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

Lone Fox- Saint Barthelemy

14 Sept 09 Lone Fox

BOAT: Lone Fox   http://lonefoxcharters.com/
OWNER: Ira Epstein/ Gustavia, St. Barthelemy, FWI http://www.st-barths.com/en/saint-barthelemy-guide/saint-barthelemy-history.html
DESIGNER: Robert Clark, England http://www.classicboat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1758
BUILDER: Alexander Robertson &  Sons, Sandbank, Scotland  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Robertson_%26_Sons
YEAR: 1957
LENGTH: 65 feet [19.8 meters]
HULL: Solid teak planking
HISTORY:
  Originally built for Colonel William Henry Whitbread- sponsor of the illustrious around the world race that bore his name- Lone Fox is an extraordinary gentleman’s yacht of the finest pedigree.  As owner of the Whitbread Breweries in Scotland, the colonel commissioned esteemed designer Robert Clark to draw a “fast and elegant” yacht.
 The builders- Alexander Robertson & Sons of Sandbank, Scotland had enjoyed a reputation for impeccable quality for over half a century when Colonel Whitbread commissioned Lone Fox. The result is nothing short of sensational.
 Current owner / Captain Ira H. Epstein traces his sailing experience back 50 years to his childhood on Lake Michigan.  He has extensive long distance passage experience, including Cape Hope and the Straits of Magellan.  He spent over 30 years, in the San Francisco Bay area, raising his family while working in the Financial District, prior to buying Lone Fox in 2006, and pursuing his “dream” in St Barth.
 Lone Fox was in Newport this past week in time to witness the incredible 6 Meter World Championships. Her owner and crew were delighted with what they saw in Newport and plan to return soon.