Interesting Boats

[John Stone]

Since I am not out sailing due to being mired in the engine installation I thought it might be entertaining to start a thread highlighting photos of interesting boats. Unless the moderators object here are the rules:

The photos don’t have to be of Cape Dorys. Can be any boat or a part of a boat or related to a boat or sailing or.... you get the idea. It’s not a competition...but it should be a good photo emphasizing the boat or nautical equipment or marine related device with a thoughtful artistic composition. In other words beauty counts. You have to take the photo—can’t be a photo of a photo. Comments or discussion about the photo are encouraged.

I’ll start.

Saw this wood trawler being repaired today. It’s in the yard near my boat. These trawlers are some of the last wood commercial fishing boats in the US. WoodenBoat magazine did a spread on them a few years ago. You can see the owner captain near the rudder painting. The boat must be 80’+. Big boat. I chatted with the skipper for a few minutes. Nice guy. Salt of the earth. Said he used to have a Pearson 26 he loved to sail. I did not suspect that. Caught me off guard. Can’t judge a book by its cover or a skipper by his boat.

[Jim Walsh]

I went for a daysail to escape the heat on land yesterday. Guess what I spotted in eastern Long Island Sound?

[John Stone]

That’s fantastic. Beautiful photo...

Imagine if that was the America’s cup class. All kinds of things could go wrong....LOL. Actually going back to gaffers or square riggers would generate a whole lot of interest in a competition I no longer watch because I can’t relate.

Glad you got out on the water. Excellent.

[tjr818]

I wonder what the Righting Moment would be for a ship like that. It would be fun to see several of them race.

[Jim Walsh]

The Mayflower II spent three years undergoing a complete restoration at the shipyard in Mystic Seaport. I’m reticent to include a hyperlink as they are riddled with funding requests and light on historical information. Feel free to surf the web if you would like to learn more.
She was clearly on a sea trial and was in constant contact with two support vessels. She actually raised one sail late in the afternoon but I was three miles east of her and unable to take a photo as I was on a close reach.

[Steve Laume]

That thing looks about as unstable as today's cruise ships. I don't know why either of them don't just roll over, Steve.

[John Stone]

I am hoping more people post photos. There has to be some great photos out there. So to keep it going, here is another one. The working end of the Far Reach.

What I like about this photo is the varnished Doug Fir sprit contrasted with the verdigris on the bronze kranze iron and SS spliced wire. There is some blending of old and new technology with the Dyneema life lines. I like the diagonal angles which adds a little aggression to the photo.

[Ben Miller]

Around here a lot of the more interesting boats (to me...) are owned by the Maritime Heritage Alliance, and unfortunately they seem pretty much shut down for the summer. We did have a TP52 show up in the bay last summer, but I didn't manage a photo.

[John Stone]

Seriously? There has to be thousands of awesome photos out there among the Cape Dorians.

While we wait for some great photos here is one I took while anchored in Christmas Cove, USVI in May 2019. That looks like the replica of the schooner America. I used my iphone to shoot it through the binos. If you use your imagination it’s like going back in time and looking through a spyglass at the America as she speeds away from your outclassed ship....

[wikakaru]

There's a nice little gaffer around here that I like. I believe it's a Dark Harbor 17. Wicked fast upwind, which is remarkable for a gaffer. Must be something to do with the keel (I don't know whether to call it a long fin keel or a short full keel). And the prodigious sail area can't hurt, either.
https://www.artisanboatworks.com/classi ... -harbor-17
Here's a photo I took in July 2018 of it sailing past the fog-shrouded Dumpling Islands in Fox Islands Thorofare:

IMG_7229a.JPG (306.5 KiB) Viewed 3363 times

[Chrisa006]

Last summer on Long Island sound near Westbrook.

[Jim Walsh]

I’ve been anchored in the Great Salt Pond at Block Island for a couple days. I’m anchored behind one of the well known boats on YouTube.

[FarrellTed]

My sister took this photo of a Stone Horse back in 2014, just off West Falmouth harbor. We were sailing my 1970s era Widgeon. Would have been nice to get her perfectly framed by the mainsheet and traveller but I still like the shot.

[John Stone]

There's a nice little gaffer around here that I like. I believe it's a Dark Harbor 17. Wicked fast upwind, which is remarkable for a gaffer. Must be something to do with the keel (I don't know whether to call it a long fin keel or a short full keel). And the prodigious sail area can't hurt, either.
https://www.artisanboatworks.com/classi ... -harbor-17
Here's a photo I took in July 2018 of it sailing past the fog-shrouded Dumpling Islands in Fox Islands Thorofare:

IMG_7229a.JPG

Gorgeous photo! Got to love those gaffers. Very good angle on the boat.

[John Stone]

Last summer on Long Island.

Chris, that’s a lovely photo. Kind of dark and mysterious. Look at that bowsprit and those towering masts. I love those top-masts. And all that rigging. Fantastic.