A girl named Sonny.

I’m standing ankle deep in a mix of gasoline and salt water covering the bottom of a small dinghy at the south end of the harbor in Rockport, Maine. The sun is going down on a late June evening. It’s pushing 7 PM and while the sun is setting it will be a few hours before dark. Across the way, Sonny  waits patiently on her mooring. I’ve been working the last three weeks get her set to race this summer in the Vintage class of a circuit of races around Penobscot Bay at the end of July and early August.

 Sonny gleams in the late day sun. She a horse that’s stabled but would rather be off and running. Like boats of her era, she has long overhangs, particularly in the stern. Her effective waterline will increase by many feet when she’s heeled over. Her bright white hull is bracketed by varnished rails above and maroon boot stripe below. The maximum drop of her sheer is about two thirds aft. Behind the cockpit her profile tapers and becomes quite thin all the way to her small transom. Her varnished rig, I think it is original, is quite tall and a three quarters rig meaning the headstay attaches three quarters of the way to the masthead. Jumper stays support the mast above the hounds. Her boom is long and reaches a bit aft of the helm. The backdrop behind is tall green pointed firs with a dark rocky coastline below.

 Looking at her from a distance I get a pang of emotion like spying a pretty girl or I suppose  a women might get when gazing on a handsome man. She looks good in a self-assured sort of way. Her look is, “let’s get outta here big boy,  you ready?” It’s kind of a nautical turn on.

 Six months earlier it’s Christmas time in Rockport. The air is cold, the skies gray, as my wife Mary and I make our way to a storage shed tucked back in the hills behind Rockport’s picturesque harbor. Driving slowly, we are looking for a dirt road on the left. The air smells of wood smoke. The forest around us is thick.  

 There it is, we take a left and wobble our way along between a 40 foot storage container and a large “Butler” building. Behind is another even larger storage shed. That’s the one where my potential new girlfriend is hibernating for the winter. We stop and open a side door with the key we got from the boatyard. The smell on entering is a combination of varnish, fresh bottom paint and wood shavings.  We click on the overhead mercury vapor lights. Three large shapes come into view as the lights warm up. Boats, wooden boats with gleaming varnished rails and freshly painted topsides. With their masts down they look like they are asleep. They don’t seem to take notice as we walk in.

 Tucked in the far corner is the girl we’ve come to see. I know she is wood but from looking at the topsides you can’t tell. Above the waterline she is fair and smooth. The lights curve evenly off her hull. There is a ladder leaned up against her railing aft and it’s a long ways to the top of it. First thoughts are of not falling from up there. A broken limb or serious injury would be a best case scenario after a fall.  

 I take a walk around and even though the light is not great, it’s obvious Sonny has been well cared for. Looking up at the topsides the hull is fair and shines with a recent paint job, it looks like Awlgrip to me. It’s clear the undersides too have been kept in good shape, the paint is new. While the planks and seams are visible below all looks in good order. Stepping back I am struck by how much of her is below the waterline. With an attached rudder (attached to the back of a full keel) there is nothing to break up the flow of the undersides from where they start at the stem to close to the stern. The feeling is of heft and weight. Used to being around much more “modern” boats it’s kind of weird feeling standing there. My thoughts run to momentum and how far she will carry her weight and how hard it will be to stop her and get her going again when sailing.

The boat building shed at RMI. Spar storage above.

Sonny emerges from her shed.

 Climbing up the ladder and getting on deck I have to watch my head not to hit the steel beams holding the roof of the shed up. The light is dimmer here but there’s lots of polished bronze and varnish. The deck is teak from bow to stern and in excellent shape. There is a small coach roof midships. I turn on the light on my phone and head over to the companionway. It’s offset to the right of the coach roof and the five steps down are pretty vertical. With little light from the outside, it’s close to pitch black down below, slightly creepy. I try and turn the interior light on but can’t figure it out. Maybe the batteries are dead?

 I find a flashlight and look around careful not where to step as most of the floorboards are lifted up. Sonny has not been in the water for over a year and then she was totally decommissioned. No cushions, sails or running rigging to be seen. That all must be in the 40-foot storage container parked outside. The boat has raised wood paneling everywhere and what is not covered in satin varnish is painted an off white. The galley looks newly rebuilt with all new pewter surfaces. Someone did a really nice job there.

 I go back up topside and make my way down the ladder carefully. I take a peek into the container and find many years’ worth of accumulated gear and sails. It will be a project to sort and organize what is useable and what is not. It’s now about 4 PM and getting dark. Late fall and winter in Maine and the nights are long. Later, my wife Mary and I make our way to downtown Camden for an awesome Christmas parade which seems to feature every fire truck from the surrounding area. Lots of families with young kids. I get a feeling that the folks that live here year round really embrace the seasons.

 I’m up here at the request of Craig Venter, a fellow San Diegan, whom I first met in Nantucket about 10 years ago. We were paired to sail IOD’s in Nantucket Race Week’s IOD Celebrity Challenge. Craig is a genomic scientist and a celebrity in the world of genetic discovery. Back in the late 1980’s and early 90’s  the US government undertook the Human Genome Project to sequence the human genome. It funded a massively expensive undertaking, on the level of the space race of the 1960’s in terms of funding and priority. The thinking at the time (and still today) was that decoding the human genome would have potentially massive benefits to mankind. Imagine knowing that you were predisposed to a certain type cancer. If you chose you could make lifestyle changes that could possibly keep it at bay.

 Working at the NIH and frustrated by the slow progress of the government project Craig started a private initiative in the late 1990’s and completed sequencing the human genome (his own) before the government funded scientists and at considerably lower cost. Later he set off on an around the world voyage on the 95 foot sailboat Sorcerer II to sequence many of the organisms on the oceans of our planet. In our discussions and by his actions, it’s clear to me that boats and being on the water brings Craig to his happy place.

Craig Venter at the helm of Sonny.

 Prior to signing on, I did some research on Craig and words that have been used to describe him include, irascible, egomanic, brilliant, genius. My own experience proved all those to be apt descriptions as would fit any person who drove themselves to more than qualify for a Nobel Prize. To my relief. I found Craig to be a very hands off boss. He wants things done right for the sake of the boat. While cost is a factor he, like others that own vintage yachts, considers himself a caretaker rather than owner. Sonny is a piece of American history and he takes his role in owning and maintaining her seriously..

 Later, I make my way from Sonny’s shed a few miles to Rockport Marine. It would be hard to find a more picturesque spot for a boat yard. Especially one that builds and maintains wooden boats. RMI is located at the very head of Rockport Harbor. The Goose River comes in on one side the property and the other is mostly sheer granite with the small village of Rockport at the top. All the building in yard are painted a maroonish flat red. The boat building bays are two stories high with a third floor above for spar storage. I go in the office and the smell is freshly cut wood. To the right are clearly design and engineering offices staffed with smart looking young engineers. I meet yard manager Simon Castle and my contact Katie Schoettle. We make a rough plan for when Sonny will be launched in the Spring.

 Sonny was designed by Olin and Rod Stephens in 1934. She was built by Robert Jacobs on City Island for Albert D. Phelps a Bronx real estate developer. Sonny’s design is a direct evolution of Dorade (design #9) and Stormy Weather (design #27) both fabulously successful yachts. Sonny is S+S design #94. Dorade was designed in 1929 and by 1934 S+S was already on to designing Sonny design #94. To say they were in demand is an understatement. During World War II Sonny was pressed into service in the Corsair fleet as many yachts of the time were doing mine operations in the Bahamas. She allegedly hit and sub and sank, was refloated and of course continued her journey.  Albert named Sonny after his son who he called, wait for it, Sonny.

Galley rebuilt to original.

Interior main salon.

 Over the years she has been rebuilt no less than three times on both sides of the Atlantic. The most recent work commissioned by Craig and done by Peter Cassidy at Buzzards Bay Marine included a complete rebuild of the galley forward of the mast as well and the insertion of a partial bronze ring frame near the mast partners.

 After our winter trip to Maine it’s time to get to work assembling the crew for the races in the summer. There won’t be a lot of time to practice and so my thinking is to hire a few pros to help us get up to speed quickly and make sure our sailing is safe. I also want to make sure our crew is one that Craig, who is paying for all this, will enjoy sailing with.

 First call is to Will Welles an old colleague from North Sails. Not only is Will a great sailor (two time J/24 World Champion) he is from the area having grown up on Mt. Desert Island just east of Rockport and Camden. I am going to need help with tactics and orchestrating the crew and Will is awesome.

 The next spot to fill is the bow person. Sonny’s sails are big and heavy (the Vintage class requires sails be dacron) and the loads on everything are going to be higher than anything I am used to. Having a good bow team will make or break whether the day is fun and stress free or potentially a disaster. At my son Nevin’s suggestion I call Marc Gauthier. Marc (a graduate of Maine Maritime and a J/70 World Champion crew) and his right hand man Dave Clemons, live in Jackson Hole when not sailing and prove to be invaluable. Marc, despite being young is excellent at explaining and helping orchestrate our moves up forward.

 Another early teammate is Glenn Cook, a top notch sail designer for North from Marblehead. Glenn proves to be an excellent main trimmer and has sailed on Sonny previously.

 Kent Pierce from Santa Barbara, CA holds the distinction of being the youngest commodore of SBYC. Kent and I sailed many, many J/24 regattas in the day.

 Al Girard, is an old friend from the URI Sailing Team and a great all around sailor. He was the navigator on Courageous in the 1987 America’s Cup and flew his plane up to the races from New Bedford, MA. A plane he built himself.

 Kara Voss, is a top small boat sailor from Miami, FL. Kara spent summers in Boothbay Harbor and was the second Phd on board. She recently was awarded her doctorate from UCSD’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography and is currently helping the state of California navigate the waters of climate change and how it affects insurance in the state. Kara acted as our defacto navigator. We needed her skills there.

 Isabelle Luzuriaga, All American super crew at Georgetown. Isabelle works as an advocate for the homeless in Boston.  

 JB Kuppe from Palo Alto, CA, originally from Chicago. JB and I were classmates in the ‘70’s at Tabor Academy and rekindled our friendship sailing on Jack Jenning’s Pied Piper in a few coastal California and Mexico races.

 Judy Huxtable, Judy works as a designer/engineer at Rockport Marine. Judy was a great local resource.

 Carter Jerman, I met Carter through a coaching contact. He is from Isleboro, ME by way of Rochester, N.Y.. When not sailing, he moves and restores large structures for a living, including a few lighthouses on the Maine coast.

 Mary Brigden, My right (and left hand).  My wife Mary was a huge asset to our group and helped ferry us around Penobscot Bay by powerboat despite the fact that she is the best sailor of the group.

 Oliver Perry-I met Oliver as he was a young sailing coach on Isleboro for the summer working for an old friend John Faudre. Oliver is currently representing Colby College on the intercollegiate sailing circuit.

Sonny 2023: Front row, Marc Gauthier, Isabelle Luzuriaga, Craig Venter, Dave Clemons, Kent Pierce, Oliver Perry. Back Row: Kara Voss, Judy Huxtable, Will Welles, J.B. Kuppe, Glen Cook, Carter Jerman. Not pictured, Mary Brigden, Chris Snow.

 The series of classics races in Penobscot Bay consist of 5 individual races. Two are point to point (Castine to Camden and Camden to Brooklin). The other three start and finish in the same location, two out of Camden and one, the famous Eggemoggin Reach “regatta” from Brooklin home of the Wooden Boat School and Brooklin Boatyard.

 I won’t bore you with a play by play of each race but will tell you about the start of our first race which was day 1 of the Camden Classics. We had planned to do some practice the two days before but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate so we went right into it.

 With about 80  boats and a bit of a chaotic starting area my heart was in my throat even before the starting sequence for our class started.  The pin was heavily favored and we were starting with some pretty big boats among them the 67 foot Blackwatch, 12-meter Gleam and the fantastically restored 1915 New York 40 Marilee.

 As we milled around before the start, it was going to be hard to lay the pin on starboard. The first “mark” was actually a rock island called “The Graves”  that was offset way to starboard, ost of the first leg would be on port. The best move would be to start at the pin, flop over to port and be off and running practically laying “The Graves”.

 Many images of getting boxed out at the leeward end went through my head and Sonny  with her 60,000 lbs. and attached rudder does not exactly “flop” over to one tack or another.  We’d plan to start on starboard near the leeward end and when the opportunity presented tack right onto port and likely be close to laying “The Graves” (yes I found the name intimidating).

 Normally when the pin is very favored I like to come in on port well low of the line. Then harden up onto port tack and sail close to 90 degrees to the line, get close to it and then do a simple tack onto starboard through about 90 degrees. Unfortunately, with more the 5 minutes to go we were basically on the line on port tack heading away from the favored leeward end. Getting onto port at the pin would require almost a 180 turn at this point and THEN and tack onto port.  With around 4 minutes to go most of the boats in our class were already on starboard well to the right of the committee and boat building speed towards the pin.

 We let Blackwatch go by and then did a very slow 180 degree turn onto starboard. In order to build speed we needed to be low out of our tack and now were not laying the leeward end. Blackwatch was close to the pin and would need to tack soon to start. Going straight would mean either tacking right into Blackwatch’s gas for a long port tack to “The Graves” or actually not laying the pin. The best move was to tack soon to have a clear lane on port below Blackwatch.

 We had Marilee about 4 boat lengths astern and slightly to windward of us. She had been on starboard longer and was going a bit faster. I had a flashback to a documentary I watched on Marilee’s restoration. She was rebuilt from the keel up and the restoration had to have been in the seven figures. The little tactician in my head said, “don’t fuck this up”. I called for a tack and Sonny responded slowly in the lighter wind. We completed our tack, crossed Marilee by a length and were off to the races. A long beat in a building sea breeze out to the Penobscot Bay buoy followed by a zig zagging run back to the mouth of Camden harbor made for a pretty awesome day.

1915 NY 40 Marilee on our hip upwind.

The coast of Maine is rocky and deep in many places right to shore. Here we are in over 100 feet of water.

 In the following days we had more great racing and a true tour of Penobscot Bay racing in and among islands, spectacular scenery and even more spectacular boats caretaken by some amazing folks. We even managed to score some good results.

 Many thanks to Craig, his wife Heather and our team for a great job and opportunity to experience a new type of sailing and one that anyone who gets the chance should try.

 P.S. Sonny is currently for sale. You can find more about her and inquire at Sandemann Yachts.