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Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. .jpg) James E. Buttersworth: "Hudson River Sloop Phillip R. Paulding" via Wikimedia Commons. The Morning Star was a sloop based out of the Rondout Creek in the 1790s, and many of her records were included in Paul Fontenoy's 1994 study of Hudson River Sloops. As a result, we can do some analysis of not only this one sail freighter, but her cargos and the exports of the Rondout Creek in her era, without spending dozens of hours in archives. This is a good thing, because there's a lot of lessons to be taken from her records. As a Hudson River Sloop, she was designed for our specific waters, with a shallow draft, drop-keel to make sailing upwind easier when enough water was available, and a simple fore-&-aft rig. These elements made the Hudson River Sloops ideally suited to the shifting mudflats and variable winds of the Hudson. In addition, they required relatively few crew members to handle the two or three sails. As for cargo, while the records aren't listed in tons, we can see a lot of patterns in her bills of lading. Passenger and cargo business was essential for the Sloops, and most passengers were headed North. Most of the cargo, however, was headed South to New York City and beyond. The cargo was principally agricultural goods, which were either used in the city or traded on in the West Indies Provisions Trade. The Hudson Valley was the breadbasket of the West Indies and parts of Southern Europe, but this trade to the West Indies allowed for the constant mono-cropping of sugar on those islands. New York and the Hudson Valley made much of its money off the Slave Trade both directly and indirectly through the provisioning trade. The agricultural trade profit which motivated the settlement and agricultural growth of the Hudson Valley in the 17th and 18th century is inseparable from the Slave Trade.  Cargoes for 1793 carried on Sloop Morning Star. Returning to the technical side of the discussion, we can also see the sailing season and voyage times from the records of Morning Star. With a 258 day sailing season and 11 voyages, the average duration of a round trip is about 24 days. March must have coincided with the river ice clearing, and December with the ice becoming enough to discourage sailing. The other thing to notice is how profitable the Sloops were. With a nearly 75% return over expenses, this is a very encouraging business. Profits were boosted by the lack of competition from steam propulsion, in the form of either trains or steamships. As that changed over the next 100 years, the profit margin of sloops declined, but in 1793 they gave a very significant return. Anyone interested in the technical details of the Hudson River Sloops should find a copy of Fontenoy's book, as it contains a well researched and easily read account of their development and operations for over 200 years. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. EDITOR's NOTE: Today's post is a collaboration with the Galway City Museum and Galway Hooker Sailing Club, to give a biography of one of the Galway Hookers still in use today, named Loveen. You can learn more about the club and their boats at their website: https://www.galwayhookersailingclub.ie/  Loveen Under Sail on Galway Bay. All images Courtesy of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club unless otherwise noted. Loveen was built by John Francis Reaney as a rowboat in 1925 and carried cargos of seaweed much of her career, and saw work in the fishing trade. She was out of working trade by the late 20th century and restored for pleasure sailing in 2021. Loveen is an outstanding example of her class of vessel: A Gleoiteog (explained below), she started her life as a 22 foot rowboat, but was converted to a gaff cutter rig in the 1980s.  Hookers at the Claddagh, circa 1900. Courtesy of the Galway City Museum. The Galway Hooker boats or the "Workhorses of Galway Bay” were used for fishing and carrying peat turf fuel, seaweed for fertilizer, general shop cargo supplies- grain, flour, tea, sugar, livestock, newspapers, people, and more over Galway Bay, to and from Kinvara, Burren, Aran Islands, and in and out of Connemara piers, harbours, and importantly from Connemara into Galway City. On the return journeys they often brought larger building materials home such as timber: One such boat was An Maighdean Mara brought building materials to help in the construction of the Carraroe Church, the local school and the priest’s house in Carraroe Connemara from Galway City in 1894. Another example was limestone from New Quay to Aran Islands, to neutralise the acidic soils of Connemara. Animal livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs or horses to fairs and markets were brought to Fairhill in Claddagh. For many communities these boats were their primary lifeline. Galway Hookers are not large, the largest class (the "bád mór," or "big boat") ranging from 35-44 feet, carried 12-15 tons of cargo at a time, and had a shallow draft to allow access to many small landings and ports. The Leathbhád (half-boat) was about 28-32 feet, while the Gleoiteog ranges in length from 7 to 9 metres (20 to 28 feet). They were used for fishing and carrying smaller cargo. They were all gaff rigged sloops with two headsails in front of the mast, and one mainsail aft. Most can be handled with a crew of two, but can fit more people if needed. These boats helped keep the small communities and shops of Connemara supplied and connected to Galway City or to the mainland. Many families and communities depended solely on these boats, and If it hadn't been for the Galway Hookers, smaller communities, particularly Ceantar na nOileán (small island communities West of County Galway) and Carna wouldn't have thrived. They were commonly referred to as "báid móna" or turf boats and recognised as such for their main cargo. Each cargo of turf was loaded and offloaded by hand – the Bádóirí's money was well earned! Unfortunately, after the Second World War many met their decline as improved roads and cheap fossil fuels meant lorries (trucks, for the Yanks) became the new modern way of transport in Connemara, leading to the decline in use for the Galway Hookers. Bottled Kerosene gas was another sharp blow to the boatmen and skippers, as it was the main competition to the boat’s traditional cargo of peat turf fuel. By the 1970’s the Galway Hookers were in complete decline with only two remaining in trade with the Aran Islands. The Galway Hooker has links to the US as well. It was introduced to US Waters in the 19th century, when Irish Immigrants in Boston and elsewhere started building the boats they knew from home for fishing and moving cargo. Referred to as "Boston Hookers" or "Market Cutters" they served much the same roles they had in Ireland, and significantly influenced the building of small craft in New England. Just like in Galway they were designed and used for multiple purposes. Loveen's restoration took two years due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Galway Hooker Sailing Club was embarking on a momentous task of restoring a 96 year old boat called Loveen with the guidance and workmanship of Master Boatbuilder Cóilín Hernon, his two sons Éinde and Cóilín Óg, the Club commodore Ciaran Oliver and all the crew members belonging to the club who volunteered their time, energy and passion. The boat was then taken apart slowly, carefully and gradually. Her old planking was removed. The shape of the boat was kept in place using twelve long laths as temporary guides and were fitted into the rabbet in stem- six on each side. The upper planks were removed first gradually moving to the lower planks. The boat was always kept supported and propped. The keel, ribs, beams, thwarts, and planking were all repaired and replaced, she was re-caulked (seen in the video below) and re-rigged.
All the spars (mast, boom, bowsprit and gaff) were made using a laminating process. Lengths of identical size, shape and length of timber pieces were glued together. These glued lengths turned into one piece, a block of solid wood. Each two or three lengths were clamped together and left to dry at each stage. The block of solid wood was rounded into shape using an adze tool, as seen in the first half of the video above. The later stage was sanding using a length of stretched sandpaper connected and kept together with two handles. Each spar was fitted with its own metal bands. The mast was fitted with its own spider band and the boom was fitted with a gooseneck to fit into the mast’s collar. Sails were traditionally measured and cut by our resident master boat builder Cóilín Hernon, cut in the traditional space: The local Dominican Church. After two years, Loveen took to the water again, and can now be seen sailing Galway Bay as she has for 97 years before. You can listen to more about Loveen here. For those interested in the Hookers overall, this recorded lecture at the City Museum of Galway by master boatbuilder Cóilín Ó hIarnáin is well worth a listen, especially his points about the addition of sail area to working boats as they are changed into racing and pleasure craft. Richard J Scott's book The Galway Hookers is also a good, easy read on this topic. AuthorMartina Thornton is the Historian of the Galway Hooker Sailing Club. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  "Nordlys" under sail. Courtesy of the International Windship Association. The Ketch Nordlys is claimed to be the oldest engineless wooden sail freighter in service today, having been built in 1873 on the Isle of Wight. Though she started her career as a fishing trawler, she was converted to Sail Freight after being purchased by Fair Transport in 2014. She started coastal trading on European routes in 2015. As a Ketch, Nordlys is well suited to coastal trade. The Fore-&-Aft rig allows for sailing close to the wind, which is important when working in coastal waters. She is a small ship, only 82 feet long and carrying 25 tons of cargo. However, she is also light on crew, requiring only 5 professional crew and taking on up to 4 passengers or trainees. Her cargo is normally high value goods such as wine, whiskey, and similar products. As an engineless vessel, Nordlys is a representative of the most extreme version of Sail Freight. The majority of sail freighters have engines on board for emergency and docking use, as well as for use in crowded harbors. Nordlys, like her fleet-mate Tres Hombres, relies on the wind entirely for power, and this exposes the vessel to all the same threats and risks as sail freighters a century or more ago. While there are modern communications equipment and solar panels on board to power them, these are not a tool for propulsion. They do increase safety when interacting with other vessels, but can't shorten the time at sea if stuck in the doldrums or power the ship off a lee shore in a storm. In exchange for these disadvantages, engineless ships offer the largest carbon emissions gains, and in the case of Nordlys, even more than normal: She replaces trucks and trains instead of other ships due to her coastal trade routes, much like the far more local schooner Apollonia. You can learn more about Nordlys and Fair Transport here. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  "Grain de Sail" under way. Courtesy of Grain de Sail. The Grain de Sail is a modern small cargo schooner, launched in 2020 and in service since, carrying wines and chocolate from France to NYC and the Caribbean. The ship can carry a total of 35 tonnes of wine with a crew of 4, and takes about three months on her circuit from France to NYC, the Caribbean, and back. The plans are to have her make two circuits per year, one in spring and one in the fall, and has completed three voyages thus far. In 2021, Grain de Sail and Apollonia met up in New York Harbor and transferred cargo between the boats, one of the first such exchanges between inland and transoceanic sailing vessels in US Waters this century. Grain de Sail is unique, in that she is specifically designed for hauling wine. Her hold is climate controlled, the wines are types suited to the rolling motions of the ship, and other considerations have been made to ensure the wine is not damaged by transport. She is a Marconni-Rigged Schooner, using more modern designs of soft sails than the traditional gaff-rigged schooners which are iconic parts of the Downeast Maine seascape. These allow sailing slightly closer to the wind, and they make automated sail handling far easier. Roller-Furling replaces much of the crew labor in reefing or handling jibs and headsails, and sheets can be controlled remotely. While she has an engine onboard for emergency and docking use, she uses it very rarely. You can learn a bit more about Grain de Sail on their website: www.graindesailwines.com AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  Brigantine "Tres Hombres" under full sail. Courtesy of the International Windship Association. The wooden Brigantine Tres Hombres was launched in the Netherlands in 1943, and served initially as a fishing boat. After her first career, she sat idle until 2007, when she was purchased by three friends intent on reviving sail freight. After a two year restoration, she was relaunched in 2009, and began her sail freight career. One of the early pioneers of transatlantic sail freight, Tres Hombres was one of the vessels which paved the way for others, proving the commercial viability of sail freight for high-value cargoes. Now, Grain de Sail has taken on this model with newly built sail freighters designed for carrying wine and chocolate, as just one example of follow-on movements from the Tres Hombres. Tres Hombres can carry 40 tons of cargo, mostly coffee, chocolate, rum, and other high-value items from the Caribbean to Europe. As an engineless vessel, she is a truly zero-emission vessel, and has made 12 transatlantic circuits since 2009. She is also involved with coastal trade in Europe, rebuilding coastal trade relationships which have fallen away in the last 80-100 years. With a crew of 7 and 8 additional trainees, Tres Hombres serves as a training vessel alongside moving cargo. This will be a big advantage to the Sail Freight movement, as her Brigantine rig combines both Square-Rig and Fore-And-Aft rig sailing, allowing for trainees to become familiar with both types of traditional rig. These trainees will be needed when they complete the program to crew other sail freighters in construction or planning, such as Ceiba, Brigantes, Hawaila, and the EcoClipper Fleet. You can learn more about Tres Hombres and the FairTransport company at https://fairtransport.eu/. The webpage also includes her sailing schedule, and how to sign up to sail as a trainee. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion. NOTE: This week's post is a guest post from Captain Shane Granger of the Historic Vessel Vega. The Vega has operated in the Pacific, between remote islands, since 2004, and was built in 1892.  Courtesy of Historic Vessel Vega In early 1890 cement factory owner Johan Carlsson commissioned a sail powered cargo boat to service small villages along the coast of Sweden. That boat was named Vega, after his eldest daughter. At that time Sweden and Norway were one country so Mr. Carlsson looked to the ship builders of Norway for his newest Jacht (Jacht or Jaght being generic names for small sail powered cargo boats). Outstanding among Norwegian ships of the time were those of Hardanger fiord where a tradition of building strong swift sailing vessels was already well established in the late 1400’s. The finest Hardanger jachts of the day were designed and built by Ola H. Nerhus. According to Lars Nerhus, great grandson of Ola Nerhus and himself a boat builder, “By 1891 Ola Nerhus had an unrivalled reputation for strong well-formed ships and quality workmanship. He was the designer and surveyor for most prominent [ship]yards in this region of Norway.” From the beginning Vega was conceived to carry heavy concentrated loads and be certified for trade in the Arctic, a task most wooden boats shunned. Vega’s intended cargo demanded a strong full-bodied vessel with exceptional load bearing capacity for her length and beam. Due to existing tax, harbour, and pilot regulations Carlson specified she be a bit short of sixty feet between perpendiculars with a sixteen foot beam yet be rated at 55 tones to meet the demands of his cement trade. Similar regulations meant for the first few years of her life Vega was rigged as a traditional cutter, rather than the well proven two masted galleass with its more versatile sail area and smaller crew. Faced with the age-old conundrum of how to make a small boat carry the same cargo as a larger one Ola Nerhus did a splendid job designing Vega, one that would eventually win him an award for design innovations at the great Oslo exhibition of 1898. Our surveyor once commented, “Vega’s frames are more reminiscent of a naval man of war from the early 1800’s than a merchant ship.” Those frame sets consist of between 4 and 6 grown oak ribs tightly trunnelled and bolted together with only enough room between them for ventilation. 130 years later Vega is among the select few officially classified "Historic Vessel", a long way from the dilapidated state we discovered her in. Vega 1892 is a small “Mom & Pop” charity that operates on a purely volunteer basis. A large group of friends, who want to make a difference but wish their assistance to go directly into the hands of those who need it most, donate the tools and supplies we deliver each year based on lists given to us by the teachers and health workers we assist. Meggi and I volunteer ourselves and Vega, since that is all we have. There are no big companies throwing money at us. In many ways we are like a glorified DHL, delivering what we receive each year, or purchase with funds donated by friends. Our mission has always been simple and straight forward. We cannot save the world but we can make one small part of it a little bit better. Indonesia is a nation with over 17,500 islands. Many of the smallest islands have fallen through society’s cracks and been neglected, or are so difficult to access it is impractical for government to support them. Those are the forgotten people we have assisted for almost two decades. Every year we sail our 130-year-old wooden boat almost 6,000 miles to make those deliveries. For the past 20 years, until COVID struck, Vega delivered roughly 20 tons of new educational and medical supplies annually to remote island communities in Eastern Indonesia and East Timor supporting 22 rural schools, 122 midwives and 18 health posts. Some of those communities are so remote that when we leave they do not see another outside face until we return. The supplies we bring help save lives and improve education for the children on these remote islands. You might enjoy spending a few minutes exploring our website to discover more about our work. What we accomplish on microscopic budgets will amaze you. https://vega1892.com AuthorShane Granger is the captain and owner of Historic Vessel Vega. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  Photo of the Phoenix from the "Marine Resource Bulletin Vol. 14, No. 3", 1982. Returning to the seemingly topical and relevant subject of Oil Crisis Era sail freight revivals, we have one from Long Island Sound which was much more successful than the John F Leavitt. The Phoenix was a motor-sailer with a steel hull, and there isn't a huge amount of information on her, unfortunately, but she operated a ferry service in Long Island Sound under sail for a few years at least. She required a crew of only two, and started operations in 1982. She could carry about 20 tons, plus passengers. The Phoenix is also listed in this bibliography of wind propulsion projects from 1980 as under construction in Captain Greg Brazier's back yard: A 70 foot cargo schooner for trade on the Long Island Sound. From the other aggregate sources, it appears she was about 50 gross tons and also faced resistance from residents near a former working dock which had been converted to leisure use. The Phoenix operated until at least 1984, when journalism on the project seems to disappear. The records are not clear as to what happened to the ship, but she may have converted to educational use. It seems in 1983 the ship wasn't making a profit on cargo alone between Long Island and Connecticut. What ultimately happened is unclear, but in 1985 the price of fuel dropped precipitously, and likely doomed the project as it did many others. With modern concerns about both oil supply and climate change, the 3-hour sailing ferry route may be worth reconsidering for a new generation of Sail Freighter. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  'Annie Watt' in the Port River, 1970. (SLSA, PRG1324/1386) Our featured sail freighter today is the Annie Watt, an Australian trading ketch which had a century long career in the Gulf of Saint Vincent, South Australia. She was in service as a sail freighter from her launch in 1870 until she was retired into a precarious chain of owners and neglect before she was acquired by the South Australian Maritime Museum. The Annie Watt was typical of the "Mosquito Fleet" of small sail freighters like her which were prevalent as late as the 1940s, when they began a marked decline. She was 64 foot long, carrying 44 tons, and Ketch rigged. This means she had two masts fore-and-aft rigged, with the mizzen mast shorter than the main (in the front). She, and other members of the Mosquito Fleet, were used in the shallow waters of the Gulf's small ports, acting as lighters to bring cargo like wheat to the larger windjammers which would sit at anchor, and bringing general cargo around the bay, where roads and railroads were slow to be built.  Annie Watt at Black Point in 1927-settling into position at high tide (above) and loading on intertidal flats (below). (State Library of South Australia, b57250 and 57252) Like many other vessels designed for shallow water, these Tasmanian Ketches used Centerboards and Drop Keels which are also seen in Hudson River sloops and schooners. Loading at some places was done by using the tide: The ketches would sail into shallow waters over a firm but sandy bottom, drop anchor or tie up to a post, and then let the tide recede, leaving the ship on the flats. Cargo would then be brought from the dry land to the boat before the next high tide lifted the ketch free. The same method was widely used in the UK in the 19th and early 20th century, and brought to Australia by settlers, as was the rig and many other portions of the UK Shipbuilding tradition. While the Mosquito Fleet, and some other small inland trading fleets survived very late, even into living memory, in developed countries, it ended just before the Oil Crisis of the 1970s brought a large resurgence of interest in sail freight. As that crisis is mimicked by the energy transition and the energy crisis we see before us today, it is interesting to note how durable sail freight was even without these economic pressures. Read more about the Annie Watt in this 2014 article by Rick Bullers, which is the source for the images used in this blog post. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
 For Sail Freighter Friday last week, we visited the cautionary tale of the John F. Leavitt, a wooden sailing ship built between 1976-79 and launched in October of 1979 in Thomlinson, Maine. Conceived of by amateurs as a way to revive sail freight in the wake of the Oil Crisis of the 1970s, the vessel would go on to become a cautionary tale, and set back the idea of sail freight for decades. Several years after he began filming the project, filmmaker Jon Craig Cloutier released "Coaster: A true story of the John F. Leavitt." In 1982, the year "Coaster" won best feature documentary at the American Film Festival, the New York Times interviewed Cloutier: The waves were over 20 feet high and the winds stronger than 60 miles an hour on that eighth day at sea. ''The sun was setting in the west and we were sinking in the east,'' Jon Craig Cloutier said. Mr. Cloutier, a film maker, was one of nine persons aboard a 97-foot schooner, the John F. Leavitt, on its maiden and final voyage. The ship was 187 miles off the coast of Long Island on Dec. 29, 1979, and night was approaching when the nine aboard and 3,600 feet of film were saved by two helicopters from the 106th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Group. A Russian trawler had received the ship's call for help and sent an S O S to the New York National Guard in Westhampton. ''Two large jolly green giants appeared in the sky,'' Mr. Cloutier said. ''The last thing to go into one helicopter was my film.'' Fifty thousand dollars worth of photographic equipment was left on the ship. Watch the full film below. The film covers the ship's construction, launch, maiden voyage, and disastrous end. Narrated from the point of view of Ned Ackerman, the school teacher who dreamed up the idea of the John F. Leavitt, the film runs just over 90 minutes long. Although the official release date is 1983, the film was shown as early as 1981. This November 23, 1981 review from the Washington Post reads: "Coaster," which opened Friday at the Inner Circle, is the story of the John F. Leavitt, the trading schooner that was launched in a crescendo of windship romanticism two years ago and sank on her maiden voyage. She was the dream of a former college teacher named Ned Ackerman, a young man with a sea captain's beard and an unflagging desire to construct a 98-foot, 100-ton sailing vessel for glory and profit. From the beginning he was dogged by cameramen, and this 90-minute film is the result of their chronicle. It appealingly records the Leavitt's construction, from the laying of her keel to the fitting of the "shutter plank" that sealed her hull. The Maine craftsmen, and their tools and techniques, are fascinating to watch and listen to. It took Ackerman four years to get the Leavitt built, but she came out right. He then cast off for Quincy, Mass., to pick up his first payload -- a cargo of chemicals and lumber bound for Haiti. Just before Christmas, heavy laden, the Leavitt set out into the North Atlantic. The temperature in Quincy was 8 degrees, and her crew was looking forward to the tropics. Less than a week later, beset by a winter gale 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod, the Leavitt had received superficial damage to her rig, found her main bilge pump inoperable, and was reporting a 30-degree list to port. With more bad weather on the way, Ackerman put in a distress call to the Coast Guard. Helicopters arrived to evacuate him and his eight-person crew. The Leavitt apparently sank sometime thereafter. The end of the John F. Leavitt was sad and inconclusive, and that is a condition that affects this documentary as well. Movie footage of the rescue itself was either lost, or not shot, so the tale simply stops. This is understandable, but difficult to forgive. Even more difficult to forgive are the relentless sea chanteys, full moons and echoing narrative that give "Coaster" an overeager heroism. Had things come out all right, that would be merely annoying; as things are, it is bizarre. "Coaster" would make more sense on television, perhaps on a weekend morning. It is not what you expect to find in a movie theater. As for Ackerman, brutal questions remain unanswered. After four years of willful publicity, in which he sought to bring back a lost era of seagoing, he abandoned ship in his first gale. Given the ambiguous ending of "Coaster," we are free to assume that Ackerman abandoned his dream ship while she was still afloat, rather than risk the lives of his crew in saving her. That is the new tradition of the sea, not the old. Ackerman probably did the right thing. But he proved the wrong point. And since he is a first-class publicity hound, he proved it big. What do you think? Do you agree with the Washington Post's review? If you'd like to learn more about sail freight and the Oil Crisis, visit the Hudson River Maritime Museum in-person or online to see our new exhibit "A New Age of Sail: The History and Future of Sail Freight on the Hudson River." Welcome to Sail Freighter Fridays! This article is part of a series linked to our new exhibit: "A New Age Of Sail: The History And Future Of Sail Freight In The Hudson Valley," and tells the stories of sailing cargo ships both modern and historical, on the Hudson River and around the world. Anyone interested in how to support Sail Freight should also check out the Conference in November, and the International Windship Association's Decade of Wind Propulsion.  Image from Sea History magazine article on Berta of Ibiza, 1978. The current oil price situation is strikingly similar to the crisis of the 1970s, and has sparked additional interest in Sail Freight. Alongside Climate Concerns, price of fuel is the main determining factor for the economic viability of windjammers. As a result, the oil crisis inspired a number of small scale revivals of sail freight: We've already covered the John F Leavitt, Na Mata-I-Sau, and Cagidonu, which were also used in this era, but we have another to add: Berta of Ibiza. The Berta of Ibiza was a relatively small schooner built in Spain in 1945, 110 feet long and with a cargo deadweight capacity of 150 tons. She sailed a cargo of furniture from Spain to New York, which sold at a small profit, and then took a cargo for Trinidad in November of 1978. She was the first sailing cargo vessel to leave New York Harbor with a cargo since 1943. She cost her owners $40,000 and was restored over a course of years. She was a wooden ship originally built for cargo work, made of oak, olive, and pitch pine, with quarters for 16 crew. Owned by 10 shareholders, 5 of whom were among the vessel's crew, the schooner was flagged in Panama to allow for payment through shares in the voyage. Berta was chartered for Trinidad due to fire damage on the main pier which prevented larger vessels from entering at Port of Spain. She was bound for a fishing dock instead, due to her relatively shallow draft and small size. After dropping her cargo in Trinidad, there is no reference to her again in the sail freight literature, so she drops off the historical radar in much the same way as Cagidonu. She was planned to be employed in the tramping trade around the Caribbean and elsewhere, but it is unknown if she remained engaged in that trade, or for how long. Until those records are available, though, her remaining career will remain a mystery. AuthorSteven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years. If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!
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