HMCo #591s Irolita I

"[1903-06-29] Mon 29: Fresh E [wind]. ... Launched #591 [Irolita].
[1903-06-30] Tue 30: Spars & rigging in #591 [Irolita].
[1903-07-12] Sun 12: Very fine & warm. Strong SW in PM. #590 Ingomar & 591 Irolita finished and both sailed." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1903. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"No. 591.
Cruising sloop yacht. C[enter] b[oard].
Frame spaces 16".
Deduct in making moulds
for planking 1 5/8"
for timbers 2 7/8"
Total 4 1/2".
Rabbat line in middle part 1 1/4" above bottom of main keel.
C.B. slot 3 3/4" wide, 10' 8" long.
Forward end 8" forward of [frame] # 24 on.
Ends of slot square to keel. Wood keel.
Sheer heights given are to upper side of deck.
Timbers sided 2 7/8". Those between # 18 & 38 increase to be moulded 2 7/8" at head and tapering 1/8" per foot for 7', then parallel." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Penciled note in Offset Booklet HH.4.138.] Undated, ca. February 1903. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"1909. Note. Sold to Mr. Alburger and name changed to Polaris. Main boom cut off 15ft 3in leaving 38ft 9in and leach of mainsail cut to suit. Mizzen added, which is to be a duplicate of [that for] Petrel #510. Job # 5070. Drawings for change 78-60, 80-67." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [?]. Note on Construction Plan 76-48, 1909.)

"Another yacht of Captain Nat's design that came out in 1903 was the first 'Irolita' built for E. Walter Clark. This one was seventy feet O.A., fifty feet W.L., fifteen feet four inches beam, and only six feet ten inches draft. She was afterward changed to a yawl, and under the name of 'Polaris' is said by some to have been one of the most desirable cruisers ever built, for she was roomy and able though of shallow draft." (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. 269.)

"Irolita, sloop #591, of Bristol.
Built at [blank] [sic, i.e. Bristol at HMCo].
34.39 gross tons, 24.86 net tons; 57 ft. x 15.3 ft. x 7.3 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, one mast, overhanging head, overhanging stern.
Surveyed and measured, June 22, 1903." (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Irolita.)

"Workmen are employed at the Herreshoffs shops until 9 o'clock every weekday evening in order to finish up a sloop yacht [#591s Irolita I] of the 51 foot class, that is nearly ready for launching in the South shop. Work is being done evenings on the new schooner yacht Ingomar [#590s Ingomar], launched last week for M T Plante." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, June 30, 1903, p. 2.)

"[Abstract of register or enrollment. Pos. 469:]
Irolita, sloop yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1903.
24.86 tons; 57 ft. x 15.3 ft. x 7.3 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, one mast, overhanging head [bow].
Enr[olled] and Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) July 8, 1903. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff, Bristol.
Surrendered [license] May 6, 1904 at Philadelphia. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence])." (Source: Survey of Federal Archives, Work Projects Administration. Ships Documents of Rhode Island. Bristol. Ship Registers and Enrollments of the Port of Bristol - Warren Rhode Island, 1941, s.v. Irolita.)

"The new sloop yacht Irolita [sic], owned by a Mr Clarke [sic] of Philadelphia, has been completed and left here Sunday [July 12, 1903] with Mr. Clarke and a number of friends onboard. The yacht is 46 feet long on the water line and will enter races of the 51 foot class [sic]." (Source: Anon. "News and Notes of Local Interest." Bristol Phoenix, July 14, 1903, p. 2.)

"No. 3747 --- For Sale --- (See illustration). Cruising sloop, designed and built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co., 1903, 70 ft. o. a., 50 ft. w.l. 15 ft. 6 in. beam, 6 ft. 10 in. draught, centerboard below floor. A-1 construction throughout. Brass screw fastenings, mahogany deck trimmings. 18 tons lead on keel, fastened with 40 bronze nut bolts. Accommodations consist of two staterooms and a saloon with a berth under the deck, each side and transom seat in front, private toilet rooms for owner and guests, large galley and roomy foc'sle with six berths for crew, w. c., etc. Owner's quarters are neatly finished in white enamel, trimmed with mahogany, well ventilated and provide 6 ft. 3. in. headroom. Her equipment includes 14 1/2-ft. Herreshoff launch and 12-ft. dingey in davits, two complete suits of sails, one new 1905, brass capstan, binnacle and compass, new running rigging 1905, equipped with jigs, cushions, curtains, carpets, etc.; in fact, her outfit is complete and of the finest, excepting silver, china and glassware, linen and blankets, all of which have owner's initials. Yacht cost originally nearly $18,000 and is undoubtedly one of the handsomest and finest built craft her size and type, available. Besides being fast, she is an excellent cruiser. Only offered as owner has larger boat. Price reasonable. Address Stanley M. Seaman, 220 Broadway, New York." [Though not explicitly identified, her dimensions clearly show this to be Irolita I.] (Source: Rudder, March 1907, p. 223.)

"[A similar ad appeared also in the Rudder, March 1909, p. 184, stating that she was not used in 1906 and 1907 and put in 'thorough order by builders, 1908.'] (Source: Anon. [Sale Ad.] Rudder, March 1909, p. 184.)

"BRISTOL, R. I., March 6 [1909] --- ... The cruising sloop Irolita, sold last fall by Commodore E. W. Clark of Philadelphia to L. R. Alberger will appear next season under a yawl rig. ... " (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, March 7, 1909, p. 48.)

"The sloop Irolita recently sold to L. R. Alberger is at the Herreshoff shops, and is to be rigged as a yawl." (Source: Anon. "Work at Herreshoffs." Forest and Stream, March 13, 1909, p. 424.)

"BRISTOL, R. I., April 17 [1909] --- ... Louis M. Alburgher of New York, who recently purchased the old racing and cruising sloop Irolita from Commodore E. W. Clark of Philadelphia, is having her fitted out for the season under yawl rig." (Source: Anon. "Bristol Notes." Boston Globe, April 18, 1909, p. 50.)

"No. 3352 --- For Sale --- Famous yawl. Designed and built by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. Dimensions: 70 ft. on deck, 50 ft. w. l., 15 ft. 3 in. beam, 7 ft. draught without board. Outside lead about 18 tons. Has probably the best accommodations of any yacht of her size, including two large staterooms: two berths in saloon and transom berth in chart room. The yacht's condition is good as new. A splendid cruiser as well as probably being the fastest yacht of her size. Winner of many cruising prizes. Has two suits of sails and a very complete equipment. Further particulars from Frank Bowne Jones, Yacht Agent, 29 Broadway, New York City. [Though not explicitly identified, her dimensions and rig point with high probability to #591s Polaris ex Irolita I.]" (Source: Anon. "For Sale." Rudder, March 1911, p. 216.)

"... The well known racing yawl Polaris has been sold by Lewis R Alberger to James O. Heyworth of Chicago. The Polaris was built by Herreshoff in 1903, and her principal dimensions are Seventy-four feet over all, 50 feet water line, feet 4 inches beam, and 6 feet 10 inches draft. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes From The Week's Log." Boston Globe, April 2, 1911, p. 62.)

"The following transfers of yachts are reported through the agency of Frank Bowne Jones:
Yawl Polaris sold by the estate of Louis R. Alberger to James O. Heyworth, of Chicago. Polaris is a Herreshoff-built yacht 50 feet on the waterline. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts Change Hands." Forest and Stream, April 22, 1911, p. 625.)

"Polaris, James O. Heyworth's eastern racing yawl, which for several weeks has been tied up by an accident in the Erie canal and which was not expected in the city for at least another week, yesterday surprised local sailors by taking up its mooring at the Chicago Yacht club, to which the newcomer will be attached in the future.
Polaris is a combination keel and center-board yawl, with an over all length of 70 feet and a water line length of 50 feet. Under the universal rules, which are in force at the Chicago Yacht club this season, Polaris fares well, as it is given a rating of 43.0 feet. The advent of the new yacht insures a keen struggle for the Mackinac cup, to be raced for on July 22.
Polaris is a Herreshoff boat and comes here with a large number of eastern victories to its credit. The competition between Valmore, Amorita, Juanita, Vencedor, and Polaris should prove exceptionally close, and the first meeting of the big boats in the Lipton trophy race of Saturday, July 13, will be awaited with interest.
Polaris left Greenwich, Conn., May 1, and, after being towed to Albany, entered the Erie canal May 15. Clyde, N.Y., had been reached when a section of the canal caved in and blocked the Heyworth yacht for three and one-half weeks before it could be released. The trip was resumed June 10, when a start was made for Buffalo, where Heyworth boarded the yacht and sailed to Detroit, where it was picked up by the Mitchell a few days ago." (Source: Proctor, Jack. "Yawl Polaris Reaches City After Trip Of Two Months. Heyworth's Boat Takes Up Its Moorings at Chicago Yacht Club After Accident in Erie Canal." Chicago Daily Tribune, July 7, 1911, p. 12.)

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled table, untitled, listing schooner classes (from A to EE) and sloops & yawls classes (from F to Q [and R and S]) and their ratings. With separate note showing rating factors 'with excess of rig' for CORONA [#435s ex-COLONIA], GLORIANA [#411s], WASP [#414s], IROLITA [#591s], HUMMA [#553s], COLUMBIA [#499s], CONSTITUTION [#551s], RELIANCE [#605s] and SPASM [#538s]. On verso unidentified sketches. Undated (the latest boat on this list was built in 1903)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE03_01380. Folder [no #]. No date (1903 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled sketch of two superimposed midship sections titled '531 [#531s SHARK] & 591 [#591s IROLITA I]' and marked '1903' in right margin. With calculations comparing SHARK and IROLITA's Rig, Hull and Lead and multiplying their displacement in lbs by 2.1 and 1.5 to arrive at 114000 and 117000 [lbs?], respectively." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04010. Folder [no #]. No date (1903 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled sketch of a half midship section titled '591 [#591s IROLITA I]. Sc[ale] 1/2in' and marked '1903' in left margin. No other notes or calculations." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Penciled Sketch. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04060. Folder [no #]. 1903.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with tracing marks titled '#591 [IROLITA I]. 1st [trial]'. Undated (2nd trial is dated January 31, 1903)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04020. Folder [no #]. No date (1903-01-31 or earlier).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled '#591 [IROLITA I]. 2nd trial. Jan[uary] 31, 1903'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04040. Folder [no #]. 1903-01-31.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks titled 'No. 591 [#591 IROLITA I]. 50ft w.l. sloop. From finished model. 1903'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 1224cuft = 78400ls = 39.2 tons net = 35.0 tons gross." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04070. Folder [no #]. No date (1903-01-31 or later).)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Outside lead for #591 [IROLITA I]. Scale 1/8 & 1/16. March 2, 1903'. With notes and calculations, including 'Required 36000lbs lead, with c.g. .572 of w.l. W.l. forward on # 7 frame. Centre board slot 10ft 8in long, 3 3/4in wide. ... Volume of c.b. slot = 11920cuin. [Required lead] 87700cuin. Total 99620cuin'. A 40in long section in the lead profile sketch is marked 'Taken off July 21'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_09640. Folder [no #]. 1903-03-02.)
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"[Item Description:] Re new class of racing sloop (NY57 class of three consisting of #663s ISTALENA for Pynchon, #664s WINSOME for Lippit, #667s AURORA for C. Vanderbilt), like the profile you sent, is there enough sail area for racing at the head of Long Island Sound, is it possible to slightly increase headroom, interior arrangement can be improved somewhat, I liked the arrangement in IROLITA [#591s or #658s?] better, need nine berths in forecastle, crew of eleven, talked with Lippitt on the phone and can safely say you will get a contract provided the price is satisfactory, suggest if you will be down with #215p ROAMER that we all meet" (Source: Pynchon, George M. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_23860. Correspondence, Folder 70. 1906-09-04.)
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"[Item Description:] Handwritten notebook. This booklet had two lives: In 1907-1908, 1908-1909 and 1909-1910 it was used for winter storage records, listing name of boat, owner, storage location, billed amount, and dates of storage. Listed were for the winter of 1907/1908: #235p MIST, ORIANA, #571s LARIKIN, EAGLET, #453s VAQUERO II, #580s TRIVIA, #663s ISTALENA, COSSACK, #666s AVENGER, #220p ATALA (for sale), #207p MIRAGE, #224p EUGENIA, #146p AUGUSTA, #247p SEA URCHIN, #105p COSETTE, ARLINE, #213p FLORENCE, #208p FLORETTE, #249p SISILINA, #591s IROLITA, #481s SPALPEEN, DUCHESS, #669s ELEANOR, #460s KILDEE, #647s CAPRICE, #408s PELICAN, #243p SWIFTSURE, #617s COCK ROBIN, #177p VANISH, #446s ALERION, and #591s IROLITA I, for the winter of 1908/1909: #666s AVENGER, #663s ISTALENA, #481s SPALPEEN, #580s TRIVIA, #617s COCK ROBIN, COSSACK, #177p VANISH, #242p #242, #243p SWIFTSURE, SKIP, #446s ALERION, CHEWINK II, DUCHESS, #571s LARIKIN, #460s KILDEE, #679s PEPITA, EAGLET, #408s PELICAN, #453s VAQUERO, #146p AUGUSTA, #224p EUGENIA, COYOTE, #264p SARAH WEBB, #207p MIRAGE, ARLINE, #213p FLORENCE, #208p FLORETTE, #249p SISILINA, #591s IROLITA I, CASSANDRA 27ft Launch, and #263p CASSANDRA 34ft Launch, and for the winter of 1909/1910: #252p WANECHE (no further boats were listed). At some later time, the same book was turned upside down and inscribed with a new title in ink '200Ft Submarine Destroyer [#191802ep Unbuilt 200ft Submarine Chaser]. Data + Calculation Book. Herreshoff Mfg Co.' on its now-new front cover (formerly its back cover), followed by weight data estimates and calculations for this submarine destroyer." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Notebook. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.087. Box HAFH.6.2B, Folder Submarine Destroyer 200-Footer. 1907-1908, 1908-1909, 1909-1910, 1918-06.)
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"[Item Description:] Four handwritten (in ink) pages with tabulated data listing 'Shop No', 'Name', '[Tons] Gross' and '[Tons] Net' for a total of 100 HMCo-built boats and classes. Tonnage data is usually precise to two digits behind the decimal. Random comparisons suggest source of tonnage data to be official Custom House data. Boats mentioned are: #664s, #663s, #625s, #665s, #634s, #658s, #657s, #646s, #641s, #617s, #626s Class, #624s, #621s, #616s, #619s, #590s, #591s, #586s, #592 Class, #618s, #605s, #578s, #560s Class, #580s, #553s, #551s, #552s, #546s, #541s, #545s, #538s, #534s, #533s, #532s, #529s, #534s, #530s, #531s, #435s, #437s, #452s, #499s, #429s, #426s, #424s, #481s, #422s, #417s, #414s, #451s, #215p, #213p, #222p, #235p, #230p, #229p, #236p, #224p, #244p, #247p, #249p, #231p, #232p, #228p, #252p, #250p, #251p, #248p, #168p, #164p, #118p, #142p, #174p, #173p, #194p, #189p, #193p, #183p, #178p, #179p, #181p, #182p, #175p, #163p, #148p, #149p, #172p, #155p, #170p, #186p, #188p, #206p, #207p, #205p, #208p, #209p, #210p, #211p, #212p, #216p. Undated (the latest boat listed, WINSOME, was launched in 1907)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (?) (creator). Handwritten List. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00220. Folder [no #]. No date (1907 or later).)
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"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled table showing LOA, LWL, Beam, Draft, QBL, Stem, [symbol], sft[?] and Displ[acement] for KATOURA [#722s], WESTWARD [#692s], VAGRANT, QUEEN MAB [#698s], CONSTITUTION [#551s], RESOLUTE [#725s], WINSOME [#664s], 2nd IROLITA [#658s], DORIS [#625s], AVENGER [#666s], 50 Footers [#711s], ADVENTURESS [#685s], IROLITA [#591s], FLYING CLOUD [#703s], BELISARIUS [#1266s], NEITH [#665s], AZOR [#578s], NAULAKHA [#687s], SENECA [#670s], NY30s [#626s], SENTA [#688s], DOROTHY Q [#668s], FLIGHT [#607s], PLEASURE [#907s], QUAKERESS [#676s], KILDEE [#460s], and the 12 1/2ft Class [#744s]. With formulas for mean length L, Draft limit by rule and freeboard at three positions. Undated, on verso of NYYC invitation dated December 11, 1933 but listing of BELISARIUS which was built in 1934/1935 indicates that this was written at that time or later. Filed close to and possibly related to what appears to be an early version of NGH's 'Observations on the Proportions of Sailing Yachts' from July 1936." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Tabulated Dimensions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE02_03040. Folder [no #]. No date (1936-07 ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #591s Irolita I even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Irolita I (HMCo-made index card)
• Polaris ex-Irolita I (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: Irolita
Type: Cutter
Length: 50'
Owner: Clark, E. W.

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

• Irolita I
• Polaris ex-Irolita I
• Priscilla ex-Irolita I
• 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: Irolita
Type: 50' cutter
Owner: E. W. Clark
Year: 1903
Row No.: 304

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: Sept.
Day: 13
Year: 1902
E/P/S: S
No.: 0591
Name: Irolita
LW: 50'
B: 15' 6"
D: 6' 10"
Rig: Cutter
K:
CB: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: $17,000.00
Notes Constr. Record: 1910, Polaris.
Last Name: Clark
First Name: E. W.

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.

"#591s Polaris, ex Irolita I was converted to schooner in the 1920 under Great Lakes ownership." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. December 13, 2010.)

"1920 Priscilla, yawl, (blank), Chicago
1928 Polaris, schooner, McCarrick, Michigan
1929 Polaris, schooner, Trautman, Michigan
1935 Polaris, schooner, Stiles, Miami
1941 Polaris,schooner, Pantz, Baltimore." [Information based on various Lloyd's registers.]" (Source: Bray, Maynard. Email to Claas van der Linde, December 15, 2010.)

"Built in 289 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $59/day, 271 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"[Sail area (3587 square feet, old sail measurement).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Rating of Yachts under the New Rules Passed by Conference of Yacht Clubs Dec. 2nd." Bristol, R.I., December 6, 1908. Original handwritten document held at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, Bristol, R.I.)

"[Displacement (1224 cubic feet).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Rating of Yachts under the New Rules Passed by Conference of Yacht Clubs Dec. 2nd." Bristol, R.I., December 6, 1908. Original handwritten document held at the Herreshoff Marine Museum, Bristol, R.I.)

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