Setting Sail in America: The Remarkable Story of Herreshoff's S Class Sailboats - Hardcover

Silken, Alan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0998556521 ISBN 13: 9780998556529

Publisher: Seapoint Books and Media, 2019

Synopsis

Introduction to “Setting Sail in America”

To me, having owned an S-boat for over thirty years, this book is fascinating not only in its approach, but in the detailed passion of the writing. The book delves beyond the wood and varnish, and into the lives of the people at the helm. The early owners of Herreshoff S-boats not only guided their yachts across the bay, but they were major contributors, innovators, and leaders in the course of events in the United States. Then, as now, that is where the real story lies.

The magic of these boats is revealed when you look up from the sandpaper, peek under the boom at the fleet, or out from the regatta podium and realize that the S Class has become an extended part of your family. We share a legacy of caretaking as these elegant ladies move through our lives and on to their next steward.

That the stories of these boats and their owners have finally been discovered, researched, and revealed is important. This book, and the heart it was written with, are a tribute to these great little yachts that are still charging through the waters of Narragansett Bay, Long Island Sound, Buzzards Bay, and many other coves, lakes, and coastlines nearly a century after they first rolled down the launching ways in Bristol.

Enjoy the ride,

Fred Roy

Captain and Steward, Surprise S-5

Commodore, Narragansett Bay Herreshoff S Class

About this title

About the Author

A lifelong sailor, Alan Silken has been campaigning Firefly with his son, Cory, since 2005. In the past, Alan first started racing his wooden Comet Class sailboat while in high school as a member of the Narrasketuck Yacht Club on Long Island. In college, Alan was a member of the New York University sailing team, and won the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate High Point Skipper Trophy in 1969. While attending Yale School of Medicine, Alan was an active competitor at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club. More recently, Alan along with his wife, Karen, son, Cory, and daughter, Lindsey, cruised the waters of New England from Marblehead, Massachusetts to Long Island Sound aboard their sloop, Illusion. Foreign sailing venues have included the Saronic Gulf of Greece, the Cote d'Azur, Antigua, St. Martin, and the Bahamas. Alan has been published in Sail Magazine, a number of poetry magazines, and two volumes of poetry. As Vice Commodore of the Narragansett Bay Herreshoff S Class, Alan serves to promote classic yachts and publishes The Curved Mast, the newsletter of the Narragansett Bay S Class. This book evolved from a passionate interest in the history of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, especially the S boats and the remarkable Americans who were the early owners of these extraordinary little yachts.

Cory Silken biography:

Cory Silken is one of the world's preeminent yachting photographers. From his Gallery in Newport, Cory travels the globe on assignment for some of the top superyacht shipyards and regatta sponsors, and accepts private book commissions from many discerning superyacht owners. His poster editions are distributed worldwide through vendors such as art.com and Ikea, and have appeared as set dressings on numerous TV shows and movies. He is honored as the 11th Hour Racing Visual Ambassador, promoting environmental sustainability through yachting. Visit www.CorySilken.com to learn more.

Alan and Cory are active competitors aboard their Herreshoff S boat, Firefly, in the Narragansett Bay S Class with home port of Newport, RI. Together they won the season championship in 2010 and 2011.

Fred Roy is Commodore of the Narragansett Bay S Boat Fleet

Review

"A Century of S-Boats" by the co author of "Setting Sail in America" is the April 2019 cover story in WoodenBoat magazine, the most important magazine in this field. (Alan Silken, Vice Commodore of the Narragansett Bay S-Class WoodenBoat magazine, April 2019 Cover Article)

With photographs aplenty, write-ups of background and context, and a history of each and every surviving boat, this book is as classic as the boats it celebrates. (Maynard Bray, Prominent Marine Historian and author of many books on wooden boats)

This book celebrates the S Class and its history, with images by world-renowned yachting photographer Cory Silken (Tucker Thomson, Champion sailor and yachting commentator)

Alan Silken has done sailing and sailors a great favor by telling the fascinating story of a remarkable classic boat. Designed by the fabled "Wizard of Bristol," Nat Herreshoff, the many lovely Herreshoff S-boats have made thousands of skippers and crews happy in waters from Maine to Hawaii. (John Rousmaniere, Sailor and author,The Great Atlantic, The New York Yacht Club: A History and many other books)

Edition details

• Publisher: Seapoint Books and Media
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0998556521
• ISBN 13: 9780998556529
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 192