HMCo #404s Coquina

"[1889-03-11] Mon 11: ... C. Davis began work on Coquina [#404s], 16ft boat.
[1889-04-02] Tue 2: ... C. Davis began planking Coquina [#404s]. ...
[1889-04-13] Sat 13: ... C. Davis finished planking Coquina [#404s].
[1889-05-17] Fri 17: ... C. Davis finished work on Coquina [#404s].
[1889-05-25] Sat 25: Very fine & warm. Launched Coquina [#404s]. ...
[1889-05-26] Sun 26: NE rain storm, high winds (35 miles) in middle of day. Clearing at night. Rigged & tried Coquina [#404s].
[1889-09-29] Sun 29: Very fine. Mod[erate] NW to WSW [wind]. Went to head of Cole's[?] River in Coquina [#404s]. [The distance from Bristol to the head of the Coles River (in Swansea, Mass) and back is about 20 nautical miles.]
[1889-12-25] Wed 25: Very fine & warm. Sailing in Coquina [#404s], no overcoat required.
[1890-01-12] Sun 12: Very fine & warm. Nearly calm all day & bright sun. Went to P[oin]t Pl[easan]t in Coquina [#404s] with Agnes & Sidney in shirtsleeves.
[1891-12-06] Sun 6: Very fine & mild, light W to SW [wind]. Went to head of Barrington River in Coquina [#404s].
[1891-12-13] Sun 13: Very fine & mild, moderate SW to WSW [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s].
[1891-12-20] Sun 20: Very light N to E [wind], fair. Off in Coquina [#404s].
[1892-04-03] Sun 3: Warm & fine, SW [wind]. Luna halo [in the] evening. Went to head of Barrington River in Coquina [#404s].
[1893-05-21] Sun 21: Warm & fine. Strong S to W wind. Fire out in furnace. Went to Allen Harbor in Coquina [#404s].
[1893-07-23] Sun 23: Fine a.m., strong & squally W to N [wind]. Went to Newport in Coquina [#404s].
[1894-01-07] Sun 7: Overcast. Light SW to NW [wind]. Clear. NW in [the] evening. Went to P[oint] Pl[easant] with children in Coquina [#404s].
[1894-01-14] Sun 14: Very fine --- nearly calm all day. Went to P[oin]t Pl[easant] with children in Coquina [#404s].
[1894-01-21] Sun 21: H[eav]y w[hite] frost. Fair. Very light variable wind. Went to P[oin]t Pl[easant] in Coquina [#404s].
[1894-03-11] Sun 11: Fresh SSE to S [wind] & warm. Fog in afternoon. L[igh]t rain in evening. Fine sail in Coquina [#404s] in fresh breeze.
[1894-03-18] Sun 18: White frost. Fair. SE to SW [wind], moderate. Off in Coquina [#404s]. Took walk on Prudence [Island]. ...
[1894-12-16] Sun 16: Very fine & mild, mod[erate] SW to S [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s]. Mill Gut [North End of Popasquash Neck] & P[oin]t Pl[easant]. Mild enough to go without overcoat.
[1896-04-05] Sun 5: Fine & cool. Fresh NW to N [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s].
[1896-04-19] Sun 19: Fine & warm. L[igh]t showers & dist[ant] thunder about p.m. L[igh]t variable [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys.
[1896-04-26] Sun 26: Very fine & cool. L[igh]t E [wind] early. Mod[erate] SW to S in afternoon. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys.
[1896-05-03] Sun 3: Fair. SSW [wind]. L[igh]t showers occasionally. Off in Coquina [#404s] & Flossie [Florence deWolf] in Kildee [#460s], with boys.
[1896-11-29] Sun 29: Overcast nearl[y] all day --- much cooler. N [wind]. Little herit[?] in [the] even[in]g. Went to Point Pleasant in Coquina [#404s].
[1896-12-06] Sun 6: Very fine & mild. Fresh SSW [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s].
[1896-12-13] Sun 13: Very fine & mild. Fresh S to SW [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s].
[1897-04-04] Sun 4: White frost. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys.
[1897-04-11] Sun 11: Rain early turning to snow in forenoon. Fine p.m. N to SW [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys. Load of coal arrives.
[1897-04-18] Sun 18: Very fine. Mod[igh]t W & SW [wind]. Went to Pt. Pleasant in Coquina [#404s] with boys, Alpheus [Packard] & Mr. Riddle [owner of #481s Spalpeen]. Saw Martin swallows. Willows turning green.
[1897-04-25] Sun 25: Clear. SSW [wind] fresh all day, a little warmer. Off in Coquina [#404] with boys.
[1898-05-22] Sun 22: Very fine. Cool. Calm early. Mod[erate] S to SW [wind]. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys. Geo. Owen [owner of #487s Onward] & A[lpheus] Packard off in Kildee [#460s].
[1899-05-07] Sun 7: Very fine & mild. Fresh SSW [wind] & clear. Off in Coquina [#404s] in a.m. Launched Kildee [#460s] in p.m. ...
[1899-05-14] Sun 14: Very fine & clear [with] fresh NW [wind]. ... Off in Coquina [#404s] & Kildee [#460s].
[1899-11-19] Sun 19: Fair & mild. L[igh]t SW [wind]. Off with in Coquina [#404s] & boys in Riviera [#187406es]. ...
[1899-12-03] Sun 3: Very fine & calm [in] a.m. Light SSW [in] p.m. Off in Coquina [#404s] with boys in forenoon. ...
[1900-02-11] Sun 11: NE [wind]. Mild & overcast. Went to Pt. Pl[easant] in p.m. with the boys in Coquina [#404s].
[1900-04-01] Sun 1: Very fine [with] mod[erate] NW [wind] & clear. ... Went to Pt. Pl[easant] in Coquina [#404s] in p.m.
[1900-04-08] Sun 8: Very fine. Fresh NW [wind] & clear. Off in Coquina [#404s] to Pt. Pl[easant] with boys in p.m.
[1900-04-15] Sun 15: Very fine & warm. L[igh]t W to NW [wind]. Clear. Off in Coquina [#404s] [in] morning & afternoon. Sighted several rocks N[orth] of Hog Is[land].
[1900-04-29] Sun 29: Very fine [with] l[igh]t NW [wind in] a.m. Fresh SSW [wind in] p.m. Off in Coquina [#404s] in a.m.
[1901-04-14] Sun 14: Very fine & SE [wind]. Threatening in p.m. Off in Coquina [#404s] [to] Hog Is[land] & Pt. Pleasant with the boys.
[1901-06-02] Sun 2: Calm early. Weather change & change to S [wind]. ... Off in Coquina [#404s]. Made Sidney ward[?] of Coquina & Nat of Riviera [#187406es].
[1901-11-03] Sun 3: Very fine & cool. Strong ENE [wind]. Went up Barrington River with boys in Kildee [#460s] & Coquina [#404s].
[1902-03-23] Sun 23: Very fine. Nearly calm [in] a.m. [with] mod[erate] SW [wind] in p.m. Sidney & Griswold off in Coquina [#404s].
[1903-01-04] Sun 4: Overcast [with] light air, SW to W. Went to Popasquash in Coquina [#404s] with boys. ...
[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.
[1906-07-21] Sat 21: [No entry.] [From the #215p Roamer log book:] 4th Cruise, 1st day. From Bristol towards Pt. Judith breakwater. Start on long cruise to Westward in p.m. after boys are thru racing in Bristol Y[acht] C[lub], Sidney, Nat & Griswold in Coquina [#404s] & Francis & Carl R[ockwell] in Kildee [#460s]. Both probably won. H[eav]y Rain in p.m. with t[hunder] & l[ightning]. Loaded with spars & furniture for Queen [#657s] & Yankee [#534s] & sail for Dahinda [#631s]. Griswold’s canoe at davits & 240 [#240p] astern. [Log:] Left home with 240 in tow. Overcast. Passed Dumplings. Passed P[oin]t Judith. A little fog. Anchor in [behind Point Judith[ breakwater. Thick fog.
[1910-06-11] Sat 11: Coaled Roamer in forenoon. Afternoon went to Hope Is[land] & brought back Sid, Gid & Evan[?] (?) Clark. Towed Coquina [#404s]. [From the #215p Roamer log book:] From Bristol towards Hope Is[land] & return. Yacht not yet in commission but ran over to Hope Is[land] to bring home Sidney, Griswold and friends who had gone there in Coquina to camp out, and [found] weather not favorable for them to return. Took onboard [blank] tons [of] coal in forenoon. Underway at 1-50 [and] ran up by Popasquash P[oin]t, then down around the s[outh] end of Prudence [Island] to w[est] side of Hope I[sland], arriving at 2-55. Laid around until 3-45, then started for home via [the] s[outh end] of Prudence [Island] with Coquina in tow, arriving at 4-50. Ebb tide, moderate NE wind, cold & cloudy." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1889 to 1910. Manuscript (excerpts). Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection [1889-1898]. Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff [1899-1910]. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection, St.Y. Roamer Logbooks [1905-1910].)

"#404. March 1889.
[With penciled later addition:] [and] 419 [#419s] 1892.
Row & Sailing Boat for N.G. Herreshoff.
16' 8" long, 5' wide, 22" deep.
Frame spaces 10".
Deduct in making moulds, for timbers & planking 1".
Timbers white oak 11/16" sq[uare].
Planking cedar 5/16" thick, lapped full thickness for two upper laps, the rest 1/2 skarfed.
Stem white oak 1 1/4" thick, 5/16" rabbit.
Keel 1 3/8" deep with 3/8" lip.
Stem post 1 1/4" above rabbit, 7/8" at keel.
Stern, white oak 3/4" thick.
Centre board slot 5/8" scant[?].
Centre board box. Bottom piece of white oak, 7/8" thick, fastened with brass screw 2 1/2" x 12 from bottom of keel. Upper edge of oak piece to have lip 5/16" thick & 1" wide.
Upper part of box of [remainder of sentence crossed out in pencil:] double cedar 5/16" thick, inside 1/4" thick outside, clinched with 3/4" copper trunk nails.
2 thwarts, 3/4" x 9 1/4" butternut, double knees of hackmatack.
1 slip thwart 5/8" x 7" butternut.
Thwart stringer white oak 1/2" x 1 1/4".
Sheer streak white oak [dimensioned sketch].
Gunwhale stringer white oak 3/4" x 1 1/8".
Floor boards [next word crossed out] cedar [added in pencil] of 3/8" pine.
Quarter deck, cedar 5/16" thick, covered with heavy sheeting.
Deck beams 7/16" x 7/8" white oak [remainder of sentence crossed out] or 1/2" x 1" white pine." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Note (in ink) in Offset Booklet HH.4.064.] Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"... March 25th 1889. In July sails were soaked in 1 lb alum x 1/l lb [unreadable word] of lead for about 2 days. Weighing of model of Coquina to waterline marked on back of model. Scale 1/12. Length 16ft 8in, w.l. 15ft 9in, breadth 5ft 1in, depth 22in. [Calculated] Disp[lacement] 827lbs.
[Apparently later added text:] Hull without c.b. or rudder before launching 275lbs.
Main Mast 16lbs, with sails and rigging 30lbs
Mizzen 6 1/2lbs, [with sails and rigging] 13lbs
Centreboard 37
Old Riviera small rig mast 12lbs. New mast in place of old Riviera, broken Feb [18]90, 14 1/2lbs.
[Old Riviera small rig] boom 4lbs.
[Old Riviera small rig] boom 2 3/4lbs [all including blocks]
New mizzen mast 6 3/4lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Design booklet entry dated March 25, 1889.])

"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. ... With the rig I had on Coquina that I used most there was about 130 sq ft. but with C.E. lower than the modern sails. When alone I carried about 175 lbs of sand bags. ... Your - affect Father - " (Source: Mystic Seaport Museum, L. Francis Herreshoff Collection, Box 17, Folder 4: Letter from N. G. Herreshoff to L. F. Herreshoff.)

"Box 116. Coconut Grove, Fl. N. G. Herreshoff Bristol, R. I. Dec 22, 1928. {1928/12/22} Dear Francis - ... I had verious rigs on Riviera and Coquina, between 1874 and 1900, and finally settled on the two masted, with mainsail about twice the area of mizzen and with one reef, and step for using one sail alone. For example with Ms, 80 sqft & mizzen [p2] 40 sq ft. = 120 (square)' total. With reef 100 (square)', Mainsail alone 80 (square)' Mainsail alone reefed 60 (square)' and Mizzen alone 40 (square)', and so prepared to face any ordinary wind, if caught off on a long sail. As a matter of fact, I often had a reef in mainsail in Coquina, and also used mainsail alone, but only a few times with reefed mainsail alone or mizzen lone. ... Coquina when filled w'ld easily hold up my weight without being pushed down, and I am quite sure w'ld float up the sand bags that I carried although I never had opportunity to try it." (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. ...
12
1889 COQUINA #404 -16' x 5' open lapstrake mainsail and mizzen rig (already described)" (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. 115.)

"In the late winter of 1889, thinking I could improve on RIVIERA for my outing and [having] an opportunity to have built a new boat, I designed COQUINA and she was built by Charles Davis, who was noted for his fine strong work and [was] the best workman in our shops at that time. [She] was launched May 25, 1889. COQUINA is 16'6" long, 15'9" on the waterline, 5 '0" wide and 22" deep. Originally [she was designed] with open gunwhale, but after a few weeks use was decked in 6" or 7" all around, which should be done in every open boat intended for sailing. COQUINA is lapstraked with rather narrow planking. Her centerboard is 44" long, 28" wide of Tobin bronze. [It is] 1/8" thick and weighs 37 pounds. The forward end of the casing is 7'6" aft of the stem. The weights when new were:
Hull Complete 275 lbs.
Centerboard 37 "
Rudder 10 "
Oars and Rowlocks 11 "
Total 333 lbs.
The rig- mainsail complete 30 lbs.
Mizzen 13 " 43 lbs
Self 170 "
Sand Bags 140 " 310 lbs
Total Displacement for sailing 686 lbs.
The original rig was very nicely made, but much too large for ordinary use. The mainsail has 122 square feet and the mizzen has 61 square feet [for a total of] 183 square feet. It has had but little use. For a while, I used two sails of RIVIERA's. [I] finally made another rig with sails quite low and [it was] 83 square feet and 48 square feet =131. COQUINA was kept under a shed, hanging to tackles, having 2 and 3 sheaves and was always ready for a sail. She could be floated until half tide, and I sailed quite often, both summers and winter. The ballast was taken out onto a plank at the side before hoisting, but the rig was kept on board in position to be set quickly and was so conveniently arranged that after pushing off from the shore, I could set sails and be off before drifting ashore. I used this boat for 12 or 14 years until I was [made] awkward by rheumatism, when I gave it to my son Sidney [A. Sidney DeW. Herreshoff (1886-1977)].
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 capsized in a squall, but [he] soon righted [the boat] and finished the race.
COQUINA, having a sharp bow and clinker built was very dry and quite fast, as compared to the boats of her day, that were generally cat rigged and clumsy.
At this writing, after 43 years, COQUINA is still in good condition, but has no use. 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 1889, I had built COQUINA (to take the place of RIVIERA), a boat to be kept housed over davits and be ready for use at any moment, summer or winter. She is a beautiful little boat built by our very clever workman Charles Davis, who really was an artist in his work. She had two sizes of main and mizzen sail rigs, but I used the larger very little. It had sails of 122 and 61 square feet. The favorite rig had 83 and 48 square feet. In both RIVIERA and COQUINA, I prided myself in having convenient rigs and I could push off from a lee shore with [an] oar, then set sail and be off before drifting in to shore. In about 1902, I was much troubled with rheumatism that interfered with small boat sailing, so I gave COQUINA to Sidney [A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff (1886-1977, NGH's eldest son] and she is still in good condition, but not used [COQUINA was destroyed in the hurricane of 1938]." (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. 55.)

"But Captain Nat's love of sailing open, unballasted boats was so great that in 1889 he had 'Coquina' built. She was a very light boat designed to be hoisted up in tackles as the boats of a yacht are, but 'Coquina' had a boathouse which extended out over the water and entirely enclosed her when hoisted. However, she could be quickly lowered away and rigged for a sail in any of the four seasons. She was sixteen feet six inches long, five feet beam, and decked in along the sides for a width of about seven inches. The stern was also decked in for a length of about two feet making a compartment where clothes or food could be carried and kept dry. Her weights were as follows:
Lbs.
Stripped hull 275
Removable bronze centerboard 37
Rudder, etc. 10
Oars and rowlocks 11
Mainsail and spars 30
Mizzen and spars 13
Captain Nat 170
Sandbags 140
Total displacement while sailing 687
'Coquina' had two rigs, both catyawl; the large rig had one hundred and eighty-three square feet area, and the small rig one hundred and thirty-one square feet. Although 'Coquina' was lightly built, planking five sixteenths inch cedar, she was a nearly perfect piece of workmanship. Captain Nat used her off and on for about fourteen years, when she was turned over to his oldest son who also took good care of her so that she was almost without a blemish at forty-nine years of age when she was in a boathouse that was swept away in the hurricane of 1938. 'Coquina' was the first boat the author remembers being in under sail, and he may have been five years old at the time.
Although youthful impressions may be exaggerated, I believe 'Coquina' was as fast for her sail area as any useful boats in existence today." (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. 116-117.)

"The champion yacht of 95 [#452s Defender] dropped anchor off her birth place at Herreshoff's yesterday morning at 9.45, having made a successful and fast trip from New Rochelle under her own sail. Ten minutes after her start for the journey to Bristol, or about 5.20 Wednesday evening, Defender ran upon a rock in the narrow passage between Davenport's Neck and David's Island, on Long Island sound, and was hung up for 30 minutes before she could be pulled off by a steam tug. The big yacht was uninjured, and she sailed all night before a favoring breeze, and at a fast rate. Defender was without her topmast, gaff and boom. She had a big storm trisail for a mainsail, with a staysail and jib. During the night the staysail was taken in. When Defender was sighted down the bay, Capt., Nat Herreshoff put out in his sailboat Coquina, and meeting her was taken on board. ... The yacht was in command of Capt. Charlie Barr, and had on board a crew of nine men, with Capt Hanson, formerly skipper of the Sayonara and other yachts, as mate." (Source: Anon. "Defender Arrives In Bristol. She Arrived Yesterday Morning at Her Native Home After an Absence or Three Years." Bristol Phoenix, November 4, 1898, 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.)

"That was all that was doing until Aug. 24, when the Fall River Yacht Club held its annual Ladies' Day at the Tiverton station. In addition to a long list of water sports, there was a race of three sailing classes, all entries but one being local yachts. The only outsider was Sid Herreshoff, who came over from Bristol in his 16-foot open yawl Coquina, and was pitted against the old Columbia [Wood's 30 year old flier from Fall River]. The boats raced on overall length, and Columbia won over a short inside course, total a little more than seven miles. ... As a yachting affair, it was the best that had been held in the bay, and as a social time, it was a hummer." (Source: Davis, Jeff. "Narragansett Bay Yachtsmen Planning for Next Season." October 1921, p. 42.)

"... [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.)

"The Herreshoff Mfg. Co.'s transition from steam to sail, and the subsequent evolution of Herreshoff sailboats into two distinct types, can be traced, in part, [to #402s Clara and #404s Coquina]. ...
Coquina's progeny ... were day boats that one person could handle. Coquina was NGH's most-used boat, and his diaries indicate that she was underway often, even in winter, for singlehanded outings and for family sails as pictured in Chapter X. Following the building of Coquina in 1889, NGH produced dozens of different day-boat designs. Dilemma [#412s], for example, NGH's prototype fin-keeler of 1891, was followed by many more of the same type but ranging widely in size and appearance. There was a variety of knockabouts both with and without small cabins, of which Kildee [#460s] and Cock Robin [#461s], shown on the following pages, were the first. Sonder boats and the 18-foot, 21-foot, and 25-foot classes for Massachusetts Bay and Long Island Sound were others. Best known today are the one-design classes, such as the Buzzards Bay 15s and S-boats. All of NGH's day boats were simple and easy to handle, and some were stunningly beautiful as well." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 50.)

"Built for NGH in 1887 as an easy-to-get-underway daysailer ... Coquina stayed with the Herreshoffs until the 1938 hurricane destroyed her. ...
Coquina steers with a rope instead of a tiller; the rope is connected to the rudder blade by means of small tackles from the corners of the transom. A strut keeps the mizzen boom from lifting, which it would tend to do given the inward lead of the sheet.
NGH had her built by Charles Davis, an unusually gifted Herreshoff Mfg. Co. boatbuilder who, according to NGH, 'was noted for his fine and strong work and the best workman in our shops at the time.' Davis did a beautiful job on Coquina, holding faithfully to her delicate scantlings 5/16-inch lapstrake cedar planking, ll/16-inch square steam-bent frames, a 5/16-inch brass centerboard, and a molded mahogany sheerstrake finished bright. Stripped, the hull weighed only 275 pounds.
Coquina had lifting eyes forward and aft and was kept hoisted on davits in NGH's Love Rocks boathouse, ready for immediate use. NGH claimed she was so easily rigged that he could push off from a lee shore and have her sailing before she drifted back in and touched the bottom again. She had several rig options: two rig sizes (183 square feet or 131 square feet) and three possible mast locations. Under the stern deck was a dry compartment for stowing clothing, food, and gear.
Coquina was the first boat L. Francis Herreshoff remembered sailing in, at age five. Until about 1901, when NGH designed the so-called Columbia-model tender, all Herreshoff tenders were shaped pretty much like Coquina, with plumb stems and raking transoms." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 146.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled sketch with three half-sections. Titled 'COQUINA' [#404s]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_05050. Folder [no #]. No date (1877 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled sketch with a comparison of four mid-ship sections, one labeled COQUINA [#404s], the other labeled SABRINA [#187803es]. Otherwise unlabeled, untitled, undated." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_05070. Folder [no #]. No date (1878 or later).)
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"N/A"

"[Item Transcription:] We have today arrived at Wheatly & received your letter w[hic]h I enjoyed extremely.
We have had a very anxious time lately having been detained in town by the illness of our boy a continuation of teething & gastric trouble w[hic]h kept his temp[erature] at 104 for a week, he is now we believe all right but very much pulled down.
I am surprised to hear that Mr. B[rooks] is considering a racer [#189104es Unbuilt Schooner for Brooks] again. I am very much interested and hope to hear very soon that you have got the order. I saw Archie Rogers [soon-to-be owner of #414s WASP] at the horse show & he asked my opinion of [Charlie] Barr. I consider him first rate. I am glad to hear that there was something tangible to account for loss of speed in the JAVELIN [#164p] & hope somebody else will get the brencfet[?] of it.
The 35 [#417s DRUSILLA?] interests me very much & I am plan[?] you like her well. Enough to take the 25 raters similar[?]. How I envy you the sail in the 'COQUINA' [#404s]. I trust that Mrs. H[erreshoff] & the children are well & enjoying themselves. I have not seen the Forest & Stream lately but will look up the 'Sampans'." (Source: Morgan, E.D. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_77750. Correspondence, Folder 98. 1891-12-09.)
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"[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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"[Item Description:] Untitled, penciled table providing data for L (WLW), D (Displacement in Tons net), T (measurement tens[? or tons?], S (Sail area), L * sq-rt(S) / 15* cube-rt(D), L * sq-rt(S) / 18* cube-rt(D), and (sq-rt(S) + L) / 2 on the X-axis for the following boats: DILEMMA [#412s], 2 1/2 rater [apparently #415s WENONAH], 35ft E.D. Morgan [#417s DRUSILLA], GANNET [#409s], PELICAN [#408s], ALICE [#405s], CLARA [#402s], CONSUELO [#400s], COQUINA [#404s], BIRD [#407s], 21' [#???s], GLORIANA [#411s], 46 Rodgers [#414s WASP], GRACIE, KATRINA, SHAMROCK, and HURON. Two penciled tables on verso: One showing max speed in miles and kots and wind required for lengths ranging from 35 to 80ft, the other appearing to show required wind speeds for max hull speeds for boats ranging from 30 to 80ft. On envelope labeled 'Immediate. United States Weather Report.' Undated, but postmarked 'Jan 19, 1892.'" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_72740. Measuring and Measurement Rules (Box 2), Folder B2F04, formerly MRDE15. No date (1892-01-19 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Colored ink on paper sailplan titled '#404 COQUINA; and #419. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Feb[ruary] 15, [18]92 [this dated crossed out in pencil]. Bristol, R.I.' and marked in pencil in lower right corner '#404 - 1889. #419 - 1892'. Also note 'COQUINA. Launched May 25, 1889'. With notes 'Mainsail 122sqft. Mainsail reefed 91 1/2sqft. Mizzen 61sqft. Mainsail & mizzen 183sqft. Mainsail reefed & mizzen 152 1.2sqft' and 'New small sails, Dec[ember 1898. Ma[insail] 83[sqft]. Mizzen 48[sqft]. [Total] 151[sqft]'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Inked Sailplan. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0304. WRDT04, Folder 28, formerly MRDE09. 1892-02-15.)
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"[Item Description:] so you are actually building another Cup Defender! [#551s CONSTITUTION], will keep anything I know about #499s COLUMBIA to myself for you trusted me with the information, how I should enjoy working on the new one!, am busy here [at New York Sipbuilding in Camden, NJ], I see an enlarged #512s OISEAU going up in the South Shop, was sorry to hear about Walker's Cove fire [on Oct 21, 1900], #532s RAINBOW seems to have acted remarkably well in just clearing the South wharf in the North Wester [RAINBOW had gone ashore on Nov 9, 1900], have you been out in #404s COQUINA lately, I wish I could be up there trying to catch you in the TIP tomorrow" (Source: Packard, Alpheus A. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_20350. Correspondence, Folder 58. 1900-11-17.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled notes booklet for #215p ROAMER titled 'No. 215 Roamer. 1901-1902'. Containing detailed dimensions, construction and fitting out notes as well as a complete log of cruises for the year 1902 (taking with them ROAMER's electric launch #190202ep and #404s COQUINA), including a voyage to New York City and Larchmont Race week in July 1902, the cruise of the New York Yacht Club in August 1902, a summer cruise to Bar Harbor, ME (with meetings and discussions preliminary to the design of the Bar Harbor 31 class), and an October 17, 1902 trip from Newport to Bristol during which the contract for #605s RELIANCE was signed. Also containing scrap paper notes about coal consumption, flags carried on board, a sketch for an electric capstan, a list of dishes and kitchenware carried on ROAMER." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Notes Booklet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_00030. Folder [no #]. 1901-10 to 1903-03-16.)
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"[Item Transcription:] Refering to your interesting visit here yesterday in which you left an order with our Company to build you a sailing dinghy [#192602es Garryowen] from my design and what I thought would give you best pleasure in sailing at Essex.
I would like some information from you.
I think you mentioned the length not to exceed 16 feet, is that a positive limitation?
I find [#404s] Coquina is 16ft 7in extreme length and 15ft 9in in waterline - a little longer than I had in mind. She is 5ft 1in beam with 22in depth and 14in free board at mid section and as you probably noticed has rather a lean builge and very easy lines both fore & aft. When new she weighed 275lbs and as I used to sail her had the following weight: Centerboard, rudder, oars, rowlocks & c 58lbs, sails & rigging 43 lbs, sandbags 140lbs, self with winter suit 170lbs, total 686 lbs.
We have moulds for another boat designed 12 or 14 years after Coquina which I think would make a better boat for you and probably as fast under ordinary conditions. I am enclosing profile and half breadth of deck of each for comparison which will show better by holding paper up to light. This later design has an over hang forward which gives very graceful lines
Is 17ft 2in extreme length, 14ft 8in waterline, 5ft 5in beam, 24in deep and 16 1/2in freeboard at midsection. The plan[?] is a little flatter than Coquina, giving a much fuller builge[sic] and of course much more natural stability and capable of carrying larger sails. Boats built from this model have usually been rigged with mainsail & jib and the last two [apparently #192204es Sailing Cutter for #215p Roamer and #192501es Sailing Cutter for Katoura II] had jib headed mainsails set on short masts with yard having jaws in sails. If the extreme length of 17ft 2in is used the two masted rig could be used, but if the boat is made much shorter probably the jib & mainsail rig would be desirable to get sufficient sail area.
The hull of this model 17ft 2in long would probably weigh 300lbs and will all gear on board except ballast nearly 400lbs.
Is this too much for hauling out as you propose or would a smaller size boat of less weight be preferable? Do you want all spars & rig to store in board or would you prefer tall mast, or masts that you would stow away elsewhere?
Kindly advise me on these various points." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Goodwin, Charles A. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRRT_270. Unidentif. / Non-Cataloged, Folder MRRT. 1926-06-24.)
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"[Item Description:] handwritten letter re 14ft dinghies, became interested after seeing British class, am quite convinced one can get the maximum of pleasure, in fair weather, in having one of these 14ft sailing boats, I kept my boats hanging to shedded over davits, sand bags, side decking much better, different kinds of centerboards, any board that will not rise automatically when hitting boards to be avoided, there is now in my boathouse a very fine dinghy [#404s COQUINA] I had built 45 years ago with tobin bronze board and I remember the trouble when running into bottom, best to have a board that is only a little heavier than water, referring to Stone's letter of the 5th [April 5, 1933], undated, on an envelope post-stamped Mar 31, 1933" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. Letter to Stone, Herbert L. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_67650. Measuring and Measurement Rules (Box 1), Folder B1F01, formerly MRDE15. No date (1933-04-07 as per Stone letter of 1933-04-10).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #404s Coquina even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Coquina (HMCo-made index card)
• Coquina (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: Coquina
Type: Ketch
Length: 15'9"
Owner: Herreshoff, N. G.

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

• Coquina
• 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: Coquina
Type: 16' 6" catyawl
Owner: N. G. Herreshoff
Year: 1889
Row No.: 130

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.

Year: 1889
E/P/S: S
No.: 0404
Name: Coquina
LW: 15' 9"
B: 6' 0"
D: 1' 3"
Rig: Dandy [?]
CB: y
Ballast: none
Built for: N. G. Herreshoff
Notes Bray: unsure about "rig", photos show a cat ketch (Bray p. 51)
Last Name: Herreshoff
First Name: N. G.

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.

"Beam 5ft 1in from NGH 1880s Design Notebook. Note, that the Construction Record States a beam of 6ft 0in." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. June 16, 2015.)

"Launched 1889-05-25 according to a note on Herreshoff Marine Museum plan #2004.0001.00304." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 9, 2009.)

"Plan 28-9 (formerly 75-26) from which this boat was built is dated 1892-01." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. October 26, 2009.)

"Built in 75 days (setup to launch; equivalent to 5 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"The original rig was very nicely made, but much too large for ordinary use. The mainsail has 122 square feet and the mizzen has 61 square feet [for a total of] 183 square feet. It has had but little use. For a while, I used two sails of RIVIERA's. [I] finally made another rig with sails quite low and [it was] 83 square feet and 48 square feet =131." (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.)

"... Hull without c.b. or rudder before launching 275lbs. Main Mast 16lbs, with sails and rigging 30lbs. Mizzen 6 1/2lbs, [with sails and rigging] 13lbs. Centreboard 37 [for a total of 355lbs]." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Design booklet entry dated March 25, 1889.)

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