G
rowing up and growing older do not make us any more
immune to shiny objects. We’re just as entranced, though
the price tags trend higher. Like technology or fashion,
yachting moves through phases and fads, which don’t always
arrive at the same time. Some believe that a month is a long time
for a transatlantic crossing, yet it took the mullet 20 years to
reach Spain! Since 1987, when Altair emerged from her
restoration and reminded western Europe what sailing used to
look like, the Big Boat fleet has swelled in numbers to the point of
saturating Mediterranean harbours. Though the crescendo has
been slow, the momentum has been consistent. Yet here in the
States, where the name Herreshoff is still recognised by the
greenest of hands, we are still waiting for our fleet to arrive.
It’s not that we’re deaf to the call of the sea; on the contrary, we
will flock to waterfronts across the nation when the square-riggers
come to town. Some Oregonians drive more than five hours to
reach the coast when Lady Washington arrives, and folks in
Michigan will queue for five more hours just to set foot on
Niagara. But nary a classic can be seen off Sandy Hook these days,
the waters where racing history has been made time and time again.
It is money that drives the madness, and that means it’s left to
a handful with the resources to decide what will look most
impressive parked down at the marina. Since the day we broke
away from the Crown, we’ve tried to prove that we’ve become an
equal; whether through industry, technology, military strength, or
dental hygiene. That seems to have collectively
pushed Americans always to look forward, and
rarely ever back (just take a glance at our World
History test scores for proof). So when we go to
prove ourselves nowadays, we fail to see what we’ve
done well in the past. Creations like Columbia,
Reliance and Defender aren’t always revered as
masterpieces in the USA – the technological marvels
of their day; they’re viewed as quaint, but only
because we are viewing them through a grainy
black-and-white lens.Anyone with a pulse can tell you that the soaring masts of
Elena make gravity pull harder on your jaw, watching Mariquita’s
kite break out for the first time is a religious experience, and
Cambria is drop-dead sexy. That is what has driven the Med
renaissance; people have seen the awesome in front of them, and
want to know the next step, the next limit. Mariette and Eleonora
have toured our east coast and know that we Americans want
more but, like true sailors, they vanish just as we begin to fall in
love. We’re left with an ache that is eventually pushed to the back
of our minds when a new shiny object arrives, and the awe is
forgotten. If only a beauty would stay, what ideas it would stir!
So the call must be put out. The itch needs to be planted under
the skin of those who have the means, and those personalities are
plentiful. But it must begin with them. These boats are grand, and
need budgets to match. With that budget one perpetuates art,
culture, history, technology, education and the list goes on. We
need to bring these boats together; to Boston, Camden, Nantucket,
and New York. Most importantly, we need to be inspired and led.
Tired of being forced to anchor your schooner off the tiny harbours
of the Med? Come to the New World, and you will be greeted with
open arms. As inspiration comes so often from what we see, who’s
to say those visiting schooners haven’t already inspired some
wide-eyed entrepreneur to join the Classic Club? (We will, of
course, draw the line at Donald Trump.)
With our coast spread out as it is, it will be difficult to focus
attention and gather a fleet, but it will not be
impossible. Panerai is already a force in New
England yachting, and its embrace of the classics is a
gift that we need to work with.
If even one Big Boat decides to linger over here- to be brave enough to be the first – it may find
themselves written about years from now as the
spark that formed into flame. In the search for the
next Mallorca, perhaps you’re looking in the wrong
places. Maybe it’s time to come over and remind us
of what we seem to have forgotten.
Come to the
Matthew Oates ponders a dearth of big classics stateside
JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR“We need to
bring these
boats together;
to Boston,
Camden,
Nantucket, and
New York”