HMCo #1157s Kelpie

S01157_Kelpie.jpg

Particulars

Construction_Record_Title.jpgName: Kelpie
Later Name(s): Her Excellency (1934), Cirrus (1935-)
Type: Fishers Island Aux. Sloop
Designed by: ASdeWH and NGH
Contract: 1930-8-25
Delivered: 1930-8-28 ?
Construction: Wood
LOA: 44' (13.41m)
LWL: 31' (9.45m)
Beam: 10' 7" (3.23m)
Draft: 6' 1" (1.85m)
Rig: Sloop
Keel: yes
Ballast: Lead
Built for: Maxwell, Henry L. [Harry]
Amount: $16,000.00
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: Fis. Island 31 footer. 8/28/30.
Current owner: Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic, CT (last reported 2024 at age 94)

Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.

Model

Model #XA2-1_05Model number: XA2-1_05
Model location: M.I.T. Hart Nautical Collections

Vessels from this model:
14 built, modeled by ASdeWH and NGH
#1054s Cyrilla IV (1927)
#1055s Judy (1927, Extant)
#1059s Chance (1927, Extant)
#1060s Mameena (1927, Extant)
#1061s Kestrel (1929, Extant)
#1132s Azura (1929, Extant)
#1153s Savage (1930, Extant)
#1154s Qutee [Qu Tee] (1930, Extant)
#1155s Wild Goose (1930)
#1156s Surprise (1930, Extant)
#1157s Kelpie (1930, Extant)
#1165s Skiddoo [Skidoo] (1931)
#1166s Last Straw (1931)
#1185s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1186s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1187s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1188s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1189s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1190s [Unbuilt Fishers Island 31] (1930)
#1521s Memory (1946)

Model Description:
"Model in M.I.T. Hart Nautical Collection: Fisher's Island 31 foot-class, #1054, Painted model; Size: 11"x45"; Acc. No.: XA2-1(5)." (Source: Source: van der Linde, Claas. 2007.)

Related model(s):
Model 0714 by NGH (1912); sail, 6 built from
Alerion, Sadie, NP29 and FI31: NGH (1); Newport 29 (4); Sloop (1)


Drawings

Main drawing Dwg 076-160 A (HH.5.05598) Explore all drawings relating to this boat.

List of drawings:
   Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
   HMCo #1157s Kelpie are listed in bold.
   Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
  1. Dwg 064-062 (HH.5.04538): Rudder Stock and Fittings (1903-05-04)
  2. Dwg 110-026 (HH.5.08991); Travel[l]ers for Small Sail Boats (1903-12-09)
  3. Dwg 065-054 (HH.5.04650): Tiller Socket (1907-02-22)
  4. Dwg 008-047 (HH.5.00745): Propeller Shaft # 264 (1908-02-10)
  5. Dwg 109-004 (N/A); Runnerslides for # 699 (1910-09-19 ?)
  6. Dwg 084-093 (HH.5.06544): Skylight (1919-03-25)
  7. Dwg 084-093 (HH.5.06544.1): Skylight (1919-03-25)
  8. Dwg 006-108 (HH.5.00610): Folding Propellers 18" Diam., 18" x 12" Pitch (1924-05-05)
  9. Dwg 009-056 (N/A): 1" Coupling with Locking Device for Folding Propeller (1924-05-31 ?)
  10. Dwg 076-160 (N/A); 31'-6" W.L. Knockabout (1926-12-31 ?)
  11. Dwg 025-165 A (N/A): Bolt List (ca. 1927)
  12. Dwg 080-093 (N/A): Spars for # 1054 (1927-01-04 ?)
  13. Dwg 130-154 (HH.5.10466): Sails > Sail Plan for No. 1054 (1927-01-11)
  14. Dwg 070-085 (HH.5.05084): Boat # 1054 Stem Head Details (1927-01-20)
  15. Dwg 011-072 (HH.5.00999): Boat No. 1054 Stuffing Box Details (1927-02-12)
  16. Dwg 058-080 (HH.5.04151): Shaft Strut for 1 5/16" Sleeve (1927-02-12)
  17. Dwg 025-165 (N/A): Casting, Rigging & Block List (1927-02-19 ?)
  18. Dwg 134-113 (HH.5.10954): Clutch & Throttle Control (1927-03-18)
  19. Dwg 076-160 C (HH.5.05600); General Arrangement > Cabin Arrangement for Fisher's Island Sound 32 Footer (1927-09-24)
  20. Dwg 076-160 A (HH.5.05598); General Arrangement > Cabin Arrangement for Fisher's Island Sound 32 Footer (1929-09-27)
  21. Dwg 128-119 (HH.5.10247); Sails > Sails for Fishers Island 31' (1929-12-16)
  22. Dwg 167-000 (HH.5.13198): Displacement Curve for Herreshoff Fisher's Island 31 Ftr. (1933-06-02)
  23. Dwg 130-000 (HH.5.10542): Sails > [Sail Plan Fishers Island 31] (ca. 1934-10)
  24. Dwg 143-083 (HH.5.11948): Docking Plan Fisher's Island 31 Footers (1936-02-03)
  25. Dwg 143-083 (HH.5.11948.1): Docking Plan Fisher's Island 31 Footers (1936-02-03)
Source: Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Together with: Hasselbalch, Kurt with Frances Overcash and Angela Reddin. Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass., 1997. Together with: Numerous additions and corrections by Claas van der Linde.
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.

Documents

L. Francis Herreshoff

"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.)

Other Modern Text Source(s)

"CIRRUS was built for Henry L. Maxwell of Greenwich, Connecticut, and launched August 28, 1930, as KELPIE, Herreshoff hull No. 1157. Maxwell was a distinguished yachtsman, owner of many Herreshoff boats, and commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club in 1930. The Great Depression kept Maxwell from sailing her as much as he had hoped, and he sold her after four years to a John J. Benjamin, who gave her the inappropriate name HER EXCELLENCY. Benjamin died sometime in 1934, and she came on the market. I had the good fortune to purchase her on January 19, 1935." (Source: Bemis, Alan. "Cirrus: A Treasure from Herreshoff." Wooden Boat #34, May/June 1980, p. 42-48.)

"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.)

"Ken Murphy writes from Fairfield, Connecticut, that CIRRUS, an N.G. Herreshoff–designed Fishers Island 31 built in 1930, is currently undergoing restoration in Mystic, Connecticut.
'CIRRUS takes up most of the floor space in the boatshop of Thomas Townsend Custom Marine Woodworking,' writes Murphy, who acquired the yacht in 2020. 'She had been a fixture in Center Harbor in Brooklin, Maine, for over eight decades before being taken in 2017 to Connecticut, where she remained on the hard for several seasons.
'Current work focuses primarily on restoring her decks, cockpit, and topsides, while refreshing the cabin and updating some systems. Her raised toerail has been removed and replaced with a new one matching the original plans. The plywood and Dynel deck that was first installed over the original teak almost 40 years ago, as advised by marine surveyor Giffy Full, has been stripped and repaired where needed. All bronze deck fittings have been removed, scraped, and sanded as well. Aging fuel and water tanks, both suspect, have been taken out, and two new tanks are being fabricated for placement under the rebuilt cockpit sole. Her worn teak cockpit seats have been sheathed in plywood and painted to match the deck. Two magnificent original butterfly hatches have been completely dismantled, refinished, and reassembled. Next up is to build a new extra-wide companionway sliding hatch to replace one that is just too far gone. 'With all that, Townsend marvels at the boat’s good condition after 90 years of sailing. Of her 80 years in Center Harbor, 50 of them were with one owner, summer resident Alan Bemis. His successor, Sue Drew, kept CIRRUS in Center Harbor and had her extensively restored at Brooklin Boat Yard (BBY) in the 1980s. In that round of work, her frames and floor timbers were all replaced, as described by Herreshoff historian Maynard Bray in WB No. 178.
'Bray and the yacht designer Joel White of BBY both praised CIRRUS: ‘Once seen, she is not soon forgotten,’ White stated in the book Wind, Water & Light; ‘There is nothing quite like her.’ Bray wrote that CIRRUS and her sisters originated with a half model that Herreshoff carved in 1912 for ALERION, his personal 26' sloop, which his son Sidney expanded with some modifications. ‘There’s little doubt,’ Bray wrote, ‘that these are one of the most exquisite, versatile, and enduring yachts ever designed. Almost a century later, over half still exist.’
'Bray also wrote that in the 1950s White, in the first project for which he was hired after graduating from MIT, drew a sail plan converting the sloop to a yawl. ‘I’ve sailed in her a good deal,’ Bray wrote, ‘and have sailed her myself on occasion, sometimes singlehanded, and can assure you that she’s better a yawl than a sloop.'
'CIRRUS should be relaunched in time for the June 2022 WoodenBoat Show at Mystic Seaport, then she’ll cruise Fishers Island Sound and Narragansett Bay. A trip to Maine is contemplated, so her signature red topsides will once again be visible on Eggemoggin Reach and in the familiar and welcoming confines of Center Harbor.'
Thomas Townsend Custom Marine Woodworking, 157 Bay View Ave., Mystic, CT 06355; 860–536–9800; wwwthomastownsend custommarine.com." (Source: Anon. "Around the Yards." Wooden Boat #284, January/February 2022, p. 15-16.)

Maynard Bray

"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.)

"Kelpie was built for Henry L. Maxwell in 1930. She was trimmed in teak and painted red. Records show that Kelpie was delivered in August. ...
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.
Most of the twelve-boat fleet went initially to summer residents of Fishers Island, New York; Ed Maxwell, whose father had Kelpie built, remembered her arriving there, fully outfitted, and ready to step aboard for a sail. Within only a short time, however, the Great Depression downscaled the sailing there to smaller boats (among them the Herreshoff-built Fishers Island 23s ..., and many of the 31-footers were sold and converted to family cruising.
Kelpie was later owned by Alan Bemis for nearly fifty years as Cirrus. She still sails, still looks beautiful, and still has a red-painted hull." (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 172.)

Archival Documents

"[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 ?).)
① ② ③ ④

Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #1157s Kelpie even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

Further Reading
  • 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 #1157s Kelpie, Fishers Island 31 (including specifications).] Herreshoff Marine Museum Collection. Bristol, RI, August 25, 1930. (1,755 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.
  • Bemis, Alan. "Cirrus: A Treasure from Herreshoff." Wooden Boat #34, May/June 1980, p. 42-48. (780 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes.
  • White, Joel. "Easy to Keep." Wooden Boat #34, May/June 1980, p. 47. (33 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Notes on Kelpie's annual maintenance.
  • Bray, Maynard (with photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz). "Cirrus." Nautical Quarterly, no. 37, Spring 1987, p. 52. (714 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text), Benjamin Mendlowitz (photos). Short vessel portrait. Part of the larger article "Herreshoff Legacies."
  • Bray, Maynard. "A Classic Inside Job. All New Frames for Cirrus --- With Minimal Interruption." Wooden Boat #178, May/June 2004, p. 83-85. (1,336 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray. Restoration report.

Images

Registers

1935 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#992)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-7; Extr. Beam 10-6; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]33; Sail Area 828
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 3/4 x 4; Maker Red Wing
Owned as Kelpie from 1930 to 1934 by Henry L. Maxwell of Greenwich, Connecticut and as Her Excellency by John J. Benjamin in 1935. Acquired by Alan C. Bemis in 1935 and renamed Cirrus.

1940 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1208)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Ratsey; Sails made in [19]33; Sail Area 828
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 3/4 x 4; Maker Red Wing

1947 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1144)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Beckman; Sails made in [19]41; Sail Area 828
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 3/4 x 4. 1940; Maker Red Wing

1950 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1284)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Beckman; Sails made in [19]41; Sail Area 828
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 3/4 x 4. 1940; Maker Red Wing

1955 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1416)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Ywl
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Manchester; Sails made in [19]52; Sail Area 828
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 3/4 x 4. 1940; Maker Red Wing

1960 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1544)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Ywl
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Manchester; Sails made in [19]58; Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 3 1/16 x 3 1/4. 1957. 16 HP; Maker Gray
Note: Alt[ered] from Slp 1952

1967 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1802)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Ywl
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Manchester; Sails made in [19]58; Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 3 1/16 x 3 1/4. 1957. 16 HP; Maker Gray
Note: Alt. from Slp. 1952. Sail no. F11

1970 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1906)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Ywl
LOA 43-0; LWL 31-8; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-0
Sailmaker Manchester; Sails made in [19]69; Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Oil Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 3.125 x 3.5. 1967. Inst. 1968. 36 HP; Maker Westerbeke
Note: Alt. from Slp. 1952. Sail no. F11

1975 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1506)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Alan C. Bemis; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig Aux Ywl
LOA 43-0; LWL 33-0; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-2
Sailmaker Manchester; Sails made in [19]69; Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Oil Engine 4 Cy. [19]67. 36hp; Maker Westerbeke
Note: Con[verted from] Slp [19]52. Sail no. F11

1984 Yacht Owners Register (#141.5)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Kelpie, Her Excellency
Owner: Mrs. Susan L. Drew; Port: Brooklin, Me.
Official no. 610524; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig Aux. Yawl. Fishers Island Sound
LOA 43.0; Extr. Beam 10.6; Draught 6.1
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer Nathanael G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1930
Engine Diesel. 35hp
Note: Sail No. F11

1999-2000 Register of Wooden Boats (#092.2)
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Susan L. Drew (P.O. Box 139, Brooklin, ME 04616); Port: Brooklin, ME
Type & Rig Fishers Island 31, Keel yawl
Lbs Gross 22490; LOA 43-8; LWL 33-0; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-2
Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Built where Bristol RI; Built when 1930
Engine (1) Diesel; Maker Westerbeke
Note: Sail No. F 11

2007 WoodenBoat Register
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Susan L. Drew; Port: Brooklin, ME ; Port of Registry: Brooklin, ME
Type & Rig Fishers Island 31, Keel yawl
LOA 43-8; LWL 33-0; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-2
Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Built where Bristol RI; Built when 1930
Engine Diesel, (1); Maker Westerbeke
Note: Sail No. F 11
S. Drew died in 2013 and bequeathed Cirrus to Tim Parson.

2021 WoodenBoat Register
Name; Former Name(s): Cirrus; Her Excellency, Kelpie
Owner: Kenneth F. Murphy; Club(s): Pequot Yacht Club; Port: Southport, CT
Type & Rig Fishers Island 31, Keel yawl
LOA 43-8; LWL 33-0; Extr. Beam 10-7; Draught 6-2
Sail Area 826
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer Nathanael & Sidney Herreshoff; Built where Bristol RI; Built when 1930
Engine Diesel, (1); Maker Westerbeke
Note: Sail No. F11; Database entry posted on Sun, 07/12/2020 - 8:42pm, last modified on Tue, 02/16/2021 - 8:04am

Source: Various Yacht Lists and Registers. For complete biographical information see the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné under Data Sources. Note that this section shows only snapshots in time and should not be considered a provenance, although it can help creating one.

Supplement

From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
  • 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.
From the 1930s L. Francis Herreshoff Index Cards at the Herreshoff Marine Museum
  • 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.
From the 1953 HMCo Owner's List by L. Francis Herreshoff

Name: Kelpie
Type: 31' 8" aux. sloop
Owner: Henry L. Maxwell
Year: 1930
Row No.: 347

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.

From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray

Month: Aug.
Day: 25
Year: 1930
E/P/S: S
No.: 1157
Name: Kelpie
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. 8/28/30.
Last Name: Maxwell
First Name: Henry L.

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.

Research Note(s)

"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.)

"[Copyright-restricted content.]" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. Private Research Note. December 21, 2017.)

"[Copyright-restricted content.]" (Source: van der Linde, Claas. Private Research Note. October 13, 2022.)

"Date of delivery 'on or about August 28, 1930' from original contract in collection of Herreshoff Marine Museum. This was only 3 days after the contract date and shows that the boat had been already completed at the time of sale. Apparently she had been built on speculation." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 15, 2015.)

"Built in 3 days (contract to delivered; equivalent to $5333/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

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

Note

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Citation: HMCo #1157s Kelpie. Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné. https://herreshoff.info/Docs/S01157_Kelpie.htm.