HMCo #778s Black Duck

"[1915-09-05] Sun 05: Fair. Leave Duck Is[land] early & run to Oyster Bay. Dine with Mr. Nichols and have conference about 40' class with W. B. Duncan, Geo. Cormack & Geo. Nichols. Later run to Port Jefferson for the night.
[1916-01-29] Sat 29: Temp[erature] 21deg. at 7:30. Fell 37deg. in 18 h[ours]. Very fine & calm in PM. S [wind] in evening. Turned over 6th 40 footer [#778s Black Duck]. ...
[1916-02-07] Mon 07: Fresh SW [wind] ch[anging] to heavy NW in PM. Colder. Lead for 6th 40 footer [#778s Black Duck] fell thru floor in lower shop.
[1916-02-09] Wed 09: ... Completed 15 rowboats for 40' class.
[1916-03-02] Thu 02: Mod[erate] snow storm set in early. About 3-1/2in. [of snow]. Still cold. Launched 6th 40 footer [#778s Black Duck] at 5:20. To[o] much ice in cove to haul out.
[1916-05-06] Sat 06: Tried 6th 40 footer Black Duck [#778s] and delivered her to Mr. Bourne. ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1915 to 1916. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"No. 773 & Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s and #955s, #983s].
Oct[ober] 29 1915.
Frame spaces 16".
Planking 1 3/8/
Timbers at head 2 1/8 x 2 1/8 increasing both ways 5/64" per foot for 6 1/2ft, then parallel.
Deck 1 3/8". Upper side of deck is height marked (S).
Outside of keel plank 1" below rabbate (R).
Top of lead straight line, 28 1/2" vertically above bottom flat of keel. Forward end of [frame] # 17.
Make bottom of lead 1 5/8" deeper than figures." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Handwritten [in ink and pencil] notes in Offset Booklet HH.4.184.] October 29, 1915. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"NYYC 40 footers as changed 1916-17
OA. 58ft [0]in
Wl 40.76[ft]
Qbl 37[ft]
Beam 14ft 2 3/4in
Breadth w.l. 13ft 0 3/4in
Draft 8ft 3 1/4in
Freeboard 6ft 4in - 3ft 6in - 3ft 5 1/2in
Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs
Sail area actual 2074sqft
Sail area by rule 2155[sqft]
9.33 / 40.76 = .229." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Undated penciled note (ca. 1923?). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE04.)

"The following winter [1915-1916] proved a busy [one] and I had to carry on the work alone. Of the sailing craft, the eighty feet waterline steel schooner MARIETTE, the New York Yacht Club Forty Foot Class of eleven, the sixteen foot "Fish Class" of twenty-two [twenty-three boats built for the 1916 sailing season, plus three boats for the 1917 season, making a total of twenty-six], the Buzzards Bay Fifteen Foot Class of six, and several others were built." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Some of the Boats I Have Sailed In." Written 1934. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 73.)

"In 1916 the one-design class of New York Yacht Club forty-footers was built. They were in some ways rather homely craft because the committee who ordered them originally told Captain Nat they wanted sort of sailing houseboats that could be run with a small crew. ... The Forties were originally designed, however, to be cruisers with good accommodations, which could be run with a small crew and racing was expected to be a secondary consideration, so the Forties at first had rather small sail area. After the first year their sail area was increased. They were the hottest racing class of their time, and were called The Fighting Forties and The Roaring Forties. It is said that they never reefed in a race, which I can well believe, having seen them hard pressed many times. So the Forties were used for hard, hot racing instead of sailing houseboats, and I mention this as many will not know why a racing class was built so wide, high sided, and tubby. The Forties were well-built yachts, nevertheless, and have turned out to be able, useful yachts, perhaps a little lively or corky in a seaway, but several of them are still in use and much liked. Two of them under yawl rigs have won the Bermuda race, and it is believed they were the last one-design class of yachts built that were that large or were built in any considerable number by the same builder. There were about fourteen of them built altogether ...
These yachts were fifty-nine feet overall, forty feet six inches on the water line, fourteen feet six inches beam, and eight feet draft, and they rated forty under the Universal Rule.
... Although Captain Nat made them rather homely and tubby some people have said that no one else could have developed such speed with as wide and roomy a model, ... " (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 302-304.)

"BRISTOL. R. I. Sept. 7. [1915] --- Several members of the New York Yacht Club have decided to build a new 47-foot [sic] class of one-design racing sloops, to be ready for racing next Spring. Designer Nat Herreshoff arrived home this afternoon from Glen Cove, N. Y., where the final plans were decided. There are to be at least fifteen sloops in this new class, and among those who, it is reported, will build are Commodore George F. Baker, Jr., William Butler Duncan, George A. Cormack, George Nichols and Tarrant Putnam. Nat Herreshoff has the design ready for sloops of steel frame and wood planking.
The plan to have a new class of medium-sized sloops was formulated within the past month. The racing men of the New York Yacht Club discussed the project at Newport at the time of the Astor Cup races [August 5, 1915]. Nat Herreshoff was then commissioned to produce a fast design for this class. The work of construction will be started in the latter part of September, when the molds will be ready." (Source: Anon. "47-Foot Yacht Class. Nat Herreshoff to Build Fifteen Sloops for N. Y. Y. C. Members." New York Times, September 8, 1915, p. 11.)

"The members of the New York Yacht Club will have three fine classes of one-designed sloops for next season's racing, 30, 40 and 50-footers. The 30-footers then will be in their 12th season, the 50-footers in their fourth, and the 40-footers will be new. Commodore George F. Baker Jr recently appointed W. Butler Duncan, George M. Pynchon, George Nichols and George A. Cormack a committee to select plans, draw up rules and do all in their power to promote the new class.
This committee has selected the plans which are by Herreshoff and has announced that orders for six new boats have been received, and that six more can be ordered. These 40-footers undoubtedly will be a popular class, because as planned they are to be a good wholesome type of boat of moderate cost and economical to run.
The boats are to cost $10,000 each, and are to have only three professionals to a boat. It has been estimated by a well-informed yachtsman that the cost of running a racing yacht for a season can be figured on the basis of $1200 a season for each professional. This does not mean that each professional will receive $1200, but that the salaries, cost of upkeep of the yacht, prize money and other necessary expenses will amount to $1200 for each man employed. The 50-footers have six professionals, and they cost about $7300 a season, so that a 40-footer with three men should cost from about $3600 to $4000.
Like the regulations governing the 30-foot and 50-foot classes, the committee is to draw up rules limiting the size of crews, the number of suits of sails, hauling out, etc. This committee will make an announcement soon giving the dimensions of the 40-footers, the names of their owners and other particulars which will be of interest to yachtsmen." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen. New 40-Foot Class for N.Y.Y.C." Boston Daily Globe, October 31, 1915, p. 58.)

"The twelve new sloop yachts designed by Captain Nat Herreshoff for the New York Yacht Club's forty-foot class and built at Bristol, R. I., have all been completed. Several of them have been launched, and two --- the Squaw [sic, i.e. #780s Shawara as per Boston Globe of April 23, 1916, p. 65], owned by John S. Lawrence, and Oliver C. Jennings's Pauline [#782s] --- have had trail [sic, i.e. trial] spins on Narragansett Bay.
Those who have seen these new craft under sail say that they are both fast and able and surprisingly quick in stays. They are handsome vessels and will doubtless prove an interesting racing class for the New York Yacht Club. A special race has been arranged by the club for this class, to be sailed on Memorial Day over courses on Long Island Sound starting off Glen Cove.
Following is a list of all the yachts in the class and their owners:
Maisie [#773s], Morton F. Plant; Rowdy [#776s], Holland S. Duell; Mistral [#774s], George E. Pynchon; Jessica [#779s], Wilson Marshall; Zilph [#777s], James D. Hayes, Jr.; Black Duck [#778s], Arthur K. Bourne; Pampero [#781s], Dr. James Bishop; Pauline [#782s], Oliver G. Jennings; Dolly Bowen [#775s], Alexander S. Cochran; Shawara [#780s], Harold Wesson; Katharine [#783s], Arthur F. Luke; Squaw [#804s], John S. Lawrence.
Racing numbers will be assigned to the yachts when they are all in commission." (Source: Anon. "Dozen New Sloops Built For N.Y.Y.C. Special Race for Forty-Footers Owned by Leading Yachtsmen to Open Season." New York Times, April 27, 1916, p. 10.)

"... Five of the racing one-designed 40-footers, built by Herreshoff for members of the New York Yacht Club, have been taken by their owners from Bristol to the head of Long Island Sound for tuning up. These are the Rowdy [#776s], Black Duck [#778s], Shawara [#780s], Pauline [#782s] and the Dolly Bowen [#775s]. Several of the crews of the other sloops arrived at Bristol last week, including Capt S. B. Howell, former skipper of the cup sloop Defiance, who is to have charge of George M. Pynchon's Mistral [#774s]. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, May 7, 1916, p. 67.)

"... The Black Duck, one of the 40s, owned by Arthur K. Bourne, which has had her builders' tests, left Bristol last week for Glen Cove, where she will be tuned up in preparation for the first race of the class May 30 [1916]. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, May 14, 1916, p. 48.)

"The following are the numbers, names and the owners of the new 40s: 1- Black Duck, Arthur Bourne; 2- Dolly Bowen, A. S. Cochran; 3 - Jessica, Wilson Marshall; 4- Katherine, A. F. Luke; 5 - Maisie, M. B. Plant; 6 - Mistral, G. M. Pynchon; 7 - Pampero, Dr James Bishop; 8 - Pauline, O. G. Jennings; 9- Rowdy, H. S. Duell; 10 - Shawara, Harold Wesson; 11 - Squaw, J. S. Lawrence; 12 - Zilph, J. E. Hayes, Jr. To distinguish the 40s from the 50s, the numbers of the former will be in red, with the initials N. Y. Y. C. in diamond form, while the 50s will have black numbers with the initials N. Y. Y. C. in a semicircle." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, May 21, 1916, p. 48.)

"... A revival of activity was shown at Herreshoff's last week, due wholly to the mishaps to the mainmasts of three of the new one-designed 40-footers. Alexander S. Cochrans' Dolly Bowen, Arthur K. Bourne's Black Duck and George Nichols' Caroline [sic] arrived at Bristol Tuesday, from the head of the Sound, after more or less of 'nursing' on the part of the skippers, with split and twisted mastheads. All this trouble was the result of the good breeze and choppy sea off Glen Cove, Saturday, July 8 [1916]. Evidently the truss-work and bracings at the mastheads had not enough strength to withstand the thrust of the gaff in each jump of the short sea, although none of the seams of the built-up masts were started, the glue joints being intact.
While at Bristol for a new mast Arthur K. Bourne's Black Duck was changed from a tiller to a wheel. The owners of all 12 of these sloops have found that their racers are very difficult to 'keep off' in a stronger breeze with the tiller, as at times it required three men at the stick to hold the sloop to a course. ... " (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, July 16, 1916, p. 50.)

"Two months' experience with the New York Yacht Club's forty-footers has convinced some of their owners, at least, and probably a majority of them, that there is something the matter with these rather homely and certainly snub-nosed craft. They do not steer easily, nor do they make as fast time as their owners and their designer, Captain Nat Herreshoff, expected them to do. Their practically straight up and down bows and width of beam seem to make rapid progress impossible, as compared with the sharper-nosed yachts of previous years.
Arthur K. Bourne, who owns and sails the Black Duck [#778s], was one of the first to ascribe the difficulty of steering the craft to the use of the tiller, and during the Interclub cruise had his tiller removed and a wheel substituted, with some improvement in ease of handling as a result. W. W. Swan, who had his first experience with them when sailing the Maisie [#773s], which has a tiller, said she was the hardest boat to handle he ever sat in, and he won two races with her at that. Other skippers who have sailed the forties have made similar complaints about the nerve-racking and strength-eating task of keeping the craft to their work when they have a tendency to go down by the head rather than cutting cleanly through the seas.
During Larchmont race week these skippers came to the conclusion, as a result of their experiences, that the trouble with the boats was that they needed a bowsprit and a fairly good-sized Jib in order to remedy the trouble. Now there is a definite proposition among the owners to make this change in them next season and Captain Herreshoff will think the matter out at their suggestion, during the cruise of the New York Yacht Club, in which all twelve boats of this design will be tested in a series of port-to-port races.
Arthur Luke, sailing his Katherine [#783s] in Massachusetts Bay waters, has reached the same conclusion as have those who have raced the forties in the waters of the Sound, and is out for a bowsprit and jib as a remedy for unsatisfactory conditions.
While Vice Commodore J. P. Morgan has not sailed one of them, he has watched their performances, and says he is content to stick to the fifties as relatively easier and faster boats on all points of sailing, so far as his observation goes though he has not expressed himself on the bowsprit question.
Captain Herreshoff told the men when the design was submitted that the yachts would be more satisfactory as economical cruising boats than racing craft, but particularly good for racing in rough weather, something which has not yet been experienced in the races in which they have been tried. Their owners and skippers generally agree that the forties will too first-rate bad weather boats as they are now rigged. But Sound racing is generally fair weather racing.
Whatever Captain Herreshoff's decision after the N. Y. Y. C. cruise, the owners, who make the rules for the class, will probably decide this Winter to have the yachts altered before the racing season of 1917, and rigged with a small bowsprit and jibsail. Therefore it is pretty safe to prophecy that next season will see a material difference of appearance in the yachts, which have furnished a lot of sport this season in spite of their crunched-in appearance and hard steering. The change cannot be made until the committee in charge of the class has its meeting, some time this Fall, to award the series prizes. They will then settle the matter of re-rigging which has caused more discussion among the Corinthians than any they have had to mull over for several seasons." [Note: In 1917, the NY40s appeared with a short bowsprit.] (Source: Anon. "Forty-Footers Faulty. Bowsprit and Jib May Be Added to New N. Y. Y. C Class." Boston Globe, August 11, 1916, p. 6.)

"A great deal of interest has been shown in the entry of the Memory in the Bermuda Race by R. N. Bavier, on account of the fact that she has been changed from a sloop to a yawl rig. This yacht is one of the New York Forty-Foot one-design class and she was formerly named the Black Duck. In altering her to a yawl the main mast was not changed in any way but a jib-headed mizzen was added, and a bowsprit 12 feet long outboard. The mainsail was also made jib-headed, the old sail being kept but recut. In the sail plan shown here with the new rig is indicated in solid lines and the old sloop rig in dotted lines. The sail area of the old sloop rig was 2,282 square feet and as a yawl is 2,070 square feet.
In the new plan the center of effort has been changed quite a bit forward, which will be all right off the wind though there is a good deal of speculation on how she will be in windward work. Most of the '40s' carry a strong weather helm in a breeze, however, so perhaps the shifting of the center will merely overcome this tendency.
With a jib-headed rig the jigger can be well stayed with a spring stay from the mainmast head to the jigger mast head.
Mr. Bavier has also added auxiliary power, with a new 30-40 H.P. Kermath installed off center in the cockpit. Her performance in the Bermuda Race will be watched with interest." (Source: Anon. "Changing a New York Forty-Footer from a Sloop to a Yawl Rig." Yachting, May 1923, p. 312, 318.)

"MEMORY, owned by Robert N. Bavier, finished first in the race for cruising sailing craft from New London, Conn., to St. Georges, Bermuda, a distance of 662 nautical miles. Memory's time was approximately four days, seventeen hours. ..." (Source: Anon. "A Great Race to Bermuda." Motor Boating, July 1923, p. 22.)

"Announcement was made yesterday of the sale of the yawl Memory, the property of Commodore Robert N. Bavier of the Cruising Club of America, to Bancroft C. Davis, a member of the Eastern Yacht Club of Marblehead. Memory, formerly the New York Yacht Club forty-footer Black Duck, has achieved an enviable reputation in the last two years as a capable craft in ocean racing, having won the Bermuda race in both 1923 and last year, and also last season having won the race from New Haven to Atlantic City.
The transaction by which the Memory changed ownership was an unexpected one, as the yacht had not been advertised for sale. Commodore Bavier was not anxious to part with the yawl, which he had entered in several long distance races of the coming season. A day or so ago, however, he received a telegram from Mr. Davis, who was in Florida, asking Memory's owner how much he would take for the yacht. Commodore Bavier sent back his figure, said to have been considerably over what he paid for her, and a short time afterward received a reply saying: 'Price acceptable, check going forward by mail.'
Commodore Bavier bought Memory in the Spring of 1923 with the idea of changing her rig and entering the Bermuda race. The old gaff-rigged sloop was converted into a Marconi yawl with a tall mainmast and made quite a contrast to the other starters in the 1923 Bermuda race, in which twenty-two yachts in all took part. Old-timers who saw the start, off New London, shook their heads when they saw Memory's tall masts and racing hull and made-pessimistic predictions as to what might happen on the long thrash to the islands..
Despite these gloomy statements Memory made a fine showing, going througn some heavy weather in the Gulf Stream and getting to St. David's Head, outside Hamilton, several hours ahead of the second yacht to finish. Memory's performance in that contest pretty well dissipated the belief that a yacht built primarily for racing under sail on Long Island Sound would not stand up under the pressure of ocean racing.
Before the last Bermuda race Commodore Bavier had installed an engine in the yawl and built on a deck-house just forward of the wheel, which was said to be a great protection while the yacht was at sea. These improvements did not seem to decrease Memory's sailing qualities, for last June she once more sailed away from a fleet of eleven Bermuda bound yachts with comparative ease. ..." (Source: Anon. "The Yawl Memory Has a New Owner --- Ocean Yacht Is Sold by Commodore R. N. Bavier to B. C. Davis of Eastern Y. C. --- Won Bermuda Race Twice --- Was Formerly the N. Y. A. C. 40-Foot Black Duck --- Is Now At City Island Yards." New York Times, March 24, 1925, p. 20.)

"... The new boat yard of F D Lawley, Inc., on the left bank of the Quincy Town River, is probably one of the most up-to-date building plants in the country. ... Considerable work is ... done on Bancroft C. Davis' ketch Memory, formerly the New York Forty Black Duck, which won the Bermuda race in 1923. She hails from Edgartown. ..." (Source: Anon ("Mock Duck"). "The New Lawley Yard." Rudder, March 1926, p. 128, 130.)

"July 8 [1949]. --- The 40-foot yawl Memory was floated on the rising tide tonight after the craft had been driven nearly high and dry, on Black Spindle Ledge off Camden Harbor this noon. During low tide, the boat had heeled over [?] the gunwales were awash. Power boats from Camden shipyard and local fishermen who tried unsuccessfully to pull the boat from the ledge helped rig a line from the mast-top to an anchor to prevent the Memory from capsizing. Mr. and Mrs. William Chandler of New York, owners and only persons aboard the craft when it went aground, reported only slight damage to the hull after it was refloated. They proceeded to their summer home on Seven Hundred Acre Island. The Memory is a NY-40 type." (Source: Anon. "Grounded Yawl Freed By Tide Memory Aground On Camden Ledge Camden." Portland Press Herald, July 9, 1949, p. 10.)

"A 60-foot yawl out of New Bedford, Mass., was battered to pieces early yesterday morning after she went aground off Fishers Island. Three occupants, including the owner, escaped injury by swimming 25 feet to shore through the rough waters of the sound. A strong easterly wind was blowing.
The Coast Guard Lifeboat station on the island said today the yawl Memory, owned by John Pomeroy of New Rochelle, N. Y., developed engine trouble about 1:30 a. m. yesterday in the middle of Block Island sound, but the owner did not call for assistance because he thought the mechanic aboard could make repairs.
The yawl drifted around until daybreak, tho station said, and was carried to Middle Farms beach on the south, or ocean side, of the island. An anchor was thrown over, but the water was too deep.
The surf and wind threw the yawl onto rocks off the beach, and within a half hour it was a total wreck, according to the coast guard. One of two dinghies on board was thrown over, but before the men could climb in it capsized and was broken in half by the water, the station said.
The yawl was en route from New Bedford, presumably to New Rochelle, home of all three occupants.
A spokesman at the lifeboat station said the yawl was purchased after Hurricane Carol in which she suffered slight damage, and could not be insured until she was repaired. Apparently the owner was taking her to New Rochelle for repairs. [It is believed (and this belief is shared by Halsey Herreshoff) that this was #778s Memory ex-Black Duck.]" (Source: Anon. "Easterly Piles Up Big Yawl On Fishers Island Rocks." New London Evening Day, October 30, 1954, p. 2.)

"... from 1900 to 1920 when there was barely one real ocean race a year; and until the revival of the Bermuda race in 1923 the owners of deep-water sailboats were pretty much confined to cruising. The few boats that did compete in those days bore little resemblance to the crack racers of today. Heavy, broad-beamed and slow, they were patterned after commercial fishing schooners. One of the early exceptions was my father's 59-foot yawl Memory, which had started life as a day-racing sloop of the New York 40 class. Dad put a Marconi rig in her—the first such rig to race offshore—and was first to finish the 1923 Bermuda race. He duplicated this feat in the 1924 event, and beat the entire fleet on corrected time besides. ..." (Source: Bavier, Robert N., Jr. "Queens Of The Deep Water." Sports Illustrated, June 13, 1955.)

"The 1924 winner [of the Bermuda race], the 59-foot Memory, was another Herreshoff product. Originally a New York 40 class sloop built in 1916, she was a yawl with the then new Marconi rip in the 1924 Bermuda race under the ownership of Robert Bavier Sr. of New Rochelle. His son, Robert Jr., was the defending America's Cup skipper of 1964 in Constellation. Memory is gone now..." (Source: Wallace, William N. "Longevity Marks Bermuda Victors. 16 of 22 Yachts That Won Race are Still Active. New York Times, March 31, 1968, p. B1.)

"Lost New York Forties: ... Black Duck, (later Memory), Lee Karol who crewed on Memory reports in 1954 she was owned by Seward De Hart and moored at City Island Yacht Club, New York. In Aug 1954 she tried to sail out of the harbor at Woods Hole MA during hurricane Carol. She hit a sea wall and sank. She was later sold, salvaged and repaired but was lost in a storm off Block Island while returning to New York in 1955. ..." (Source: Madsen, Chris (undated, between ca. 2005 and 2015). http://www.rowdystory.com/rowdy-blog/, retrieved March 21, 2015.)

"The year 1916 saw the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. launch a dozen New York 40s for members of the New York Yacht Club. The boats were alike in shape and rig, but owners could select from several interior arrangements. Soon, because of the intensity of their racing, they became known as the 'Fighting Forties.'
Designed as roomy flush-deckers --- some yachting writers criticized them as 'sailing houseboats' --- the New York 40s lacked the grace of their predecessors, the New York 50-footers ..., but were less expensive to operate, requiring fewer paid hands and less costly boatyard maintenance. Given their overall dimensions and freeboard, it is doubtful if a designer other than NGH could have created such good-looking hull shapes. The New York 40s have some hollow in their bows, a handsome sheer, and nicely sculpted transoms; they remind one of the Cup defender Resolute [#725s], foreshortened to fit within a 59-foot overall length.
Although not planned for ocean racing, one boat of the class, Memory [ex #778s Black Duck], rigged as a Marconi yawl, entered the Bermuda race of 1924 --- and won! Perhaps because of the publicity accorded Memory, two more boats, Marilee [#955s] and Rugosa II [#983s] ... were ordered shortly afterward. ..." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 82.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with long polemast and topsail and no bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1739sqft (1949sqft including topsail). Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso another sketch of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0226. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with club topsail and bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1574sqft (1788sqft including topsail). Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0227. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled preliminary dimensioned sailplan with hull profile of a raised deck gaff sloop with polemast and no topsail or bowsprit. Titled '39ft w.l.' With calculations arriving at a total sail area of 1562sqft. Compare with HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) titled '39ft WL Class' of August 1915 marked 'Not used' which shows the same boat but with shorter overhangs. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso two other sketches of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0228. WRDT04, Folder 21, formerly MRDE08. No date (1915-08 or earlier?).)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) (marked 'Not used on the original). Blueprint preliminary general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile. Titled '39ft w.l. Class. Scale 1/4in = 1ft. Aug[ust] 1915'. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s). On verso two other sketches of a different (unidentified) hull profile." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0007. WRDT08, Folder 1, formerly MRDE08. 1915-08.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02173 (029) (marked 'Not used on the original). Blueprint preliminary general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile. Titled '39ft w.l. Class. Scale 1/4in = 1ft. Aug[ust] 1915'. With penciled alterations including longer overhangs, lower freeboard and a half-section. Believed to be an early preliminary design for what would become the New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s) and showing the first sketch which made the 39ft Class a 40ft Class." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0048. WRDT08, Folder 5, formerly MRDE10. 1915-08.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter marked 'Copy' on gothic-font 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I.' stationery re New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s):] Dear George:-
I am sending you two plans [probably HMCo Plan HH.5.02174 (029) and HMCo Plan HH.5.08072 (096-112)] for the proposed 40ft Class. That with stub ends and raised deck which you saw last week and another having less freeboard and longer overhangs. This is intended for a form with a little deeper deadrise floor and more ballast and would have a cabin floor area nearly equal to that in the first design. I think this will please the eye better.
You will notice I have arranged for one state room and the saloon aft, which I think would be a much better arrangement, since they would really be used but little to live in by the owners.
The rig is as we talked of the other day and I think would be very satisfactory and practical for a boat of this class.
The 'stub end' would take the same size rig by haying a short bowsprit, or a similar rig a little smaller.
I have been looking up about the cost of such boats, and it appears by comparison with the shop cost of others near this size built in recent years, we could not make the cost for a small class at less than Ten Thousand Five Hundred ($10,500.00) dollars each. If we had a larger number or a good amount of work of any kind to keep our shops properly employed and so keep the percentage of overhead charges down, am quite sure we could offer a lower figure. [p. 2] I hope to hear from you soon, as we do need the work, and it takes some time to develop plans and get the raw material.
Mr. Tod is intensely interested about the challenge from ATLANTIC, and will, without doubt, start with his yacht [#722s KATOURA] in good order.
Yours sincerely, ...
NGH/NBS [N.G. Herreshoff / Newell B. Sheldon]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Cormack, George A. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_00540. Folder [no #]. 1915-08-27.)
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"[Item Description:] Hull sections with pinpricks and calculations titled '40ft w.l. Approx. disp[lacement] 775 - D^(1/3) = 9.17. With scantling calculations using the fundamental factors and formulas as set forth by NGH's Rules for Wooden Yachts. Waterline length and visual comparison with sections in construction plan strongly suggest this to be related to the NY40 class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Undated, ca. September 1915?" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Midship Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0399. WRDT04, Folder 34, formerly MRDE08. No date (ca 1915-09).)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter marked 'Copy' on gothic-font 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I.' stationery re New York 40 Class (#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s):] Dear George:-
I am glad to know there is so much interest in the new class and there is so good prospect that it will go through:-In reply to Pynchon:-
1. Of course, the low sided boat could he raised and it would give more room, but the freeboard shown on sketch is already higher than the [New York] fifties, and the displacement greater in proportion than the fifties. To get the room shown in a 40ft water line boat I have already gone to an extreme. For an individual boat to suit only the owners taste it is all right, but for a one design class to be popular, I think I have proposed as bulky a boat as would be wise to. If greater cruising accomodations are required 40ft water line is too small.
2. If I were to build a boat of this size for my own use I would certainly put in a wheel with the binnacle on a stand; this means a greater first cost and possibly not quite so fine steering in mild weather. If a tiller was to be used, a portable binnacle would be best and it could be set where most convenient.
3. I would suggest that the owner have his option of an after stateroom or an arrangement shown on sketch. I like the arrangement shown best. [p. 2] 4. I intended having main and topmast preventers on one tackle and a few other details in rig, appropriate to a boat of this size, a little different than the ordinary custom.
In the first three months we would probably not complete over three boats, after that, if a large number were ordered we could probably turn out one every ten or twelve working days.
Hoping you are quite well, and that I will see you soon, I remain,
Yours sincerely, ...
NGH/NBS [N.G. Herreshoff / Newell B. Sheldon]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Cormack, George A. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_00570. Folder [no #]. 1915-09-03.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02161 (029-067). Blueprint general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile titled 'Preliminary Plan for 40ft Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0011. WRDT08, Folder 2, formerly MRDE08. 1915-09-23.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on verso of 'Office of Voluntary Meteorological Observer, U.S. Weather Bureau' stationery titled '40ft NYYC Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Sept[ember] 25, 1915. Scale 1/2in. W.l. 40.00ft. From finished model'. With calculations arriving at a total displacement of 754cuft = 48280lbs and a wetted surface of 598sqft. Also calculations showing changes in displacement when immersed 6in deeper and less deep." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06390. Folder [no #]. 1915-09-25.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Lead for 40ft NYYC Class No. [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Scale 1/4 & 1/16. Oct[ober] 1915'. With calculations and note '773 Class 40 footers. Desired 23650lbs lead with c.g. .5760 of w.l. ...' and concluding with 'Result --- With top of lead straight line parallel to bottom flat 2.44 above it c.g. 24.14 frame = .57 of w.l. Weight 58306lbs ...'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08150. Folder [no #]. 1915-10.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on verso of 'Office of Voluntary Meteorological Observer, U.S. Weather Bureau' stationery titled '40ft NYYC Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]. Oct[ember] 22, 1915. Scale 1/24in. 40.00ft w.l.. (From finished model). Q[uarter] beam length 36ft 4in'. With no further notes or calculations." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06460. Folder [no #]. 1915-10-22.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled dimensioned sketch of a shackle and upper part of a block with note 'Merriman Bros. Dec[ember] 10, 1915. Arrangement of Shackle & Bolt for Upper Runner Tackle Block #773 Class --- 40-footers [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s and #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00190. Folder [no #]. 1915-12-10.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.12148 (146-034). Photostat sailplan titled 'NYYC 40ft Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Photostat Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0195. WRDT08, Folder 15, formerly MRDE02. 1916-01-05.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter on 'Columbia University in the City of New York. Department of Physics' stationery:] I have taken the following as the average water line for the 40-footers [New York 40s: #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s]
Length over all 59 ft.
Overhang forward (forward point of measurement - center of pin through topmost stay) 10.45
Overhang aft 8.30
L.W.L. 40.25
This seemed to be a very fair average for a number of the boats. Where the chains were absent, we used an equivalent weight of lead, so that I feel certain that these figures will be satisfactory.
Can you send me at your early convenience, the displacement, draft and quarter beam length corresponding to the above established plane? [p. 2]
I was very much interested in your criticism of my suggested method for determining sail areas. As far as I had been able to learn, the gaff angle was nearly constant, while the boom angle varied, and my conclusions were based on this supposition. I do not see any easy method of determining this area if the reverse is the case. To determine the actual area at the time of measurement still seems out of the question, as the method of measurement should be as much as possible independent of weather conditions.
Thanking you again for your letter,
Yours sincerely, ... [With penciled note by NGH:]
At 40.25ft w.l. Displ. 772cuft (= 49408lbs). Draft 8.05ft. At 40.76ft w.l. Displ. 811cuft (= 51904lbs). Draft 8.13ft.]" (Source: Webb, Harold W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_02570. Folder [no #]. 1916-06-01.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Typewritten letter on 'Columbia University in the City of New York. Department of Physics' stationery:] I am in receipt of your letter of June 4th, giving the displacement and draft of the 40-footers [New York 40s: #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s] at L.W.L, 40.25. Could you send me also the quarter beam length at this L.W.L.? With these one-design boats, I should prefer to have the quarter beam length as determined from the plan rather than to trust to actual measurement.
Thanking you for your trouble,
Yours very truly, ... [With penciled note by NGH:]
36ft 3in at 40.25[ft] w.l.
36ft 2 3/4in at 40.00[ft] w.l.]" (Source: Webb, Harold W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_02590. Folder [no #]. 1916-06-05.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks titled 'NYYC 40 footers (773 Class [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s ]). Reduced to scale of 3/8in per ft. For NYYC Model. Oct[ober] 20, 1916'. No further notes or calculations." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_03870. Folder [no #]. 1916-10-20.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Penciled note on verso of a trade card by Engineering News Record, advertising the 171-page book Accounting and Business Methods for Contractors:] NYYC 40 footers [#773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s] as changed 1916-17
OA. 58ft [0]in
Wl 40.76[ft]
Qbl 37[ft]
Beam 14ft 2 3/4in
Breadth w.l. 13ft 0 3/4in
Draft 8ft 3 1/4in
Freeboard 6ft 4in - 3ft 6in - 3ft 5 1/2in
Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs
Sail area actual 2074sqft
Sail area by rule 2155[sqft]
9.33 / 40.76 = .229
---
AU REVOIR [#681s] C.b. - 1908
From original calculations:
Oa 50ft 0in
Wl 38ft
Beam 14ft 0in
Breadth w.l. 12ft 10[in]
Freeboard 4ft 0 3.4[in] - 2ft 7 1.2in - 2ft 7 1/4in
Displ[acement] 433cuft = 7.56^3 = 27800lbs
7.56 / 39 = .195
Outside lead 10500 lbs
Sail area 1352sqft
Note: Yacht was 1 1/2in deep in water when equipped - indicating hull & aux. power was heavier than estimated (about 40cuft = 2560lbs) [Undated (research shows the advertised book on the trade card to have been first published in 1923 and followed by a longer version in 1931)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Note. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06980. Folder [no #]. No date (ca 1923 ?).)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan 74-75. Blueprint detail plan titled 'Quick Working Shackles for Blocks Hal & Double Sheets. Job 1-336. Mentioned vessels include: #711s, #712s, #713s, #714s, #715s, #716s, #717s, #720s, #721s, #773s, #774s, #775s, #776s, #777s, #778s, #779s, #780s, #781s, #782s, #783s, #804s, #891s, #955s, and #983s." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (Newman, H.F.) (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0184. WRDT08, Folder 17, formerly MRDE06. 1923-03-12.)
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"[Item Description:] Your last letter was duly re[ceive]d and read with much interest. Congratulations to you on the big success of the new schooner [#891s WILDFIRE] & the boats in the Bermuda race [#778s MEMORY ex-BLACK DUCK]. I expect we are licked again over in the Solent. It seems a hard thing to accomplish. This going over into another man's back yard and beating him at at any game in which natural elements have a hand. Winds & tides over there are more to be looked into than Long Island Sound conditions as a rule and there is no denying but what the English sailors of small boats & their craft are fully our equals. I presume that you have heard from Wirth about this business job in Penna[?]. He did want another outing at Bristol very much but he seems very conscientious about his work and having this opportunity offered by his school instructor wherein he could get way ahead in his study besides being paid for it, was not to be thrown aside. Larry Huntington and myself are alone here in the matter of boating. About once a week we manage to have a sail & talk over yachting affairs. I had several friends in the Bermuda races who have kindly written & sent photos which has been very pleasant. Miss Uilth[?] is keeping house and with a new vacuum[?] cream[?] freezer[?] which she is only too willing to use, we are standing the summer very well. Said[?] SUNSET ashore yesterday to look at the Marblehead paint. With the exception of a few barnacles under the forefoot & around the rudder post she was very clean, having been painted last early in April. I also have three of my samples with not quite as long exposure, perfectly clean, one of the white. Over forty years ago I got it into my head that white was the better tho most boat owners would prefer a light green. Fortunately we had a break in the long spell of thunder showers. I cannot collect such conditions in all the years I've been here. not as hot as you Northerners have had it but very tiresome. Fine easterly weather now and i should be off in SUNSET but am putting in a new modern bath up at the Barnacle etc. besides which have no one to go with me except Larry occasionally & he is busy as can be over his greve[?] & other matters. Finally, have gotten the 30ft proa going, gave the boys a half day lesson in sailing here and they are doing well & express themselves delighted. Planning for another now. With best wishes to all ..." (Source: Munroe, R.M. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_41920. Correspondence, Folder 87, formerly 121. 1923-08-09.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Thank for your lines of 26th.
I felt sure you would not only be interested, but pleased --- and that's why I wired you.
The [New York] Forties ARE good boats --- the best built I know of for their inches and Bob [Bavier? Robert N. Bavier won both the 1923 and the 1924 Bermuda Races with #778s MEMORY ex-BLACK DUCK], with last year's experience, had her in far better shape than before. He, however, would get everything out of her, or almost any other boat, being of the best.
I feel sure he will appreciate your letter, and am sending it to his home to await him on his --- D.V. --- safe return.
Sorry to have missed you when South last Winter. Mighty glad to hear you are keeping so well.
Hoping that I shall have the pleasure of seeing you before the Summer is out,
Yours sincerely, ... [Strachan was the owner of #215p ROAMER, formerly owned by NGH. In 1920 Strachan had been the owner of #773s MONSOON ex-MAISIE.]" (Source: Strachan, F.D.M. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_05760. Correspondence, Folder 20, formerly 136. 1924-06-28.)
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"[Item Transcription:] While in Bermuda I was told that you felt that it was due to my advice that the Regatta Committee inserted the clause in the racing rules of this year's. race thereby barring the 'RUGOSA' [#983s] from entering. I would like to correct this impression, which is only partly true.
In the winter of 1930 Edmund Lang, of the New York Yacht Club, asked me to get up a rule for measuring the heavier type of cruising boats, especially those which would have little or no chance in ordinary class racing under the Universal Rule. I got up a slight modification of the present Bermuda Rule and inserted the clause that the ratio of ballast to displacement should not exceed 46%. I did this to prevent one of my own schooners, the SACHEM, from racing in the Cruising Division, but also had in mind the New York 40 Footers such as your boat, MEMORY [#778s], and others.
I also recommended to Mr. Lang that a separate class be given for boats which exceeded this ratio should he deem advisable, but he did not do so. I was also instrumental in the adoption of this same rule in the Cape May Race last year, stating to the Committee that in a race where a good part of the course is apt to be to windward that the yacht with the high ratio of ballast to displacement would be very much faster than one with a low ratio. I also suggested to them that a special class be given for such yachts, but otherwise using the same rule. I am not sure whether this was adopted or not.
I was asked to give my views this year by the Bermuda Race Committee, and strongly advised them to insert such a rule, however exempting from it any yachts which had previously raced such as your boat and 'MEMORY'. I was most emphatic in making this statement, and told them I did not think this rule was as important in a race to Bermuda as in a coastwise race where the ability to go to windward is a greater factor. Nevertheless, I thought it advisable to have it in as there is no telling what type of short ended racing boat, lightly built, might care to enter.
They did not make any report to me after my recommendations, but I heard later that they did not exempt yachts that had already entered from this ruling. I made this recommendation as simply my personal views in the matter not pressing it in any way, and I think the Committee made a mistake in not allowing your boat to enter should you wish to do so. I also think 'RUGOSA' should be allowed to enter in future Bermuda Races if this rule were still in force, but for coastwise races I think the 46% rule should be strictly applied.
The average heavily built yacht has all sorts of interior fittings which weigh a good deal, many with heavy solid spars such as 'MALABAR X', and if this is the type of boat the race is given for primarily, it seems to me a hardship to the owners to allow a much lighter built yacht lacking at least some of the interior fittings which the other have. The result, of course, is the same with 'SACHEM', although I would much prefer to go to sea on 'RUGOSA' than on this schooner.
I thought I had better write you regarding the matter above so you would know exactly what my stand in the matter is. As things turned out, I would have doubted if 'RUGOSA' would have been at her best in this year's race. There was practically no windward work, and except at the start the sea was always quite rough with plenty of wind and the boats were travelling at somewhere near their limit speeds. The race had no variety in it, and was quite uninteresting for this reason." (Source: Alden, John G. Letter to Grinnell, Russell. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_33200. Subject Files, Folder 37, formerly 27. 1932-07-19.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #778s Black Duck even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Davis, Charles G. "Racing on a Forty-Footer." Yachting, December 1921, p. 265-268, 309. (3,596 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No. Wonderful account of New York 40 racing during the eventful 1921 cruise of the NYYC, written by yacht designer, artist and author C. G. Davis, who had sailed on #773s Monsoon ex-Maisie.
• Kleinhans, Lewis. "New York 40s and 50s." In: Schoettle, Edwin J. Sailing Craft. New York, 1928, p. 229-243. (3,032 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No known copyright restrictions. Class description and history.
• Sauerbrey, Florence. "The Fighting Forties." Maritime Life and Traditions #18, Spring 2003, p. 50-61. (5,411 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Class description and history. Vessel biographies. Lines plan. Construction plan. Sail plans (sloop and yawl).

• Black Duck (HMCo-made index card)
• Black Duck (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.

Name: Black Duck
Type: Cutter
Length: 40'
Owner: Bourne, A. K.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

• Black Duck
• Memory ex-Black Duck
• Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.

Name: Black Duck
Type: 40' sloop
Owner: Arthur K. Bourne
Year: 1916
Row No.: 84

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

Month: Oct.
Day: 14
Year: 1915
E/P/S: S
No.: 0778
Name: Black Duck
LW: 40'
Rig: Cutter
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: 10,000.00
Notes Constr. Record: Single head rig. Wheel 280,00. Cabin A.
Last Name: Bourne
First Name: A. K.

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Fitted at HMCo with a bowsprit in 1916 to alleviate severe weather helm (as per Maynard Bray)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 5, 2008.)

"#778s Black Duck
Class number: 6
Sail number: 1
Cast Lead: 1916-02-07 Mon
Turned over: 1916-01-29 Sat
Completed rowboat: 1916-02-09 Wed
Launched from shop: 1916-03-02 Thu
First trial: 1916-05-06 Sat (6th NY40 that was trialled?)
Delivered to owner: 1916-05-06 Sat." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 6, 2011.)

"Sail number 1 in 1916 with the numeral in red surrounded by the initials N.Y.Y.C. in diamond form as per the New York Herald of May 17, 1916, p. 13." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 11, 2012.)

"Over the decades, the Bavier family owned three Herreshoff yachts which were all re-named Memory: the fin keel yawl #439s Memory ex-Alerion (built in 1894), the New York 40 #778s Memory ex-Black Duck (built 1916), and the Fishers Island 31 #1521s Memory built in 1946." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 26, 2014.)

"Memory ex-Black Duck sank in the 1930's on her way back from Bermuda as per the Herreshoff Registry (http://www.herreshoffregistry.org/detail.php?hull=778, retrieved March 25, 2014, but this cannot be true, as the yacht continued to be listed in Lloyd's Register under various owners for the next decades." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 27, 2014.)

"As is common with many boats, different (and over time increasing) displacements were reported for the New York 40s. A measurement certificate for #804s Squaw, dated June 30, 1916, in the collection of the Hart Nautical Museum at M.I.T. listed a displacement of 755 cubic feet equaling 48320 lbs. In about 1932 NGH was asked to calculate the ballast ratio of #983s RUGOSA II and penciled down a number of back-of-an-envelope calculations which have survived in the Herreshoff Archives of the Herreshoff Marine Museum (HMM Subject Files, Folder 37 new, 27 old). There he noted that the mean displacement of the original NY40 class boats as measured by H.W. Webb in July 1925 at a LWL of 40.75 was 811 cu.ft. equaling 51800.0[sic, i.e. 51900] lbs. The mean weight of the original NY40 ballast keels NGH noted as having been 23800 lbs plus an extra piece forward of 724 lbs for a total of 24574 lbs. To this was added another 800 lbs in the winter of 1916/17 for a total of 25374 which translated into a ballast ratio of 48.8%." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 16, 2017.)

"... Seward De Hart, owner of NY 40 Mistral [#774s] from 1940 to 1953, when he took ownership of NY 40 Memory (formerly Black Duck) [#778s]." (Source: Gay de Hart (niece of Seward de Hart). Private Email to Claas van der Linde, May 7, 2021.)

"Built in 140 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $71/day, 371 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"[Displacement at 40.25ft w.l. and Draft 8.05ft = 772cuft = 49408lbs. Displacement at 40.76ft w.l. and Draft 8.13ft (i.e. 1in deeper) = 811cuft = 51904lbs.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Penciled note on letter by NYYC measurer Harold W. Webb dated June 1, 1916. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.)

" … Displ[acement] 811cuft = 9.33^3 = 51900lbs ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Undated penciled note (ca. 1923?). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE04.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.