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Raka025
12-19-2008, 08:17 AM
From: http://www.synellie.com/index.html

NGH Hull No. 586 - Nellie (Also Ishkoodah, Ediana, Mariquita and Butterfly)

Length Overall - 46'6"
Length on designed waterline - 34'6"
Displacement - 27,700
Beam - 12' 1"
Draft - 7'0"
Rig - Gaff Cutter
Two virtually identical yachts to this design were built by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. in 1902 and 1903, the first being Trivia (HMCo #580) for Harold S. Vanderbilt (pictured on page 71 of the book Herreshoff of Bristol). The second was for Morton F. Plant, which he named Nellie (HMCo #586). Both were full-keel boats based on the keel/centerboarder Azor (HMCo #578) that had come out a few months earlier. Original price was $6,300 for Azor and Trivia and $6,400 for Nellie.

Azor, originally a Naushon Island-based boat for J. Malcolm Forbes, is no longer with us, but Trivia is in the Herreshoff Marine Museum, and Nellie is at the Hylan shop in Brooklin, ME.
In the biography of his father, L. Francis Herreshoff wrote, "... these three were among the nicest all-around sail boats of their size ever built."

The year 1903 was a big one for Herreshoffs as well as for Nellie's owner Morton Plant. Publicity was all about the new America's Cup defender Reliance, but Plant's two other yachts got their share of attention as well-one, the 127' steel schooner Ingomar, the other the 131' wooden-hulled steam yacht Parthenia. Nellie didn't make headlines when launched, but she had some mighty impressive stable mates!

By 1905, Plant had sold Nellie (and Parthenia as well). He was busy that year building his Italianate, four story town house-now New York City's Cartier Building, wrapped each Christmas with a gigantic red ribbon and bow, and known as the "Jewel of 5th Avenue." Awash in wealth from the sale of the railroad and shipping business his father Henry bequeathed him in 1899, Morton went on to complete Florida's Belleair Country Club, the Morton Plant Hospital in Dunedin, as well as commissioning another steel schooner, Elena, from the Herreshoffs in 1911. The University of Connecticut now occupies what used to be the Plant estate at Avery Point in Groton.

Except for a brief time in Narragansett Bay in 1906-1908, Nellie has been in western Long Island Sound waters all her life.

Alex Low
12-19-2008, 11:59 AM
Great pictures on your site!

Jay Greer
12-19-2008, 01:51 PM
A magnificent obsession!
Jay

rbgarr
12-19-2008, 04:09 PM
There was the beginning of a photo report on Nellie's restoration on Doug Hylans' websit for a while but then it went away. Thanks for the site.

Raka025
12-19-2008, 07:33 PM
Not my site Alex. I met Jeffrey Boal, one of the owners, at the Concordia event in August. He had a neat business card made of birdseye maple. Doug Hylan did do some work on it but it is now down in South Berwick, ME. I finally got around to checking the site out after a friend reminded me of it.

I found a nice idea for bending frames outside the boat that will come in handy.

Rob

rbgarr
12-19-2008, 09:06 PM
Morton Plant (Nellie's first owner) had an estate in Groton, CT at the mouth of the Thames River. Each June the Harvard-Yale crew race takes place over a four mile stretch upstream from the bridges. On very calm practice days the Harvard crew would row at race pace from their boathouse the seven or eight miles down to the Plant estate and back again, all in the name of conditioning. There are several lighthouses along the way and rowing in the fog hearing the fog signal from one of them was a helpful way to keep a steady stroke rate. There's a lighthouse on the Plant estate and that was the turnaround point. A very impressive (and welcome) view!

http://i41.tinypic.com/2ij681i.jpg

I imagine he would have watched the races from one of his yachts (perhaps Nellie!) when they took place upstream. In this 1905 regatta you can see the boats approaching the finish line which is just at the foot of the bridge the photo is taken from. The big black yacht may even be the official finish line, or perhaps a VIP boat.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2u91ft3.jpg

Bob Perkins
12-20-2008, 08:04 AM
I just spend an hour watching the slide show (while my wife cleaned up and shoveled some snow on this Saturday morning...)
Very nice.. I can't wait to see more. But I better go fire up the snow blower or else...

Raka025
12-20-2008, 08:10 AM
Very nice estate and addition to the thread. How do you come up with this information? I imagine that if Plant was watching the race from his boat, it wouldn't have been from his little daysailor "Nellie" with a 127' and a 131' in his stable. He could of used her as his tender to get out to his schooner. :D

It looks like a very significant restoration and piece of history.

rbgarr
12-20-2008, 08:37 AM
How do you come up with this information? I imagine that if Plant was watching the race from his boat, it wouldn't have been from his little daysailor "Nellie" with a 127' and a 131' in his stable. He could of used her as his tender to get out to his schooner. :D

It looks like a very significant restoration and piece of history.

I agree about his entertaining aboard one of the larger yachts, or even more likely it was his wife was doing the honors, since she was the much more social of the two. I'm familiar with the story only because I rowed in those races.

Raka025
09-24-2009, 04:39 PM
It looks like Nellie will be launched on October 18th in York, ME if anyone is nearby.

http://www.synellie.com/index.html

nellie1903
10-01-2009, 04:45 PM
We will be re-launching Nellie on October 18th in York Harbor, Maine and are very excited, plesae come and join us for the festivities. More info on www.synellie.com. The harvestfest is also that weekend so fun to be had by all.

She looks beautiful and we are anxious to get her in the drink~

Cheers!
Abby Boal

Hwyl
10-01-2009, 05:29 PM
There's two threads on this now. Probably could handle 10. I'll be there. I live up the road and count Bob Eger as a friend.