HMCo #1061s Kestrel

"During these years the class that is usually spoken of as the Fishers Island thirty-one-footers was slowly developing, but as there were not many of them built at once and because there was some variation in them, I do not speak of them as a one-design class. The first of them were straight sailboats with a gaff rig but the later ones were usually auxiliary with leg-o'-mutton rig.
While these yachts were not first designed for racing they have often done well in some of the ocean races and are well-built little ships that have been particularly liked by their owners; and some were built up to about 1935." (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.)

"31-Foot water line Auxiliary Cruising Sloop, 44 ft. over all by 10 ft. 7 in. beam by 6 ft. draft. This is a new boat like the very successful Fishers Island Class introduced last season. She can be completed for delivery May 15th [1928]. These boats are both able and fast under sail, and speed under power is over seven miles. Exceptional room throughout. Require one paid hand only. For complete information and appointment to inspect write or telephone Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, Rhode Island; telephone, Bristol 300. [Though not identified by name, circumstances strongly suggest this to be a reference to #1061s Kestrel which had been built on speculation by HMCo.]" (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "List of Boats for Sale." Motor Boating, March 1928, p. 6.)

"... The class M sloop [#1131s Istalena] for George M Pynchon has been set up and is partially framed and the company has started work on a 50-foot continuous sheer type cruiser [#388p Stroller] to be powered with a pair of Sterling Petrel engines and a 43-foot Hand designed boat [#389p Little Gull II] which will have Hall Scott engines. The names of the owners have not been made public, neither has the name of the party who bought the Fishers Island Sound class 31 foot waterline sloop [#1061s Kestrel] which was built two years ago and stored. When the class was built [in early 1927], four boats [#1054s F.I. 1, Cyrilla IV for W. Barklie Henry; #1055s F.I. 2, Shantey for Eben Knowlton; #1059s F.I. 3, Chance for Arthur E. Whitney; and #1060s F.I. 4, Mameena for George E. Watson] were ordered by summer residents of Watch Hill and the company built an extra boat. It is generally supposed that she will go to Boston, but the name of the buyer is not released. ..." (Source: Anon. "At Herreshoff Shops." Bristol Phoenix, January 15, 1928, p. 3.)

"The Fishers Island Sound 31
The first keelboat class at Fishers was the graceful Herreshoff-designed and -built Fishers Island Sound 31, or FIS-31. The number refers to waterline length, considered the best indicator of a boat's speed. The class originated with a sailor at Watch Hill Yacht Club, W. Barklie Henry, which explains its name referring to local waters. In the Herreshoff yard's promotional materials, however, 'Sound' was deleted and the boats were called the 'Fishers Island One Design.' Obviously Fishers Island had a certain cachet among yachtsmen, or at least among yacht salesmen, for its name also was applied to two other boats, the Bullseye (called the 'Fishers Island Bullseye') and the Herreshoff 23 (the 'Fishers Island 23').
The FIS-31 is A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff's slightly larger version of one of his father's most successful pre-World War I boats, the Newport 29, one of which, the long-successful Dolphin [#727s], still sails in the Sound. Priced at $13,000 (the equivalent of about $130,000 today), the 31 was complete with everything needed to cruise, including china. By modern standards, accommodations are extremely skimpy, with only two cabins and a total of three bunks. This was a typical layout in a cruising boat of that era. The two bunks aft are for the owner's party, with their own enclosed head. Up in the bow was a tiny cabin, called the forepeak, with a single bunk and small toilet. That was the residence of the professional sailor in khaki uniform. He (it was always a he) scrubbed the decks, polished the brass, kept up the brightwork, washed the salt off all surfaces, and cooked the meals in a dark, narrow forward galley." (Source: Rousmaniere, John. Sailing at Fishers. Mystic, CT, 2004, p. 56.)

"Although the Fishers Island Yacht Club was involved with the Fishers Island 31-footers by virtue of a few of its members owning them, that class does not appear to have been Club-sponsored. One should think of the letters 'FIS' on the sails of these boats as standing for Fishers Island Sound, the body of water in which the boats usually sailed. W. Barklie Henry, of the nearby Watch Hill Yacht Club, originated the idea for such a boat and ordered the first one, Cyrilla IV [#1054s], late in 1926. Three of his friends, thinking that his idea was sound, also ordered boats for 1927 delivery. Except for two others which were built in 1929 and sold elsewhere, the four original boats had things pretty much to themselves for the first three seasons. Then, in 1930, five more boats, some owned in Fishers Island and some in Watch Hill, joined the racing. Cirrus, then Kelpie [#1157s], was the last boat of this second batch and wasn't delivered until late August. ...
The Fishers Island 31-footers, although based on the Newport 29­footers and presumed to have been basically laid down from their offsets, (a blow-up, incidentally, of those for Alerion, had some rather significant changes made from the original model. It is likely that the new profile (longer ends, deeper keel, more raking sternpost, straighter sheer) und deck line to match were established by means of a scale drawing. However, the fairing of the lines to these new end points, according to Sidney Herreshoff, was done right on the mold loft floor - full size. Sidney was a most modest man, reluctant to take complete credit for much of what he did, but he did admit (on a taped interview) that his father was in Florida for the winter while this work was going on and that he, Sidney, was in charge of executing the needed changes. I'd say he did well!" (Source: Bray, Maynard. "A Look at the Class." Woodenboat #34, May/June 1980, p. 34.)

"[Item Transcription:] I was very glad to have your letter of February 14th, and to feel that you had some sympathy for my troubles in getting steel and bronze for the metal boats [#1078s THISTLE and #1074s SHEERNESS]. It finally arrived and we are now working overtime getting the steel in place.
Mr. Tod is of course somewhat uneasy, but considering that we have practically all of the interior ready for him, also the decking, deck erections, rig and rigging, etc., he is so far very nice about the delay and of course I don't expect any troubles in finishing his boat [#1078s THISTLE] at the beginning of May, which should be early enough.
He is all wrought up about the coming summer and considering what a dismal summer he had last year and how nice he has treated us, we certainly all hope that he will get a very satisfactory boat and that the saying will come true that the KATOURA [#1050s] was his folly of 1927 and that the new boat will be his ketch of 1928.
Mr. Sheppey's boat [#1074s SHEERNESS] is overboard and out in the Yard under cover in the new Shed, and we are finishing her up as fast as we can. The same thing is the case with Mr. Morgan's boat [#384p SHUTTLE], and we are now laying the keel for Mr. Vanderbilt's boat [#385p VARA] according to your suggestion, that is, parallel with our slip so that she will be water-borne at the stern before the aftermost cradle leaves the slide. This will of course put an enormous strain on the forward slide but the under pinning being almost new we don't expect any troubles, besides that the boat won't be launched before you arrive in Bristol, and no doubt you will give us necessary advice of how to go about the launching.
As far as new boats are concerned, that is building stock boats to keep our carpenters going, I would like to say that your suggestion of building an additional Fisher's Island 31-Footer is very good, but it has its drawbacks because we have already one of these boats [#1061s KESTREL] in the yard, and one of the last year's boats [apparently #1055s JUDY which changed owners prior to the 1928 sailing season] is for sale for considerable less money than we charge for a new boat. Besides that it seems that people are not so keen about getting perfectly well behaved, roomy boats as some kind of narrow canoes that appeal to the eye. It is really pitiful to see in what direction [p. 2] the present boat designing is heading. It is long, narrow, extremely expensive boats without any accommodations whatsoever, for instance you will remember the PRESTIGE [#1058s] which with her 80-feet over all and 54 1/2-Ft. waterline had only one main cabin and one double stateroom. This is of course all right for a man with Mr. Vanderbilt's purse, but it practically puts everybody else out of the game, however, let us hope that the pendulum soon will swing the other way, and that the boats instead of being afternoon boats will be real homes on the sea, the way a boat of course should be.
When I was in New York the other day Mr. Nichols showed me some figures computed by Mr. W. K. Shaw and these figures showed plainly what the present cost of running a 50-Footer amounts too, and, believe me or not, but he made it perfectly plain and Mr. Nichols agreed to it, that the cost of running a 50-Footer today amounts to an average of Eighteen Thousand Dollars a year. This is of course something which cannot be kept up forever.
We are making an addition to the gangway between the Mill and the upper part of the North Shop, an addition long enough (25 ft.) so that we can get more space for our cabinet shop, which so far has been very cramped indeed. This addition makes me somewhat uneasy in case of a fire and I have strongly put it to Mr. Haffenreffer that we must install a sprinkler system in the Shops as soon as possible so as to have whatever protection we can get against fire, and I take it that Mr. Haffenreffer will approach the Grinnell people within a few days.
I have done some scouting for more work for the Shop to be started as soon as Mr. Tod's boat leaves the yard, and I have very good hopes of getting one Composite 'M' Boat and a 120-Foot Power Boat, both boats probably will be to outside design. If we can get these two orders and they are reasonably well under way before the first of August I hope to be able to go home to Finland so as to be present with my whole gang when my Mother becomes seventy years old on the first of September, but this is of course only a dream so far and it is very doubtful if it ever will come true. [Neither of these two boats was built.]
The family is in first class shape except for Margaret who still is very tired, and I certainly hope that everything is all right in Cocoanut Grove.
Very truly yours, ..." (Source: Nystrom, Charles. Letter to N.G. Herreshoff. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MR_05940. Correspondence, Folder 21, formerly 141. 1928-02-20.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.12947 (158). Blueprint general arrangement plan with sections and inboard profile titled 'Proposed 40ft Cruising Sloop for Mr. Dudley Wolfe. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Bristol R.I. March 1930. C.G.F.D.[?]'. (Dudley Wolfe would subsequently buy #1061s KESTREL from HMCo.)" (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item WRDT06_00960. Folder [no #]. 1930-03.)
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"[Item Description:] HMCo Plan HH.5.12948 (158). Blueprint sailplan titled 'Proposed Sail Plan for 40ft Cruising Sloop for Mr. Dudley F. Wolfe. Herreshoff Mfg. Co. Bristol R.I. March [19]30'. With inked in note 'Scale 5/4 to 1/32 = 5/128'. (Dudley Wolfe would subsequently buy #1061s KESTREL from HMCo.)" (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (creator). Blueprint. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item WRDT06_00970. Folder [no #]. 1930-03.)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1061s Kestrel even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Anon. "The Fisher's Island Sound One-Design Class." Yachting, April 1928, p. 96. (686 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Fishers Island 31 class description.
• Anon. "Herreshoff Fisher's Island 31-Footers." Rudder, September 1931, p. 57. (800 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Fishers Island 31 class description.
• Bray, Maynard. "A Look at the Class." Wooden Boat #34, May/June 1980, p. 42-48. (409 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text).
• Sandeman Yacht Company. [Sales Brochure for #1061s Kestrel, FI31.] http://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/yacht/460/herreshoff-fishers-island-31-43-ft-sloop-1929, retrieved December 17, 2017. (2,954 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Sandeman Yacht Company.. Sales brochure. Vessel description, history, photos.

• Chance and other FI31 class (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Kestrel (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.

• Kestrel
• 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: Kestrel
Type: 31' 8" aux. sloop
Owner: Dudley F. Wolfe
Year: 1928
Row No.: 350

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: Mar [sic, i.e. Jan?]
Day: 18 [sic, i.e. 3?]
Year: 1927 [sic, i.e. 1929?]
E/P/S: S
No.: 1061
Name: Kestrel
OA: 43' 3"
LW: 31' 6"
B: 10' 8"
D: 6' 0"
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Outside Lead
Amount: 12500.00 [sic, i.e. 16000 ?]
Notes Constr. Record: 3rd boat of 1059 class
Notes Bray: Also dated Jan 3/29. Also sold to Dudley Wolfe @ $16000.00..
Last Name: Buckner
First Name: M. N.

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.

"Kestrel was built in 1927 on speculation by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. She was sold only two years later. Her advertised price appears to have been $17,500, but was reduced to $16,000 when she was finally sold in 1929 to Dudley Wolfe, her first 'real' owner." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. June 11, 2016.)

"Kestrel was donated to the Herreshoff Marine Museum in 2010 by Geoffrey B. Davis of Bristol, R.I." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 8, 2010.)

"Built in 657 days (order to build to delivered; equivalent to $24/day, 27 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Net Register Tons (9) from 2014 USCG data (Gross Register Tons were reported as 11) and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)

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