HMCo #594s Zara

"[1902-12-08] Mon 8: Mr. Sears here in PM to inspect his boat [#594 Zara for Joshua M. Sears or #595s Joker for Herbert M. Sears, both Bar Harbor 31s]. Heavy gale blowing so did not sail her.
[1902-12-10] Wed 10: Temp[erature] rising. Gale from SW in PM. Ther[mometer] up to 37deg. Turned over #594 [Zara].
[1903-01-02] Fri 2: Took #594 [Zara] to cove lot. Very fine & calm." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1902 to 1903. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"Nos. 592 to 604 inclusive [#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s].
Bar Harbor Class.
Frame spaces 12 1/2".
Planking 1 1/8".
Timbers moulded 1 1/2" at head increasing 1/8 per foot.
Sided 1 7/8".
Keel steamed or bent 2 7/8" think[?]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. [Penciled note in Offset Booklet HH.4.139.] No date [ca. October 1902]. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection, MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA.)

"A contract for sixteen [sic, i.e. thirteen] sloop yachts of the thirty foot class was received this week by the Herreshoffs. The boats are to be of one design and are to be drawn by lot next spring. It is to be known as the Bar Harbor class and the yachts will be constructed in the building now in process of construction on the east side of Hope street, opposite the construction shops." (Source: Anon. "Bristol and Vicinity." Bristol Phoenix, October 3, 1902, p. 2.)

"BAR HARBOR, Sept 20 [1902]. --- ... Prospects for the yachting fraternity next season are excellent. There is to be a single-design class built which will be uniform in every particular, the various members to draw for their boats. Those who will build are V. Everett Macy, A. J. Cassatt, W. G. Ladd, H. L. Eno, Edgar Scott, Edward Morrell, R. Horace Gallatin, H. M. Sears, W. C. Allison, J. M. Sears, Antonio Y. Stewart, and T. G. Condon." (Source: Anon. "Bar Harbor Happenings." New York Times, September 21, 1902.)

"Work has begun on the first of the new class of 30-footers known as the Bar Harbor class. These boats are to be built in the new shop constructed this fall directly opposite the old construction shop. There are to be fourteen [sic, i.e. 13] of these boats built from the same mould, and will be drawn by lot in the spring." (Source: Anon. "Yachting." New York Tribune, November 16, 1902, p. 10.)

"Zara, sloop, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, RI, by Herreshoff Manufacturing Co.
10.46 gross tons, 8.71 net tons; 36.4 ft. x 10.4 ft. x 5 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
One deck, one mast, overhanging head, overhanging stern.
Surveyed and measured, March 27, 1903." (Source: U.S. Customs Department, Bristol, R.I. Custom House Record Book, 1870s to 1904 (Collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum), s.v. Zara.)

"[License issued to vessel under 20 tons. Pos. 285:]
Zara, sloop, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1903.
8.71 tons; 36.4 ft. x 10.4 ft. x 5 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
No specifications shown.
Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) May 6, 1903. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff.
Surrendered [license] Aug. 18, 1903 at Mount Desert Ferry. ([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. Zara.)

"There will be an important addition to the Bar Harbor 31-foot class in the 1915 racing, for Albert W. Finlay has purchased the Zara of the class and intends to race the boat next season. After the breaking up of the 31-foot class at Bar Harbor the Zara was owned in Massachusetts Bay for a couple of seasons, but was purchased by Charles F. Hofer and taken back to the Maine coast, from whom Mr Finlay bought the sloop. Mr Finlay is one of the better-known of the Massachusetts Bay yachtsmen, having been interested for a number of years in the 18-foot knockabout class and Class A of the Interclub Association." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, December 13, 1914, p. 53.)

"Albert W Finlay's Bar Harbor 31-footer Zara left Neponset last Wednesday after having her hollow spars replaced by solid sticks. According to the rules of the Bar Harbor 31-Foot Association all boats in the class are required to have solid sticks." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Daily Globe, June 13, 1915, p. 53.)

"... The yachts took part in the regatta of the Eastern Y. C. off Marblehead on Tuesday, August 8th [1916], and had to battle with one of the worst thunder squalls of the season. The storm lasted a long time, and Britomarte of Class P, and Leenane [#604s] and Zara [#594s], of the Bar Harbor 31-footers, were dismasted, and Stranger and Meemer were forced to withdraw. ... Manataqua won in Class Q; Huskie II in Class R; Mildred IV [#596s] in the Bar Harbor Class. In spite of the storm and high sea, the small craft did remarkably well, and every boat was handled with rare skill. ..." (Source: Anon. "Marblehead And Its Enthusiastic Yachtsmen." Rudder, September 1916, p. 408.)

"Members of the Bar Harbor 31-foot class are sure to have a very interesting season in 1927 at the North Shore with their big jib-headed mainsail rigged sloops, owing to the experiment to be tried out of adding lead to the keels of the sloops. Last Tuesday at a meeting of the Bar Harbor 31-foot association an amendment to the class restrictions was passed allowing the addition of lead to the keel up to 1560 pounds.
For some time past, since the 31-footers were changed from the old gaff rig to the more modern and taller mast for the jib-headed mainsail, some of the owners have considered the sloops somewhat tender in anything except a moderate breeze. In fact, in the last two or three seasons off Marblehead one of the sights on race days when the bay has been dotted with whitecaps has been the 31-footers laying over to the breeze.
This has caused much comment among the racing men and their friends as to whether the Bar Harbors were not trying to lug too much sail and would not be better racing craft in all conditions if their sail spread was cut down. This has been the opinion of a number of yacht designers: but the owners, instead, are of the belief that the addition of lead to the keels will make the sloops stiffer in a breeze and not lessen their speed in light going, whereas a reduction in sail area would surely slow the boats down in light airs.
Thus for the 1927 racing the owners in this one-design class are to be allowed to add any amount of lead desired up to 1560 pounds to the lead keels. In addition, throughout the season's racing this extra lead may be increased or decreased as long as the limit is not exceeded.
As the lead is to be added to the bottom of the keels, it not only will give the sloops greater displacement and bring down the center of effort, but in addition will increase the draft from an inch to over six inches according to the amount of lead added. This alone will allow the 31-footers to hang on better in going to windward.
To make the experiment with the 31-footers more complete, one of the owners has decided not to make any change in the keel for the opening races of the season. Thus, while George Lee, owner of the Mingo [#601s]: Walter K. Shaw, owner of the Indian [#599s], and Walter K. Shaw Jr. owner of the Astrild [#593s], will have lead added to the keels of their racers, Albert W. Finlays Zara [#594s] will be brought out for the 1927 racing in the same trim as for the 1926 season.
In this way real definite facts will be determined in regard to the ease of handling and the speed of the 31-footers with or without the added lead. Last Summer the Astrild, Mingo and Zara met in 19 races off Marblehead. and the records of these contests will form a basis upon which comparison can be made in the first half-dozen meetings of 1927.
At a meeting of the Bar Harbor 31-Foot Association about a month ago the regulations and restrictions of the class were revised for the coming season. Last year the Mingo was raced to the championship of the class with her mast stepped about 22 inches farther forward than the other two sloops, so that hereafter the masts on the sloops may be located up to 26 inches forward of the original Herreshoff design.
The 'Marconi' masts of the sloops are limited to 72 feet in length and cannot be less than 71 feet, while the bowsprit can extend four feet six inches outboard, with the jib stay not to exceed four feet outboard. Under the method of measurement used in the universal rating rule the sail area is limited to 1519 square feet.
The first year the 31-footers are changed from gaff to jib-headed mainsail rig two new suits of sail are allowed with one new suit every year thereafter. No limit to the number of hauling-outs was made up to July 1 of each season, but thereafter only three are allowed in a Summer, except in case of accident. Crews are limited to seven persons, including two professionals.
Complete cruising equipment is required to be carried in all races. Though the hulls must remain as designed for the Bar Harbor owners some 20 years ago, the owners are allowed to make any changes in the interior layout desired." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen. Interesting Season for 31-Footers." Boston Globe, January 30, 1927, p. 52.)

"Though there are only four of the big jib-headed mainsail-rigged sloops in the Bar Harbor 31-foot class the racing between the yachts should be very interesting in the 1927 season off Marblehead. These Herreshoff-designed craft have been in competition for more than 20 years and are giving as good sport to owners now as when they first came out.
They were built as a one-designed class for the Summer residents of Bar Harbor in 1903, where they remained until about 1910. Later they were purchased by Massachusetts Bay yachtsmen and raced at the North Shore and Hull with their original gaff-mainsail and double-head rig until about 1916, when a number of the owners changed their interests to other classes.
After the World War Albert W. Finlay changed the rig of his Zara [#594s] to the jib-headed mainsail and in the last three or four seasons off Marblehead has had class competition from the Indian [#599s] and Astrild [#593s], the latter raced until 1926 as the Vera III.
Last Fall the Red Wing [#601s] was purchased from a Narragansett Bay yachtsman and brought to Massachusetts Bay to be raced as the Mingo by George Lee, one of the best-known of the North Shore yachtsmen. In addition to the change from gaff-mainsail to jib-headed mainsail the mast of the Mingo was moved forward about 20 inches.
With one of the best suits of racing sails ever seen at the North Shore, cut by Ratsey of Cowes, the Mingo won practically all the prizes offered in the class last season, proving very fast in light-to-moderate going; but when a real breeze was encountered the Zara was pretty sure to come home in the lead.
Even under the old gaff-mainsail rig the Bar-Harbor 31-footers were considered rather tender and in the last three seasons one of the sights at the North Shore when a real breeze was blowing has been the class well sprawled out in the endeavor to lug through the heavy gusts their high rigs.
Lead Added to Keels
This caused some studying among the owners with two questions in mind: whether to cut down the amount of sail or to give the boats more lead. Finally at a meeting early this year the Bar Harbor Associations voted to allow the addition of lead to the keels of the boats up to 1560 pounds.
Thus for the 1927 racing one more experimental class is added to the Marblehead yachting; where probably more real instructive study and experimental work has been accomplished with the small racing craft than in all the other racing centers of the United States and Canada combined.
Except for the allowed changes in lead the class will remain for the 1927 season a one-designed class. Everything else is strictly limited, the height of mast to maximum and also minimum, the length of bowsprit outboard, and the sail area to 1519 square feet by the Universal Rule sail area measurement.
All the owners except Albert W. Finlay, of the Zara are to add lead to keel of their racers, and in every case up to the limit. Already on one of the sloops, George Lee's Mingo, the lead has been added for last week at Graves' yard, Little Harbor. 1560 pounds of lead was poured into a mould and bolted to the bottom of the keel. This adds about six inches to the draft of the Mingo, as the added lead is spread over the entire length of the original keel. In the cases of the Indian, owned by Walter K. Shaw, and Astrild owned by Walter K. Shaw Jr. the sloops will he given much greater added draft, nearly 20 inches. This will be due to the fact that by far the greater portion of the lead will be added to the after end of the keel.
Though no added lead will be given the Zara, it is understood that the Finlay racer will have a new rig, with mast moved forward nearly to the location of that on the Mingo. Thus one of the class will race this season in practically the same trim as 1926, with the other three made considerably more powerful, owing to added lead and greater draft. Changes in all four are from the office of Crowninshield, Burbank & Howard.
The showing of the four in the class should be very interesting to all yachtsmen of Marblehead who make a close study of the game. Will the Astrild, Indian and Mingo with the three-quarters of a ton extra outside ballast be slowed up in light going more than be counteracted by the sure increase in stability for fresh breezes?" (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen. Changes in Bar Harbor 31-Footers." Boston Globe, March 27, 1927, p. 54.)

"The Bar Harbor 31-footers, designed and built by Herreshoff in 1903 for Summer residents of Bar Harbor, are the largest of the one-designers. These boats were raced at the Maine port until about 1910, when a number were bought for the Massachusetts Bay sport. Until the United States entered the World War they were raced here under their old gaff rig, but about half a dozen years ago the Zara [#594s] was changed by Albert W. Finlay to the jib-headed mainsail rig.
In the last four or five seasons at Marblehead two or three of the class have been raced with the newer rig, and this Summer there will be four in the sport. The owners of three of the sloops are to try an interesting experiment in trim and stability of the 31-footers by the addition of 1560 pounds of lead as extra outside ballast.
The showing of Walter K. Shaw Jr's Astrild [#593s], Walter K. Shaw's Indian [#599s] and George Lee's Mingo [#601s] against the Zara, which has not had the lead added, will be watched with considerable interest by all yachtsmen of the bay. not only for the racing qualities of the big sloops, but also for the results of extra strains on the 20-year-old hulls by the added lead that has increased the drafts six to eight inches.
The owners of the sloops of this class are all members of the Bar Harbor Thirty-One Foot Association, of which Albert W. Finlay is president and Stephen J. Connolly is secretary. Recently the secretary has issued a pamphlet of the special rules governing the class. The regulations are:
Bar Harbor Class Restrictions
1. The hull must be built upon the original design; the interior arrangement of the cabin may be changed, but adequate accommodations for cruising shall be maintained.
2. The lead keel may be increased in weight 1560 pounds, or any part thereof; each yacht owner shall report the actual lead ballast carried as above and any change of same, to the secretary.
3. The mast shall not be less than 71 feet over all and not more than 72 feet over all.
4. Total sail area shall not exceed 1519 square feet based upon Universal Rule measurement.
5. Jib stay shall not exceed four feet outboard.
6. Number of units of sails, two first year, one each year after.
7. Number of haul outs, as often as desired up to July 1; for the remainder of the season three, except in case of accident.
8. Total number of crew not to exceed seven; two professionals allowed.
9. Complete cruising equipment must be carried, with the exception of tender.
10. The mast may be stepped at any point from that of the original design to that of the 'Mingo' at present; this point is 22 inches forward of the original step." (Source: Anon. "Bar Harbor 31-Footers ... Sure to Give Good Sport." Boston Globe, May 22, 1927, p. A24.)

"The largest yachts regularly entered for the championships are the one-designed Bar Harbor 31-footers, now giving the best sport in their more than 20 years of existence. Three of the four in the class, Walter K. Shaw Jr's Astrild [#593s], Walter K. Shaw's Indian [#599s] and George Lee's Mingo [#601s ex Redwing] have had 1560 pounds of lead added to the bottom of the lead keels, while the Astrild, Indian and Albert W. Finlay's Zara [#594s] have had changes made in their rigs to correspond to that of the Mingo. This included the moving of the masts forward about 20 inches." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Globe, June 5, 1927, p. A24.)

"Crowninshield and Burbank have designed a new rig for Albert W. Finlay's Bar-Harbor 31-footer, Zara, so that next Summer her sails should be on par with the Mingo, Indian, and Astrild. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Globe, February 26, 1928, p. 52.)

"The four Bar Harbor 31-footers will be practically once again a one-design class this season. Albert W. Finlay's Zara, which last season raced without the added 1600 pounds of lead on the keel, carrying the added weight as inside ballast instead, now conforms with the other 31-footers. The lead has been added to the keel and Crowninshield and Burbank have designed a new rig for the racer, including a triangular hollow mast, which Pigeon is building." (Source: Anon. "Notes From The Week's Log." Boston Globe, April 22, 1928, p. B18.)

"[The] Bar Harbor 31-footers [are] the largest yachts in the regular championship classes, and for 1928 they will be nearer one-design in rig and hull than for any season since the big sloops were changed to jibheaded mainsail rig. With the addition of 1600 pounds of lead, bolted to the bottom of the keel of Albert W. Finlay's Zara this Winter, the four sloops are identical as far as weight of lead keels.
The Bar Harbor 31-footers, Walter K. Shaw's Astrild [#593s], Walter K. Shaw's Indian [#599s], George Lee's Mingo [#601s] and Albert W. Finlay's Zara [#594s] should be a handsome sight coming down the wind this Summer smothered under light sails. At the Bar Harbor Association's annual meeting this Spring the owners decided to lift the halyard blocks for spinnakers and balloon jibs to the mastheads.- With practically 70-foot masts this means enormous light sails, so it is very lucky for the other racing craft that the Bar Harbors are to be started 10 minutes ahead of every other class." (Source: Anon. "Greatest Season Ever At Marblehead Opens May 30." Daily Boston Globe, May 27, 1928, p. C17.)

"... Albert W. Finlay has a longer record of racing in Massachusets Bay, for back 20 or so years ago he was very active in Class I with the 18-footers Dorchens, one of which will be raced next Summer by his son, James Finlay. After that he joined the racing ot the Bar Harbor 31-footers before the days of the change to their present lofty rig. Later, after the war, when this class was revived with the change of rig, he joined the racing at Marblehead with the Zara and continued active in the class until the 1930 season. ... [Finlay had recently acquired the Class Q yacht Venturer and, apparently sold Zara.]" (Source: Fowle, Leonard. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Globe, May 15, 1931, p. A56.)

"Johnny T. Florence Alabama. 06-21-2002.
I have recently aquired a 40ft herreshoff sailboat O.N. 028152 and have discovered it was originally built for J.Montgomery Sears in 1903 by Herreshoff Mfg. Co. It spent some time on the East Coast then in Fl,NC,TX and now in AL. I would like to get as much imformation about this boat as I can so that I can restore her as close to original as possible. My question is what would be the best way to research this boat to get as much detailed imformation as possible? If there is anyone with imformation on this boat or anyone with pictures, I sure would like to have them. Thanks Johnny T. [Note: Her official number 28152 clearly identifies her as #594s Zara.]" (Source: Anon. [Johnny Turner?). Post at the Woodenboat Forum, June 21, 2002. http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?14894-Imformation-needed-on-40ft-Herreshoff-%28Zara, retrieved April 1, 2012.)

"Johnny T. Florence Alabama. 07-06-2002.
I have started my big project on Zara and the keel has been covered with steel plating. This steel plating is in very bad condition rust wise. I don't know if that is something that is commonly used over lead keels and I was wondering if the removal of this rusty steel is going to damage the underlying lead." (Source: Anon. [Johnny Turner?). Post at the Woodenboat Forum, July 6, 2002. http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?14850-Herreshoff-Bar-Harbor-30, retrieved April 1, 2012.)

"Johnny T. Florence Alabama. 07-08-2002.
Well the steel has been done in a very neet way the best I can tell. Of course rust has taken its toll. The formost part of the keel 12 feet or so is still solid, but the 5 feet or so near the rudder is hollow. There are holes completly eaten through this part. The bottom plate is welded on and the side plates are also welded together. I just assumed that if it was a cast iron keel that it would have beed one solid piece. ... Another reason I thought it was an add on is because the decks have been fiberglassed as well as the cabin. The tiller has been replaced with a wheel, and to top it off, if that can be done, the mast has been changed to a triangular shaped one enclosed in fiberglass. [Note: Additional lead was bolted to Zara's keel in the winter of 1927/1928 and this may explain the 'steel' keel observed on Zara in 2002. The triangular shaped mast is quite likely the triangular mast fitted to Zara in 1928 that had been designed by B. B. Crowninshield / R. N. Burbank and build by Marblehead boatbuilder Fred Pigeon." (Source: Anon. [Johnny Turner?). Post at the Woodenboat Forum, July 8, 2002. http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?14850-Herreshoff-Bar-Harbor-30, retrieved April 1, 2012.)

"Descendants of Charles Frederick 'C.F.' Hofer (1860-1929) recently donated a group of ten photographs capturing an outing aboard ZARA, a Herreshoff Bar Harbor 31, during the summer of 1910. The photos bear the later annotations of Hofer's son, Philip Hofer (1898-1984). Hofer, a wealthy industrialist from Cincinnati, brought his family to Camden every summer beginning around 1900 and built a grand Shingle Style 'cottage' along its rocky coastline. He named the estate 'Armsleigh,' a nod to the family of his wife, Jane M. Arms (1859-1944). So began the family’s love of the Maine coast and of sailing, a sport still enjoyed by C.F.’s great-great-grandchildren.
In the photos, C.F. Hofer is in the company of a group of young, nattily dressed passengers including his niece Hildegard Ault (1885-1942, from Cincinnati), James Hennen Legendre (1893-1939, from New Orleans), and Albert Chatfield Gilbert (1887-1948, from Utica). Like the Hofers, the Ault, Legendre, and Gilbert families summered in Camden, built rambling cottages by the ocean, and figured prominently in the local social scene. At the helm is Hofer’s captain, Fremont Nelson Arey (1880-1958), a native of Camden. Close inspection of the photos yields intriguing details, from the elegant attire and millinery worn by the passengers (Photo 1), to the yacht owner caught mid-nap (Photo 2, behind Capt. Arey).
Hofer, a noted yachtsman, was active in the Camden Yacht Club. In 1912, for instance, he served as vice commodore and was on the regatta committee. C.F. purchased the ZARA in April 1907 from former owner H.B. Whittier of Boston, perhaps enticed by its reputation as 'a very fast boat.' (ZARA was not C.F.’s first yacht: prior to acquiring her, Hofer owned the NOROTA, a 34-foot William Gardner designed cutter built in 1895.) Periodic mentions of ZARA in the local newspapers indicate that C.F. continued to sail her at least through summer 1914, and suggest that she was used primarily for pleasure outings. In 1908, the Bangor Daily News recounted a frightening mishap on one of those excursions:
'Yacht ZARA, belonging to C.F. Hofer, one of the summer colonists at Beauchamp Point, met with an accident today that for a time imperiled the lives of the party on board. With a party from the cottage the boat was proceeding to the races at Dirigo Island, when a squall of unusual violence struck her and carried away the mast and with it all the rigging. A strong southwest wind prevailed in the bay, and the water was unpleasantly rough for a craft with no motive power, and for several hours the boat drifted at the mercy of wind and wave. Her plight was at last observed by some of the cottagers at Beauchamp Point, and the Camden Yacht Clubhouse was notified of the accident...'
That late summer misadventure may not be the only instance of ZARA losing her mast. C.F.’s son Philip Hofer, who inked the annotations on the photos, recalled in his memoirs that it was a regular and not entirely unintended occurrence. He recounted, possibly with some embellishment:
'... He [C.F.] broke the mast on his yacht 'ZARA' regularly every October because [he was so proud] that the ZARA, a Bar Harbor (Herreshoff) 31-footer would not tip over. Well, after he had broken the mast for three years in a row, he asked the Willis Yard in Southwest Harbor if they couldn’t make a mast that would hold. It was the only thing he was prepared to pay for; he liked to pinch pennies, but never on the ZARA. The answer came from Mr. Willis in a good Maine twang: 'No, sir. We haven’t learned yet how to make masts fool proof!' '
The photos reveal that on that summer day in 1910, the winds were conducive to a brisk sail, at least for part of the afternoon: Photo 3 shows ZARA with full mainsail and a satisfying heel, the helmsman bracing his legs against the cockpit’s opposite bench. A highlight of the excursion must have been catching a good view of the LYNDONIA, Cyrus H.K. Curtis’s 163-foot luxury steam yacht launched in 1907 (Photo 4). At anchor in Camden Harbor, with Mount Battie and Mount Megunticook looming in the distance, the LYNDONIA's decks are crowded with passengers and its steam launch is alongside in mid-hoist. C.F. knew Curtis well: in 1912, the publishing magnate served as commodore of the Camden Yacht Club while C.F. was vice commodore. After a business meeting of the club’s directors in August 1913, they adjourned for a sail on the LYNDONIA.
C.F. sailed ZARA through at least 1914; by 1917, Lloyd’s Register listed her owner as Albert W. Finlay of Quincy, MA. ZARA traded hands at least seven times between her first owner in 1903, J. Montgomery Sears (1854-1905) of Boston, and her final listing in Lloyd’s in 1940. The last recorded 'sighting' was a post in Wooden Boat Forum in 2010 by a private owner in Florence, AL who had plans to restore the century-old hull.
[Image captions:]
A good breeze & crew on the rail.
From the guests' spectacular attire to the presence of leather cushions in the cockpit (even while under way), this was truly the Golden Age of Yachting.
A smaller crowd in the cockpit and a slight change in attire for C.F. Hofer suggests this may be a photo from a different day.
C.H.K. Curtis's LYNDONIA.
'Camden-Rockports most attractive young (marrieds mostly)'.
A view from the cabin top showing a sizable boating party in the cockpit and ZARA's tender following along under tow.
Looking forward from the after deck.
James Hennen Legendre & Hilda Ault enjoying the view from the bowsprit.
Rail down, feet braced across the cockpit & two hands on the tiller!
The professional Captain Arey at the helm; the boating party in repose.
Margi Hofer, museum director emerita at the New-York Historical Society, is an independent curator. Her husband Andrew is a great-grandson of Charles Frederick Hofer." (Source: Hofer, Margi. "Sailing Penobscot Bay aboard the ZARA. A Rare & Candid Glimpse of the Golden Age of Yachting. Sailing Penobscot Bay aboard the ZARA ca. 1910." March 19, 2024. https://herreshoff.org/2024/03/sailing-penobscot-bay-aboard-the-zara/, retrieved March 22, 2024.)

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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'Bar Harbor class [#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s]. 2nd model [Model 713]. 1st trial. Sc[ale] 3/4. Sept[ember] 25 1903 []sic, i.e. 1902'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 337.5cuft [= 21600lbs]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_03990. Folder [no #]. 1902-09-25.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with radials titled 'Bar Harbor Class. # 592 to 604 inclusive [#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s]. From finished model. Oct[ober] 2, 1902. Scale 1/16. W.l. 30ft 9in'. With tabulated calculations distinguishing between 'displacement body part' and 'displacement total' and arriving at a total displacement of 330.5cuft = 21160lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04130. Folder [no #]. 1902-10-02.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Nos. 592 to 604 inclusive [#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s]. Oct[ober] 7, 1902. 1/8 size'. With calculations (marked 'By planimeter') and note 'Required lead casting of 10000lbs with c.g. [at] 55.4[%] of w.l. = 17.05ft aft ...'. With note 'Dec[ember] 11, 1902. #592. With all w[ei]g[h]ts represented proved too deep in water and 1045lbs removed, was then 30ft 10 3/4in w.l. Have decided to take a piece of equal thickness off top of lead = 2 3/8in' and calculations to derive this amount." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_09280. Folder [no #]. 1902-10-07.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.02171 (029): Blueprint general arrangement plan with plan view and inboard profile titled 'Preliminary Plan of Bar Harbor Cruising Class [#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s]. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Bristol, R.I. Scale 1/4in = 1ft. Oct[ober] 9, 1902'." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0028. WRDT08, Folder 3, formerly MRDE08. 1902-10-09.)
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"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink) rating rule-related table on two pages with dimensions LOA, LWL, overhang fore & aft, mean length, freeboard fore & center & aft, breadth deck & w.l., draft, cube-root (displacement), 1st mast mean length, 1st to 2nd mast, J, P1, H1, B1, G1, V1, T1, P2, P2a, H2, B2, Q2, Y2,T2, sail area, sqrt(SA), sqrt(SA - NYYC Rule) for #605s RELIANCE, #499s COLUMBIA, #725s RESOLUTE, #529s MINEOLA, #663s ISTALENA, #666s AVENGER, New York 50s (#711s, #712s, #713s, #714s, #715s, #716s, #717s, #720s, #721s), #411s GLORIANA, #685s ADVENTURESS, #617s COCK ROBIN II, #586s NELLIE, #709s JOYANT, #708s CORINTHIAN, #670s SENECA, Bar Harbor 31s (#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s), New York 30s (#626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s, #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s, #648s), Newport 29s (#727s, #728s, #737s), #691s MORE JOY, #446s ALERION II, Buzzards Bay 550s (#733s, #734s, #736s, #738s, #741s), #617s COCK ROBIN II, #493s JILT, #732s SADIE, #460s KILDEE, Buzzards Bay 15s (#503s Class), Buzzards Bay 12 1/2s (#744s Class), #703s FLYING CLOUD, #669s ELEANOR, #722s KATOURA, #692s WESTWARD, #657s QUEEN, #719s VAGRANT II, #698s VAGRANT, #663s ISTALENA, and #743s HASWELL. With penciled note 'Measurements in ft & inches. Results in ft & decimals'. Undated (the youngest boat on this list is from 1914/1915 and this was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Handwritten Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE15_00100. Folder [no #]. No date (1914 / 1915 ?).)
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"[Item Description:] Printed pamphlet titled 'Annual Dinner. Bar Harbor 31 Foot Association. January 3, 1917 at the Engineers Club Boston'. With photos of the 'Flight' [#600s, winner of the 1915 Championship], 'Stephen J. Connolly (Alibi Steve), President' [owner of #604s Leenane ex-Papoose III], 'H.B. Whittier, First President of the Association, formerly owner of CRICKET [#602s], FLIGHT [#600s], ZARA [#594s] and Honorary Member of the Association', 'A. P. Moses, Second President of the Association, owner of MILDRED IV [#596s ex-BAT] and active in yacht racing for twenty-fize years', J.V. Santry 'Third President of the Association, and owner of the FLIGHT [#600s], the Youth of the Class. Erstwhile winner of all championships of 1916', and 'Arthur Ginn, Secretary and Treasurer, the man who kept the Association going and has held his offce since the formation of the Association. He is not permitted to resign, as the directors believe they know when they have a good thing'." (Source: Bar Harbor 31 Foot Association (creator). Printed Pamphlet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE08_02190. Folder [no #]. 1917-01-17.)
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"[Item Description:] Brokerage listing (File No. 815) for #594s ZARA. Dimensions, particulars (Rig: Aux. Sloop, Sails: Imported Ratsey, Mainsail, 2 spare mainsails, 2 jibs, large and small spinnaker, ballooner & flying jib topsail, Motor: Gray - 4040 with reduc. gear from 1934). Remark 'ZARA is a converted Bar Harbor 31 Cutter. Equipment includes Shipmate stove, Sands toilet, three anchors, chain & rope anchor rodes and a tender'." (Source: Belknap & Paine, Yacht Brokers (creator). Broker Listing. MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.111. Box HAFH.6.3B, Folder Brokers Listings. No date (1937 ???).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #594s Zara even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Bray, Maynard. "Two Views of the Herreshoff Bar Harbor 31s." Day, Fritz and Frances. "Desperate Lark." Bray, Maynard. "Holding the Shape the Herreshoff Way." Wooden Boat #45, March/April 1982, p. 68-74. (520 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Bar Harbor 31 class portrait with special emphasis on #602s Desperate Lark ex Cricket and detailed description of why Herreshoff boats have been able to hold their shape better over time than many other yachts.

• Zara (HMCo-made index card)
• Zara (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: Zara
Type: J & M
Length: 30'9"
Owner: Sears, J. M.

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

• Zara
• 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: Zara
Type: 31' cutter
Owner: Joshua M. Sears
Year: 1903
Row No.: 777

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: Oct. [sic, i.e. no month]
Year: 1902
E/P/S: S
No.: 0594
Name: Zara
LW: 30' 9"
B: 10' 4"
D: 7' 3"
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Amount: $4960.00
Notes Constr. Record: Bar Harbor class, double head rig.
Last Name: Sears
First Name: J. M.

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.

"Zara was sailed by J. Montgomery Sears, Jr. as per the New York Tribune of July 19, 1903, p. 6." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 1, 2012.)

"An internet forum post from April 17, 2006 (http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?2475-JohnnyT-and-Zara-where-be-thee&p=542800, retrieved April 1, 2012) indicated that Zara was once named Grey Witch II.)" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 1, 2012.)

"Sail No. BH-7 in 1930 as per Leslie Jones photo 08_06_013124 at Boston Public Library." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 1, 2012.)

"Ca. 1930s era photos exist of an unidentified Bar Harbor 31 named (on its transom visible on one of the photos) Guiding Star. A deck photo clearly shows a triangular masthole (but not the mast). Zara is known to have been fitted with a triangular mast in the late 1920s and thus may well have been named Guiding Star after her sale by W. Albert Finlay in the early 1930s. The owner of Guiding Star was Dr. Wendell Phillips Clare (1890-1974). As per Email communication from his grand-daughter Lee-Lee Schlegel, Wendell P. Clare married his second wife Goldie E. Raymond (1887-1967) in 1935. Her name was listed as 'owner' of Guiding Star in a 'Yachts by Herreshoff' book in the collection of the family. The Guiding Star was based out of Portsmouth/New Castle, New Hampshire and used for both cruising and racing. The family remembers Dr. Clare's son Wendell P. Clare Jr. (1921-2000), around 1938 when he was a teenager, to have snapped the mast during an uncontrolled jibe. With the onset of WW II, Wendell P. Clare Jr. went into the Coast Guard. Apparently the Guiding Star hung on her mooring for several years, relatively unused, before she was sold during the war. She was thus in the Clare family between (probably) 1936 and the early-to-mid 1940s." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 9, 2012.)

"LOA 48ft 9in from pencilled note on construction plan 76-46." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 25, 2013.)

"Launch date signifies the date vessel was taken on low gear to cove for winter storage." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 4, 2011.)

"Built in 91 days (contract to launch; equivalent to $55/day, 232 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 22, 2024.)

"Sail area 1492 sqft from rating rule-related table handwritten (in ink) by N. G. Herreshoff on two pages with multiple dimensions for the most important Herreshoff-designed yachts in the Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDE15, Folder [no #]. Undated (the youngest boat on this list is from 1914/1915 and this was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 16, 2020.)

"Displacement 330.5 cu.ft. [= 21,152 lbs] from untitled two-page rating-rule-related table handwritten (in ink) by N. G. Herreshoff with multiple dimensions for the most important Herreshoff-designed yachts. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDE15, Folder [no #]. Undated (the most recent boat dates 1914/1915 and the table was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 16, 2020.)

"Designed disp. on 30ft-9in W.L., 21415 lbs." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Penciled note on construction plan 76-46.)

"Ownership info from Steve Nagy's Herreshoff Registry." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 18, 2009.)

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