Herreshoff #186805es Nimbus

"Our harbor was enlivened on Saturday [August 1, 1868] last by the presence of eight of the fifteen yachts belonging to the Atlantic Yacht Club, of Brooklyn, N. Y., then on their annual cruise --- the other seven remaining at
Newport. The following are names of the yachts, their owners, and the places where they belong: Sloop White Wing, Commodore Sheppard Romans, New York; sloop Gracie, Vice Com. William Voorhis, Nyack, N. Y.; sloop Nimbus, Rear Commodore William Peet, Brooklyn; schooner Alga, James G. Gregory, Brooklyn; sloop Addie, Jacob Voorhis, Jr.,New York; sloop Clytie, John B. Herreshotf, Bristol, R. I.; sloop Mariquita, L . De Forrest Woodruff, New York; sloop Carlton, J. Rogers Maxwell, Brooklyn.
The Atlantic Yacht Club was organized in 1861, and now numbers thirty-six yachts and nearly one hundred members.
The yacht Gracie was on her trial trip. She was built at Nyack, under the immediate direction of her owner and from the same moulds of the Clytie [#186701es], of this town --- the latter being the fastest yacht in this country. [The famous Gracie was almost twice as big as Clytie and quite certainly not built of Clytie's moulds.]
The Nimbus [#186805es] was built by Mr. John B. Herresboff, of this town, and was launched on the twenty-third day of last month [July 23, 1868].
The Addie, Gracie, and White Wing are now being overhauled at the yard of Mr. Herreshoff, preparatory for the race of the New York Yacht Club Squadron
which will take place next week, from Newport to Block Island." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Bristol Phenix, August 8, 1868, p. 2.)

"... The Clytie [#186701es], champion of the second class sloops, lies at anchor at Bristol, R. I., with the Nimbus [#186805es] and Sadie [#186704es], and flies the champion pennant since last autumn. When that is taken from her she will be ready to try our New York built boats, and till the she will 'rest on her laurels.'
Her builder and owner, Mr. John B. Herreshoff, has been overhauling the Nimbus and building a new yacht to be called the Orion [#186903es], for Mr. Thayer, of Hoboken. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachting. The Season of 1869." New York Herald, May 9, 1869, p. 4.)

"In the yard and shops of Mr. John B. Herreshoff, where some thirty men are employed, there have been turned out within the last few weeks, completely fitted for use, four sailboats of about six tons each; while a fifth craft of the same dimensions is now nearly finished, beside a large number of small craft --- row boats --- have been built during the same time.
There has also been altered and refitted at this yard a sloop yacht [#186802es Bunsby] of thirty tons, for Messrs. Pope & Cook, of the Hoboken Yacht Club; the sloop yacht Nimbus [#186805es] belonging to Captain William Peat, of the Atlantic Yacht Club, of Brooklyn, N. Y., has been refitted and painted; the sloop yacht Fanny [not built by Herreshoff], belonging to J. C. Bach, Esq., of New York, thirty-five tons burthen, has been rebuilt and received an entire new suit of spars, sails and rigging; the steam yacht Annie Moies [#1p], belonging to Hon. Samuel Shove, of Pawtucket, has been overhauled, refitted and painted, preparatory for the season. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yacht and Boat Building." Bristol Phoenix, June 12, 1869, p. 2.)

"The yacht Nymbus which has been lying up during the winter at Mr. Herreshoff's yard, sailed for New York last Sunday, having recently been furbished and newly painted." (Source: Anon. "Local Lines." Bristol Phoenix, June 15, 1872, p. 2.)

"THE centreboard sloop Nimbus, formerly the flagship of the Atlantic Yacht Club, and now owned by Mr. George R. Howe, of Boston, has been thoroughly overhauled by Lawley & Son, Boston, and is to go for mugs this season. She was built by J. B. Herreshoff, at Bristol, R. I. , in 1868. She is 37 ft. over all, 33 ft. 6 in. on water line, 12 ft, 6 in. beam, and 6 feet 2 in. deep. She is enrolled in the Dorchester Yacht Club." Source: Anon. "Yachting." Spirit of the Times, April 8, 1882, p. 257.)

"Bernard Jenney, Jr., of South Boston, has purchased the handsome and well-known center-board sloop Nimbus. She will continue in the Hull Yacht Club, her owner being a member. She was built by Herreshoff at Bristol in 1871, is 36 feet 9 inches in length on deck, 33 feet 3 inches at the load line, 12 feet 6 inches beam, 4 feet 6 inches draught, is very fast, well built and elegantly fitted. She was rebuilt last year. The price paid is said to be $2,500." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Marblehead Messenger, May 11, 1883m p. 2.)

"[Nimbus (Sail, C. B.) owned by J. J. Souther, Port: Boston; LOA 36.9ft; LWL 33.3ft; Beam 12.9ft; Draft 8ft; designed by J. B. Herreshoff and built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co., rebuilt by Lawley '85, built in 1869.]" (Source: Stebbins 1888 Yachtsmen's Souvenir, p. 39.)

"[Sloop Nimbus, owned by Commodore William Peet was flagship of the Atlantic Yacht Club from 1871 to 1872.]" (Source: Kenealy, A. J. "The Atlantic Yacht Club. Its Origin and History." Outing, June 1898, p. 286.)

"List of Cutters, Sloops and Yawls enrolled in the Massachusetts Yacht Club. ... Nimbus [Name]. J. S. Cushing [Owner]. 196 [No. of Seniority]. Boston, Mass. [Homeport]. C.B. [Centerboard]. 37.2 [Extreme Length]. 33 7 1/2 [Waterline]. 12.16 [Beam]. - [Depth]. 4.6 [Draft]. 1869, Bristol, R. I. [When and where built]. Altered 1885 by Lawley & Son [Alterations]. N. G. Herreshoff [Designer]. Herreshoff & Stone [Builder]." (Source: Massachusetts Yacht Club (formerly Dorchester Yacht Club). Yearbook 1892. Boston, 1892.)

"One of the first yachts that the Herreshoff's ever built is now at City Island. This is the 36-foot centreboard sloop Nimbus, now owned by Joseph Wheelock, Jr., of the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. The Nimbus came out in 1869, and is therefore thirty-one years old. She is reported to be in good condition, and still able to hold her own with a good many of the modern ones." (Source: Anon. "The Craft And Those Who Sail Them." New York Tribune, September 9, 1900, p. A2.)

"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink and pencil) table providing what amounts to be the earliest Herreshoff construction record with detailed dimensional data (Name, Owner, Length on deck, Length on water, Breadth extreme, Depth, Deadrise per foot, Width of stern, Sheer, Freeboard at bow, stern and lowest place, Centreboard length, Centreboard from woodends, Centre of mast from woodends, Bowsprit out board, Mainsail foot, hoist, head, leech, and area, Foresail foot, hoist, head, leech, and area, Jib foot, hoist, leech, and area, Gafftopsail foot, luff, leech, and area, Fore-gafftopsail foot, luff, leech, and area, Jibtopsail foot, hoist, leech, and area and Notes ) for Julia [#185602es], Sprite [#186001es], Kelpie 1st [#186301es], Magic [#186404es], Toad [#186411es], Prudence [#186406es], Patience [#186405es], Hope [#186402es], Faith [#186401es], Qui Vive [#186407es], Kelpie 2nd [#186403es], Teazer [#186410es], Secret [#186408es], Fish Boats [#186505es, #186506es, #186507es, #186508es, #186509es, #186510es, #186511es, #186512es], Fish Boats [#186513es, #186514es, #186515es, #186516es, #186517es, #186518es], Fanchon [#186501es], Angie [#186503es], Haidee [#186604es], Ariel [#186601es], Psyche [#186605es], Fannie 1st [#186603es], Violet [#186606es], Fish Boats [#186607es, #186608es], Fish Boats [#186609es, #186610es, #186611es, #186612es, #186613es, #186614es], Lively Whale [later Daisy ???] [#186707es ???], Fannie 2nd [#186702es], Hartford [later Polly ???] [#186703es ???], Sadie [#186704es], Clytie [#186701es], Waterfall [N/A], Bristol [#186801es], Ione [#187003es], Poppasquash [#186502es], Etta [N/A], Oysterboats [#186710es, #186711es], Spring Green [#186709es], Pellican [#186708es], Henrietta [N/A], Meteor [N/A], Fatter[?] [N/A], Annie Moies [#1p], Charlotte [#186803es], Annie [#186905es], Hildegard [#186808es], Thetis [#186705es], Clio [#187101es], Fleetwing [N/A], White Straw[?] [N/A], [Mignone] [#186904es], Fish Boats [square stern, 1868] [N/A], Sadie [#N/A (dupl. listing)], Fannie [N/A], Bunsby [#186802es], Orion [#186903es], Breeze [N/A], Nimbus [#186805es], Alice [crossed out, this MIGHT be Bessie] [#187001es], Viking [#187008es], [Ianthe] [#187002es], [Surf] [#187007es], [Georgie Miller] [#187011es], and [Pink] [#187010es]. Undated, the latest vessel on the list was built in 1870." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator) or other Herreshoff family members (?) (creator). Construction Record. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_01410. Folder [no #]. No date (ca 1870).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #186805es Nimbus even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Nimbus
• 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: Nimbus
Type: 33' 3" sloop
Owner: J. J. Souther [sic, Souther was owner in 1890 as per 1890/91 American Yacht List]
Year: 1866
Row No.: 478

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.

"Built 1866, 1868 or 1869?" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. May 2, 2008.)

"186701es Clytie and 186805es Nimbus have exactly the same dimensions with the exception of LWL where they are 1 inch apart. Was Nimbus also built from model 1001?" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. 2008.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for New Measurement Tons (12.6) from the 1881 Olsen's American Yacht List (Old Measurement Tons were reported as 26 by the 1872 Fox Yachting Annual) and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)

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