HMCo #846s Fano

"... in some ways the most interesting product of 1919 was the one-design class of 'S' boats, which came out early that spring.
While there were few of them built the first year, perhaps twenty, the company continued building them off and on for the next eight or nine years so that eventually there were perhaps a hundred and fifty or more of them, and besides being good little cruisers they have furnished active racing up to the present time in widely separated districts. If I remember right these little yachts cost less than two thousand dollars the first few years, so they have been a good investment for some owners for they were built well enough to last for years if handled carefully. Perhaps the 'S' boats would even have been more popular if they had been a little better looking but that defect should not be wholly blamed on Captain Nat for it was the request of the original sponsors of the class that they have short overhangs and full bows and sterns. This feature has made them rather queer-looking Universal Rule boats, and consequently they are not particularly fast for their rating. But there have been few all-around better boats for afternoon sailing, cruising, and racing, and perhaps also the last one-design class that was somewhat comfortable." (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. 306.)

"A new class of small racing sloops are under construction at Herreshoffs for Marblehead, New York and Philadelphia yachtsmen. These boats are designed to the rating rating rule, and on a 20.6-foot water line will rate in class S.
Although the little racers will be given 'Marconi' rigs, their hulls will be more along the lines of the larger rating craft turned out at the Bristol Yard, high sided, with short ends. It is expected that the boats will all be completed for delivery to the owners in May.
So far more than a dozen yachtsmen have placed their orders, and it is expected that fully a score of the boats will be built. Among the yachtsmen of Marblehead who will have boats in the class are Frank B. Crowninshield [#837s Doodah subsequently owned by Lincoln Davis, Jr.], Robert A. Leeson [#834s Widgeon], Nathaniel F. Ayer [#828s Gob], Chester L. Dane [#835s Kajee?], Louis K. Liggett [#845s Swallow], Guy Lowell [#849s Cima], Charles J. W. Foster [#832s Woodchuck], Lawrence F. Percival [#833s Cheerio] and Daniel W. Lawrence [#831s Papoose]." (Source: Anon. "Yachts and Yachtsmen." Boston Globe, January 11, 1920, p. 44.)

"... The 'S' class sloops, 20 feet on the waterline, are being put overboard at Herreshoff's, as 14 of these little racers [apparently #828s Gob, #830s Spinster, #831s Papoose, #832s Woodchuck, #833s Cheerio, #834s Widgeon, #835s Kajee, #836s Daphnia, #837s Doodah, #838s Teaticket, #844s Vant, #845s Swallow, #846s Fano, and #849s Cima] are finished. Several of the boats with their 'Marconi' rigs were launched last Tuesday [March 23, 1920] and Wednesday, and are ready for trial spins. They were built in the same shed where the celebrated aeroplane hull of the trans-Atlantic NC-4 [#341p Sea Plane Hull] was constructed for the Government about two years ago. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, March 28, 1920, p. 53.)

"... The majority of the new one-designed class & 'Marconi' rigged knockabouts for members of the Eastern Yacht Club, which were built by Herreshoff, will be at Marblehead in time for the opening race of the season. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, June 13, 1920, p. 52.)

"... There are now only three of three S class Marconi rigged racing sloops at Herreshoff's, the rest having been taken to Marblehead for racing this Summer. ..." (Source: Anon. "Notes from the Week's Log." Boston Globe, June 20, 1920, p. 51.)

"A new fleet of one-design racing yachts that will measure in Class S has been built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company at Bristol, and as everything that comes from that plant in the shape of a vessel is designed by Captain Nat. Herreshoff, these small craft may be considered the latest type evolved by the designer and builder of cup defenders.
Fifteen of these boats are to be built, at least fourteen have been promised by the opening of the racing season, and if the fifteenth can be squeezed in, so much the better. Other boats have been ordered and will be built later. Of the boats promised ten are for members of the Eastern Y. C. and the others are for members of the Seawanhaka-Corinthian Y. C. The fifteenth boat has been ordered by Commodore Ralph N. Ellis. The others are for H. S. Whiton, Paul Hammond, and O. G. Jennings. These yachts are of the trunk-cabin type and differ from the Victory Class in that these yachts have raised decks. The Herreshoff boats cost $2,700 each. They will spread 450 square feet of canvas. While they form a one-design class, the fleet is not large enough to make a special class, and so they will sail in the regular S Class and compete against yachts turned out by other designers. Unfortunately there are no new yachts in this class, but there is still time to have some built, should any yachtsman like to pit the skill of another designer against Herreshoff. These yachts will doubtless meet the Victory yachts, which are somewhat larger, and the meeting will be watched with interest.
The general dimensions are:
Length o. a. 27.5 feet
Length w. l. 20.5 [feet]
Breadth 7 [feet]
Draught 4.75 [feet]." (Source: Anon. "New Fleet of S Class Yachts." Rudder, April 1920, p. 36.)

"... This year the [Herreshoff] plant is very busy. Not only has the Resolute been overhauled, fitted with new spars and commissioned there, which in itself is a big task, but many other power and sailing craft have been built. It is a long time since Herreshoflf's was so busy and much of this success must be credited to A. Loring Swasey, who is the vice-president of the company. Mr. Swasey is not only a designer of repute but he is a practical constructor of considerable experience and a very capable business manager. This Spring Captain Nat. Herreshoff has been far from well. He contracted a heavy cold on his return from Bermuda and at one time pneumonia was feared. James Swan is the Superintendent of the plant. He is one of the most capable steel constructors in the country and the work now in progress in the shops shows his skill. ...
A fleet of small sloops to measure in Class S have been built. Eleven of these are for members of the Eastern Y. C. and others are for members of the Seawanhaka-Corinthian and New Haven Yacht Clubs. These boats are different in model from Herreshoff's recent yachts, and when afloat they very much resemble the famous Cock Robin except that the new boats have Marconi masts of considerable but not excessive lengths. Some of these boats have been tried and showed up well. A picture herewith shows one under sail. There is going to be much friendly rivalry between the owners of these S yachts and the owners of the Victory Class. The Victory yachts rate about a foot more than the Herreshoff boats, measuring 17.93 feet while the S boats rate under 17 feet. One Victory yacht is being built at Graves Yard at Marblehead and is fitted with a curved Marconi spar. Her owner is very keen about meeting the S boats during the season. ..." (Source: Anon. "Yacht Building Yards Very Busy. Many New Vessels at Herreshoffs." Rudder, June 1920, p. 14)

"The Morgan family will be active in yacht racing during the coming season. Besides the head of the house racing in the 30-foot class [with #643s Phryne], his son, Junius Morgan, is building one of the new Class R sloops [#932s Gamecock] in conjunction with Commodore George Nichols. Commodore Morgan's son-in-law, and another son, Harry S. Morgan, will race the S Class sloop Pronto [#846s ex-Fano], which he recently purchased." (Source: Anon. "J. P. Morgan Buys Back Sloop He Sold Ten Years Ago And Will Race It Again." New York Times, March 13, 1925, p. 15.)

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'Design for R Class. Scale 3/4in. 34 1/2ft o.a. 24.0 w.l. 7ft beam. 3ft draft. Centerboard. Sept 1, 1919'. With note '4th trial'. With calculations arriving at a total displacement of 119cuft = 7620lbs and a wetted surface of 141sqft. With further note (which may have been added after September 1, 1919) 'For S Class. Length reduced to 11/12th. Displ. - 11/12 [*] 119 = 109 - 4.78^3. L = 22.32. Rating = 18. ... Sailarea = 408. Wetted surface 11/12 [*] 159 = 146[sqft]. If length reduced to 9/10 = 21.6 wll. Displ. 107.2[cuft] = 4.75^3. L = 21.9. Rating = ... . Sail area 418[sqft]. Wetted surface = 143[sqft]. ... Make model to be 31.5[ft] o.a. 22[ft] w.l. 21[ft] q.b.l. ... 7500lbs displ. 2500 hull & rig. 5000 ballast'. On verso two more sets of penciled pantograph sections titled '1st trial R-class' and '2nd trial R class', again with rating and sisplacement calculations. (It thus appears as if NGH began the design for the S-Class [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s] by extrapolating from an unbuilt centerboard R-boat before he carved the S-boat model.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06960. Folder [no #]. 1919-09-01.)
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"[Item Description:] Blueprint sailplan with profile, midship section and plan view titled 'One Design S Class [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s] Yacht. For Racing and Cruising. By N.G. Herreshoff - Herreshoff Mfg Co., Inc. Scale 1/2in. Oct. 1919. O.a. 27 1/2ft. Wl 20 1/2ft. beam 7ft. Draft 4ft 4in'." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0004. WRDT08, Folder 1, formerly MRDE08. 1919-10.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I., John B. Herreshoff Prest. & Treas., N.G. Herreshoff, Supt., C.W. Young, Sec'y' stationery. Titled 'S One Design Class [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s]. 20.5[ft] w.l. Scale 1/12. Oct[ober] 30, 1919. 3rd trial'. With list of scantlings derived by using NGH's Rules for Wooden Yachts. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 94.7cuft = 6060lbs, a wetted surface of 153[sqft], a rating of 17[ft], and 'sail area [limit?]' of 441[sqft]. On verso two more sets of penciled pantograph hull sections titled 'S Class. 20.5ft w.l. Oct[ober] 30, 1919'. One set of sections is marked '1st trial' with few other calculations, the other is marked '2nd trial' and is accompanied by calculations arriving at a total displacement of 101cuft [= 6464lbs]." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_04940. Folder [no #]. 1919-10-30.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections on verso of 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, R.I., John B. Herreshoff Prest. & Treas., N.G. Herreshoff, Supt., C.W. Young, Sec'y' stationery. Titled '#828 Class. S rating [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s]. Scale 1in. 20ft 6in l.w.l. 19ft 7in q.b.l.' and marked in top margin (possibly at some later time) '1920'. With calculations arriving at a displacement of 94.4cuft = 6030lbs and a wetted surface of 153.5[sqft]. (Though dated '1920' in upper margin (possibly at some later time), these sections were probably drawn on or right after October 30, 1919, the day that NGH had drawn the third trial of these sections.)" (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_05070. Folder [no #]. 1919-10-30 or 1919-10-31 ?.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled 'Lead for 828 Class [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s] 20 1/2 wl. Leg-o-mutton Knockabouts for S class. 1/4 size. Nov[ember] 13 1919'. With calculations and 'Note --- boats trimmed by the stern and 2nd year lot [#852s, #853s, #855s, #856s, #857s, #858s, #859s, #864s] lead to be moved forward 3in. N.G.H. Sept[ember] 12, 1920'. " (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08090. Folder [no #]. 1919-11-13.)
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"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with tracing marks titled 'For plotting cross sections on drawing of #828 Class [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s]. Nov[ember] 15, 1919'. Drawn in too parts as separate forward and aft sections." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_05130. Folder [no #]. 1919-11-15.)
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"[Item Description:] Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Inc. Tentative Financial Statements for the Year Ended December 31, 1920. Tentative Comparative Balance sheet as at December 31, 1920 and 1919. Tentative Condensed Statement of Profit and Loss for Year Ended December 31, 1920. Including detailed profitabilty statements for several contracts including #367p Launch for St. Y. CORSAIR III for J.P. Morgan [loss of $20.71], #372p VASANTA for G. M. Pynchon [loss of $2,362.72], #373p ADOLAR for August Heckscher [loss of $1,277.95], #374p ALERT for Charles A. Stone [loss of $17,652.54], #375p PETUNIA for Henry L. Tiffany [loss of $2,122.67], #376p ESLOMA for William H. Vandervoort [loss of $5,244.00], #827s OHONKARA for Carll Tucker [profit of $3,257.44], 16 S-Boats [#850s ELLEN, #828s GOB, #851s MONSOON, #830s SPINSTER, #831s PAPOOSE, #832s WOODCHUCK, #833s CHEERIO, #834s WIDGEON, #835s KAJEE, #836s DAPHNIA, #837s DOODAH, #838s TEATICKET, #844s VANT, #845s SWALLOW, #846s FANO, #849s CIMA: loss of $7,548.16 (i.e. $471.76 per boat on a sales price of $2,450)], 8 Buzzards Bay Boats 12 1/2s [#829s FALCON, #839s SHELDRAKE, #840s OPITSAH, #841s MISTRAL II, #842s JABBERWOCK, #843s BULLRUSH, #847s PENGUIN, #848s DOODLE BUG: loss of $819.48], 4 small boats for yacht Edgar Palmer [GUINEVERE #192005es, #192003ep, #192004ep, #192004es: loss of $3,839.25]. [These documents found / filed with 'Tentative Financial Statements for the Period from January 1, 1923 to June 27, 1923.']" (Source: Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_50660. Financial Statement. Subject Files, Folder [no #], formerly 124?. No date (after 1920-12-31).)
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"[Item Description:] am enclosing [HMCo] profit and loss statement for 1920, will analyse Palmer contract [#192003ep, #192004ep, #192004es], 'The showing certainly is discouraging, and the heavy loss on the Stone boat [#374p ALERT] shows what dawdling and not completing a contract on time will do. Also, I am surprised to see what a heavy loss we made on the S boats [#828s, #830s, #831s, #832s, #833s, #834s, #835s, #836s, #837s, #838s, #844s, #845s, #846s, #849s, #850s, #851s]'. [Incl envelope.]" (Source: Emmons, Robert W. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_59030. Unidentif. / Non-Cataloged, Folder [no #], formerly 254?. 1921-01-14.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #846s Fano even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Benfield, James W. "Reviving the 'S' Class." Yachting, May 1945, p. 56-57, 104. (3,516 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. How the Western Long Island Sound S-class fleet was built with a deliberate strategy.
• Upham, Kenneth B. History and Register of the S-Boat. Privately printed, no place, 1994. (13,553 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. The definitive source of info on the S-class, but unfortunately current only up to its date of publication in 1994. History of the class and its various fleets, technical comments, detailed vessel-by-vessel provenance, owner and name indices.
• Bray, Maynard and Claas van der Linde. "The Origins of the S-Boat. A Remarkable Herreshoff One-Design." Wooden Boat #267, March/April 2019, p. 74-79. (1,201 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. A short history of how the S-Class came about, including new insights from recent research of original Herreshoff documents. With photos and reproductions of the original construction and sail plans.
• Silken, Alan (text). Silken, Cory (photos). "Setting Sail in America. The Remarkable Story of Herreshoff S Class Sailboats." Seapoint Books, Brooklin, ME.
  Appreciation of the S-Class, history of the design and local fleets, portraits of surviving S-boats and a catalogue of all S-boats
• Silken, Alan (text). Silken, Cory (photos). "A Century of S-Boats. The Enduring Appeal of a Classic Herreshoff One-Design." Wooden Boat #267, March/April 2019, p. 80-85. (1,510 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Appreciation of the S-Class and a history of the fleets in Narragansett Bay, Quisset and Long Island and a summary of the leading S-boat restorers.
• van der Linde, Claas. [No title. Note about S-Class Weight Discrepancies.] March 11, 2022. (11 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Claas van der Linde. Note about discrepancies in published and unpublished sources of displacement of S-class boats and why 6030lbs is currently assumed to be the correct weight.

• Fano (HMCo-made index card)
• Fano (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: Fano
Type: Marconi
Length: 20'6"
Owner: Jennings, B.

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

• Clootoe ex-Fano
• Peggy ex-Fano
• Pronto ex-Fano
• 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: Fano
Type: "S" boat
Owner: B. Jennings
Row No.: 850

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: Feb
Day: 06
Year: 1920
E/P/S: S
No.: 0846
Name: Farro
LW: 20' 6"
B: 7' 2"
D: 4' 9"
Rig: Marconi
K: y
Ballast: Lead
Amount: 2450.00
Notes Constr. Record: S. Class
Last Name: Jennings
First Name: B.

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

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

"Sail number 43." (Source: Upham, Kenneth B. History and Register of the S-Boat. No place, 1994, p. 66.)

"... The ... Aeolus in West Southport, ME in 1974 is today #846 Phyrne owned by Wes Maxwell in Noank, CT. I saw the boat last year in his boatyard. Interestingly the boat is a self bailer and has the hull plaque with #842 [which would make her the still extant 12 1/2-footer #842s Jabberwock...]. ..." (Source: Upham, Kenneth B. Private Email to Claas van der Linde. June 20, 2018.)

"Wes Maxwell's S-boat, which he renamed Phryne and used a bit before laying her up, was formerly owned by a friend of mine named Howard Barrington (who earlier had owned Trivia [#580s]). Knowing that Howard's boat was for sale and that Wes was looking for an S-boat, I put the two together [in about 1968]. Howard, after the sale, even sent me a commission—my one and only ever for brokering a sale.
Howard Barrington came into my life while I was chief mechanical engineer for Bath Iron Works, His son, Tom, was already working for me when Howard showed up. He was in semi-retirement and liked to talk boats much more than produce the BIW-related work that was his job, but he became a good friend and we shared a lot of sailing and Herreshoff-related stories.
I don't recall the boat's name before Wes changed it to Phryne, but Wes might. [The New York 30 #643s Phryne having been built for Wes Maxwell's grand-father Henry Maxwell, the name Phryne apparently had a long tradition in the Maxwell family.] Howard was a good deal older than me, so I suspect he's long passed on." (Source: Bray, Maynard. Private Email to Claas van der Linde. July 3, 2018.)

"Built in 46 days (contract to finished; equivalent to $53/day, 131 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Sail area approximately 425 square feet, measured." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Yachts by Herreshoff. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company: Designers and Builders of Sailing and Power Craft since 1861. Bristol, Rhode Island, 1937.)

"See note about about weight discrepancies in published and unpublished sources under 'Further Reading' heading." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 11, 2022.)

"[Ownership information from Kenneth B. Upham, email to Claas van der Linde June 20, 2018.] (Source: van der Linde, Claas. June 20, 2018.)

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