Claudia Jean at Conanicut Marina before leaving for Alaska

5 April 2010 Claudia G.

BOAT: Claudia G.
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER/ BUILDER: Magna Marine, Moncton, New Brunswick Canada http://www.ctidirectory.com/search/company.cfm?company=61673
YEAR: 2001
 HULL: Solid fiberglass
LENGTH: 31 feet [9.44 meters]
HISTORY:
 Officially known as a Magna Miramachi 3100XL, Claudia G. is one of just a handful of boats produced by the short lived New Brunswick based company known as Magna marine. Her lines are distinctive and purposeful. The interior features varnished wood with a galley and shower. Three steps up is the enclosed pilot house- designed for comfort in bad weather.
 Claudia G. has enjoyed somewhat of a spoiled existence under the regular care of Cananicut Marine Services in Jamestown. http://www.conanicutmarina.com/In addition to expert maintenance, she was the beneficiary of a hull modification that made her more efficient when cutting water.
 All of this pampering has come to an end. Launched just before last week’s storms Claudia G. got a taste of what lies ahead in her next life. After a sea trial here in Narragansett bay, she will be trucked to her new home in Alaska.
 Going along with the boat will be the legacy of craftsmanship and care that is so prevalent in our area.

White Hawk out of the water and in a very clever winter shed at the Newport Shipyard

29 March 2010 Whitehawk

BOAT: White Hawk http://www.classicyachtforsale.com/syWhiteHawk.html
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER: Bruce King, Newcastle, Maine https://www.navisyachts.com/309-bruce-king.html
BUILDER: O. Lie-Neilsen, Rockland, Maine http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=64368960
LENGTH: 105 feet [32 meters]
YEAR: 1978
HULL: Cold Molded cedar/ epoxy
HISTORY:
 Inspired by L Francis Herreshoff’s famous sailing yacht Ticonderoga, White Hawk is recognized by yacht connoisseurs as a masterpiece of majestic proportions.  Heralded as one of the world’s most splendid ketches, White Hawk is a showcase for sleek traditional lines, impeccable detailing and contemporary construction- she straddles past and present- drawing the best of both worlds.
White Hawk spent this past winter inside the shed at Hinckley Yacht Services in Portsmouth where she underwent some exploratory surgery. The idea was that perhaps a boat built in 1978 might have some rot or other defects below the waterline. The concept, while not unreasonable, was unfounded in the case of White Hawk- she proved to be as good as new!  Sticking to a rigorous schedule, the captain and crew are preparing for a busy season which will be spent – fortunately for us- in and around our waters. Keep your eyes out for this extraordinary beauty next summer as she moves about Newport Harbor.

could not find the original image taken in Newport- please forgive- got this one on line

22 March 2010 Moneypenny

BOAT: Moneypenny
OWNER: Jim Swartz, Edgartown, MA
DESIGNER: German Frers, Buenos Aeries, Argentina http://www.germanfrers.com/
BUILDER: Nautor Swan, Pietarsaari, Finland http://www.nautorswan.com/en/
LENGTH: 60 feet [18.2 meters]
YEAR: 2005
HULL: Pre preg Carbon Fiber
HISTORY:
 Moneypenny is one of a series of high performance racing yachts built by the legendary Nautor Swan of Finland. The first five of the all carbon one design yachts were snapped up at the plan stage before a single one had been popped from their molds at Nautor’s new high science composite building facility in Finland. Hull, deck, framing, mast, chain plates, winch bases, and even steering wheels are made from the “black gold” of pre impregnated molded and baked carbon fiber. The material is not only stiffer, but offers a 30% weight savings when compared to standard fiberglass construction.
 With the interior removed, the 601 is a thoroughbred racing machine- Moneypenny spent the first three years of her life in this role. With the interior reinstalled, the 601 is a fast ocean going cruising yacht with the world as her playground- that has characterized the past two years for Monneypenny.
Now, after spending the winter indoors at the LMI building in Portsmouth, Moneypenny has been launched, commissioned, and prepared for departure to Saint Barthelemy. She will take part in the first annual Voiles de Saint Barth Regatta. She left the Newport Shipyard bound for Saint Barth’s last week.

Another beautiful restoration under ideal conditions at the International Yacht Restoration School [IYRS]

15 march IYRS Chris Craft

BOAT: not yet named
OWNER: The International Yacht Restoration School [IYRS] http://iyrs.edu/
DESIGNER: Chris Smith, Algonac, Michigan
BUILDER: Chris Craft Corporation, Algonac, Michigan http://www.chriscraft.com/
YEAR: 1939
LENGTH: 15.5 feet [ 4.72 meters]
HULL: Philippine Mahogany
HISTORY:
 The 15.5 foot Deluxe runabout was one of the most resilient models in the Chris Craft lineup. Spanning from the early 1930’s well into the post WWII years, this small yet speedy boat made its way into lakes and harbors from coast to coast across the U.S.A.. As is the case with all wooden boats, the enemy of time takes its toll.
This boat (with no name because the transom was rotted away) came to the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) as a donation in need of total restoration. The students at the IYRS campus on Thames Street have responded by completely rebuilding this beautiful classic to the point where the boat is actually better than when she was new.
Planks, frames, decking, and transom have been completely renewed or restored. Upon completion, the boat will be sold,- the proceeds going to fund further restorations of other boats. As this goes on right here in our city, newly minted yacht restoration experts leave the IYRS campus to begin careers across the country and beyond.
Stop by the IRYS campus on Thames Street to see this and several other restorations in progress.

Hunt Harrier at home in Portsmouth Rhode Island

8 March 2010 Hunt Harrier

BOAT: Hull # 78- not yet named
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER: C. Raymond Hunt, New Bedford, MA http://www.huntdesigns.com/
BUILDER: Hunt Yachts, Portsmouth, R.I. http://www.huntyachts.com/
LENGTH: 25 feet [7.62 meters]
HULL: E glass with divinycell foam core
YEAR: 2010
HISTORY:
 The Hunt Harrier is the quintessential ocean going day boat. The design is the modern day descendent of a long line of revolutionary offshore powerboats.
C. Raymond Hunt has credentials in the yachting world that are nothing short of legendary. Icons such as the Concordia Yawl, the Boston Whaler, and the 110 and 210 classes of planning keelboats are well known throughout the world, but the deep Vee offshore racing hulls are what led to the Harrier 25.
Originally developed for the Miami to Nassau race in the late 1950’s the “ Mopie” series of high dead rise deep vee hulls has been refined and modified to the point where the Harrier 25 is literally without comparison in today’s small boat market.
 That the boats are hand made from the finest materials by expert craftsmen right here in Newport County is perhaps least important to buyers from around the world- they are in it for the quality of design and build. For us, it means jobs.
The Hunt yachts manufacturing facility is located at the Bend Boat Basin in Portsmouth- learn more by visiting Huntdesigns.com.

Nantucket Lightship in Newport Harbor

1 March 2010 Nantucket Lightship

BOAT: Nantucket Lightship http://www.nantucketlightship.com/
OWNERS: Bill and Kristen Golden
DESIGNER/BUILDER: United States Coast Guard, Curtis Bay, MD
LENGTH: 128 feet [39 meters]
YEAR: 1950
HULL: Steel
HISTORY:
Originally built as lightship WLV612 San Francisco, the Nantucket Lightship has had an interesting career indeed. Before the advent of unmanned automated lighted buoys, lightships were the primary navigational aids to seafaring vessels.
 As lightships were phasing out, WLV612 moved where needed.  She stayed at anchor off the California coast for 21 years before transiting the Panama Canal to serve as “The Portland” [Maine] from 1971-1975. After that, she went 45 miles southeast of Nantucket Island where she stayed on until 1983 as the last lightship in the U.S.- riding out some very nasty weather and sea conditions in the process.
After decommissioning in 1985, the boat had several owners before winding up on E-bay. In 2000, the current owners bought her with the goal of preserving an American maritime icon. For generations of inbound European immigrants, the Nantucket Lightship was the first glimpse of America after crossing the Atlantic. It was a beacon of safety and hope, for the ancestors of many Americans today.
 Now exquisitely renovated into an elegant destination for weddings, special events, and charters, the Nantucket Lightship continues to shine as a beacon of hope to those seeking to preserve and reuse historic ships.
Learn more by visiting nantucketlightship.com

Taro 800 at Jamestown Boat Yard

15 February 2010 Taro 800

BOAT: Taro 800
OWNER: Reagan Construction Corp, Newport
DESIGNER & BUILDER: Nashville Bridge Co., Ashland TN http://www.nabrico-marine.com/pages/aboutus.html
HULL: Steel
LENGTH: 130 feet [39.6 meters]
YEAR: 1986
 HISTORY:
 Founded in the late 1800s by the Dyer family as a bridge building company, the Nashville Bridge Company slowly morphed into a barge building company. By the 1960s, it had become the world’s largest builder of inland barges. The company has since been sold, but still builds barges today.
 Taro 800 began her career moving sand and stone between New Bedford and Martha’s Vineyard. In 1990, The Reagan Construction Corp. bought the barge and installed SPUDS- long tubes capable of keeping the barge stationary in water as deep as 40 feet. A Manitowoc 100 ton crane was installed on deck, and Taro 800 became a powerful implement for a growing marine construction company.
 After nearly two decades of servicing ships, working on docks, and marinas, as well as countless other marine related jobs, Taro 800 is now working on improvements at Perrotti Park in Newport.
 Taro 800 is the second of two Reagan Construction Corp barges to work on the Perrotti Park project. The first barge came in to dredge the area during January, and now Taro 800 is helping with the construction of a new pavilion and docks.
By summer, everything will be done, and Taro 800 will be busy working somewhere else.

Up the rig in January

Artemis in the low January light at Newport Shipyard

18 January 2010 Artemis

BOAT: Artemis http://www.superyachts.com/sail-yacht-3637/artemis.htm
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER: Dubois Yachts, Lymington, England http://www.duboisyachts.com/
BUILDER: Fitzroy Yachts, New Plymouth, New Zealand http://www.fitzroyyachts.com/
YEAR: 2009
LENGTH: 147feet 6 inches [45 meters]
HULL: Aluminum
HISTORY:
 In ancient Greek mythology, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, child birth, and the hunt. Depicted as both beguiling and powerful, her image is symbolic of the yacht that bears her name.
 The nearly twenty story tall all carbon mast has been the largest and perhaps most valuable structure on the Newport waterfront for several months now. Teams of Newport based businesses have been hard at work preparing Artemis for a midwinter offshore journey south. The experts at The Newport Shipyard- America’s premier super yacht destination- are just now wrapping up work on several areas of the yacht. Newport is one of a very few deep water ports in the world that has the capacity, and infrastructure to service such remarkable yachts.
 While the passage can be challenging at this time of year, Artemis is more than up to the job. After her capable refit at the shipyard, she should make way to warmer climes with swift dispatch. Bon voyage Artemis- see you next spring- we hope.

The RAM I 850 Spyder "street parking" in Jamestown, Rhode Island, after a sea trial ~ October 2009

19 October 2009 RAM1

BOAT: Ram 1 850 Spyder
OWNER: Reflex Advanced Marine, Dundas, Ontario, Canada http://www.ramboats.com/
DESIGNER: Ian Taylor, Ontario, Canadahttp://www.ramboats.com/ram-company-profile.html
BUILDER: RAM Marine http://www.ramboats.com/
YEAR: 2009
HULL: Fiberglass with inflatable airtight compartments
LENGTH: 28 feet [8.53 meters]
 HISTORY:
Formed in 1993 by Master boat designer/ builder Ian Taylor, RAM started out as a research & development company. The revolutionary new hull design is not a catamaran or a trimaran, but rather a hybrid. The hull actually mixes air into the water as it moves so that the boat rides atop a spray of air and water. This greatly reduces friction and increases efficiency. A boat of this size might normally carry a pair of 225 HP outboards to achieve the performance standards of this boat. Instead, and due to the patented RAM Design the boat uses two 120 HP outboards which means half the power and even less fuel!
  The hull concept has many applications from recreational to commercial transport to military uses. A look at their web site www.ramboats.com will give an idea of the many uses for this extraordinary new technology.
Jamestown resident Jim Mattingly is head of U.S. sales for the RAM line, and he is very busy indeed. The future for this new technology is bright, and very much connected to Newport County.

Bystander after relaunch in Newport

18 May 2009 Bystander

BOAT: Bystander http://www.newportseen.com/archived-news/bystander-classic-americas-cup-tender-restored-by-narragansett-shipwrights/
OWNER: J -Class Management, Newport http://www.jclass.com/
DESIGNER & BUILDER: Greenport Basin and Construction Company, Greenport, N.Y. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenport_Basin_and_Construction_Company
LENGTH: 42 feet [12.8 meters]
YEAR: 1929
HULL: Cedar on white oak frames
 HISTORY:
  If historic significance is any benchmark, then Bystander gets a gold star. The list of her relationships reads like an A list star party in Hollywood. Built for Mike Vanderbilt, in what turned out to be the year of the great stock market crash, Bystander has played host to the boats & crew of no less than six America’s Cup Races. Starting in 1930 with the J –Class Enterprise, and continuing uninterrupted until 1967 with the 12 meter challenger, Dame Patti, Bystander, towed, tended, and otherwise stood by some of the best known yachts in racing history.
 The ravages of time took their toll on Bystander, and she became in need of a total restoration- enter Narragansett Shipwrights and its all star cast of Newport based professionals. The list of businesses and individuals that took part in Bystander’s renovation is on a par with her rich history. Fine craftsmanship, joinery, and mechanics were on display this past Thursday as Bystander was re launched after a multi year restoration near the I.Y.R.S. campus.
 The boat will be on view in Newport Harbor this summer- just in time for the 12 Meter World Championships coming up this fall.

Vicem in Newport

28 December 2009 Jessica Vicem

BOAT: Jessica
OWNER: Anonymous
DESIGNER: Vicem in house design http://vicemyachts.net/
BUILDERS: Vicem Yachts, Tuzla, Turkey http://vicemyachts.net/
LENGTH: 58 feet [17.6 meters]
HULL: Cold Molded Mahogany /Epoxy
YEAR: 2007
HISTORY:
The Vicem [pronounced “Veechem”] line of semi custom power yachts are among the finest available in the world today. Designed by an all female team of naval architects based in Turkey, the yachts were a big hit at the Newport International Boat Show http://www.newportboatshow.com/this past September. Guests appreciated the fine joinery, elegant layout and aura of warm comfort down below decks. Every detail reveals quality, from the galley fixtures to the teak decks and the multiple layers of mahogany veneer that make up the hull.
 Few have the budget for a boat of this sort, but the Newport based sales team is hard at work finding those who do.  Vicem recently completed construction of a new state of the art facility that will not only continue to build these awesome yachts, but others as well. Jessica, and a sister ship are spending the winter out of the water in Portsmouth, because their owners know that for reliable and expert service, the marine businesses in Newport County are among the best in the world.

11 January 2010 Aqua Boogie

BOAT: Aqua Boogie
OWNER: Butch Taylor, Newport
DESIGNER: Sea Sprite, Crescent City, IL
BUILDER: Bee Boats, North Webster, IN
YEAR: 1985
LENGTH: 26 feet [7.9 meters]
HULL: Solid Fiberglass
HISTORY:
 Beginning as Crownline Boats in landlocked east central Illinois, the company that came to be known as Sea Sprite had 115 employees making 13 boats a day during its heyday in the early 1980’s. Aqua Boogie is a 260 XL Aft Cabin Cruiser that once belonged to a former governor of Connecticut. Somehow, the boat wound up on a hilltop in Uncasville, CT, in deep disrepair. Local party impresario D.J. Butch found the boat on Craig’s List and sprung into action.
 A sound hull and new motor were the two things that kept Butch going during his months long endeavor to restore the boat. Squirrels, bees, mice, and birds had colonized the beleaguered hull for several years prior to the big push. It was late October of this year before Aqua Boogie made her first offshore run from New London CT to Newport.
 At present, she is docked at the Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina. She is under cover, heated, and work continues. As proprietor of partynewport.com, D.J. Butch is spending extra time on the sound system. In Butch’s words, “you will hear me before you see me this summer”.