Herreshoff #187010es Pink

"[Pink] [#187010es]: Burgess Owner. 13ft 6in Length on deck. 17ft Mainsail foot. 14ft Mainsail hoist. 7ft 6in Mainsail head. 20ft 6in Mainsail leech. 192sqft Mainsail area." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. and/or other Herreshoff family members. Handwritten table listing early Herreshoff-built boats and their dimensions up to 1870. No date (1870 or later). Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, MRDE03.)

"... In 1868 [sic, as per Herreshoff records 1870] Walter Burgess, being then 17 years old, felt that he ought to have a yacht of his own. His mother consenting, he traveled joyfully to Bristol, where a rival to the famous Smith of Stonington in small boat building was coming into view, in the firm of Herreshoff & Stone.
To this firm an order was given for a boat to beat the class of lapstreak tenders at Beverly. The result was a neat little catboat, half-decked, of 12 feet waterline, 14 feet overall, and 5 feet 9 inches beam. She had a 19-foot boom and a 12-foot gaff, which was pretty good size for a 14-foot boat.
When the little racer arrived in Boston, by train, great was the excitement of her youthful owner. He was for taking her to Beverly at once, and though the wind was strong southwest, he set sail, with some other boys, as soon as the boat was rigged. His elders warned him that the chance was bad, but the little craft, which he called the Pink, made the passage safely, under reduced canvas. The Burgess family were much relieved when she arrived at Beverly.
The Pink put out the lights of the little class of tenders, and in the following year, 1869, the Beverly boys decided to have a larger class, from Herreshoff. Walter Burgess had at that time a Smith boat of 21 feet waterline, the Louise, but soon sold her to John B. Turner and bought a Herreshoff boat at Wareham, the Posy [#186603es ex-Fannie I], an open cat 21 feet on the waterline and 24 feet overall. ..." (Source: Anon. "Has Raced Yachts 40 Years. Walter Burgess, Secretary of the Boston Yacht Club, Has Witnessed the Entire Development of Modern American Yachting." Boston Daily: Jan 13, 1907, p. SM12.)

"When he mentions '... all the boats for the Burgess boys' N.G.H. is making one of the rare references to a little-known chapter of yachting history. It is the period prior to 1878, when John Brown Herreshoff was building what may have been the fastest miniature racing catboats in North America or abroad. The Burgess family alone bought about a half a dozen. These and many others sailed in the Boston area won against all comers in races for craft in the UNA tradition." (Source: Streeter, John W., editorial note. In: Herreshoff, Nathanael Greene and William Picard Stephens. "Their Last Letters 1930-1938." Annotated by John W. Streeter. Bristol, R. I., ca. 1999, p. 159.)

"This July 13, 1874, racing circular announced a special regatta for three classes of yachts off Beverly. The first class included all boats between 21 to 30 feet on the waterline, the second class included all boats measuring over 17 feet and not over 21 feet, and the third class consisted of all boats under 17 feet. During the early years of racing, most of the boats racing were catboats, and the winner was chosen by a handicap system of rating the boats. The first class was won by the Eva, the second class was won by the Peri and the third class was won by the Pink". (Source: Regatta circular caption. In: Rosbe, Judith Westlund. The Beverly Yacht Club. Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH and San Francisco CA, 2006, p. 16.)

"The fourth regatta of the Beverly Yacht Club was held off Nahant on July 25, 1874. The Sunday Herald reported on the event: "Of all the many regattas of this club none have been blessed with more propitious weather than that of yesterday --- clear sky, warm sun, a good breeze, a full attendance of members and boats, a fine sail with no mishaps --- all tending to render the fourth regatta one of unexcelled and rarely equaled merit. ... In the first class the Eva (W. H. Bangs Jr.) took the first prize, a silver inkstand, and the Fire Fly (G. H. Balch) the second, a silver goblet. The first prize in the second class was awarded to the Peri (S. W. Burgess), and the second to the Avon (F. R. Sears Jr.). In the third class the Tulip (W. Burgess) took the first and the Pink (J. B. Mills Jr.) the second." (Source: Regatta circular caption. In: Rosbe, Judith Westlund. The Beverly Yacht Club. Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH and San Francisco CA, 2006, p. 17.)

"On August 29. 1874, the Beverly Yacht Club held a union regatta off Beverly in Salem Harbor. Field and Stream [sic, i.e. Forest and Stream?] magazine reported, 'The race was very successful, though the wind was light. The entries were free to all yachts not over thirty feet on the water line. Nineteen yachts started in three classes. They were all centre-board sloops and cat-boats, and among them many known as the fastest boats in their respective classes. The Eva, Mabel and Tulip had easy work in their classes in holding a good lead from the start. The first prizes were won by the Eva (W. H. Bangs Jr.) in the first class, Mabel (J. N. Roberts) in the second, and the Tulip (Walter Burgess) in the third. The second prizes were won by Posey (J. M. McKee), Water Lily (P. Grant Jr.) and Pink (J. B. Mills Jr.), in the first, second, and third class respectively. ... The judges were Messrs. T. D. Boardman, G. D. Howe and C. H. Williams on board the yacht Foam, which Mr. Baordman kindly offered as judges' yacht." (Source: Regatta circular caption. In: Rosbe, Judith Westlund. The Beverly Yacht Club. Charleston SC, Chicago IL, Portsmouth NH and San Francisco CA, 2006, p. 18-19.)

"[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 #187010es Pink even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Grayson, Stan. Herreshoff Catboats. The Roots of a Boatbuilding Dynasty." Wooden Boat #289, November/December 2022, p. 58-67. (1,855 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Detailed, well-written story about Herreshoff catboats, from early boats such as Sprite and the four Julias which were all built before the founding off the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company to the numerous small catboats like Dandelion and Bluebell, many of which were delivered to Boston yachtsmen and most of which were also built before the founding of HMCo to the later, often very extreme and rule-beating catboats such as Wanda. With some minor errors, not all Julias were keelboats, Dexter Stone was from Philadelphia and not just a local yachtsman, Peri was not built for W. Starling Burgess, and Bluebell was built for Ed. Burgess with no proof that this was Edward Burgess.

• Pink
• 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: Pink
Type: 12' 7" cat
Owner: C. A. Fry [sic, Fry was listed as owner in the 1890/1891 American Yacht List]
Year: 1872
Row No.: 526

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.