Classic_Boat_2016-06

NEWS

TELL TALES

The surviving indigenous racing

classes of the 1920s and 1930s in

the United States have been the

silent breeder of top racing talent

for generations. The NM, or

Northern Michigan, class of one

designs in Harbour Springs is one

of the best – and in 2016 one of the

highest profi le professional sailors

in the US is walking that line

between maintaining tradition and

boosting performance.

“I want to follow tradition but I

also want to make my boat better,”

says George ‘Bear’ Peet, a top Moth

competitor. He has one of the early

strip-planked 32-foot NM hulls

designed in 1934, cousin of the

international 6-M. Recently he

tapped in long splines set in epoxy,

longboarded the hull to an ultra fair

shape and sprayed a fi ne Awlgrip

There are few clubs in the country where the pageantry of sailing is

better represented than the San Diego Yacht Club. On the famed

Opening Day ceremony in 2016, the club has laid down yet another

benchmark in its commitment to classic yachting, showcasing the

multi-year restoration of the 10-M yacht Sally and announcing a

growing list of classic yachting events.

CF Koehler and his staff of shipwrights at Koehler Kraft in San

Diego have been servicing classics for club members for nearly a

generation and the 59ft (18m) Sally is the latest in a long line of

signifi cant restorations shown off at Opening Day.

Amongst much other work, Sally has had her stem removed and

replaced, what Koehler referred to as a “stemectomy”.

“The classics are very important to the club,” says Greg Stewart,

principle at Nelson Marek Yacht Design and owner of the classic

Clinton Crane 6-M Sprig. “They are upfront and centre.”

HARBOUR SPRINGS, MICHIGAN

Keelboat fl eet gets pro boost

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Restored 10-M wins at San Diego season opener

GRETCHEN DORIAN

At the club’s Opening Day, there is an award for the best PC, the

Kettenburg-built Pacifi c Class, which was won by PC number 43 Blue

Chip, while the coveted Best Classic award went to Sally.

“Sally has deep roots in Southern California,” said Stewart. “Back in

the day there were a couple of other 10-Ms. There are always stories

when she comes to town. She gets lots of comments like, ‘I remember

Sally when I was a kid’.”

The year’s sailing calendar is looking full and Stewart said the

interest and commitment at this year’s Opening Day, amongst the

clouds of fl ags and clanking drink glasses, was palpable.

The annual Yesteryear Regatta in May is in its 42nd year and had a

full entry list as we went to press. Meanwhile the San Diego Wooden

Boat Festival and the growing Balboa YC Wooden Boat Show, up the

coast, have added to what enthusiasts are calling a “critical mass” of

events to keep interest in the classic fl eet and wooden craft growing.

masts and revert back to the slender

and softer sitka spruce of the past –

with a few upgrades.

“The rule says you have to use sail

slugs or slides,” says Peet, who has

also sailed around the planet in the

Volvo Ocean Race. “This year I’m

putting on a composite sail track. I’ve

glued lots of these on Melges 24 and

Olympic 49er masts and hopefully it’s

not too off ensive looking on the NM.”

Irish, former president of US

Sailing, has been building a new

wooden boom. He is one of many

“older” sailors who have won

championships around the world and

still race the NM hard at home.

Says Peet of the NM class: “It’s very

important and special to me. It

attracts a lot of diff erent people. The

boats are just so old and cool, and

the older guys are so good.”

fi nish. Some NM boats have been built

in glass fi bre but most are wood.

For nearly 80 years there has been

the same calendar of trophy events on

Little Traverse Bay each season and this

summer will be no diff erent.

Peet and class legend Dave Irish have

recognized the need to improve their

boats from the heavy 1970s aluminium

Bear Peet’s NM

number 17 Ethos

leading the way