Herreshoff #187406es Riviera

"[1874-07-14] Tue 14: We are engaged all the morning until 9 o'clock in getting our baggage ready and sending it to the shore, wither we were accompanied by all the household. Say[?], Mrs. Eaton and children, Mr. and Mrs. Feighera [sic, i.e Figheiro] and children, nurses, servants, etc. After taking leave, we started at 9-35 a.m. CFE [Charles Frederick Eaton] and LH [Lewis Herreshoff] [were] in the Riviera [#187406es] and NGH in L'Onda [#188701es] for the westward. Wind, south light. With all sail set and bunting flying. [We] exchanged parting signals until our friends were out of sight. Arrived off the Point at Antibes at 1-30. L'Onda 14 minutes astern. Wind SSW, pleasant little breeze. Arrived at Cannes at 3-30. Finding no purchaser for L'Onda, we started out again, wind very light, and anchored near the station at [Le] Trayas. We pitched the tent and slept on the shore on sea weed, everything very comfortable excepting mosquitoes, which most devoured us.
[1874-07-15] Wed 15: Started at sunrise. Quite calm. Rowed [#187406es Riviera] to the point of the Esterel where we stopped to get something to eat. After which we started again, wind light SE. Stopped at Agary. Got underway once more for St. Raphael, wind quite fresh SSW. After dinner at the Hotel de France, tried to find a purchaser for L'Onda [#188701es]. Our landlord tried her and capsized in less than three minutes, greatly to the amusement of all the spectators. Finding no purchaser there, we sent her to Marseille by the railroad for six franks[sic]. At 6-30, we took leave of Charly E[aton], who returned to Nice. We then prepared ourselves for the next day, first by grubbing up, and second by a good shore sleep.
[1874-07-16] Thu 16: Started [with #187406es Riviera] at 5-30, fresh land breeze which lasted about two hours. After that calm and light SW wind. Off Cape Camarat at 10-30 where we made a 'Una' of her. Layed to and dined at 2 o'clock off Cape Cavalaire, single reef in the mainsail, wind fresh [from] ahead and quite rough. The large splinter on the mast opened and we were obliged to douse sail and wrap it. Got under way with all sail, wind moderate [from] SW, and had trials with fish boats and [a] coaster and beat them shamefully. Had a heavy squall from the N[orth], settled away and ran in under the head of the mainsail under Cape Negril. Put in a double reef. Soon after, it coming pleasant, we hoisted all sail and continued on. Rounded Cape Benat at sunset. Being a calm, we rowed along shore and found a nice little harbor with a fine sand beach where we hauled out the boat and slept beside her on the shore. Run 40 m[iles].
[1874-07-17] Fri 17: Under way [with #187406es Riviera] at 5-30 with light head wind. Passed Cape [blank, near La Tour Fondue] at 9-15 and beat the whole distance to Toulon with one reef in the mainsail and jib. Arrived at 2 o'clock p.m. and went up into the town for dinner and provisions. Finding no good place to leave the boat, [we] got underway at 7 p.m. and anchored on the flat in the west part of the harbor. Slept on board. Run 27 miles.
[1874-07-18] Sat 18: Off [with #187406es Riviera] at 6 o'clock and rowed down to the sea and there took a light breeze to eastward and SE. Passed Cape [blank, Sicie] about 9 o'clock, with a pleasant breeze from SW. Afterward it came very light and heavy clouds and thunder from the N. Arrived at La Ciotat at 2 p.m. We dined and visited the shipyard and machine shops of the [blank] Maritime [Compagnie des Services Maritimes des Messageries Nationales], the largest thing of the sort in France. We saw large boiler and engine work, 5 fine large steamers, and one on her beam ends in the dry dock having fallen over a few hours before we arrived --- a bad accident killing several men and injuring the ship. We left at 4-30 p.m. and found a light SW and westerly wind. Found by the chart a snug little harbor in the rocks where we anchored [at] about 8 in the evening and slept aboard. Sailed 28 miles.
[1874-07-19] Sun 19: Under way [with #187406es Riviera] at 6 a.m. Light air SE and E. Passed many large steamers going east. A small breeze sprang up at noon from the S. Arrived at Marseilles at 2 p.m. and sailed up and down the old harbor. Found a place and man to keep the boat. Went ashore and put up at the Hotel Marseilles. In [the] evening, took a walk around the city. Sailed 17 miles.
[1874-07-20] Mon 20: Hunted up the agent and arranged about [leaving] L'Onda [#188701es]. Got provisions and started. Sailed [with #187406es Riviera] through the Basin Jolliette. Left for the westward at 1 o'clock. With fine fresh breeze from the south. Off Corromine Light H[ouse] at 4-10 p.m., arrived at Bois at 5-19 p.m., distance 25 1/2 miles. Took a pass through the canal to Arles which cost two sous. Started at once, light fair wind, and sailed till 8-45 p.m. Distance about 12 km. Anchored in the middle of the canal. Slept on board. In the night, we had much thunder and lightning, rain, and mosquitoes.
[1874-07-21] Tue 21: Turned out at five o'clock. Wind NW straight down the canal. We beat [with #187406es Riviera] for an hour and a half. The wind came too strong and we hitched up to the bushes, and at one o'clock gave our line to a little steamer that was passing and arrived at Arles at 4-30 p.m. Went up the river a little way above the Railway bridge and turned in for the night. At eleven had a squall down the river and had to pull up anchor and go down the river to find a lee.
[1874-07-22] Wed 22: Our inquiries about towing [#187406es Riviera] up the river were unsatisfactory so we concluded to send the boat by rail as far as Belfort. Unrigged her and shipped her by Grande Vitesse. We left ourselves in the same train and arrived at Valence at 7-30.
[1874-07-23] Thu 23: Left [with #187406es Riviera] for Lyons at 8, where we arrived at 12-30. Stopped at Hotel Collet. Went to see silk making in the afternoon.
[1874-07-25] Sat 25: Took train at 8 and arrived at Belfort at 12-30. Found the place was not on the canal as we expected. Through an error in reading the map. So we shipped her [#187406es Riviera] on again to Montreaux Veaux, the highest point on the canal, 12 km distance, where we stayed all night.
[1874-07-26] Sun 26: Got the boat [#187406es Riviera] into the canal and washed her out. She came through undamaged but very dirty. Fresh breeze [from] NW, and started down the canal at 9-30 a.m. and arrived [at] Illfort at 7 in the evening, distance 22 miles. Having passed many bridges where the mast was taken out and descended 32 locks of about 10 ft. fall each.
[1874-07-27] Mon 27: Off [with #187406es Riviera] at 7 a.m. with a light breeze. Passed 9 more locks and 12 Bridges. Muhlhusen [Mulhouse] at noon. Passed into the canal for Huningen [Huningue] at 2 p.m. Found very strong current against us. So we got out a line and towed her through walking. Arrived at Kemps at 7 in the evening, where we stopped for the night. Sailed and towed this day 35 km.
[1874-07-28] Tue 28: Raining, got underway [with #187406es Riviera] at 8, still walking. Passed four locks ascending, with bridges. Passed out into the Rhine at 3 in the afternoon. Left the boat at the stern of one of the bridge boats, bound up the river at the rate of 8 miles per hour! Distance this day 20 km.
[1874-07-29] Wed 29: [In] a.m. went to Basel by train, afternoon rainy. [Spent the night on #187406es Riviera.]
[1874-07-30] Thu 30: Disagreeable rainy day. Cast off [#187406es Riviera] at 7-40 in the morning, were for 5 hours easy rowing k.m.[sic] per hour. Stopped for dinner. Passed seven bridges and arrived at Kehl near Strasbourg in 9 3/4 hours running time. Distance 125 km or 78 miles. Hauled out the boat and left the things with the Damister[sic].
[1874-08-01] Sat 1: Got a new oar for the boat [#187406es Riviera]. Went to Strasbourg and cashed drafts. Saw sights &c.
[1874-08-02] Sun 2: Left Kehl [with #187406es Riviera] at 8-9 in the morning with a flood in the river, a meter higher than usual. Made 26 1/2 km in two hours. Got up the sail. Light head winds. With rowing and sailing, arrived at Speyer at 5-50 in the evening. 62 miles. Saw the cathedral.
[1874-08-03] Mon 3: Cast off [with #187406es Riviera] at 5 a.m. Light wind ahead. Passed Manheim at 8. Stopped at Worms at 10-30. Saw the cathedral and other sights there. Got underway at 1 p.m. Strong breeze WSW, put in double reef. Rain and squall at 5, and another much heavier at 7. Took refuge in one of the mills. Afterwards stopped at Nackenheim. Hauled the boat out and carried all the things to the hotel. Distance sailed 60 miles.
[1874-08-04] Tue 4: Off at 5-30 [with #187406es Riviera]. Pleasant weather and light head wind, induced by the current. Stopped at Mayance [Mainz] from 7 to 9 a.m. Saw the cathedral and other sights. Southwest wind during the morning and quite warm. Passed Bingen at about 1 o'clock where the interesting portion of the Rhine began. Very strong current and surface of the river broken with rocks and rips. Passed the Lorelei at 6, and stopped at a little village called [blank, Oberlahnstein], 3 miles above Coblence [Koblenz]. Distance sailed 68 miles.
[1874-08-05] Wed 5: Off [with #187406es Riviera] at 5-30 a.m. Light southerly wind. Stopped at Coblence from 6 to 9 a.m. and walked around the streets. Started with all sail, strong wind [from] west sprung the mast badly, the first flaw. Put in double reef and afterwards shifted the mast aft and stayed it up. The break getting worse and worse. About 2 p.m. stopped at a sawmill and got a stick for a new mast and afterwards stopped at Bonn leaving boat and things at a bath house. Distance sailed 48 miles.
[1874-08-06] Thu 6: Got the new mast [for #187406es Riviera] underway in making. Meanwhile, walked around the city. Started with heavy wind from the NW. Double reef and afterwards the peak of the mainsail only. Arrived at Koln at sunset. Left the boat at a boat builders. Distance sailed 18 miles.
[1874-08-07] Fri 7: Visited the cathedral and museum and walked around the streets. Started [with #187406es Riviera] at 1 p.m. with light southwest wind. Passed Dusseldorf at 6 p.m. and stopped at sunset. Distance sailed 45 miles.
[1874-08-08] Sat 8: Started [with #187406es Riviera] at 4-40 a.m. Fresh breeze SW. Passed Wessel [Wesel] at 9 a.m., stopped at Emmerich at 11-30 for dinner. Got underway at one. All sail, having had in a double reef for the last hour. Put in a single reef at the German outpost and registered the boat. Detained by the rain and squall at the Dutch Customs. Started at 3-30 with double reef, afterwards peak of mainsail. Wind dead ahead and raining. Stopped at Nijmegen at sunset. Left the boat at the bath house. Distance sailed about 70 miles.
[1874-08-09] Sun 9: Started [with #187406es Riviera] at 7. Wind strong ahead, double reef and raining. Soon came to the peak of the mainsail and stopped at 10 at Dreten for refuge. Carried all the things up to the hotel. Distance sailed about 12 miles.
[1874-08-10] Mon 10: Still raining and blowing hard from the westward. Started [with #187406es Riviera] at 10-30 with double reef. Frequent squalls with rain all day. Stopped at Gor[blank, i.e. Gorinchem] [at] sunset, leaving boat at a bath house. Distance sailed 30 miles.
[1874-08-11] Tue 11: Wind still blowing heavy from the westward with rain. At 9-30 a.m. obliged to stop [with #187406es Riviera] and make a lee, as it was blowing too hard to proceed. At 12 hitched on to a steam barge. Found it very rough and very wet. Cast off three miles from Rotterdam as the barge was going to Amsterdam. We rowed to Rotterdam and passed inside the city at 4 p.m. Hunted up steamer for London. Took passage in the Aurora, an iron vessel about 250 ft long and very old, laden with cheese and hogs. Distance performed this day about 25 miles. In the evening walked about the city in a state of damp disgust. The steamer started at about 10 p.m.
[1875-01-11] Mon 11: Went to Prov[idence] in [the] 7-30 train. ... Took picture of Riviera [#187406es] to be photographed. ...
[1875-01-27] Wed 27: ... Down street at noon, had hair cut and got Photograph of Riviera [#187406es] [which cost $5 as per NGH cash account in this diary]. ...
[1875-02-21] Sun 21: Clear, wind NW fresh. Th[ermometer] 22-29-25. B[aromete]r rising fast. Skated to P[oint] P[leasant] with Pa, James, John & Lewis in [the] morning. Planned[?] out ice boat in [the] afternoon and picked out stock. Boat to have the Riviera's [#187406es] sails. 12f[oot] 8in. across the fore runners, 10f[oot] fore and aft to rudder. Centre runner forward with saw plate between two 1/4@ x 1 1/2@ irons. Rudder same. Side runners 9/16 round iron.
[1875-04-11] Sun 11: Very pleasant and warm day. Launch[ed] Riviera [#187406es] and rig her up with 'leg o'mutton' sail at P[oin]t Pl[easant] and Bristol Ferry. Wind E-ly late in the day.
[1875-04-18] Sun 18: Cold weather. Ther[mometer] 26 [degrees]. Harbor partly frozen over. Launched Riviera [#187406es] early and went and took a row with Lewis before breakfast. Went to P[oin]t Pl[easant] twice off sailing small 'leg o'mutton' sail, light N-ly wind. Th[ermometer] 37 at midday, 30 in [the] evening.
[1882-06-16] Fri 16: Started in Riviera [#187406es] on an excursion at 11-30. Light airs, W[ester]ly, and warm and pleasant. Arrived at Stone Bridge [across the Sakonnet Riverbetween Portsmouth and Tiverton] at 2-45 and took dinner at 'Lantern House'. At 3-45 pulled through Bridge against tide and worked down to Gould Is[land, located 0.6nm further south]. Landed and went all over the Is[land] and then sailed around it. Wind shifted to light W.N.W. Went into the 'Gut' [Nannaquaket Pond?] and sailed nearly the length of it, then returned to the Lantern House for supper at 6-45. After supper went aboard Riviera and washed her out. It is perfectly calm and very pleasant and warm. Took first swim of the season this morning. Had lunch put[?] up to take[?] in the morning[?] and went to bed at 9-30. The Lantern House is pleasantly situated and well kept.
[1882-06-17] Sat 17: Started [in #187406es Riviera] at 5-15 and had to pull through the bridge against a good flood tide. Very pleasant morning. Warm. Wind light [from] N. Finding the lunch not pleasing and the milk sour, which was put up last night, [I] stopped at Fogland at 7 a.m., and went to 'Swans' and got bread, water and milk. This bread also was heavy and unwholesum. Landed at each point on the east shore, and finally at West Is[land] [south off Sakonnet Point] at 11 a.m. where the keeper gave me a very nice dinner of mackerel, chicken, bread, milk & c. Mett[sic] here Mr. Strong, the President of the West Is[land] Club [an exclusive sportfishing club which existed from 1864 to 1906], and another gentleman who is neighbor of Mr. Bostwick [owner of #89p Orienta]. Under way again at 12-45 with light breeze [from] S.W., very fine and warm, head to the eastward for Westport and arrived at harbour mouth [at] about 3. Am much surprised at the size of the harbor. [I] sailed up the West [Branch of the Westport] River about 2 miles, then beat down and went up the east one by the town about a mile to a great rock and had a good view of the evening[?] from the top of it. Returned to the harbor and went ashore at 6 for supper and the night. Fog set in thick at 8, wind still light [from the] S.E.
[1882-06-18] Sun 18: Thick fog this morning. Wind light [from] S.E. Had breakfast at hotel and got underweigh for home at 9-20. Rowed out [in #187406es Riviera] by the point against strong head tide on course to westward at 9/30. Fog soon shut down very thick and continued all day without interruption. Made good courses and landfalls. Passed inside of West Is[land] at 12. Sakest[? Sachuest?] about 1 leaving[?] along stake and among the rocks south of Rhode Is[land] having to row some of the time as wind was very light. Lunch at Gull Rocks at 2-30. Passed inside Brenton Reef at 3-40. Had a smart shower off the Fort [Adams], and after that a light breeze [from the] S and thick fog all the way home where I arrived at about 7-45. We made remarkably good landfalls all day, steering by small compass on watch chain.
[1888-04-08] Sun 8: Very cold and fine. Launched Riviera [#187406es].
[1888-11-29] Thu 29: Quiet day with light rain after 11 a.m. Tried new sail[s] on Riviera [#187406es].
[1888-12-20] Thu 20: Very fine & cool. L[igh]t NW to SW [wind]. Hauled up Riviera [#187406es]. Say When [#150p] taken to factory wharf.
[1889-01-04] Fri 4: Very fine, clear & warm, light SW wind. Began building shed for Riviera [#187406es], SE of boat house.
[1889-01-12] Sat 12: Very fine, moderate W wind. Finished boat house for Riviera [#187406es].
[1889-02-03] Sun 3: Fine day. SW to W [wind in] a.m. Fresh NNW at 5-30 & colder. Fine sail in Riviera [#187406es].
[1899-06-29] Thu 29: Very fine. L[igh]t NW [wind] & clear. H[eav]y rain & NE [wind] last night with T[hunder] & L[ightning]. John started for NY in Agusta [sic, i.e. #146p Augusta II]. Delivered #515 [Blazing Star]. Launched the Riviera [#187406es] for the boys' use.
[1899-11-19] Sun 19: Fair & mild. L[igh]t SW [wind]. Off with in Coquina [#404s] & boys in Riviera [#187406es]. At farm in p.m.
[1901-06-02] Sun 2: Calm early. Weather change & change to S [wind]. Constitution [#551s] towed to Newport. Off in Coquina [#404s]. Made Sidney ward[?] of Coquina & Nat of Riviera [#187406es].
[1905-07-09] Sun 9: [No entry.] [From the #215p Roamer log book:] From Bristol towards Bristol. Off for the day with the young folk, also Grace H[erreshoff], Miss [blank], Isabel Cabot, & [blank]. Very fine & warm with SW to WSW breeze. Left home at 10-40. Ran over to Potter’s Cove, then to Greenwich. Met the boys, who were off cruising in Coquina [#404s], Riviera [#187406es], and Kildee [#460s], off Jarvis Rocks. The[y] followed us into Greenwich Har[bor] where we anchored and had all the boys aboard for dinner. Temp[erature] 84deg. Underway at 2-30, the boys for Barrington and we to Newport. Turned in Brenton’s Cove at 4-30 and arrived home at 5-25. Ebb tide. " (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1874 to 1905. Manuscript (excerpts). Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection [1874-1889]. Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff [1882-1901]. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection, St.Y. Roamer Logbooks [1905].)

"Coconut Grove Fla. Box 116. N. G. Herreshoff Bristol, R. I. Dec 7 1928 {1928/12/07} Dear Francis - ... Com. Munroe has handed me his Nov - "Fore -an' - Aft" and I was immensly interested in your little boats and your success with them against the Huntington boats. They are a type of boat not very far from the old "Riviera' and 'Coquina", of which I was very fond of sailing, and even with the old gaff sails were very fast, and conveniant in their care, as I kept them hoisted out under a shed and the sails & spars always aboard. ... Your - affect Father - " (Source: Mystic Seaport Museum, L. Francis Herreshoff Collection, Box 17, Folder 4: Letter from N. G. Herreshoff to L. F. Herreshoff.)

"My Own Boats. Except a few that will be mentioned as half-owner. ...
2
1874 RIVIERA - built in Nice, already described. Now alive." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "My Own Boats. Except a few that Will be Mentioned as Half-Owner." Bristol, (originally compiled 1892 with additions in) 1929. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 113.)

"The RIVIERA was built in Nice, France, at the comer of Rue de France and Rue St. Phillipe. She was particularly designed for a trip along the Mediterranean coast, through the rivers and canals of France, Germany, and Holland, to England.
Description- Length overall 4.89 meters [16.04 feet], on water line 4.50 m [14.76 feet], width 1.55 m [5.08 feet], depth 58 cm [22.83 inches], width of stern 1.09 m [3.6 feet]. Her model is peculiar having an angular bilge, deadrise at the largest place 3 1/2" per foot, decreasing from bow to stern. Her top-streaks are 42 cm [16.5 inches] wide and are flared sufficiently to give her a true sheer with perfectly straight edges to the streaks. The top streaks, narrowed about 4 cm [1.57 inches] only at the ends, are 8 mm [0.31 inches] thick of white Norway pine. The bottom is 6 or 7 mm [about 1/4 inch] thick of same wood planked fore and aft with battened seams. Frames are of mulberry, moulded 4 cm [1.57 inches]and sided 12 mm [.54 inch]. Centerboard 1.45 m [57 inches] long. Flooring 1 cm [2.54 inches] thick of Swiss pine. She is sloop rigged or una [cat] at pleasure. Mast 7 3/4 cm [2.75 inches] diameter and 5.40 m [17.71 feet] long of Swiss pine. Length of main sail on foot 5 m [16.40 feet], on the luff 3.60 m [11.81 feet], on the head 3.60 m [11.81 feet]. Bow sprit outboard 2.25 m [7.38 feet]. Jib has a boom, and is 4.50 m [14.76 feet] on foot, on leach 3.60 m [11.81 feet].
The weight of [the] hull, when new, with centerboard hung [is] 113.4 kilos [249.48 lbs.]. [The] mast, sails, rigging, [and] rudder [weigh] 26.6 kilos [58.52 lbs]. [The] estimate of [the] weight of [the] boat, as fitted out for the trip, including passengers,
Hull when wet 120 Kilos 264 lbs
Rigging and equipment 40 " 88"
Personal baggage 60 " 132"
Lewis Herreshoff 75 " 165"
N.G. Herreshoff 66 " 145.2 "
Total 361 Kilos 794.2 "
...
When RIVIERA was finished, she was placed in an orange orchard near the Feighira's [possibly Figueira] house, and I painted her myself while the sails and rigging were being made. I cut out the sails on the upper floor of the Feighira's house that was unoccupied and had Mrs. Eaton's [Cousins of the Herreshoffs, then living in Nice] seamstress sew them up as with L'ONDA's sails earlier. RIVIERA was initially constructed to make a cruise eastward along the Italian coast, but this cruise was given up because of information that this section of coast was infested with brigands, and it would be unsafe for us. Also, there was not time. After launching [RIVIERA in] the latter part of June, a few daytrips were made very pleasantly.
... [see original text for much more detail on the voyage itself written in 1874]. ...
For several years, I used RIVIERA weekends in cold weather with a leg-o-mutton sail and in summer cat rigged with her own main-sail, and occasionally with full rig. After a year or two, I had new bottom planking put in, as the original was quite thin in places and warped. I made a new rig for her that proved very satisfactory for a winter sail and one to stow on board and [made] to set easily. This was January, 1882. The sail was of heavy sheeting, roped on head, luff and foot and laced permanently to gaff and mast. There was a sleeve in the mast with two ears. This was supported by a permanent throat pennant and the gaff was pinned between the two ears so to be raised at any angle. There were two single peak halyards side by side and going through blocks at [the] masthead at the two sides. One halyard was belayed to [the] starboard gunwale a little forward of [the] mast, and the other similarly to [the] portside, so they acted as shrouds and held the peak well. The head of [the] sail was [the] same length as [the] luff 7'6" each and leach nearly 12'. Length of foot (10'6"). So, by lowering [the] peak and lashing [the] gaff close to the mast, the sail was at once reduced to about half size and acted as a trysail. The boom was attached to a sleeve similar to the gaff, and when in use was square to the mast and acted as a sprit boom. When stowing the sail, the boom sleeve was allowed to fall to the track lashing and by swinging the boom up, it just reached the head of the mast. [The] mast was 13 feet long, 2 7/16" at partners, 2 1/8" at throat, [and] 1 1/4" at the head. This sail was used many years, until worn out.
About 1885, I moved the mast forward and added a small rowboat's sail as a mizzen. These two sails were about the same shape, the larger about 80 square feet and the smaller about 40 square feet. The combination made a very satisfactory rig and was used until 1889 (April) when COQUINA was built." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "The Log of the Riviera." Text additions from March 1932. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 81-83, 93-94.)

"After my son Nat grew up [Nathanael G. Herreshoff Jr. (1888-1926)], I loaned him the RIVIERA, and for a few years, he used her, and even entered some races and was once [on July 19, 1905] capsized in a squall, but [he] soon righted [the boat] and finished the race.
... RIVIERA is in existence in my boathouse, now 58 years old." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Coquina" Bristol, March 1932 [?]. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 95-96.)

"In 1874, I was in a very run down condition and in February, 1874, went to Nice, France for my health, and soon began to rally. I stayed with my cousin Charles F. Eaton, and he, with my brother Lewis who was there, had built a very good skiff (or sharpie) about seventeen feet long. In this, I got interested in sailing and first built a thirteen foot sailing dory (L'ONDA), and then the dead-rise sailing dinghy RIVIERA, which is still in my boathouse, after sixty years. [RIVIERA was destroyed in the Hurricane of 1938, but her rudder is on display at the Herreshoff Marine Museum.] I sailed HELEN for Charlie Eaton in quite a noticeable race at Cannes, France and won, and in early July of that year, sailed in RIVIERA on a long cruise, as described in a log then written in a small red covered book The following summer, 1875, I had RIVIERA at home to sail in my spare time while at [the] Corliss Steam Engine Company. I had RIVIERA's jib and mainsail rig on an ice boat in Bristol Harbor in January and February, 1875.
...
For recreation and winter sailing, I had been using RIVIERA, and had davits arranged to keep her lifted out. I used her some with her full jib and mainsail rig, but more with cat rig, and in winter, a dinghy leg-o-mutton sail. Then [later I had] a very handy gaff and sprit boom sail, having twin halyards that made shrouds. This sail, being small for ordinary sailing, I stepped the mast well forward and added a mizzen gaff sail of [the] same kind, and this proved the best rig of all. I finally substituted a larger mainsail with usual halyards." (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. 49-50, 55.)

"August 31 1935
Dear Mr. Stephens -
... The first two boats of my ownership I built myself in Nice, France, in 1874, being banished from home to rebuild my health. One of them is in my boat-house now. ...
Very truly yours,
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff
Sept. 15 1935." (Source: Letter 13. From N. G. Herreshoff to W. P. Stephens, dated August 31, 1935 to September 15, 1935. In: Herreshoff, Nathanael Greene and William Picard Stephens. "Their Last Letters 1930-1938." Annotated by John W. Streeter. Bristol, R. I., ca. 1999, p. 67-80.)

"April 22 1936
Dear Mr. Stephens -
... at that time we were on our way home from Nice, France, where I had built two small open sailing boats, one 12 ft. and one 16 ft. long completely rigged for sailing - in 1874. The large one we came home in as much of the way as possible, i.e., along the Mediterranean and up the Rhone to Aries - there shipped by rail to the canal from the Saone to Rhine, down the Rhine full length to Rotterdam. Then loaded on steamship to London and spent some weeks sailing on the Thames, then shipped to Liverpool by rail and lashed on a deck house of S.S. CITY OF BRUSSELS and finally sailed home from New York in our boat RIVIERA which I now have. At Nice it was surprising how crude all the tools were that I could get to work with and few in number. Yet the work done by the native workmen was of high order. ...
Yours sincerely,
Nathl. G. Herreshoff" (Source: Letter 21. From N. G. Herreshoff to W. P. Stephens, dated April 22, 1936. In: Herreshoff, Nathanael Greene and William Picard Stephens. "Their Last Letters 1930-1938." Annotated by John W. Streeter. Bristol, R. I., ca. 1999, p. 137-138.)

"March 26, 1937
Dear Mr. Stephens -
... Your opportunities for tools and material, when you built your first canoe in 1876, were far better than I had in Nice, France, in 1874, when I built my little boats L'ONDA & RIVIERA. There was no saw or planing mill in the place. Only a yard having 'deals' from Norway & the north countries - and there I selected suitable ones and hired two whip-saw men to cut them up into boards of required thickness. These were transported in a hand cart to the little carpenter's shop where the boats were built, and I hired the carpenter to plane them. There was no wood available that could be steamed and bent, so the boats were built with a 'chine.' There was no good fastening to be had, only copper wire nail, and crude brass screws -no small bitts except old fashioned gimlets with big screws that would split the wood, so nearly all holes had to be made with self-made awls with chisel points. The cousin I was staying with could speak French and was the greatest assistance in finding where things could be had, and bargaining for them. The ropes were made specially & spars by the makers along shore. I had to cut the sails from very good cotton cloth sheeting, and hire a woman to sew them. Roped them myself - mast-hoops of brass wire, and a tin worker soldered them and made our grub box. I had to make the pulley blocks having shells of sheet brass. I cannot recollect how I obtained the brass sheaves? There was no lathe available for me to turn them. There were 14 pulley blocks in the outfit. The bobstay was of 1/2" brass rod and after turning the eyes & fitting the scarfed ends, the tinker soldered them. You notice I could buy brass sheets & wire. The carpenter shop had an old-fashioned iron vise; cold-chisels and files of any type could be bought. When ready for painting & varnishing, RIVIERA was moved out into an orange orchard and turned upside down on two horses; and in this position I did all the painting myself both inside & out.
My cousin's wife made the flags, etc., and altogether the boat was quite a fair job, and is still in my boathouse. There was nothing to compare with in that section. ...
With kindest regards,
Sincerely,
Nathanael G. Herreshoff" (Source: Letter 27. From N. G. Herreshoff to W. P. Stephens, dated March 26, 1937. In: Herreshoff, Nathanael Greene and William Picard Stephens. "Their Last Letters 1930-1938." Annotated by John W. Streeter. Bristol, R. I., ca. 1999, p. 165-167.)

"[Riviera] was especially designed for sailing along the coast of the Mediterranean and for cruising in the rivers and canals of France, Belgium, and Holland. She was V bottomed, very lightly built. Her frames were made of mulberry, a native wood that is very sound and strong. She was built principally by Captain Nat with the help of his blind brother, Lewis, and a local carpenter. 'Riviera' was about seventeen feet long and had a very large sloop rig for the light weather in the Mediterranean, but also arranged so the mast could be stepped farther forward when she was cat rigged.
After sailing and cruising about Nice for a while, they started on a trip up the Mediterranean coast of France, July 14. The first leg of the trip was along the coast to Marseilles. On the way they visited many quaint places and slept either on board or on the beach. They also visited a French navy yard. Then, from Marseille they went inland by river, canal, and railroad to Basle, then on to Strasbourg, Speyer, Mannheim, and Worms, from there continuing down the Rhine to Emerich and shortly after reaching the German outpost and registering the boat, entered Dutch customs in mid-afternoon of Saturday, the eighth of August. They went on by comfortable degrees to Rotterdam where they took a steamer to London and sailed and cruised on the Thames while sightseeing in London. ... The two brothers left Liverpool for America on the steamer 'City of Brussels' of the Inman Line. On arriving at New York they lowered 'Riviera' from the steamer and started at once for home, down Long Island Sound." (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. 69-70.)

"'Riviera' was a light boat with an enormous sail plan, almost like the sand-baggers of the time, and of course easily capsized. She was very fast and on one occasion, at least, sailed seventy miles in one day, and went through this remarkable cruise and the trip across the Atlantic on the deck of a steamer almost unscratched. She was later used by Captain Nat at Bristol for several years and finally used by his children under very much reduced sail plans. Later she was stored in a boat house on Captain Nat's property but was destroyed when this boat house was swept away in the hurricane of 1938, at the time when 'Riviera' was sixty-four years old." (P. 71; 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.)
"In 1880 he had 'Riviera' replanked, and in 1882 put a catyawl rig in her which was especially designed to stow inside the boat but still could be quickly rigged and unrigged for winter sailing. With this rig 'Riviera' had three mast holes which were used as follows: In light weather the mainmast was stepped in the mast hole near the stem, and the mizzen in a hole well aft. In stronger breezes the mainmast was stepped in a mast hole about one-third her length from the bow, with no mizzen set; and in strong winds the mizzen was used here in place of the mainsail." (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. 115.)

"In the [Bristol] Phoenix of April 25th and May 16th [187], we published a lengthy but very interesting account of a regatta which took place on the river Nice [sic], in Italy [sic], in which a small sail boat built on that river by our young townsman, Mr. Nathaniel G. Herreshoff, took the prize. Mr. Herreshoff in company with his brother Lewis, left home in the spring of 1873 [sic, i.e. 1874], for the old world, on an exploring expedition. Arriving in France and Italy, their native ingenuity and skill prompted them to build a sail boat, which they called the Helen, and which fairly astonished the natives, both by its swiftness and the adventurous exploits of its owners, in traversing those heretofore unexplored rivers. [Note that Helen had not been built by NGH.] After completing their visit they set about to build a second boat [#187406es Riviera], of still smaller dimensions and in which the two brothers embarked for home, cruising two hundred miles through the Mediterranean Sea, thence five hundred miles down the Rhine, thence to Amsterdam, by steamer and to England where they embarked for New York in the steamer Russia [sic. NGH reported this in 1932 to have been the City of Brussels] and arrived on Sunday the 21st ult [sic. September 21, 1874 would have been a Monday]. Mr. C F. Herreshoff. the father of the young men, learning of their arrival in New York, and that they intended returning through the sound in their boat, started on Wednesday morning to meet them, he was accompanied by other members of the family and friends, Messrs. James B., and John B. Herreshoff, accompanying the party, in the steamer Vision [#14p], and meeting the Riviera about midway off Long Island Sound. The meeting was a very happy one between father and sons, brothers and friends. The Vision took the Riviera in tow and the party turned for home, where they arrived about mid­night, on Thursday. The Riviera is sixteen feet in length, five feet three inches in width and weighs with rods and rigging attached three hundred pounds. She lies hauled upon the beach near Mr. Herreshoff's Yacht yard, where she has been visited and examined by hundreds of people each day since her arrival." (Source: Anon. "Locals." Bristol Phoenix, October 3, 1874, p. 2. Reprinted in: Herreshoff Marine Museum Chronicle, Spring 1983, p. 3.)

"Narragansett Bay Y. R. A.
Week of Racing-July 17-22 [1905].
Third Day July 19.
The third event of the series was the nineteenth annual open regatta of the Rhode Island Y. C. It was marked by about all the varieties of weather that Rhode Island is capable of furnishing, and the racing skippers had a vigorous experience. Two sharp thunder squalls came during the progress of the race, alternating with a season of fair sailing breeze and several spells of almost flat calm. The wind shifted to all points of the compass. The first squall was a black one, and for ten or fifteen minutes the wind blew a gale and the rain descended in torrents, but there were no serious accidents, and only three of the twenty-two boats entered withdrew from the race. Several boats met with minor mishaps, and young Nat Herreshoff was capsized, but righted his boat and finished the course. The summary: ...
15ft. Yawls --- Start, 2:34 --- Course, 8 Miles.
Coquina [#404s], S. [Sidney] Herreshoff; 5 25 45; 2 51 45
Riviera [#ES187406], N. G. Herreshoff, Jr.; 5 34 45; 3 00 45 ..." (Source: Anon. "Narragansett Bay Y. R. A. Week of Racing-July 17-22." Forest and Stream, July 29, 1905, p. 98.)

"... [During the hurricane of 1938 the boat shed between Sid’s and his father’s (Capt Nat) house collapsed, and of the seven boats stored in it, the Velita [#193301es] was the only one not completely destroyed. Sid’s dinghy, the Glory B [#193602es] was washed onto the piazza of the senior Herreshoff’s house, resting there in perfect repose. Sid’s little sloop, the speedboat Bubble [#285p] was feared lost, until she was dug out from a heap of kindling wood wreckage of several small waterfront cottages. The newest addition to Sid’s fleet, the 46-foot cabin launch, the Lang Syne [#251p], recently brought around from Marblehead, accommodatingly came ashore in his yard, so he had his whole flotilla stranded within a dozen feet of his shop door. ...[Also among the destroyed boats was #187406es Riviera. Two other boats that may have been in the boat shed and thus destroyed were #192101es Lantana which NGH reported to have been stored there as late as 1933 and #404s Coquina which was last reported to be in existence in 1932.]" (Source: Simpson, Richard, V. "The Great Hurricane and Tidal Wave of 1938: Scenes of the Disaster in Rhode Island's East Bay." Roger Williams University, Bristol, 2012. http://docs.rwu.edu/hurricane_1938/1, retrieved April 12, 2014.)

"[Item Description:] Photocopy of NGH [personal] notebook/diary of 1874 describing the voyage of #187406es RIVIERA from France through Germany and the Netherlands to England and home to Bristol, R.I." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.126. Diary. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Diary of Nathanael Herreshoff. 1874.)
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"[Item Description:] Memorandum Book (NGH) containing building expenses for #187404es L'ONDA in Apr 1874 and #187406es RIVIERA in June 1874, other information related to trip incl. list of clothes, wash account, letters written and received, articles purchased, directions." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Memorandum Book. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_54960. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-02 to 1874-07.)
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"[Item Description:] Johny [sic, i.e. JBH] has a [coil] boiler, detailed description, operation, performance, Mr P purchased the boat, will build boat 50ft long, 3 1/2 wide, weight 150lbs, to go 13 or 14 miles [this will be #14p VISION], you should not have built the boat [#187406es RIVIERA] until you get to the head of the Rhine, the Rhone is against you, hope you will see Rome and Venice, on the back a note 'James has made this even worse than mine would[?]. He is just going out with the [#12p] CREST. Sat afternoon, 3 F'" (Source: Herreshoff, James. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07390. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. No date (1874-05 ?).)
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"[Item Transcription:] It is evening. Mary has gone to bed not feeling very well, and I am seated here by the sitting room making a beginning on a letter for you,
Sunday Mrs. Houghton sent over to us the letter you wrote to her, and Monday I sent it to your mother in Bristol as you desired. Was glad to hear from you again and to hear of your improving health. Ten pounds in five weeks! That is a gain surely. Keep on, and you'll catch up with Charlie.
I thought you wouldn't get back quite as soon as you expected when you went away, and I don't blame you. We all want to see you very much, but you are enjoying yourself so much, and improving so in health. I'd stay as long as I could.
Johnnie [JBH] and your father were up to the shop [Corliss] week before last, and I walked down street with them. Johnnie came up to get a propeller cast for the new steamer from the old pattern, but four blades instead of three. Johnnie wanted Mary and I to spend next Sunday with them, and we wanted to go very much of course, but Mary won't be able to go this week, and we shall have to put it off to another time. Mary's general health is pretty good, and she is just as enthusiastic over housekeeping as ever.
Today has been a regular Spring day. One of the very few we have had, and it has seemed pleasant enough. The month just passed (April) has been very cold and disagreeable, a constant succession of N. Easters. Sixteen mornings the thermometer was at or below the freezing point on College Hill, and the average temperature was 30deg, the coldest April by 3deg we have had in forty two years. So says Dr. Caswell.
I see by your letter that you have the Providence papers, so that the ones I sent containing the Referee's Report [apparently a reference to the Corliss Hope Street High Service Pump of winter 1873/1874] must have come rather late. I should have sent them sooner, but I kept waiting to hear from you.
I will mail with this letter a couple of 'Presses', which contain something not yet printed in the Journal &c. The communication of the Water Commissioners to the Referees asking them to reconsider their report and their reply.
First Graffe's and then Reynolds' and Smith's. I think you will find Gaffe's letter a particularly sound and well written one. You see things are no nearer settlement than when you left, and I guess the fun has but just begun.
Sunday May 10th.
This is the first uncomfortably warm day we have had. Our fires are all out, all our windows open. 81deg. Rillie and I took a walk this morning out by Mrs Railey's and Bradley's and back to Mr Grosvenors and Eaton's and glad enough we were to get into the house again, and get coats and boots off. This sudden firing up is a little too much. Why yesterday and the day before I wore my heavy winter overcoat to the Shop.
What are you up today, I wonder. Any thoughts of coming home yet. I wish I could take the trip [with #187406es RIVIERA] you propose. Would Lewis come home with you in case you took that trip.
This is the day we were to be in Bristol, and a nice one it would have been. I hope next Sunday will be as warm and pleasant. For Mary and I are going down Saturday if[?] something[?] happens. I suppose Johnnie has told you all about the new safety [coil] boiler they have in the 'CREST' [#12p] this season. I received a note from Johnnie yesterday and he said they had launched the 'Crest' and she goes one mile an hour faster with the new boiler. How is that?
The new [Corliss] pumping engine progresses fairly and will soon be ready to start up. About the 1st of June I guess. Mr. C[orliss] is very confident of showing a good result, and I hope he will. I suppose you read in the Journal of the Electric in the new ward, Raynesford for Alderman and Mrs Reynolds on the school committee and Amasa [Eaton] councilman.
Friday May 15th
I guess I finish off your letter this afternoon and mail it tonight, for I'm afraid you'll be leaving Nice before my letter gets there. I am writing this at my table in the drawing room. All the old hands are drawing at their tables, Otto, Henthorne[?] and Bower. It is a beautiful summer day, such as I hope for tomorrow. Mary and I are going to Bristol tomorrow if it is pleasant on the CANONICUS. It will seem strange to visit there and not see you. We have been cleaning house this week, have had two rooms repapered and look quite improved. But it's hard work, and I'm glad we are about through.
Mrs Corliss's sister Miss Shaw died yesterday at Mr Corliss' house, and he hasn't been up to the shop today. She had been sick quite a while, nervous prostration I believe they called her disease.
Mr Corliss has bought an expensive place in Newburyport, Mass. called 'The Evergreens' and which is to be his Summer residence, in the future. I wonder how much time he will spend there.
The pumping engine progresses slowly. Mr Corliss has applied to the City Council for his money and his claim was referred to the 'committee on claims'. The Water Commissioners have contracted with the West Point Foundry for a Cornish Engine. The streets are being dug up still for sewers and water pipes, the foundation is in for a stand pipe at Hope Station. The 'Press' is still hammering at the Commissioners, and so things go on. I can think of no more news to send you. Mary is well. Mrs Houghton, Annie and Mame[?] also, and they are all going to write to you. Remember me to Lewis.
Take care of yourself and come home well.
Your friend ...
Mary sends love." (Source: Phillips, George. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07720. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-05-06.)
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"[Item Description:] Letter from home to France; Dear Nathie; trip to Spring Green in #12p CREST; new boiler has been perfect success; CREST now sold to Philadelphia which will be a great loss to Jimmie [James Herreshoff] who enjoyed her a lot; I hardly like your travelling in a boat as you propose [#187406es RIVIERA]; wish you could stay in Europe till spring so your health could be improved; remainder by mother Julia A. Herreshoff; very much troubled at your proposed cruise [in RIVIERA]; how would Lewis manage with you and the boat with his imperfect sight; your lives may be in danger; steamer [apparently #13p WILLIAM SPICER] to be launched on the 26th; James boiler carried the boat 11 miles in an hour;" (Source: Herreshoff, J.B. & Herreshoff, Julia A. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07440. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-05-20.)
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"[Item Description:] answers to questions about Canal (for #187406es RIVIERA voyage); questions (NGH?) attached" (Source: Figheiro, Cyprien. Letter / Note to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_78650. Correspondence, Folder 26, formerly 213. 1874-05-22.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Bristol, R.I. June 25th [18]74
Dear Brothers [Nat and Lewis in France],
I have been trying to write you for the past two weeks --- have been busy for the past two weeks, but am now more at leisure. We rec[eive]d Lewis' letters to Sister Carrie two days ago.
You have probably decided we[?] think[?] how you will pass your time for the few months remain[in]g in Europe. Your proposed trip in the small boat [#187406es RIVIERA] has caused a good deal of talk & feeling among your relatives here: All I can say is respecting that you & Lewis are the most competent to judge for yourselves, in relation to it, and I think will not needlessly expose yourselves.
Have been talking with Mother in regard to funds for your use. Mother expects to send in a day or two ab[ou]t[?] $100. We think that the $270 Mother sent about the latter part of May will be all that you [p. 2] require on the Continent.
I expect you will occupy at least one month in England & Scotland before returning home.
Sadie & I have placed $100[?] in the Saving Bank, which we shall be most happy to send you at any place you may designate. I should think you would need it by the time you arrive in England. It is for both of you.
Then I will also send $100 from elsewhere[?]: So do not try to economize too close or shorten y[ou]r tour.
You must all be having rather a pleasant & happy time.
Your letters are always interesting & eagerly read by us all.
Do not forget to write one a falnight[?] during your tour.
Now I must tell you how we are at home.
Brother Charles and the family [p. 3] are all well. Aunt Anna & Sister Sally are well. Aunt Sarah recov[erin]g[?] from a recent nervous attach. Papa & Mama & all here are well except for Stanton [Chesebrough] who has not been quite so well the few past days.
Bro James started off yesterday on an excursion to Montauk, expected back in ab[ou]t ten days. I called Ms. Haughton three days ago. Said she had just written you. Stopped at Corliss & one[?] hauled the new pumping engine he had just made to play with: Some very good and some very poor features about it: There is the usual trouble too much fiction. We completed the Steamer 'WM. SPICER' [#13p] on the last day of June: She worked well, every way, except the condenser which was 3[?] 2in[?] half[?] pipes alongside of her hull. The exhaust steam chose very foolishly to pass thru the upper pipe, which after all is very natural. I had to take it all off & make a condenser in our usual manner. The boiler seems to be capable of supply[in]g all the steam required & that [p. 4] without foaming. We made a few trials of her speed, found 40lbs would run her ten miles an hour, 52lbs 11 miles an hour. I think with 85 or 90 she would easily run 13. She is a very pretty boat & I think nearer right than others built for the business. We sold the CREST [#12p] to a Mr. Potter of N[ew] York who will use her at his residence on the Shrewsbury river. She left here on the 11t. Capt Denum who came with us from Springfield last year took her on alone, the same made a satisfactory run. Now I must tell you about the new [Coil] Boiler. We made one & used it in the CREST about one month. The upper 1/2 inch pipe, then 3/4, & the[?] the lower 1 in. pipe encased by a sheet iron drum 28 in. diam[eter] & about the same height. Our first trial in the boat was to run her in the harbor about one hour with a steam pressure of 1 to 200 lbs, you can imagine the speed. She was used ab[ou]t every day & the greatest speed obtained with 140lbs, 11 miles an hour & 110 lbs 10 miles per hour. [p. 5] The boiler is undoubtedly a great success, it seems to work equally well with all kinds of water, the cylinders run longer without oil than ever before & did not wear at all or grunt. The only difficulty seemed to be the proper amount of feed water which must vary according to the heat from the furnace. Me or James have got up something, a pocket which the steam passes thru from the worm [i.e the coil] & then[?] is superheated from the remaining lower coils, a floating ball with pks[?] let out the surplus water & also regulates the feed water. I shall have the boiler completed with the attachment, also another engine finished up with metal piston & stem[?] packing, to put into a boat 30 ft. long, 4 ft wide, 18 in deep. W[eigh]t of machinery 500[?] lbs & w[eigh]t of boat 500[?] lbs. We expect to run our 32 in. wheel 500 turns per min[ute] & keep a pressure of 110 lbs, using salt water, no condenser or water tank required. [This appears to be a reference to what will become the 48ft VISION, the first boat built with a coil boiler but VISION had already been mentioned in earlier letters as a 50ft boat.] Can we get a speed of 18 miles per hour?
We expect to have the boat completed by Aug[us]t[?]. We are just finish[in]g the R.[?] Island boat [apparently #187402es ASPHODEL] & expect to beat[?] the JULIA [#187004es] next week. [p. 6] Mr. Reynolds has tried his new steam boat at Phil[adelphi]a & runs her at the rate of 20 miles per hour. The trial was made last Saturday.
When you come back we want you both to take hold with us and make something out of Jim's new invention. There is room enough for you both.
The HARTFORD [#186703es] is launched & Pa & I[?] are now going off to race with her. Stanton [Chesebrough] is much better to day than he was yesterday. Love to our kind cousins C & H. We feel very grateful to them for their kindness to you. Pas strawberries are now ripe and very nice. Wish we could send you some.
Yours with love, both from Sadie & your aff[ectionate] brother John B. Herreshoff.
Katie often speaks of you both. We had a pleasant visit from Geo[rge] P[hillips] & wife.
[The same pages contain a second two-page letter under different date:]
Bristol R.I. May 29 / [18]74
Dear Brothers
Your letters were received in due time and have been gladly perused by all of us --- they are full of interest.
I wrote you a long letter about the middle of April [1874-04-12 and 1874-04-19] giving you a description of the steamer [#13p WILLIAM SPICER] I have been building. Think you should have got it before Nat's last letter was mailed. We launched the WM. SPICER Tuesday P.M. May 26th with quite a number on board, mother, leng[?] Lizzie & Sally, Francis, Geo[rge] Phillips & wife, Grace & her father & Mrs. Locke being among them. She was launched with all the machinery on board and all the piping up. We made our trial trip in her this P.M. She is a great success, all the machinery and joints being right the first time. She is [p. 2] fitted as follows --- boiler 5 x 9ft, main engine 14 x 16 inches, screw 57 inches 4 blades, hoisting engine 3 1/2 x 7, being a Sturtvant blower with 7[?] inch pipe and an auxiliary pump. Water tank of iron contains about 3 h[un]d[re]ds[?]. Safety valves, one 1 1/2 inch common & one 2 1/2 inch Slip[?] Locke[?] valve. Condense pipes, brass, three in number, 2 inch inside, most of the small piping is brass, according to Lewis' request.
The result of our trial this P.M. was with 40 lbs pressure, 120 rev[olutions], 1/2 mile course with head tide, three min & 6 seconds. The blower works admirably, could have driven the boat with it so to have run the boat 13 m[iles] per hour, I think. Will write you about the next trial which will be on Tuesday next, when the boat will be ready for delivery. Yours John." (Source: Herreshoff, J.B. Letter to Herreshoff, Lewis and Herreshoff, N.G. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07470. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-05-25 and 1874-06-25.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Friend Nat,
I suppose you have given up expecting to hear from us, but with me it is the old story of procrastination. I didnot know but you were going to forget us entirely it was so long before we heard from you, I think you were very excusable as you were in another country and there was so much to see that was new to you.
I am very glad your health is improving and hope it will be so well established that when you come home to me you may never have any more attacks of neuralgia or any other diseases.
This is the month we expected to see you, how about the time has seemed, it seems but two weeks ago that you left Prov[idence].
Annie is in today, and it seems very much like old times particularly as she has a head ache and I have been doctoring her on the sofa. (This is the meanest paper to write on that I ever saw.)
I saw by the paper that John [JBH] had sold the CREST [#12p] so I don't expect to have any more sails in her. The Wardens[?] often speak of the pleasant sail they took in her last Summer. Mr. W. was up here the other evening and sent his regards to you and told me to tell you he should like to be with you when you take your cruise in your new boat [#187406es RIVIERA].
Annie and I took a little ride last night and drove up to Georges. Mary says her mother and brother will are[sic] are coming soon. Katie had gone homesick. I suppose George [Phillips] keeps you posted on the doings at the [Corliss] shop and [Hope Street?] pumping station.
We have been very quiet here, after the wedding and reception. We find Mr Andom[?] to be very pleasant and kind. He want to take your place to, chop would[?] bring water & c.
You will see I commenced my letter some time ago, have been waiting for Anne to add her sheet, but shall wait no longer. She has been so busy getting her carpets and furniture and preparing for housekeeping she has had no time for any thing else, but will write as soon as she is settled. They will get into their house this week. I was at Bristol last week, called at your house. Your mother had gone to Prov., called at John's. He and Sadie had gone to Providence, too & then I went to Mrs Chesebro's [Caroline] and found her at home. Julian came to the door when I rang, and I said good morning. He said how do you do Mrs Kelton[?]. When I asked him who he thought I was, oh, Mrs Houghton, well your voices are alike. I have just heard, Mr. Broome was going to Bristol to work at John's establishment. Mr. Broome has been lately married, so will take his new bride to Bristol.
I forgot to tell you, we have our ketehen[?] parmels[?] and are going to have it prepared[?] this week. Aren't you glad.
Mrs Phillips mother and brother are here. George [Phillips] and his brother William, 'brother Will', and Otto went down the river in a sail boat, last week and were gone 3 days. I think brother Will liked not very much sleeping on the planks. Some people can never put up with anything out of the common course. George called at Bristol and your father went out with the JULIA [#187004es] and beat them all out and out.
Charley Wescott and George are getting up a party to go sailing this week. Want Mame to go with them. I suppose she will go but I would just as licue[?] she would stay at home. Johnny [JBH] called her about two weeks ago on his way to New London. The first of your family I had seen since you left. They all seem to think you will not come home till Oct, is that true? I hope you will write and let us know, if you intend to stay away so long. This is the worst paper I ever need to write on. I hope you can decipher it.
Mrs Budlong is very low indeed, not expected to live very long, poor Gertie, if she had a good father it would be some comfort for her. [Incl envelope to NGH and Cyprien Fighiera in Nice, France, postmarked July 8 (1874) in New York and July 21 in Nice (which appears to be late given this letter's date of June 11, 1874 and may indicate that this envelope originally belonged to some other letter.]" (Source: Houghton, Mary S. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_78830. Correspondence, Folder 26, formerly 213. 1874-06-11.)
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"[Item Transcription:] The letters from Nellie & Lewis [Herreshoff] to Carrie of the 9th of June were rec'd yesterday morning --- and altho' I sent you a letter two days ago, I hasten to reply to yours Lewis --- I sent a draft for $270 on the 27th of May through Duncan & Sherman, but of course it was not time as early as the 9th of June for you to receive it. Nat wrote for about two hundred, but I added $70 because I thought it might be needed, & propose sending $100 to you, dear Lewis, in the same way the last draft was sent by the 29th or 30th of this month, June --- Now I do feel very much for your disappointment in leaving for home without having gone over more ground as Nellie says, but you have passed a most delightful winter --- with the kindest & best of friends.
If it should be considered best for Nat's health to stay in Europe longer, & if you could with him see & hear what you most wish to, it would seem that we among us, with more of Nat's, might make up sufficient for you both. You write that Nat ought to stay the next winter abroad to give him a chance of entire reinstatement of health. If you should decide to go to England, that is decide on the cruise in the boat [#187406es RIVIERA], I think you may depend on about $200 in London by the time you would arrive there, sent in the same way as James sent.
I do feel very anxious about that plan of travelling, fearing robbers, and think on that account it would be very unsafe indeed, entirely so, to sleep on board your lives would be in danger & you could not leave anything in your boat to go ashore. I should think there would be great reason to fear that the boat itself might be taken.
Do write at once wen you receive the draft. I have written two letters --- with this three --- since I sent on the 27th of May. Acknowledge receiving a letter from your aunt Mary containing her photograph. She sent it from Boston last May.
Now, do not, my dear Lewis, fret yourself about the Chicago Mortgages. I think they will all come out right in the end.
All I fear at present is that after passing such a pleasant winter with your cousins & then having brother Nat. with you, that you will hardly be contented in our trying climate & with our matter of fact people. I wrote you a very long letter this week, but omitted to direct 'via England', as Nat wished.
John saw the Houghtons this week. They are well & had written Nat.
Nellie's letter gave us all a great [deal] of pleasure as her letters always do. Stant[on] has quite a sick turn, but is improving today. He seems to have taken cold & has a high pulse. Aunt Sarah is decidedly better & reading the newspaper. Julian has been making them a visit.
I hope my dear son Lewis that you will not need to draw what you have in Prov[idence] & that if you think it best, a way may be found to enable you to carry out your first plan of seeing & hearing & to have Nat along.
With my best love to Nellie & Charlie,
In great haste ..." (Source: Herreshoff, Julia A. Letter to Herreshoff, Lewis and Herreshoff, N.G. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07620. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-06-25.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Sally is here & we are expecting to go to Prov. tomorrow morning in the middle train to transact a little business. The Cranston Bank is ready to pay a dividend of 25 percent, and the bank will come out right in the end that is pay its dues. I wrote yo you the day your letter & Nellie's to Carrie arrived, that I would send in a few days a draft to you, dear Lewis, in this same way Nat's from James was sent & mine at day or two since.
John tells me he wrote you that you might expect a draft on your arrival in England, for I think he said, $100 for each of you --- that is $200 for both. I always think in writing you that the previous letter may not have reached you, & so repeat whatever is important. The draft which Nat. wished send to amount to about $200 was made $270. Whatever amount I send to you tomorrow as a present from me, I make the same to Nat. deducting the amt. from the $270, thus leaving his next egg in the banks a little larger. Our dear & excellent cousins, Charlie [Eaton] & Nellie, have been so kin, & you have enjoyed so much with them & yet I shall regret very much having you turn your backs on Europe for America without having seen all you wished to see --- the German cities, Rome & c --- I have been reading your letter Lewis to Mrs. Brownell & Bessie's to Carl & I have laughed heartily about the poor cat.
Many thanks, dear Nellie, for the nice presents. Sally is very much pleased with hers & wears it & Stant. [Chesebrough] & Carrie tell me they intend writing you tomorrow. The secret respecting the musical box was told me yesterday --- and Stanton insists on sending you Lewis $20. He declares the obligation between you was mutual & as he would be offended it it did not go, Carrie says, this eve. it must go to you. James has gone to Canada to return about the 4th of July. The excursion to & from only $7. Young Mitchell, the pianist has joined the party. John has enquiries for another boat since my last.
Your father & all the families of Herreshoff are well. I wrote you in my last that yr. aunt Sarah is improving. We are having a good crop of strawberries, --- sufficient to supply the three families. our aunt Mary worked yesterday weeding asparagus in her land south. Madame Brownell standing or sitting by her. Chas. DeWolf Brownell, wife & children were here & at Carrie's this aft. I think by their dress the must have attended church. Mrs. B. with an elegant suit appeared very fine & so did all of them. Charles brought yr. father a beautiful little ivory boat. But I hope my dear boys that you will not lay out your money in presents for us, for we had much rather would use it all for travelling, & your own comfort & then you know, Lewis, with regard to music, we have as much as any one could learn & play in a lifetime. I wish you could hear Liszt, Lizst which is it? --- see & hear all you anticipated. I now that you hoped to improve in music, and I think the lessons in Paris will be a great advantage to you. With regard to clothing, too, I would not give up any of your wardrobe, Lewis, for I can't think it will more as baggage that it is worth, and then I should rather use my money in travelling & sightseeing, than in purchasing clothing. I thought James' European suits very heavy & not particularly well made.
[New page and unclear if this text relates to the previous text:] Prov. Very hot today. I send you, Lewis $125 & $20 from Stanton in all making a draft for $145. Hoping to write you in a few days. I am still very anxious about the projected cruise [with #187406es RIVIERA]. With my best love to Charlie & Nellie &[?] kisses[?] for the children.
Little[?] Bessie's[?] presents gave Julia to Bertie's. The netting bag to Sally was S. tells me from Mrs. Brownell.
Don't distress yourself Lewis about the Chicago Mortgage Bonds. I think they will come out all right.
In great hast,
Your affcte. mother
Julia A. Herreshoff
Do not allow Nat if you are on the cruise to fast too long --- get too tired or be without suitable rest & sleep. I should be afraid to sleep in the boat.
The Pront[?] & Stranso[?] have said[?] for June
[The following paragraph in pencil interspersed into the other text in what may be a different handwriting:] On board Steamer CANONICUS, June 30th, [18]74. Shall mail this in Prov[idence] today. We came down to Bristol last night and going this morning to the dentist. Mrs Houghton & Mary went[?] home[?] as[?] down[?] over with Julia this morning, & left me on St[?] Steam[?] boat wharf. Sally got up to P[oin]t Pl[easan]t. Yr. uncle[?] is wonderful in mind & body for many seasons & called yesterday at Carrie's town house while I was away. They had been staying over Sunday ant the Amden's[?]. After all, the Narragansett is a fine bay, & we are steaming up very fast this pleasant morn & Josephine & sisters will go to Europe in Oct. J's health is poor.
June 29th over 70deg --- 95 mid[?]." (Source: Herreshoff, Julia A. Letter to Herreshoff, Lewis and Herreshoff, N.G. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07510. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-06-28.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Text in left margin:] Dear Charlie [Eaton], will you forward [this letter] at once to the boys [NGH & Lewis].
Your letter of June 24 & 25th was rec'd on the 8th of this month. I was thankful to hear that you had rec'd the draft sent May 27th.
Another draft for $125 was mailed from Prov[idence] to you on the 30th of June, which I sincerely hope you will have rec'd before leaving Nice, because you will require it to enable you to see as much as possible before you arrive in England. There, you will find money for your passage as John said, I think, $200.
Elizabeth Francis enquired very kindly about you, & read your letter & Nellie's of the 9th of June, I think, & seemed to regret very much that you should return without seeing all you would like to see. Your last was very interesting and welcome. It must be hard to part with Charlie & Nellie [Eaton] after passing such a length of time so happily together, & with your kind friends, the Fighieras. Nothing would suit me better than to give up the trials of house keeping here for[?] such a pleasant home & delightful climate as you have in Nice, but I could not move without Sally, & she could not leave her aunts, Carrie's family, Johnnie & all & so I must keep on, performing my duties cheerfully, and be ready to welcome our sons on their return. Dear Nellie & Charlie I shall write soon. I have very little time this afternoon before the mail will close, & perhaps not very much to say. Amasa dined with us yesterday. He came down to see Dr. Gallsy[?] . They are[?] well at Oaklands. E. & S. Francis with their friend Miss West from California came down to Carrie's & passed two hours this week. Elizabeth took your letter of the 9th of June to S[pring] G[reen] with her --- has since returned it. Your Aunt Sarah is very much improved. All the members of the three Herreshoff families & Carrie's are as usual. Sally is here today, Saturday, & has just heard yours of 24th. Mitchell has been here playing this morning and Julian is trying to get Mr. Vincent down to play with Mitchell tonight at Carrie's. Julian, Mitchell & Frank Brownell have just gone up town together. James has returned from Canada & enjoyed the trip very much indeed. The train that[?] in Canada going collided with a freight train, upsetting the locomotive, letting out all the steam & water, but hurting none of the passengers. In going from Montreal to Quebec, the steam valve was blown off on board the Steamer CANADA, letting the steam all off into the steamboat, & very much frightening the passengers.
Did I write you of the boat [#187402es ASPHODEL] for Macomber of R.I. about the size of the JULIA [#187004e], John has been building. It is a foot longer than the JULIA & in in sailing together was quite as fast as the JULIA. Your father & Dr. B. in the JULIA, Charlie & John in Macomber's.
John is now building a keel boat [#187405es PHOSIE] 21 feet long, 8 1/2 wide for Capt. Gibbs, our old friend, also two row boats for fishing. As soon as these shall be completed, he will begin on the narrow steamboat [#14p VISION]. I am writing with James sitting by, giving me statements. James says, tell Lewis, the fire dos not touch the pipe [of the coil boiler, just invented by James, and to be put into VISION], & when we stop the engine, we open the door, thus the metal is not overheated.
I cannot help feeling very anxious about your cruise [with #187406es RIVIERA], & hope you will never think of staying in the boat all night --- not to fast too long --- & to be sure of regular & sufficient sleep. Sally sends a great deal of love to you. Little Bertie called out 'give my love to Uncle Nat' & Lewis too & I know if I had not left him suddenly he as all of us would remember all of you.
I am sorry to hear Charlie has suffered so much with his throat, but about the loss of flesh I think both Charlie & Lewis might lose a little in summer. My love to you all including little Bessie & baby Fred.
Your father has come in with John & is singing 'Beloved Star' with Sally. John says, 'tell them we think of going to Block Island next week in the JULIA & HARTFORD --- The Brownells, yr. father, James & Phillips, & John, myself & I wish you were here to go with us.' I saw Amasa a little while yesterday that I did not learn much of your Providence relatives & friends. Mrs. Abbott is to be at her mother's during July & August. They are full of preparation. Aunt Mary is about letting the house she bought to Furlong[?] for Oct[?]. The Cennerys[?] are there at present. She is in good health & would send a message if she was in.
Acknowledge her letter & photograph if you rec[?]? it --- from Boston last May. I write in too much haste --- but I think of you both, & pray for your safety.
Your affectionate Mother
Julia A. Herreshoff
Can't you go to Minden & see the town register. Learn more of yr. grandfather's family." (Source: Herreshoff, Julia A. Letter to Herreshoff, Lewis and Herreshoff, N.G. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07530. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-07-11.)
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"[Item Description:] In French, [customs?] declaration describing #187406es RIVIERA and declaring her to be used for a voyage through France, Germany and Belgium to the North Sea and England, not carrying any merchandise but only clothes for Lewis and N. G. Herreshoff, signed by NGH and attested by the mayor of Nice" (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_55200. Declaration / Carnet de Passage. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-07-13.)
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"[Item Description:] Handwritten 'L. and N. G. traveling expenses' for trip of RIVIERA [#187406es] from Nice to England July 14 to Sept 24, 1874" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Expense Accounting. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_55150. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-07-14 to 1874-09-24.)
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"[Item Description:] Photocopy: 'Traveling Expenses during Trip of Riviera [#187406es] from Nice to Home in Summer of 1874'" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Expense Accounting. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_55220. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-07-14 to 1874-09-24.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Handwritten signed letter on 'Cunard Line' stationery to 'Msrs. L. & N.G. Herreshoff, 27 Southampton Buildg':] I can take your Boat [#187406es RIVIERA] to New York at[?] 20S&100%[?] from L[iver]pool @[?] CARPATHIA at your risk, trusting this will meet your view[?].
Yours truly ..." (Source: Cunard Line. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07700. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-08-24.)
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"[Item Description:] Regarding funds transfer to London after 'nice excursion' [with #187406es RIVIERA from France to London]." (Source: Figheiro, Cyprien. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_07710. Correspondence, Folder 25, formerly 212. 1874-08-29.)
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"[Item Description:] Summary accounting for 1874 trip [with #187406es RIVIERA], splitting expenses, titled 'L. Herreshoff in account with N.G. Herreshoff'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Expense Accounting. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_55130. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-10-11.)
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"[Item Description:] Photocopy: Summary accounting for 1874 trip [with #187406es RIVIERA], splitting expenses, titled 'L. Herreshoff in account with N.G. Herreshoff'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Expense Accounting. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_55230. Subject Files, Folder 58, formerly 218, 217. 1874-10-11.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Penciled comparative notes:] Model Oct[ober] 1881; Length 40f; Sail Base 76f; Sail Perp. 76f Large sail; Sail Perp. 61f Small sail; S[ailing]-L[ength] 42 1/2 [large]; 40 1/2 [small]
MADGE [English cutter]; Length 40f; Sail Base 71f; Sail Perp. 75f Large sail; Sail Perp. 56f Small sail; S[ailing]-L[ength] 42 [large]; 39 [small]
Schooner design; Length 76f; Sail Base 133f; Sail Perp. 102f Large sail; Sail Perp. 84f Small sail; S[ailing]-L[ength] 73 [large]; 70 1/2 [small]
Phil[?] race boat; Length 15f 3in; Base 22f; Perp. 27f; S[ailing]-L[ength] 15
DARE DEVIL [sandbagger]; Length 27f; Base 73f; Perp. 45; S[ailing]-L[ength] 31.2
SADIE Sch[ooner] [#186704es]; Length 48f; Base 87f; Perp. 67f; S[ailing]-L[ength] 47
ARROW; Length 63; Base 112; Perp. 110; S[ailing]-L[ength] 65
SAPPHO [Poillon, New York, 1867]; Length 126f; Base 208f; Perp. 140f Large s[ail]; Perp. 118f Small s[ail]; S[ailing]-L[ength] 112
GUINEVERE; L 126f; B 200f; P 132f Large s[ail]; P 114f Small s[ail]
FLYING CLOUD; L 74f; B 118f; P 94f Large s[ail]; P 72f Small s[ail]
MOSQUITO; L 64; B 114; P 82 Small sail
Design in 1875. Sliding gunter sail [#187505es ?]; L 16f; B 114; P 82 Small sail
SPRING GREEN [#186709es]; Length 16f; Base 22f; P 24f
NORA [#187802es ?]; L 16; B 19; P 21
AMARYLLIS [#187601es]; L 25; B 41; P 26
JULIA [#187004es]; L 22; B 27; P 33
GLEAM [#187702es]; L 25; B 33; P 38
J[OHN] GILPIN [#187703es]; L 29; B 57; P 33.
RIVIERA [#187406es]; L 16 1/2; B 15 1/2; P 21.
Pentagonal[sp?] Design; L 25f; B 32; P 37. [On verso half-sections and displacement calculations arriving at 97.3 tons]. [Undated (the latest design listed appears to be from 1881]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. (creator). Comparative Notes and Half-Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0571. WRDT08, Folder 44. 1881 ?.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled note 'Bills payable' on recto. On verso penciled tabulated financial data titled 'Statement. Deposits in Dec[ember] 31st 1883' and containing what appears to be a calculation of NGH's net worth at the time. Including dollar valuations of various bank accounts, shareholdings in HMCo (125 shares valued at $12500) and two railroads, 'Amount invested in Love Rocks to date $9773.39', 'Estimated value of yacht CONSUELO [#400s] and small boats [#188302es, #188303es] $3000', 'Estimated value of catamaran LODOLA [#187903es] $700', 'Estimated value of Ice Boat and RIVIERA [#187406es] $90', 'Tools $120.00', 'Books, Furniture, etc. $500', '2 Patents, Catamaran and Regulator $100.00', '1/2 Patent Regulator $0.00'." (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_65240. Note. Unidentif. / Non-Cataloged, Folder 182?, formerly 133?. 1883-12-31.)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled sailplan sketch of what looks like #187406es RIVIERA with a mizzen. Untitled. Sail areas for main and jib are given as 104sqft and 49sqft for a total of 153sqft. (But note that NGH reported RIVIERA to have carried 80 plus 40sqft between 1885 and 1889.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_04810. Folder [no #]. No date (between 1885 and 1889 ??).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled sailplan sketch titled 'Sail for CONSUELO's [#400s] small boat [#188302es]. 1886' with sail area 49sqft and dimensions for mast, gaff, boom and sail. This looks like the same sail with same sail area shown as a mizzen on another sailplan that appears to be for #187406es RIVIERA." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_04820. Folder [no #]. 1886.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled note with sketch: 'RIVIERA [#187406es]. Gaff 7ft 7 1.2in to holes. Boom 10ft 8in to holes. Mast 10ft 9in above jaws. Mizzen 1 13/16dia. Hoist of mainsail 7ft 6in. KILDEE [#460s]. Gaff 12ft 9in to holes. Boom 19ft 7in to holes. …' With sketch on verso." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Note with Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_02730. Folder [no #]. No date (1895 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled spar plan on brown paper titled 'Spars for Changing [#907s] PLEASURE (907) to Yawl Rig. Sept 5, 1925. N.G. Herreshoff'. Annotated with 'Return this sketch to N.G.H.' and 'Mizzen Mast 16ft 6in long. On hand. (RIVIERA's [#187406es] 3rd mast made in 1875)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Spar Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_06000. Folder [no #]. 1925-09-05.)
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"[Item Transcription:] [Handwritten signed letter on 'N.G. Herreshoff, Bristol, R.I.' stationery:] I am pleased to have your letter of 2nd [March 2, 1934] and congratulate you on getting the little boat [#193303es SKYLARK] completed so quickly and so well. It is so good to know the boat has attractive appearance to all who have seen her.
It is certainly quite surprising you are to take the boat off on a cruise and will first float her in the Caribbean.
Have you the rig completed? And that work out well.
Please give my kind regards to Mr. Baker.
Sixty years ago I went abroad to build up my health. I staid [Page 2] 4 or 5 months at Nice with friends. While there I built two little boats, one 12ft [#187404es L'ONDA], and the larger 16ft [#187406es RIVIERA] which was c.b. dinghy type.
We sailed a good deal between Villa France and Cannes and finally left for home in the RIVIERA via the Mediterranean Coast. The Rhone, the Saone (the two last by st[eame]r & railway as current proved too strong), Canal to the Rhine, St[eame]r from Rotterdam to London, sailed in Riviera 2 weeks on the Thames, then train to Liverpool and St[eame]r to New York, then sailed home in RIVIERA. I still have RIVIERA in my boathouse.
With kind regards & best wishes,
Sincerely ...
P.S. I have no objections to putting a plate on the boat if you wish to." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Greenough, William. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.052. Box HAFH.6.2B, Folder Dinghy - 12 & 14 Foot for William Greenough. 1934-03-04.)
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"[Item Description:] am most interested in your description of boatbuilding sixty odd years ago, early childhood and youth memories, first canoe in 1876, I want very much to see the #187406es RIVIERA, WHIRLWIND, old time yacht owners and skippers, it is a pleasure to have someone who remembers and appreciates the old times; [This letter published as 'Letter Twenty-Eight' in Herreshoff, Stephens. Their Last Letters 1930-1938. Annotated by John W. Streeter. Bristol, RI, 1988, p. 169.]" (Source: Stephens, William P. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_20850. Correspondence, Folder 59. 1937-04-04.)
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"[Item Description:] Artifacts. A group of 7 wooden scales, 1 paper scale and 1 wooden slide rule. Two of the wooden scales may have been made in-house and are stamped into the wood '1:400000 KNOT' and '1:40000 MILE'. The slide rule is marked on its front side 'Tavernier Gravet Succ. 39 Re de Babylone, Paris' and carries on its back side a note 'Bought in Nice, Fr. in 1874 by N.G.H.'. [He needed it for the design and construction of #187404es L'ONDA and #187406es RIVIERA]. One scale is marked 'E. & S. London' and marked on one side '100 Millimetres', '10 Decimetres = 1 Metre', '10 Metres 1 Dekametre', '10 Centimetres', '100 Metres = 1 Hectometre', '1000 Metres = 1 Kilometre' and '1 Decimetre' and on is marked on the other side to '8ths', 12ths', '10th' and '16ths' scales and also to degrees of 30deg to 90deg and back to 30deg. [The French spelling suggests that NGH bought this scale also in 1874 in France]. Another scale is marked in plain inches with 1/16th gradations and stamped into the wood 'NGH'. Three scales are usuable from only one side and stamped 'Keuffel & Esser Co., N.Y. U.S. St'D 1426' and also stamped with K&E's Lion Trademark. The paper scale is marked in pencil by NGH 'Shrink Scale [unreadable] in per ft'." (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDED2_00190. Artifacts (Wooden and Paper Scales). Folder [no #]. No date.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #187406es Riviera even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Herreshoff, N. G. "The Log of the Riviera." Nice, France, 1874 (with an opening segment added by NGH in March, 1932). In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 80-95.) (548 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Detailed log account of Riviera's historic voyage in Europe.
• Hanyi, Mike. "Riviera: Nathanael’s European Education." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (publ.). Proceedings. The 3rd Classic Yacht Symposium. April 4 6, 2008. Bristol, RI, 2008, p. 41-50. (4,961 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Mike Hanyi / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Vessel history and account of Riviera's historic voyage in Europe. Researching vessel construction. Building a replica.

• Riviera
• 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: Riviera
Type: 17' sloop
Owner: N. G. Herreshoff
Year: 1874
Row No.: 572

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.

"About 1885, I moved the mast forward and added a small rowboat's sail as a mizzen. These two sails were about the same shape, the larger about 80 square feet and the smaller about 40 square feet. The combination made a very satisfactory rig and was used until 1889 (April) when COQUINA was built." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "The Log of the Riviera." Text additions from March 1932. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 81-83, 93-94.)

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