Herreshoff 30 Square Meter Sailboat

Description

Historical Significance

Oriole II was one of the first American designed and built thirty-square meters to race competitively in international competition. She was designed in 1930 by the famous yacht designer Lewis Francis Herreshoff for Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Hovey. Driving ORIOLE, Miss Hovey would become the first woman to race and win an international sailing event. Her purpose was simple, to race in Kiel, Germany and Sandhamn, Sweden to recapture the Marblehead and Hoover Cups in 1930, both lost the prior year to the Swedes.

While the American’s lost both regettas, Herreshoff relayed, ‘we had only one new boat on the team, the Oriole II, sailed by Miss Hovey, and it is said she proved to be nearly as fast as the best German or Swedish boat in this class.’

Oriole II stayed in the Marblehead area for many years after Hovey sold her in 1934, placing respectably in capable hands against larger Swedish-built boats. By 1994, she had been acquired by the Museum of Yachting in Newport, Rhode Island. The Museum completed a full restoration of the yacht before adding it to their collection. The boat was acquired by her current owner in 2006.

Later recalling ORIOLE II, Sis Hovey wrote, ‘To me there is no boat as enjoyable to sail or as enjoyable to look at as a 30 square metre. They are easy to handle, lovely to the touch, as fast as a scared rabbit. I’ve raced many different kinds of boats since (ORIOLE II); from J-boats, YANKEE and RAINBOW, 12 metres EASTERN and WEATHERLY, down to 210s and 110s and everything in between, and to me there is nothing to compare to ORIOLE. Correspondence with George Fisher

L. Francis Herreshoff

ORIOLE II was designed by L. Francis Herreshoff, the first major proponent for the thirty-square meters in the United States. In an article printed in 1931, he stated, ‘It is safe to say that they (thirty-square meters) are the most modernistic-looking type we have, with their long fine ends and high, narrow sails. They are in their element in a strong wind and rough sea when they make really phenomenal speed for their sail area. In the races abroad, when there is any wind, they easily overtake and pass the Six-Metre boats.’

One of the most influential and successful yacht designers of the twentieth century, L. Francis Herreshoff, worked for: his father, Capt. Nat Herreshoff; the U.S. Navy in World War I; and for Starling Burgess, before going out on his own. L. Francis was also a prolific writer and, in addition to numerous articles, he authored The Common Sense of Yacht Design, The Compleat Cruiser, Sensible Cruising Designs, An L. Francis Herreshoff Reader, and a biography of his father, Capt. Nat Herreshoff: The Wizard of Bristol. Herreshoff's writing influenced generations of designers and builders.

Specifications

LOA: 39’

LWL: 27’

Beam: 6’9’’

Draft 4’9’’

Displacement: 5,557 lbs

Oriole is a 30 square metre racing yacht designed by one of the world’s greatest yacht designers and built by one of the finest boat builder’s in the world. She is an open cockpit racer, with a dramatic swept-back mast, small jib sail and very large main sail. She has a full keel, with lead ballast. The decks are done in canvas and epoxy.

The bottom of Oriole is a white oak keel with lead ballast attached by bronze bolts. The caravel planking of the hull is mahogany. The planking is attached to white oak frames that are 1 “x 1” sided and approximately 6 ½’on center. The planking is fastened by # 6 copper rivet, and 3/16” bronze wood screws, virtually all the fasteners have been replaced in the past 12 years.

The mast appears to be made of Sitka Spruce, and made as a box section tapering of to a to a round section at the top. The mast is a ¾ fractional mast that has about a 1’ bend as well as a lot of rake to it.

Sail Inventory: 2012 Quantum Dacron sails. 150% genoa, 100% jib; main. Used less than 20 times and in excellent condition.

Inspection

Contact for inspection. No survey is available.

Innovation

In a letter that appeared in Wooden Boat Magazine (WB-114), Sis Hovey described Herreshoff’s many innovations on ORIOLE II, ‘….he actually invented the roller-reefing gear, ventilated spinnaker, and Genoa jib – which were used for the first time on ORIOLE II when I took her to Kiel, Germany, and afterward in Sweden for team racing in 1930. Our jib was then known as the biggest biggest, and was copied in Italy and was called the Genoa jib. This bothered Francis, and I’m not surprised.’

Sis Hovey

Oriole II’s first, and most prominent, owner was Elizabeth ‘Sis’ Hovey, an early pioneer of women’s yachting who grew up racing in Massachusetts. In the thirties, the family name Hovey was widely associated with yachting and America's Cup history.
Father Chandler Hovey was involved in the J Class and joined the Bostonians John Lawrence and Charles Francis Adam in the 1930 Cup defence with Yankee. Chandler passed on his passion to his two sons, Charles and Chandler Junior, as well as to his daughter Elisabeth, nicknamed "Sis".

While the Americans were romped in the 1929 Hoover Cup and Marblehead Cup, Herreshoff noted that a bright spot for the Americans in this series was that Sis Hovey, driving ORIOLE, became the first American to skipper a boat in international competition. Sailing ORIOLE, she placed respectably, edging out the Germans for the first place in the final race in Kiel, Germany.

‘One of the things that rather surprised the foreigners was that a very young lady (‘Sis’ Hovey) sailed one of our boats and, in fact, made the greatest number of points on our team.’ L. Francis Herreshoff

‘This year a return race was sailed in Germany and our team again was beaten. However, we had only one new boat on the team, the ORIOLE II, sailed by Miss Hovey, and it is said she proved to be nearly as fast as the best German or Swedish boat in this class.’ L. Francis Herreshoff

Of ORIOLE II, Sis Hovey would later write, ‘Of all the boats I was lucky to sail, including J-boats, Herreshoff 12s, M-boats, Rs, Qs, and others, my 30-square meter was the most fun.’ Wooden Boat Magazine (WB-114)

Correspondence

Copies of correspondence regarding ORIOLE written by Sis Hovey to George Fisher.

Quotes

I once had the pleasure of storing my boat next to one of the square meter yachts designed and built in the United States. This was the L. Francis Herreshoff designed Oriole. Sighting down the length of her underbody was an experience to take your breath away. A vessel of this general type, with a fin keel and a bulb at the bottom could carry substantially more sail area than the old square meter rule would allow. Such a boat would fly.

Oriole is an ideal example how deceptive it is to judge size by overall length. She’s s bit under 40 feet from stem to stern; however, she displaces only 5,500 pounds – talk about a low displacement-to-length ration!...Of course, in return for this, Oriole has been reliably clocked at 12 knots – now that’s sailing!

Dave Gerr, Nature of Boats

Reference

Oriole’s original plans are available through MIT’s Hart Museum (8 sheets of plans for 30 square meter sloop, ORIOLE (built 1930), design #46 by L. Francis Herreshoff. Dates on plans range from 02-04-1930 to 04-13-1930)