HMCo #1156s Surprise

"During these years the class that is usually spoken of as the Fishers Island thirty-one-footers was slowly developing, but as there were not many of them built at once and because there was some variation in them, I do not speak of them as a one-design class. The first of them were straight sailboats with a gaff rig but the later ones were usually auxiliary with leg-o'-mutton rig.
While these yachts were not first designed for racing they have often done well in some of the ocean races and are well-built little ships that have been particularly liked by their owners; and some were built up to about 1935." (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 306.)

"... The additional starter in [the Governor's Trophy Race in Nassau on February 16, 1935], which had not made the run from Miami, was Surprise, owned by R. W. Johnson, a Fishers Island Sound one-design, designed and built by Herreshoff, and on corrected time she was the winner. Vamarie was again first to finish and managed to save enough of her time to gain second place. Aweigh was third on corrected time. The method of handicapping again worked out quite well and when all had been figured the corrected times showed that the ten boats finished within 23 minutes of each other. ..." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Rudder, 1935, vol. 51, [p. 19?].)

"Sparkman & Stephens, naval architects and yacht brokers, report that despite the fact that the early season market was below normal, the market has been increasingly active in the last few weeks, and a large number of sales and charters have been effected.
Among the sales and charters effected by Sparkman & Stephens are the following: ...
The Fisher's Island sloop Surprise, sold for L. Lee Stanton, of New York, to a member of the Sea Horse Yacht Club. ... [L. Lee Stanton went on to become owner of one of the new Sparkman & Stephens-designed NY32s.]" (Source: Anon. "Sales and Charters." Motor Boating, August 1935, p. 82.)

"... Richard Gambrill, of Newport, has sold the Fisher's Island 31 Bagatelle to Kerner Easton, of Greenwich, Conn., who has renamed her Daquiri [sic, she would retain the name Bagatelle under Easton's ownership] ..." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Yachting, 1948, vol. 84, [p. 130?])

"PATAPSCO II, 43-ft cruising yacht of New York reached Rabaul late October in an eastwards circumnavigation of the world. Because owner-skipper Robert Murray has chosen an unusual direction for this, New Guinea was his first South Pacific island. After Rabaul he will visit BSIP, Samoa and probably Tahiti. Murray left New York in 1959, sailed to Norway via Iceland, then cruised the coast of Spain to the Mediterranean. From the Mediterranean his course has been Suez Canal, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Singapore, Sandakan, Hollandia, and Rabaul. With him currently as crew are Norwegian Gunnar Sorbo and American Fred Romney." (Source: Anon. [Title?] Pacific Islands Monthly, The Newspaper Magazine Of The South Seas, 1961, vol. 32, [p. 107?])

"LAND HO! --- After nine weeks at sea, Robert Murray, Gunnar Sorbo and Fred Romney (left to right) seem happy enough to find solid real estate under their feet. The sailors were beating their way eastward from the Marquesas to Mexico on the 'Patapaco' when its rigging fouled. About eight hundred miles from the West Coast, they came about and sailed for Hawai for repairs. They plan to remain in Hilo for several days, depart for Honolulu and, from there, sail on to Los Angeles." [Source: Anon. [Photo Caption.] Hawai Herald Tribune, April 20, 1962.)

"The Fishers Island Sound 31
The first keelboat class at Fishers was the graceful Herreshoff-designed and -built Fishers Island Sound 31, or FIS-31. The number refers to waterline length, considered the best indicator of a boat's speed. The class originated with a sailor at Watch Hill Yacht Club, W. Barklie Henry, which explains its name referring to local waters. In the Herreshoff yard's promotional materials, however, 'Sound' was deleted and the boats were called the 'Fishers Island One Design.' Obviously Fishers Island had a certain cachet among yachtsmen, or at least among yacht salesmen, for its name also was applied to two other boats, the Bullseye (called the 'Fishers Island Bullseye') and the Herreshoff 23 (the 'Fishers Island 23').
The FIS-31 is A. Sidney DeWolf Herreshoff's slightly larger version of one of his father's most successful pre-World War I boats, the Newport 29, one of which, the long-successful Dolphin [#727s], still sails in the Sound. Priced at $13,000 (the equivalent of about $130,000 today), the 31 was complete with everything needed to cruise, including china. By modern standards, accommodations are extremely skimpy, with only two cabins and a total of three bunks. This was a typical layout in a cruising boat of that era. The two bunks aft are for the owner's party, with their own enclosed head. Up in the bow was a tiny cabin, called the forepeak, with a single bunk and small toilet. That was the residence of the professional sailor in khaki uniform. He (it was always a he) scrubbed the decks, polished the brass, kept up the brightwork, washed the salt off all surfaces, and cooked the meals in a dark, narrow forward galley.
Beginning in 1929, six FIS-31S sailed out of Fishers Island: the Maxwell family's Kelpie [#1157s], Elisha H. Cooper's Surprise [#1156s], Arthur Whitney's Chance [#1059s], Mrs. Henry J. Fuller's Canuck [#1054s], Joseph H. Holmes's Qutee [#1154s], Pierre S. du Pont Ill's Aldebaran [#1060s], and Thomas W. Russell's Savage [#1153s] (now called Torch and on display at the Herreshoff Marine Museum). Kelpie was still raced hard after 50 years, and Surprise (renamed Patapsco) sailed around the world in the 1960s, reportedly with the loss only of a running backstay." (Source: Rousmaniere, John. Sailing at Fishers. Mystic, CT, 2004, p. 56.)

"From 1959 until 1977 this boat lay in Ed Wayne’s yard at the head of the creek in Patchogue, Long Island. I mourned her impending demise every time I saw her. Her resurrection described here is a splendid encouragement!" (Source: Shepherd, Peter. [Comment on OffCenterHarbor.com.] http://www.offcenterharbor.com/2014/04/18/reframing-upside-inside-brion-rieff-restores-wizard/, retrieved June 10, 2014.)

"Although the Fishers Island Yacht Club was involved with the Fishers Island 31-footers by virtue of a few of its members owning them, that class does not appear to have been Club-sponsored. One should think of the letters 'FIS' on the sails of these boats as standing for Fishers Island Sound, the body of water in which the boats usually sailed. W. Barklie Henry, of the nearby Watch Hill Yacht Club, originated the idea for such a boat and ordered the first one, Cyrilla IV [#1054s], late in 1926. Three of his friends, thinking that his idea was sound, also ordered boats for 1927 delivery. Except for two others which were built in 1929 and sold elsewhere, the four original boats had things pretty much to themselves for the first three seasons. Then, in 1930, five more boats, some owned in Fishers Island and some in Watch Hill, joined the racing. Cirrus, then Kelpie [#1157s], was the last boat of this second batch and wasn't delivered until late August. ...
The Fishers Island 31-footers, although based on the Newport 29­footers and presumed to have been basically laid down from their offsets, (a blow-up, incidentally, of those for Alerion, had some rather significant changes made from the original model. It is likely that the new profile (longer ends, deeper keel, more raking sternpost, straighter sheer) und deck line to match were established by means of a scale drawing. However, the fairing of the lines to these new end points, according to Sidney Herreshoff, was done right on the mold loft floor - full size. Sidney was a most modest man, reluctant to take complete credit for much of what he did, but he did admit (on a taped interview) that his father was in Florida for the winter while this work was going on and that he, Sidney, was in charge of executing the needed changes. I'd say he did well!" (Source: Bray, Maynard. "A Look at the Class." Woodenboat #34, May/June 1980, p. 34.)

"The design started out in 1912 as the model for NGH's centerboard daysailer Alerion [#718s], and that model, with its offsets suitably expanded through a change in scale, a full keel added, and its ends extended on the mold loft floor, is what Sidney Herreshoff used in creating these wonderful boats. It was the work of great ingenuity, and there have been few all-around better designs ever produced. The boats are beautiful to look at, contain reasonable accommodations, and are outstanding sailers. One of the class, Patapsco [#1156s], voyaged around the world in the mid-1960s. ..." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 172.)

"[Item Description:] Spreadsheet listing original contracts (from 1923 to 1940) by HMCo in the collection of HMM (apparently from the gift of Everett Pearson). Listed boats are: #380p, #381p, #388p, #389p, #391p, #392p, #393p, #395p, #886s, #933s, #934s, #954s, #955s, #962s, #983s, #999s, #1002s, #1017s, #1054s, #1055s, #1057s, #1074s, #1078s, #1122s, #1125s, #1130s, #1131s, #1147s, #1152s, #1153s, #1154s, #1156s, #1157s, #1164s, #1170s, #1173s, #1174s, #1175s, #1175s, #1176s, #1177s, #1179s, #1180s, #1191s, #1192s, #1193s, #1195s, #1196s, #1198s, #1199s, #1200s, #1201s, #1202s, #1203s, #1206s, #1207s, #1208s, #1209s, #1210s, #1211s, #1212s, #1213s, #1214s, #1215s, #1216s, #1217s, #1218s, #1219s, #1220s, #1222s, #1224s, #1236s, #1226s, #1227s, #1228s, #1230s, #1232s, #1234s, #1237s, #1238s, #1240s, #1241s, #1243s, #1244s, #1245s, #1246s, #1247s, #1248s, #1249s, #1250s, #1251s, #1252s, #1253s, #1254s, #1255s, #1256s, #1257s, #1258s, #1259s, #1260s, #1261s, #1262s, #1263s, #1264s, #1265s, #1274s, #1275s, #1277s, #1279s, #1280s, #1281s, #1282s, #1283s, #1284s, #1285s, #1286s, #1287s, #1302s, #1303s, #1315s, #1508s." (Source: Rickson, Norene (creator). Table. Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection Item LIB_4220. HMM Library Rare Books Room (HMCo Contracts), Folder [no #]. No date (2010s ?).)
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Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1156s Surprise even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

• Anon. "The Fisher's Island Sound One-Design Class." Yachting, April 1928, p. 96. (686 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Fishers Island 31 class description.
• Anon. "Herreshoff Fisher's Island 31-Footers." Rudder, September 1931, p. 57. (800 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Fishers Island 31 class description.
• Bray, Maynard. "A Look at the Class." Wooden Boat #34, May/June 1980, p. 42-48. (409 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text).
• Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. [Contract for #1156s Surprise, Fishers Island 31 (including specifications).] Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection. Bristol, RI, July 22, 1930. (1,816 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Herreshoff Marine Museum. Original building/sales contract. Vessel description, scantlings, payment terms, delivery date. Includes detailed vessel specifications.
• Chimenti, Robert J. Edited by Maynard Bray. "Restoring a Herreshoff Fishers Island 31, Part 6: The Circumnavigation." https://www.offcenterharbor.com/2015/10/13/restoring-herreshoff-fishers-island-31-part-vi-circumnavigation/; retrieved May 12, 2021. (2,947 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: OffCenterHarbor.com, Maynard Bray. Short history of Patapso II's 1959-1962 circumnavigation by Dr. Robert J. Chimenti, who aged 19, served as Patapsco's 'Ship's Agent' during the voyage.
• Gebhard. Rollo Excerpts from "Seefieber. Allein mit der Jolle Richtung Indien und über den Atlantik. [Alone with the dinghy towards India and across the Atlantic Ocean.]" Millemari, 2016. (41 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: No known copyright restrictions. Copyright holder: Millemari. Excerpts in German and translated English by pioneering German circumnavigator Rollo Gebhard as pertains to his meeting and being helped in Egypt and the Red Sea by #1156 Patapsco ex-Surprise in , then on her own circumnavigation.
• Bray, Maynard (with photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz). "Aboard Wizard: A Restored Herreshoff Fishers Island 31." Wooden Boat #266, January/February 2019, p. 52-57. (1,732 kB)
  Document is copyrighted: Yes. Short vessel history. Detailed photo essay portraying exterior and interior of the boat fresh after her recent restoration.

• Surprise (MIT Museum-made index card)
• Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.

Name: Surprise
Type: J & M
Length: 31'
Owner: Cooper, E. H.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

• Surprise
• Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.

Name: Surprise
Type: 31' 6" aux. sloop
Owner: E. H. Cooper
Year: 1930
Row No.: 666

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

Month: July
Day: 22
Year: 1930
E/P/S: S
No.: 1156
Name: Surprise
OA: 44
LW: 31
B: 10' 7
D: 6' 1
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead
Amount: 16,000.00
Notes Constr. Record: Fis. Island 31 footer. 7/28/30
Last Name: Cooper
First Name: E. H.

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

"Sail number 2." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Yachts by Herreshoff. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company: Designers and Builders of Sailing and Power Craft since 1861. Bristol, Rhode Island, undated (1935), p. 25. )

"Circumnavigated the world between 1959 and 1962 when owned by Dr. Robert T.K. Murray. Possibly the only small Herreshoff yacht to have done so." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 25, 2013.)

"According to the promotional booklet "Yachts by Herreshoff" published in 1935 by The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (p. 25) the governor of Bahama, Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford was the owner of Surprise. Surprise was indeed in Nassau in 1935 when she was reported by The Rudder to have been owned by R. W. Johnson. That same issue also showed a photo of Sir Bede Clifford at the helm of Surprise. Sir Bede Clifford may have acquired Surprise from Johnson, but this cannot be confirmed. Sir Bede Clifford became governor of Mauritius in October 1937 which might suggest that he sold Surprise at that time." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 22, 2014.)

"Though not indicated as such in the Construction Record, #1153s Savage, #1154s Qutee, #1155s Wild Goose, #1156s Surprise, and #1157s Kelpie were apparently build as one group of boats together, starting in September 1929 and thus making them the #1153 class. The contract dates of the latter three boats suggest that they were built on speculation and sold only after they had been built. Management at HMCo seems to have been sufficiently confident that even more buyers for FI31s could be found, because on May 20, 1930, at a time when the last boat of this #1153 class must still have been building, it issued an order to build two additonal boats forming the #1165 class (#1165s Skidoo and #1166s Last Straw)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 15, 2015.)

"Full restoration by Brion Rieff in Brooklin, Me. in 2013-2017. Relaunched August 3, 2017 in Brooklin, Maine." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 20, 2017.)

"The date of delivery in the original contract in the collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum was left blank, but a note in the Construction Record '7/'28/30' shows that the boat was delivered only six days after the date of the constract. Surprise thus was built prior to the signing of the contract, apparently on speculation." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 15, 2015.)

"Built in 6 days (contract to delivered; equivalent to $2667/day, 3000 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"In the absence of better available data displacement was estimated by using the figure for Net Register Tons (9) from 2014 USCG data and converting to lbs by dividing through 2000 (short tons). Note that this figure can only be a rough estimate because register tons as reported in Yacht Registers correlate only loosely with actual displacement figures." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. March 17, 2015.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.