For some years Americans waited in almost breathless anticipation for the definitive history to be written of the Sparkman and Stephens yawl Dorade – designed by Olin J Stephens II as S&S design No.7. It is now available and I can confirm that the book, Dorade: The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht, by Douglas Adkins, published by David Godine, is well researched and written: a loving biography of a very special boat. In 1930, Dorade secured her spot in yachting history as the winner of the Trans-Atlantic Race, which earned her and her crew a Wall Street ticker tape parade back in New York. Doug Adkins is from Seattle, Washington and since Dorade spent much of her life on the west coast, where he sailed on her as a regular crew member, the book focuses on her west coast career. Adkins essentially ends the book when she was shipped to Italy a decade or so ago, and only briefly touches on her recent history.
The book is available in a standard edition or a deluxe edition that includes both a large photo of Dorade and a copy of the leather tag which was handed out at the New York City parade long ago. Louie Howland, of Howland and Company in Jamaica Plain (00 1 617-522-5281, alas, no website) provided some help producing this book and has copies for sale. Louie has also been working on a biography of Starling Burgess that he hopes to publish in the near future.
Howland and Co also has copies of the two-volume set, Mariette and the Herreshoff Schooners as well as new and stunning books about other Metre yachts. In fact, if you’re looking for a pleasurable evening, request his latest catalog. You are sure to find a treasure – probably a whole shelf-full.
Antiquarian and maritime book dealers, such as Howland and Company, George Newlands of McLaren Books (in Helensburgh, Scotland), Columbia Trading in Barnstable, MA, and J Tuttle Maritime Books, in Madison, Wisconsin, to mention just a few, can find you copies of any nautical book that you would care to locate, and their catalogues are treasure chests of wonderful reading; even if you don’t buy a library full from them.
Jaws, Memories from Martha’s Vineyard, by Matt Taylor, published recently by Moonrise Media with a foreword by Steven Spielberg, is another book which should be at the top of your acquisition list – both for yourself and for the film aficionado who has everything. With 296 pages containing all sorts of material, this mighty tome has been a several-year project and labour of love for Matt, whose island roots run deep. And who, I suspect, was not even born when the original Jaws was filmed. For some of us it is a true trip down memory lane, and even just thinking about it I can hear the dramatic background music! This has to be one of the most carefully researched, well written, well presented, and well produced books of its genre. In fact, I would guess that it is going to be an award winner. This book includes lots of interviews with island participants, lots of photos of local characters and local scenery along with clippings, scrap book contents and just about everything else that you can possibly imagine. The voluminous quantity of material was compiled from the ‘archives’ (many of which have never before seen the light of day) of islanders.
Another entry in the must-have nautical books collection is Fly Rails and Flying Jibs: Coasting Schooner Photographs, by Robert HI Goddard, compiled by Thomas PI Goddard and Caroline Hazard Goddard. Published by Mystic Seaport Museum, this 280-page book about 20th century coasting is extensively researched and beautifully produced with detailed and extensive captions for each boat. There are a number of photos of Captain Zeb Tilton’s Alice S Wentworth, showing her ‘dressed up’ for a stock holders’ cruise in August of 1940 and again, ghosting into Vineyard Haven harbour in the summer of 1941 with the yawl boat pushing her. She looks very tired but her sheer is still quite fair and the hull and rig are seemingly in reasonable order. There is also a photo of the Alice Pendleton, a coasting schooner wreck that was ‘tied up’ in Noank, Connecticut when we were living in Mystic in the 1970s. My son commented that he can still remember passing her daily when he was mate on a charter schooner. She’s gone now, as are all the rest of the enormous fleet of 2 to 7-masted schooners that carried the bulk of the freight along the US coasts – truly, the 18 wheelers of the 20th century, as Maynard Bray described them.
It is kind of frightening to realize that so many facets of what once seemed indelible maritime history are fast disappearing from our memories and our waters – even here on the island. For some of us the memories could be the coasting schooners, for others the ubiquitous wooden fishing vessels, or the sight of classic yachts passing through the Sound – the annual New York Yacht Club Cruises of the late 40’s come to mind. It could be the memory of the great yacht Manxman sailing into Edgartown harbour, rounding up to pick up her mooring under sail, or the large ketch Atlantis, one of the early oceanographic vessels, sailing in through the Sound. For some the memory could be the lovely steamers Nobska and Martha’s Vineyard; a picture of a fish house festooned with the tails from harpooned swordfish; or a fishing vessel with her swordfishing rig and stash of dories; or even the much-loved Islander ploughing resolutely back and forth on her daily round. The sight (and sound) of a multi-storied, white monster powerboat, generator running and helicopter on deck, or a go-fast modern racing boat just doesn’t cut it. We are fortunate in Vineyard Haven, however, as we have a fabulous collection of traditional and classic boats here – one that is certainly unique and noteworthy, even world class. They’ll generate memories of their own. And yes, I know that I am displaying my age.
Part3 to come.
Copyright 2012 by Virginia Crowell Jones
