a little piece of sailing history

This past summer, I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Herreshoff Marine Museum/America's Cup Hall of Fame with my parents who flew out on one of their annual summer-time visits.  Located in historic Bristol, Rhode Island, the Herreshoff Museum looks a bit dilapidated and unimpressive on the exterior.  Housed in an old, somewhat grungy-looking warehouse, one might pass this by, never realizing the gems it holds inside.  Somewhat begrudgingly, I appeased my parents and decided to stop at this museum.  My parents, who had just flown out from central Illinois, have an uncanny interest in all things nautical, so any museum dealing with maritime history was a must-see! 

Well, I think it's safe to say that I am thrilled we stopped!  (thanks Mom)  Inside, the museum holds over sixty life-sized, classic Herreshoff sailboats, some with which you can climb aboard to see the boat in better detail.  I don't think you need to be an avid sailer to realize the fine craftsmanship the Herreshoff brothers are known for.  All around you are polished wood decks, shiny brass fixtures, and sailboats in every size and color imagineable.

Once inside, I learned that this warehouse was only a small part of the Museum complex.  The old Herreshoff family homestead remains intact across the yard, six of the former company buildings are still standing and surround the Museum, and the waterfront is still dedicated to the Herreshoff company.  As part of the Museum, the warehouse features the Hall of Boats (life-sized classic boats) and the model room, which features over 500 half models used for creating the yachts, and a gift shop.

In 1878 John Brown Herreshoff, a blind boatbuilder from Bristol, Rhode Island, went into partnership with his younger brother, Nathanael Green Herreshoff, a naval architect and steam engineer. The name of their new firm was the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. The partnership was an immediate and lasting success. The same love of competition and technological innovation that had made J. B. and Nat almost unbeatable when as boys they raced sailboats together on Narragansett Bay, brought them fame as builders of some of the world's fastest steam yachts and torpedo boats. (excerpt taken from here)

In fact, one of their most famous sailboat designs, Reliance, the 1903 America's Cup defender, designed by Captain Nat himself, is the feature image on the Rhode Island State Quarter!

For those of you that live locally, please visit this museum!  There is so much more to learn about this famous sailing family than I have space to post here on olive. The Herreshoff Museum has a great website here.  Also, please be sure to check out their online museum tour here.  The museum is closed during the winter season, but will reopen April 25.

-G-