HMCo #401s Romp

"Mr. George A. Thayer, formerly owner of the schooner yacht Triton [#187209es], and ex-Commodore of the Atlantic Yacht Club, has had built for him recently the cat boat Romp. She is 29 feet over all and 27 feet 6 inches on water line." (Source: Anon. "Yachting Notes." New York Herald, March 26, 1884, p. 4.)

"... The members of the firm are no less noted as boat sailors and practical yachtsmen than as designers and builders, and to them directly are due many improvements in rig and fittings. They have tried and made successful the cat yawl, of which the most notable is the Consuelo [#400s], the property of Mr. Nathaniel G. Herreshoff, her designer. ... The rig consists of a cat sail stepped well forward, the boom being short enough to allow a mizzen mast aft of rudder head. Both sails are fitted with booms and gaffs, but the mizzen boomkin is dispensed with, the boom being held down by a sprit from the mast, while the sheets lead to each quarter. Romp, built by the firm for Mr. Geo. A. Thayer is rigged in the same manner." (Source: Anon. (W. P. Stephens). "The Herreshoff Works at Bristol." Forest and Stream, April 16, 1885, p. 236, 237.)

"ONE of the most practical and serviceable rigs for singlehand sailing is the 'main or mizzen,' or as it is usually called in America, the 'cat yawl' rig, the same that is generally used in canoes. Though common enough on small craft in England, it is comparatively a novelty here, its introduction about five years ago being due to Mr. N. G. Herreshoff, of Bristol, R. I., at least he was the first to test the rig thoroughly and put it into working shape. In England the two sails are usually lugs, but in this country the ordinary boom and gaff is retained, the boom being shortened, but the details of rigging being the same as in the ordinary catboat. In 1883 Mr. Herreshoff built for his own use the cat yawl Consuelo, now owned by Mr. Lorillard, of Newport, a keel boat 32ft. over all. 28ft 6in, l.w.l., 8ft. 8in. beam and 5ft. 9in. draft, with all her ballast in a lead keel. ... In the same year the Romp, a centerboard boat 29ft. over all, 27ft. 6in. l.w.l., 11ft. 4in. beam and 3ft. draft, was built by the Herreshoffs for Mr. Geo. A. Thayer, her cruising ground being about the western end of Long Island Sound, where by her trim appearance and excellent performance she has attracted general attention. ..." (Source: Anon. "The Cat Yawl Empress." Forest and Stream, December 6, 1888, p. 399.)

"... The little cat yawl Romp, designed and built by John B. Herreshoff over twenty years ago for the late George A. Thayer, which, since her owner's death, has been out of commission, was recently sold to Messrs. Renney & Paton. Mr. Thayer was one of the most enthusiastic of the charter members of the Atlantic Yacht Club, but, after he bought the Robinhurst farm at Roslyn, he gave up sailing craft for those propelled by steam.
This did not satisfy the younger members of the family, who were as fond of yachting as their father, and it was specially for their benefit that the Herreshoff racer was built. The Romp was always a great favorite with the baymen of Hempstead Harbor and it was generally supposed that her long housing out of the water, had loosened her timbers and unfitted her for sailing. Her old reputation was not forgotten, however, and recently she was hauled out on Bedell's ways, at Glenwood, put in racing trim and sailed away from her old anchorage at as lively a pace as when, twenty years ago, she kept her challenge pennant always flying." (Source: Anon. "A New Yacht for River Sailing." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 10, 1901, p. 8.)

"[Item Description:] Work order notebook [Titled Nathl G. Herreshoff, Esq., Bristol R.I.; 1882-1887, mostly signed by N.G.H., later ones by C.H.K.; material and item orders relating to #400s CONSUELO, #401s ROMP and steamers #89p, #99p, #100p, #101p, #102p, #104p, #105p, #106p, #110p, #111p, #113p, #118p, #119p, #120p, #122p, #123p, #140p, #146p; many orders from the marine store of A. B. Babbitt at Tiverton]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Work Order Notebook. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.120-04. Box HAFH.6.4B, Folder Casting Record Books Sketch and Order Book 1882-1887 NGH CHK. 1882 to 1887.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled construction plan with half-breadth plan, midship section and inboard profile titled 'ROMP [#401s]. 29ft Sail Boat for Geo. A. Thayer. Scale 1/12 size. Jan 1883'. At the stem is a note 'ALICE [#405s ?] 26ft 4in 1890'. (This plan was most likely also used for ALICE.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Construction Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_07560. Folder [no #]. 1883-01.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled spar plan titled 'Spars for Mr. Thayers 29[??]ft[??] Boat. Feb. 1883' and marked in upper left corner in thick red chalk 'ROMP' [#401s]. A detail for the mizzen mast carries an inked reference to ALICE [apparently #405s]." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. (creator). Penciled Spar Plan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0632. WRDT08, Folder 47. 1883-02.)
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"[Item Description:] Ink on paper sail plan with sections and manufacturing instructions for #401s ROMP and #405s ALICE. Signed 'Chas. Herreshoff, Bristol, R.I.' and initialed by NGH." (Source: Herreshoff, Charles F. (creator). Penciled Drawing. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0272. Model Room, Folder 25, formerly MRDE09. 1889-05-04.)

"[Item Description:] Typewritten and penciled table with data for 'Date of Order', '[Hull] No.', 'Name', 'Length on W.L.', 'Beam', 'Draft', 'Rig', 'Keel or Centerboard Keel', 'Ballast' for #400s CONSUELO, #401s ROMP, #402s CLARA, #403s CALYPSO, #404s COQUINA, #405s ALICE, #406s IRIS, #407s BIRD, #408s PELLICAN[sic], #409s GANNET, #410s MAB, #411s GLORIANA, #412s DILEMMA, #413s SAYONARA, #414s WASP, #415s WENONAH, #416s ALPHA, #417s DRUSILLA, #418s EL CHICO, #419s COQUINA 2ND, #420s REAPER and #421s BEE. Undated (data until 1891 is typewritten, thereafter penciled, suggesting that the table was prepared in January 1892 before EL CHICO, the first boat with a penciled year, was contracted for)." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Construction Record Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_04530. Folder [no #]. No date (1892-01 ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #401s Romp even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

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

Name: Romp
Type: Cat Yawl
Length: 26'
Owner: Thayer, George A.

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

• Romp
• 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: Romp
Type: 26' 6" catyawl
Owner: Geo. A. Thayer
Year: 1883
Row No.: 578

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

Month: Jan
Day: 1
Year: 1883
E/P/S: S
No.: 0401
Name: Romp
OA: 29'
LW: 26'
B: 11'
D: 2' 6"
Rig: Cat Yawl
CB: y
Ballast: Lead
Built for: Geo. A. Thayer
Amount: $2250.00
Notes Constr. Record: 1/2 lead outside
Last Name: Thayer
First Name: Geo.

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

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

"[Sail area 1000sqft and 891sqft.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. Measuring and Measurement Rules (Box 2), Folder B2F04, formerly MRDE15. No date (1892-01-19 or later).)

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