SUMMER 2019
SW
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ga -rigged scow sloop with a
non- overlapping, clubfoot boom,
was designed in 1897 for the
St. Regis YC. Members wanted a
one-design that was fine-tuned
for flat water and the normally
light air conditions on St. Regis.
Flat sections, narrow beam,
light-weight for the day—about
6,500 pounds—and 600-square-
foot working sail area met their
requirements. But even with
a ballasted centerboard and
crew on the rail, the sometimes
gusty, shifty, atypical days
of summer can up the ante;
capsizes are familiar territory
and still excite spectators.
Crane’s line drawings came
with interesting construction
plans that included two fore
and aft wooden trusses used
to add stiffness to a lightly
built hull with extreme over-
hangs. The scantlings of these
boats were never meant to
win the test of time. And it’s
likely the canoe- and guide-
boat building skills and talents
of local craftsmen and mainsail
trimmers such as Jim Cameron,
Nik Santagate and others are
what have kept these treasures
sailing, refit after refit.
The idea of a new boat in
the fleet is guaranteed to raise
eyebrows, but the Millennium
Falcon had been carefully lofted
and built as closely as possible
to the lines of existing Idem
sloops. Crane’s few, but informa-
tive, construction details were
closely adhered to.
And amateur boat builder
and Upper St. Regis Lake resi-
dent Nelson Crawford built the
new Idem in his state-of-the-
art, lakeside boat shop. The hull
was framed with white oak and
planked with Alaskan yellow
cedar Crawford was able to
acquire in lengths long enough
to scribe full-length planks. Even
his shop fit the aesthetics of
the surrounding woodlands and
great-camp architecture. But
the panoramic view probably
hampered productivity.
His shop looked like an
amateur boat builder’s dream
come true. A table saw
and other key power tools
surrounded the strong-back he
used to anchor the transverse
frames of the new hull, enablinga bottom-side-up approach
to planking the hull. Use of
modern polyurethane adhesive
and epoxy caused some added
consternation, but the fact that
these materials were already
being used on many of the Idem
sloops that had undergone
major refits quelled much of
the controversy. While visiting
Crawford, there was another
new Idem under construction.
The big question revolves
around why, not how, this one-
design scow has so eloquently
defied obsolescence? Part of the
answer revolves around the tradi-
tion that has been shaped by a
century of sailing the same
boats. But there’s much more
than old habits at play. Location
and aesthetics are major factors
as is the lake-locked lifestyle
that insulates the population.
There’s a remoteness to this
corner of the Adirondack State
Park that excludes many distrac-
tions, allowing a summer’s worth
of regattas to take center stage.
Part of Upper St. Regis Lake
folklore includes some fresh-
water scuttlebutt about the
summer Buddy Melges showed
up to put on a scow-sailing clinic
and teach local Idem sailors a
thing or two. When the class-
room session was over and
sailors started putting what
they learned into practice, some
say Melges and the Idem crew
he was sailing with let the locals
lead the fleet, while others still
swear he had no other choice.
During my visit with Allen, athis Pulpit Rock summer camp,
I couldn’t help but notice how
inextricably linked boating and
summer life have become in
St. Regis. Boathouses usurp
the role of garages and many
of the covered slips accom-
modate elegantly restored
mahogany runabouts. Allen
had a couple of favorites and
a vintage Chris Craft was his
stand-in for a station wagon.
One day, we motored around
the lake to get a look at the
Idem fleet’s race course and I
noted how challenging a shifty
northerly must be. Tactical
decision-making was obviously
as important as boatspeed, and
local knowledge must include
how weather systems and the
mountain range’s orographice ect conspire to aid or torment
each crew.
Back at Pulpit Rock we
chatted about how yacht
clubs around the world often
opt for a new one-design to
rekindle enthusiasm, draw
new members and get more of
the old membership back on the
water. I wondered how St. Regis
had succeeded by doing just
the opposite? Without hesita-
tion, Allen cut to the chase. He
pointed out that most yacht
clubs lack what SRYC has
to o er.
“Here we live on the shoreline
of the racecourse, have a multi-
generational linkage with our
boats and families—amassing
a scrapbook of memories that
spans decades,” he says.
“Weekdays are like lay days at
a major racing event—a time
when crews and neighbors
mingle recounting the prior
day’s action and who’s looking
good on the water. As summer
progresses, starts get better
and the windward legs can
become a game changer.
“Each regatta weekend
helps shape lasting memo-
ries, and with children on the
lake enjoying their junior sailing
program and getting experi-
ence aboard bigger boats, it’s
no surprise that many camps
remain in families for genera-
tions, giving us a chance to
nurture the old Idem fleet and
all that goes along with such a
sailing tradition.”
St. Regis Yacht Club’s 121st
racing season ended on Labor
Day 2018. In the last race,
nine Idem sloops battled in fair
weather with a good breeze.
Tom Conrad (I-29) and his crew
had the day and the series sewn
up. Second-, third- and fourth-
place boats were only 1 point
apart. After the annual Labor
Day Tea—an event that incor-
porates the prize giving and
signifies that another successful
season has closed—each Idem
is hauled, mast unstepped and
deck covered for the winter.
Soon the lake is frozen solid,
snow coats the forest, and plans
for season number 122 are
already well underway. A beau-
tiful illustration of yachting
history repeating itself. QSTARTING LINE
ONE-DESIGN
A new Idem takes shape in
Nelson Crawford’s lakeside
boat shop. Nelson and John
Allen stand by a handpicked
plank of Alaskan yellow cedar.
PHOTOS: RALPH NARANJO