HMCo #513s Hope

"[1899-04-01] Sat 1: Very fine, partly cloudy. (?) (?) to SE. First day really have spring. Launched Agusta [sic. i.e. #146p Augusta] at Cove and #513, Hope, 15 footer.
[1899-04-03] Mon 3: Very fine & cold [with] mod[erate] NW [wind]. Tried #513 Hope." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1899. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"... Buzzards Bay 15 [Name], 503+ [Building Number], 16.8 [Rating], 15 [Waterline], 16.56 [L = length at 1/4 beam as for Universal Rule], 5.98 [B = breadth of waterline as for Universal Rule], 2.4 [d = draft of water as for Universal Rule], 38 [D = displacement in cubic foot as for Universal Rule (= 2,432 lbs or 1.1 long tons)], 352.5 [Sail Area], 500 [Sail limit Present rule], -147.5 [Diff.], 326 [Sail limit Proposed rule], 26.5 [Diff.], Requires crew to windward [Notes] ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

"Also in 1899, the Buzzards Bay Fifteen Footers started, first with an order of seven, but augmented to seventeen. This class has been added to for thirty-one years, so there have been about eighty built." (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. 67.)

"Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
Bristol, R. I., January 19, 1899.
Mr. C. Oliver Iselin,
New Rochelle, N. Y.,
Dear Sir:-
We beg to acknowledge receipt of your favor of 14th inst, ordering the 15ft foot Knockabout as per specification handed you, boat to be ready for delivery at Bristol, April 1st, next. Price to be $680.00 as agreed upon.
Thanking you for the order.
Respectfully,
Herreshoff Mfg Co." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Letter to C. Oliver Iselin.] Mystic Seaport Museum, Charles Oliver Iselin Papers, 1893-1903 Coll. 85 – Box 1, Folder 7. January 19, 1899.)

"BRISTOL, R. I., April 5 [1899]. -- C. Oliver Iselin arrived here to-day to visit the Herreshoffs and, he said, to ascertain the progress on the new cup defender [#499s Columbia]. He is here also to give a trial to a smal pleasure yacht, which the Herreshoffs are building for his private use. The latter craft is about 22 feet long, having about 15 feet on the water line. ..." (Source: Anon. "Iselin Views Defender." New York Press, April 6, 1899, p. 5.)

"... The Herreshofft are also constructing 16 boats for members of the Beverly Yacht Club of Beverly, Mass. Most of these will be used in Buzzard's Bay. Thirteen of these boats are 15 feet on the water line and have centreboards [Buzzards Bay 15]. They are exactly alike and will be drawn for by their owners by number as were the famous Herreshof 30-footers in '97 [Newport 30s]. Two [#501s Quakeress and #502s Cyrilla] of the 16 are to be 21 feet on the water line and the other is a 25-footer [#514s May Queen]. ..." (Source: Anon. "Hustling At Herreshoff's." Bristol Phoenix, April 28, 1899, p. 1.)

"At the annual regatta of the New-Rochelle Yacht Club, on July 1 [1899], the Herreshoff knockabout Hope sailed unmeasured. Since then the official figures of the Regatta Committee have been received, showing the right racing length of the Hope to be 17.65 feet, instead of about 15 feet, as was supposed. The Hope is owned by C. A. Iselin, jr. The Regatta Committee gives the race to Edwina II, owned by J.N. Gould ..." (Source: Anon. "The Craft and Those Who Sail Them." New York Tribune, July 22, 1899, p. 6.)

"Newport, R.I. Saturday [July 16, 1904]. Mr. Victor Sorchan has purchased of Mr. C. Oliver Iselin his 21-footer the Hope, and will race her about Newport this season." (Source: Anon. "Sold His Hope." New York Herald, July 17, 1904, p. ?.)

"H. Molton Wood, of Brookline, has bought the Herreshoff sloop Hope, of Mrs. S. P. Colt, through the agency of Hollis Burgess. [Note: This is apparently a reference to #513s Hope which was reported on August 4, 1906 by Forest and Stream to have participated in the 15ft. Knockabout Class on July 20, 1906 during the Mount Hope Bay Regatta of the Fall River Y.C.]" (Source: Anon. [No title.] Forest and Stream, March 2, 1907, p. 344.)

"The Hollis Burgess Yacht Agency has sold ... the Herreshoff one-design class knockabout Hope, owned by H. Holton Wood, of Brookline. Mass., to C. F. Lyman, of Boston; ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts Change Hands." Forest and Stream, April 30, 1910, p. 703.)

"Woodwinds
By Carlton J. Pinheiro
A highlight of the awards presentation ceremony at Rendezvous '84 was the presentation of the Herreshoff 15 WOODWINDS to the Museum. This superb example of the one-design H-15 class was donated by Dean Wood of Barrington, R.I.
WOODWINDS, originally named HOPE, hull number 513, was built in 1898 and is presumed to be the oldest surviving example of the Buzzards Bay 15 class. It was the first "Newport version" of that class, built on the molds of 503 (the first of the class) but with "lead down 6 inches." Only eight of these Newport deep Keel/centerboarders were built and HOPE is the only yacht which seems to have survived, making this acquisition historically significant.
This famous class of boats originated from N.G. Herreshoffs fin-keelers. It is generally acknowledged that this class first appeared in 1898. The drawings are dated 1898 and the design is listed in shop records dated 1898. L. Francis Herreshoff believed the design may have been conceived as early as 1896, however. This class originated with a request from R.W. Emmons of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Mass. for a fleet of 15' knockabouts for sailing in Buzzards Bay. There seem to have been 11 boats listed in the class between 1898 and 1899 with Emmons as Manager. These boats, referred to as the E class by the Beverly Yacht Club but more popularly known as Herreshoff 15's, were sold originally for $666.66. Some 86 of these 15's were eventually contracted for over the years and although they are one-design craft, there seems to have been some experimentation. In the early 1920's, a Marconi-rigged version (the 880 series) was popular with the Watch Hill Yacht Club and some boats have a deeper draft than others. Many owners are aware of slight differences among their boats.
The 15's are 24'6" L.O.A, 15'2. W.L., 6'9" Beam, 2'6" Draft (board up), 5'6" Draft (board down) with approximately 2800 lbs. displacement. The lead shoe, secured to the keel and deadwood, makes up the outside ballast of about 1000 pounds. With the exception of the 1922 Watch Hill type, the 15's are gaff-headed sloops.
On the last day of August 1984, I had the opportunity to sail on WOODWINDS with Dean Wood, Capt. Harold Payson and his grand-daughter Lavinia. The 15 footer proved to be a magnificent sailer and we beat out of Bristol Harbor in a moderate southwesterly breeze, tacking with ease toward Prudence Island. On every point of sail she proved to be a stable boat with an easy motion, giving the feeling of being much larger then she is. It was a nostalgic sail for Capt. Payson who has had a warm spot for 15's since he first sailed EAGLET, one of the early versions, in 1926. A leisurely luncheon was enjoyed sailing downwind and we had time to compliment her long, low, lovely lines and fine condition.
During the sail, Dean Wood absorbed us all with the remarkable tale of the restoration. Wood first saw HOPE in a derelict condition off the Rhode Island Yacht Club when he was sailing as crew on the S-boat OBSESSION in the 1970's. Although Mac Cuddy's sailing class pumped her out occasionally, HOPE eventually went to the bottom at the end of the season. Wood investigated ownership, bought the boat and had her raised only to discover that she had tangled on her mooring chain which was what was holding her on the bottom. When finally raised, he saw that the chain had cut through the rudder and was starting to work through the hull planking. The restoration became a family affair involving Wood, his wife and three sons, Todd, Scott, and Stephen. WOODWINDS was enjoyed by the family for many years and was regularly sailed in Bristol Yacht Club Wednesday night races and on weekends. Skippered by Dean Wood, she was a participant in Rendezvous '81 and '84.
The Herreshoff Marine Museum proudly displays this fully functioning 15, in virtually original condition, as a classic example of Herreshoff design and construction of the turn of the century. Harold Payson summed up our feelings exactly when he commented as we picked up the mooring off the shop pier --- 'She is an absolute delight!'" (Source: Herreshoff Marine Museum Chronicle, Spring 1985, p. 1, 3.)

"N/A"

"[Item Transcription:] Typewritten (carbon copy) table titled 'Memorandum' with penciled additions listing boats built 1898/1899 with columns labeled 'No.', 'W.L.', 'Rig', 'To deliver', followed in some cases by penciled data for Boat Name and Actual Delivery Date. Relevant contents:
#513s HOPE [W.L.:] 15ft [Rig:] J.&.M. C.B. [To deliver:] April 1st [1899]. [Note:] Lead keel dropped 6ub lower. [Delivered:] On time." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.. (creator) and Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Memorandum. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDW02_01300. Folder [no #]. No date (1898-04 ?).)
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"[Item Transcription:] In accordance with our conversation I enclose my Irish friend's check to be applied on a/c of one of the 15 footers [#535s MOYA]. I want her to have the extra six inches draft the same as Mr Iselins [#513s HOPE] & I would like to have her ready about May 1st, 1900.
She will have to lie in a fairly exposed position so I would like to have a solid eyebolt on deck forward that can be used to shackle to her moorings.
Will you also please send me a blue print showing the general type of boat, so that I can show it to the prospective owner who is very much excited about it.
Those were pretty trying three works [in #499s COLUMBIA] that we put in down at the hook [Sandy Hook], but we went out in a blaze of glory & none of the other crowd have a word to say." (Source: Duncan, W. Butler, Jr. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_52860. Subject Files, Folder 46, formerly 60. 1899-10-25.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #513s Hope even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Cheever, David. "The Herreshoff Fifteens." The Log of Mystic Seaport, v. 24, No. 2., Summer 1972, p. 38-44. (106 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Short class history, detailed vessel description and appreciation and a thrilling account of a typical race of Buzzards Bay 15 at the Beverly Yacht Club. Special focus on #554s Fiddler ex-Nora, now in the collection of Mystic Seaport Museum.
• Brainerd, Alec with Bernard H. Gustin and Steven K. Nagy. "The Herreshoff 15 is Alive and Well." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (Publisher). Proceedings. The Classic Yacht Symposium 2010. Bristol, R.I. 2010. (5,834 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Alec Brainerd, Bernard H. Gustin, Steven K. Nagy / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Class history, construction and restoration comments, building and sailing a replica, detailed class register (including replicas). Photos, drawings.
• van der Linde, Claas. "Herreshoff 15-Footers: Building Dates and Model Variations." December 7, 2021. (380 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Claas van der Linde. Tabular summary of Herreshoff 15-footer construction dates and model variations. Together with information of BB15 sail numbers, boat names and boat owners from various year books of the Beverly Yacht Club.
• Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Contract for #513s Hope, Newport 15.] Mystic Seaport Museum Collection, Charles Oliver Iselin Papers, 1893-1903 Coll. 85 – Box 1, Folder 8. Bristol, RI, February 17, 1899. (266 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No known copyright restrictions. Copyright holder: Mystic Seaport Museum. Original building/sales contract. Vessel description, scantlings, payment terms, delivery date.

• Hope (HMCo-made index card)
• Hope (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Hope and other NP15 class (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: Hope
Type: Knockabout
Length: 15'
Owner: Iselin, C. O.

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

• Hope
• 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: Hope
Type: 15' J & M
Owner: C. O. Iselin
Row No.: 284

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: 1899
E/P/S: S
No.: 0513
Name: Hope
LW: 15'
B: 6' 9"
D: 2' 10"
Rig: Knockabout
K: y
CB: y
Ballast: Lead [sic, i.e. Lead outside]
Amount: 680.00
Notes Constr. Record: 1 Design Class B.B. Lead down 6" Newport
Last Name: Iselin
First Name: C. O.

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.

"Newport 15s were the same as Buzzards Bay 15s, except for a keel that had been deepened by 6 inches for a draft of 2' 9" with centerboard up." (Source: Nagy, Steve. June 1, 2008.)

"[The Beverly Yacht Club] published a yearbook each year listing all the boats in the club, with the owner's name and other information. This book was published in the spring, so it was a list of the boats as they were the previous year, plus, I suppose, any that were purchased over the winter.
... of the first 11 boats, the sail numbers were assigned in the same order as their hull numbers, so with the [Beverly Yacht Club] records, it is possible to name all of them." (Source: Beardsley, Bill. Email to Claas van der Linde, September 16, 2008.)

"This boat is missing it's builder's plate. The boat had sunk off the Rhode Island Yacht Club when Dean Wood rescued it. At the time, it had a builder's plate from a 12-1/2. Work is being done to validate this hull number assignment." (Source: Nagy, Steve. Herreshoff Registry. http://www.herreshoffregistry.org/detail.php?hull=513, retrieved March 6, 2012.)

"The only running change that I know of that Herreshoff made during the production of the 15 was to change the bow chocks in 1905. [#652s] Snipe is the first Newport with the new chocks. There were only 8 built with the later chocks, ... Hope at the [Herreshoff Marine] museum has the later chocks, so is not 513. I trust dating by the chocks, because they never wear out and there's no reason to replace them." (Source: Beardsley, Bill. Emails to Claas van der Linde, March 6 and 7, 2012.)

"Donated in 1984 by Dean Wood to the Herreshoff Marine Museum." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 8, 2012.)

"Contract date February 17, 1899 as per HMCo contract in Mystic Seaport Museum Collection (Charles Oliver Iselin Papers, 1893-1903 Coll. 85 – Box 1, Folder 8)" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 11, 2017.)

"Built in 43 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $16/day, 57 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"[Sail area 352.5 sq.ft.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

"[Displacement (38 cubic feet = 2432 lbs).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

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