with his GPS and Tim on the charts.
When we came back past the line there were a couple of minutes to go before the first gun and the boats were starting to get thick. The first gun went off and after a few minutes we tacked back for the line. With a couple of minutes before the start we luffed briefly and then bore on for the line. We were almost forced to tack away or cross the line by a boat in a later class charging back across the line, but just then the gun went, we hardened up and were off. We were first over the line by many seconds but were mostly concerned with getting our trim set and starting to establish the course for the first minutes of racing. When I looked around to see what was happening there were two boats coming along to windward of us. All of us were rail down and driving, and they were gaining. This was fun stuff, but these boats kept veering away to windward. The one boat that past us seemed to veer away so as not to blanket us in passing, most strange. The other boat passed astern of us and fell way off to leeward as though they were confused about the course. All this time the other classes, most of them modern and faster were coming on from their later starts, but our competitor, who had also gone to leeward of the mark, rounded ahead of us.
Now on starboard, we slowly crawled up on the boat ahead, a pretty little cutter. It seemed like a long chase, and we were still in the lead, with all the other boats chasing the two of us. It continued to blow 20-25knots, without heavy gusts, just plenty of wind. When we finally passed the other boat, about half way along the second leg, the leaders of the other classes began to pass us, multihulls were screaming past, big sloops – and then we saw that our old competitor seemed to have dropped out, no telling why.
Kurt had taken the tiller and held our course for the bouy off Eastern Point where we turned for the beat to round the breakwater and the close reach for the finish. Here all the faster boats were coming and going on different tacks. A Concordia sloop on starboard tack forced us to tack as we were trying to make the breakwater, but we didn’t lose much time in that maneuver. When we got the gun at the finish Claire held up our number for the committee. We had done well, finishing first in class by many minutes, we had had a great time. We had to wait for the awards the next evening to find out that another boat had taken first on time. Everyone who wanted to had had a turn at the tiller in the race, and it was a splendid day for a sail!
Having brought my crew ashore, there was enough time to get back to Marblehead, so it was off to take advantage of the wind. Motoring out of the inner harbor I hardened up on the mizzen and raised sail up against the windward shore. Taking her out of gear and shutting down the engine, we bore off and swept past Norman’s Woe out of Gloucester Harbor. A friend of ours who had come over to see the boats took pictures as we got away.
http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=22560620&photoID=22561157&security=OAeovKLUkF
While my friend reached off to the South, I hardened up for Marblehead. It was still blowing hard out of the North-West when I started the engine after sunset just outside the harbor. Mizzen sheeted in, SEA HARMONY idled forward head to the wind as I lowered the sails, putting the jib away and covers on the others. Motoring in I picked up our mooring, stowed the mizzen, and rowed in as darkness fell, ending a fine day of sailing and racing.
I had had SEA HARMONY at the Antique and Classic Boat Festival the end of August for a weekend at a float where people could get a look at her. I had the ASA information with me and many people seemed pleased to see such a vessel close up. It was a beautiful weekend. It would have been a great time to be out sailing, but that is the way with plans.
Thad Danielson
2001 in SEA HARMONY
This has not been the year for a cruise but there has been some great sailing. I have been too busy in the shop to leave for an extended period, but we have been out every week for daysails and did get in on two local events – the Boston Antique and Classic Boat Festival and the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
This Spring Dotty’s Mother died at the age of 102, so we have been working on adjusting to the change, including the possibility of getting out on the water with Bert, our little fuzzy white dog, in SEA HARMONY. Almost every weekend we have been out in the Sound, with the many other boats that frequent these waters. Back in July we had Dotty’s daughter and her husband aboard for a day. The 16th of September we had another crew.
For years we have talked to a local fisherman and his wife. Our dogs are friends and we have enjoyed many hours visiting outside his shanty, on the street, and sitting in their yard with a view of the harbor. Jack has talked many times of sailing in his youth with his father, successfully racing a mahogany Rhodes 19. He speaks of his father’s working to get her bottom smooth, and their taking turns at the helm, arguing endlessly about tactics and winning consistently. He has always been interested in our boats, the knockabout, the catboat, and now SEA HARMONY. Jack is 77 and within the last year turned the fishing over to his son as his ankles couldn’t take the strain any more. A couple of weeks before, I was out of town and Dotty walking Bert without me got talking to Jack and Barbara about SEA HARMONY. In the course of the talk she asked if he wanted to go for a sail, “Yes” came the answer.
So come that Sunday, a splendid day, S 10-15 and sunny. As we left the house walking Bert, I said we should ask Jack if he wanted to go for a sail. When we got around to their house, Jack was coming out the front door to meet us and before we had a chance to speak, he says, “This is a great day for a sail”. “Do you want to go?” “Yes.” So I said we would bring SEA HARMONY to the float at noon and all was arranged.
We rowed out to SEA HARMONY, fired up the engine and motored in to the town float, where Jack hauled himself aboard. Astern and off, we headed out the channel and I got Jack to take the helm while we got the sail covers off and prepared to raise sail. With the moderate breeze I got the mizzen, main, fore staysail, and jib topsail up as Jack held her into the wind. Bearing off, we were sailing, headed off ESE. This was all well and good, we were moving along and Jack was remembering how to sail after 55 years in power boats, but I knew that to really get her going we needed the topsail so out it came as well.
Our topsail was not made by a maker experienced with topsails. He got confused in the making and the recutting, so I brought it back this Spring to try a third time. For months he didn’t get around to the job, so I took it back as is. This was the first time this year I had hoisted it so it took a little time getting everything straight, but then, there it flew. With the topsail pulling and everything below, SEA HARMONY took a little more heel and began to drive in the way she loves.
The breeze came and went a little. When I took these pictures we obviously were not screaming along, but it was a great day for a sail. Here’s another picture of Jack at the helm:
http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=22560620&photoID=22601792&security=ZnfBHMbgMQ
After going out on the wind for 12 miles or so, we jibed around to reach in on the other side of the Sound. Jack knows all the rocks and shoals around from the fisherman’s point of view, but sailing around them put things in a little different perspective. Back in the channel for Marblehead I was about to begin taking in the sails when the breeze freshened from the South giving us a real rush, even when the topsail came down. Jack wanted to carry on into the harbor, but it had been a good afternoon sail and we dropped the other sails with the engine holding us unto the wind. Dropping Jack on the float, we put everything away at the mooring and made our way home to feed the dog.
The weekend before the sail with Jack was the Gloucester Schooner Festival. After getting my entry in I thought I had a small crew lined up, but one of these friends at the last minute had a little emergency so he pulled out. The previous weekend had been the Boston Antique and Classic Boat Festival where SEA HARMONY sat at a float and I was a judge looking at all the other boats assembled. The fellow who came with me to and from that event is a compass adjuster and teaches navigation. Coming away Sunday afternoon we had a lively sail with the effect that Tim wanted to sail the race. Also I had seen the Curator of the Hart Nautical Collection at the MIT Museum with his girlfriend and they expressed interest in coming. Talking to Kurt during the week, it was agreed that he and Claire would meet us in Gloucester. The final serendipity involved a neighbor lady we have known for some time through our dogs. She is Irish and grew up sailing, but didn’t know we had SEA HARMONY until she saw me at the Antique and Classic Boat Festival, and saw us sail away in a smother of foam. Before I was in from that sail Liz had told Dotty how SEA HARMONY was like boats she had sailed with her family and how she wanted to sail with us.
Friday before the Gloucester race Tim said he would stop by but didn’t. Saturday morning I was at the dinghy at 6AM as planned and Tim was no where to be seen, so it was just me with the prospect of finding Kurt and Claire at the Skippers Meeting scheduled for 10 o’clock. The morning was beautiful, but there was little wind as I motored out towing the dinghy. When 7:30 came along I got on the cell phone to Dotty and told her I was going it alone, but she might call Tim and Liz to see if they could come to Gloucester. Soon she called back saying Tim had forgotten all about it and Liz was thrilled, so they both would drive out for the race.
The day started with a very light Westerly breeze so I had to motor all the way, but I did get the jib topsail set to help us along. Later I raised the mizzen too, more for style than to hold her head up in the anchorage. I also had to get an anchor on deck and the rode set for anchoring. I had talked to the Harbormaster’s office and had been told to anchor in the anchorage in the middle of the inner harbor. So, in we came having pulled down the jib, found a likely slot, let go the hook, and prepared to row in for the skippers meeting.
At the skippers meeting I saw lots of old friends, the course and race directions were passed out and discussed. There were to be more than 70 boats in 6 classes. Eventually my whole crew showed up ready to go. The five of us got into the dinghy and I rowed out to SEA HARMONY, waiting patiently for her race. Motoring out of the inner harbor we could feel the force of the wind, building to it’s forecast 20-25 mph. Heading up to raise sail, we were off and away with all lower sail set, no need of the topsail to get her going on this day.
Winging past the breakwater we found the committee boat. Heading up on a reach we waited for the committee to set their flags before turning to find out what course was set. The traditional gaff rigged class was the first off, so we had to be ready for the guns. It was a reaching course out and back, with short windward legs to the finish. All this time we had been talking about handling SEA HARMONY, getting jobs figured out. Kurt was our fore deck man to help the jib around if needed, Claire was staying out of the way on the cabin top. Liz and Tim manned the cockpit and took care of the running backstays. I tacked the jib sheets. Tim and Kurt were our navigators, Kurt with his GPS and Tim on the charts.
When we came back past the line there were a couple of minutes to go before the first gun and the boats were starting to get thick. The first gun went off and after a few minutes we tacked back for the line. With a couple of minutes before the start we luffed briefly and then bore on for the line. We were almost forced to tack away or cross the line by a boat in a later class charging back across the line, but just then the gun went, we hardened up and were off. We were first over the line by many seconds but were mostly concerned with getting our trim set and starting to establish the course for the first minutes of racing. When I looked around to see what was happening there were two boats coming along to windward of us. All of us were rail down and driving, and they were gaining. This was fun stuff, but these boats kept veering away to windward. The one boat that past us seemed to veer away so as not to blanket us in passing, most strange. The other boat passed astern of us and fell way off to leeward as though they were confused about the course. All this time the other classes, most of them modern and faster were coming on from their later starts, but our competitor, who had also gone to leeward of the mark, rounded ahead of us.
Now on starboard, we slowly crawled up on the boat ahead, a pretty little cutter. It seemed like a long chase, and we were still in the lead, with all the other boats chasing the two of us. It continued to blow 20-25knots, without heavy gusts, just plenty of wind. When we finally passed the other boat, about half way along the second leg, the leaders of the other classes began to pass us, multihulls were screaming past, big sloops – and then we saw that our old competitor seemed to have dropped out, no telling why.
Kurt had taken the tiller and held our course for the bouy off Eastern Point where we turned for the beat to round the breakwater and the close reach for the finish. Here all the faster boats were coming and going on different tacks. A Concordia sloop on starboard tack forced us to tack as we were trying to make the breakwater, but we didn’t lose much time in that maneuver. When we got the gun at the finish Claire held up our number for the committee. We had done well, finishing first in class by many minutes, we had had a great time. We had to wait for the awards the next evening to find out that another boat had taken first on time. Everyone who wanted to had had a turn at the tiller in the race, and it was a splendid day for a sail!
Having brought my crew ashore, there was enough time to get back to Marblehead, so it was off to take advantage of the wind. Motoring out of the inner harbor I hardened up on the mizzen and raised sail up against the windward shore. Taking her out of gear and shutting down the engine, we bore off and swept past Norman’s Woe out of Gloucester Harbor. A friend of ours who had come over to see the boats took pictures as we got away.
http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=showMyPhoto&albumID=22560620&photoID=22561157&security=OAeovKLUkF
While my friend reached off to the South, I hardened up for Marblehead. It was still blowing hard out of the North-West when I started the engine after sunset just outside the harbor. Mizzen sheeted in, SEA HARMONY idled forward head to the wind as I lowered the sails, putting the jib away and covers on the others. Motoring in I picked up our mooring, stowed the mizzen, and rowed in as darkness fell, ending a fine day of sailing and racing.
I had had SEA HARMONY at the Antique and Classic Boat Festival the end of August for a weekend at a float where people could get a look at her. I had the ASA information with me and many people seemed pleased to see such a vessel close up. It was a beautiful weekend. It would have been a great time to be out sailing, but that is the way with plans.
Thad Danielson