HMCo #1034s Barracuda

"... 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.)

"1945. ... New S boats were bought and joined the Herreshoff S Boat Association. Ed Tiffany bought the Tarrantella [unknown hull number, owned by Sheldon Whitehouse in 2008], ex Ospray, of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club class, from John Nicholas Brown and renamed her Olita, the fifth racing boat of that name he has owned. Dr. Terrell E Cobb bought Harold Sawyer's Dilemma [#1022s]. George Armitage bought two damaged S boats with the intention of having them rebuilt, but they haven't been rebuilt yet. Clem Stapleton bought the Flying Cloud [unknown hull number, owned by Bob Mehlich since 1981] at Bar Harbor. Willard Gardner sold the 12 1/2-foot class Raven to Dick Sweet of Touisset and bought the S boat, Reverie [#1021s], in Maine, and named her Vanitie, Howard Sweet bought the S boat, Spray [#913s], from Droitcour Brothers, ... Ernest Scattergood bought the S boat, Three Brothers [#1034s], at Bar Harbor, changed her name to Two Sisters and again to Nautilus. Dr. Russell R. Hunt bought the S boat, Onward [#1414s], at Vineyard Haven for his son, Tom, who was still in the Coast Guard. Tom called her the Musketeer as soon as he got home and began to sail her. ..." (Source: Davis, Jeff. Yachting in Narragansett Bay. Providence, 1946, p. 127.)

"It started out a pleasant Tuesday evening on August 25 [2020]. Eight S boats were registered to participate in the weekly Newport YC One-Design Series this summer and races were held on six evenings. Five S boats were on the line on Aug. 25, including Swallow [#845s], Surprise [#1129s], Lady Luck [#1034s], Stallion [#1125s], and Shona [#864s].
The regular racing got underway in a light 5 kt breeze with no hint of the maelstrom that was to ensue. As the race was just ending, a sudden violent storm appeared and built from five to over 75.3 knots in just a few seconds. The boats were abruptly confronted with the most challenging conditions many had ever encountered. What had been an enjoyable evening sail was now a desperate battle in blinding-rain, thunder, lightning, hail, and white-out conditions right in Newport Harbor on Narragansett Bay.
By any measure, these conditions demanded the most skilled seamanship of every S boat skipper. The consequences for all the boats on the bay that evening were dire: Two boats sank, including S boat, Lady Luck with Nick Sollecito on the helm, and multiple boats swamped and had crew overboard. As quickly as the storm appeared it passed through, leaving devastation in its wake. It was extremely fortunate that no crew was harmed that evening, evidence of the quality of sailors, the depth of experience and preparation for any eventuality." (Source: Roy, Fred. Lady Luck sinks in Sudden Microburst During August 25 Tuesday Evening Race Just Outside Newport Harbor. Fall 2020 S Class Newsletter. Email Circular November 18, 2020.)

• 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.

• Barracuda and other S 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.

Type: J & M S
Length: 20'6"
Owner: Ayer, Walter

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

Name: N/A
Type: "S"
Owner: Walter Ayer
Row No.: 803

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: 1928
E/P/S: S
No.: 1034
OA: 27' 6"
LW: 20' 6"
B: 7' 0"
D: 4' 9"
Notes Constr. Record: "S" Class 996 Class #11. Mahogany
Last Name: Ayer
First Name: Walter

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 numbers 18 and 2." (Source: Upham, Kenneth B. History and Register of the S-Boat. No place, 1994, p. 88.)

"The Construction Record does note show a contract date or name for this boat. Note, however, that the Construction Record does shows that it had been insured already from September 15, 1926 on. HMCo usually insured boats when construction began and we may thus assume that the day when the boat was insured was very close to when it was set up, i.e. when construction began. The Construction Record also notes 'R.F.H. 1/24/27' which apparently signifies the date when Rudolf F. Haffenreffer inspected the finished boat. Barracuda was apparently built on speculation and sold only considerble after she had been completed." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 24, 2019.)

"Built in 131 days (order to build to finished; equivalent to 46 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.)

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