HMCo #1435s [12 1/2 for Paul Cabot]

Particulars

Construction_Record_Title.jpgName: [12 1/2 for Paul Cabot]
Later Name(s): Pensive Lady (1991-1998), Expensive Lady (1998 -2000), Pilgrim (2000-)
Type: 12 1/2 Footer (North Haven Foxeye)
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1937 ?
Delivered: 1938
Construction: Wood
LOA: 15' (4.57m)
LWL: 12' 6" (3.81m)
Draft: 2' 6" (0.76m)
Rig: Sloop
Sail Area: 140sq ft (13.0sq m)
Keel: yes
Ballast: Lead outside
Built for: Cabot, Paul
Amount: $900.00
Note(s) in HMCo Construction Record: del. Maine (Sparkman & Stephens, Boston)
Current owner: Private Owner, Brooklin, ME (last reported 2016 at age 78)

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 #716Model number: 716
Model location: H.M.M. Model Room North Wall Right

Vessels from this model:
409 built, modeled by NGH

Original text on model:
"12 1/2' Buzzards Bay boy class 24 boats 1915 scale 1/10 size three [sic, i.e. four? #806, #813, #815, #817?] boats 1916
16' w.l. Oyster Bay "Fish Class" 23 boats 1916 scale 1/12 size sections 1/13 lengths 3 1/2 added at bow on deck" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)

Model Description:
"12'-1/2' lwl Buzzards Bay 12 1/2-class of 1915, HMCo's most popular creation with some 360 boats produced. Also, with change in scale and proportionally longer bow, the Fish class sloops of 1916 and beyond." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)

Related model(s):
Model XA2-1_01 by NGH (1914?); sail
Buzzards Bay 12 1/2
Model XA2-1_02 by NGH (1914?); sail
Fish Class


Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.


Offsets

Offset booklet number(s): HH.6.146-6

Offset booklet contents:
12 1/2-footer class, Fish class (Cape Cod Shipbuilding Embargoed)


Offset Booklet(s) in Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. (Restricted access --- see curator.)

Drawings

Main drawing Dwg 076-118 (HH.5.06083) Explore all drawings relating to this boat.

List of drawings:
   Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
   HMCo #1435s [12 1/2 for Paul Cabot] are listed in bold.
   Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
  1. Dwg 079-091 (HH.5.05900): Chain Plates & Mast-Band for Port Boat on "Roamer" (1902-05-03)
  2. Dwg 079-091 (HH.5.05901): Fittings for Port Boat on # 215 (1902-05-03)
  3. Dwg 130-124 (HH.5.10432); Sails > # 744 Design for Buzzard's Bay Boy's Boat (1914-10-11)
  4. Dwg 128-142 (HH.5.10269): Sails > Sails for No. 744 Class (1914-11-20)
  5. Dwg 081-111 (HH.5.06203): Spars for # 744 and Class (11 Boats), 12 1/2 Footer (1914-11-21)
  6. Dwg 081-111 (HH.5.06203.1): Spars for # 744 and Class (11 Boats), 12 1/2 Footer (1914-11-21)
  7. Dwg 065-064 (HH.5.04659); Rudder Hanging for # 743, Rudder and Hanging for # 744 Class (1915-02-15)
  8. Dwg 074-060 (HH.5.05348); Anchor for # 744 Class Made of Manganese Bronze (1915-03-30)
  9. Dwg 148-000 (HH.5.12238); Construction Dwg > Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer (ca. 1931)
  10. Dwg 128-142 [057-001] (HH.5.10270): Sails > Sails Plan 12 1/2 Footer Class (1934-06-04)
  11. Dwg 142-090 (HH.5.11837): Compartment Details for 12 1/2 Footers (1934-07-18)
  12. Dwg 065-064 A (HH.5.04660); Rudder and Hangers for 12 1/2 Footers, # 744 Class (1935-03-22)
  13. Dwg 076-118 B (HH.5.06085): 12 1/2 Footer Class Details of Hull Fittings (1938-02-19)
  14. Dwg 076-118 B (HH.5.06085.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Details of Hull Fittings (1938-02-19)
  15. Dwg 130-124 (HH.5.10433); Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Sail Plan (1938-02-19)
  16. Dwg 076-118 C (HH.5.06086): 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Spar Details (1938-02-23)
  17. Dwg 076-118 C (HH.5.06086.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Gaff Rig Spar Details (1938-02-23)
  18. Dwg 076-000 (HH.5.06088): 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
  19. Dwg 076-118 D (HH.5.06087): 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
  20. Dwg 076-118 D (HH.5.06087.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Spar Details (1938-02-25)
  21. Dwg 025-159 (HH.5.01917): 12 1/2 Footer Class Material and Construction List (1938-02-28)
  22. Dwg 025-159 (HH.5.01917.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Material and Construction List (1938-02-28)
  23. Dwg 130-124 B (HH.5.10434); Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Sail Plan [2 Plans] (1938-03-01)
  24. Dwg 130-124 B (HH.5.10434.1): Sails > 12 1/2 Footer Class Marconi Sail Plan (1938-03-01)
  25. Dwg 076-118 (HH.5.06083); Construction Dwg > 12 1/2 Footer Class 744 Construction Plan (1938-03-03)
  26. Dwg 076-118 (HH.5.06083.1): Construction Dwg > 12 1/2 Footer Class 744 Construction Plan (1938-03-03)
  27. Dwg 076-118 A (HH.5.06084): 12 1/2 Footer Class Hull Sections (1938-03-03)
  28. Dwg 076-118 A (HH.5.06084.1): 12 1/2 Footer Class Hull Sections (1938-03-03)
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

Other Modern Text Source(s)

"The second summer that the Cobbs spent on the [North Haven] Casino, 1938, Cobb remembers, the new Herreshoff class of sailboats arrived. 'Ours was one of the first, the 'Elsie Q. [#1446s originally ordered by Sumner Pingree]', he says. Nancy Snow Carter [owner of #1442s] recalls that the others were owned by the Minots [#1436s and #1439s], the Saltonstalls [#1441s, #1447s, #1449s?], the Pingrees [#1446s and possibly #1448s], the Snows [#1442s], the Littles, the Pratts, the Chestons [probably #1405s Zipper], Paul Cabot [#1435s], Harry Cabot [#1435s], and Ox Kingsbury, among others.
'The 12 Herreshoffs were towed into North Haven under the aegis of Henry Minot [owner of #1436s],' writes Nancy. 'All the young new boat owners were given their boats and equipment on the Casino. I chose number 9 as it was always my lucky number. It was a great moment.'
'Pa and Dr. Pettit got the Herreshoffs here,' says Ellen Minot Little [daughter of Henry W. Minot and owner of #1436s]. 'They felt there needed to be a boat you could go sailing in. The dinghies were useless and the knockabouts were hard to sail by yourself. Our Herreshoff was named 'Bimbo'. We sailed and raced almost every day.' " (Source: Richardson, Eleanor Motley 'North Haven Summers. An Oral History.', Rockland, Maine, 1992, p. 142-143.)

Further Reading
  • Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part I." Wooden Boat #56, January/February 1984, p. 93-101. (1,293 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part I. Stem restoration, transom and frame replacement.
  • Bray, Maynard. "Restoration of 12 1/2 Footers. Part II." Wooden Boat #57, March/April 1984, p. 93-100. (1,036 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text). Detailed Buzzards Bay 12 1/2 restoration step by step as performed by the Ballentine shop. Part II. Keel timber and coamings replacement.
  • Bray, Maynard (with photos by Benjamin Mendlowitz). "12 1/2 Footers." Nautical Quarterly, no. 37, Spring 1987, p. 47. (608 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes, used with permission. Copyright holder: Maynard Bray (text), Benjamin Mendlowitz (photos). Short class portrait. Part of the larger article "Herreshoff Legacies."
  • Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer. Evolution Of The Class." In: Herreshoff Marine Museum (publ.). Proceedings. The 6th Classic Yacht Symposium. May 2-3, 2014. Bristol, RI, 2014, p. 1-23. (4,425 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: Steve Nagy / Herreshoff Marine Museum. Short class history of the 12 1/2 as built by HMCo, Quincy Adams, Cape Cod Shipbuilding and others. Different models: Gaff, marconi, wishboom, Fishers Island. Detailed description of changes in configuration and equipment as boats were built over time. Identification guide for 12 1/2s missing their builder's plate. Photos. Original promotional material.
  • Massey-Leonard, Ellen. "Herreshoff's Masterpiece." Classic Boat, September 2015, p. 42-48. (1,055 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. History and appreciation of the class with a special focus on the author's family boat #1435s Pilgrim.

Registers

2015 WoodenBoat Register
Name: Pilgrim
Owner: Calvin and Martha Massey; Club(s): Deer Isle Yacht Club; Port: Center Harbor, Maine
Type & Rig Herreshoff 12-1/2, Marconi sloop
LOA 15-10; LWL 12-6; Extr. Beam 5-10; Draught 2-6
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N.G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol RI; Built when 1937
Note: Sail No. 1; Database entry posted on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 8:42am, last modified on Fri, 09/11/2015 - 8:42am

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

Year: 1937c
E/P/S: S
No.: 1435
LW: 12 1/2'
Amount: 900.00
Notes Constr. Record: del. Maine (Sparkman & Stephens, Boston)
Last Name: Cabot
First Name: Paul

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.

From the 2007 12 1/2 Registry by Steve Nagy

Hull No.: 1435
Contract Date: 1937-10-07
Org. Owner: Paul Cabot
Current Rig: Marconi
Home Port: Center Harbor, ME
Prior Owners: Ed & Pat Warnock - ???? - 1991 - Marblehead, MA - Expensive Lady; Becky Northey - 1991 - 1998 - New York, NY - Pensive Lady
Current Name: Pilgrim
Current Owner: Calvin Massey
Sheer-strake: Mahogany

Source: Nagy, Steve. "The Herreshoff 12 1/2 Footer Registry." Version 2.0. August 2007. (http://h12.orrsford.com/H12_Registry_Ver_2-0.pdf, last visit May 23, 2008.)

Research Note(s)

"Pilgrim was part of the fleet of 12s ordered by the North Haven Casino in 1937. She bears sail number 1, which may have assigned by North Haven Casino." (Source: Nagy, Steve. Herreshoff Registry, s. v. Pilgrim 1435. http://www.herreshoffregistry.org/detail.php?hull=1435, retrieved May 12, 2014.)

"This boat is known to have top-mounted (as opposed to let-into-the-wood) bow chocks made by E.J. Willis as specified on its construction plan 076-118 (HH.5.06083). This drawing, dated from March 3, 1938 and labeled to be for #1432s but believed to be for the entire fleet of North Haven Fox Eyes (#1434s through #1447s) as well as for #1433s, #1459s, #1459s and possibly for some more 12 1/2s, specifically stated the use of 'Bow Chocks, Willis, Fig. J 855'. It is unclear why HMCo abandoned its previously used bow chocks (patterns 7463 and 7464). 12 1/2s launched in 1939 and later were fitted again with HMCo-designed bow chocks, of a new pattern (12428 and 12429) that was very similar to the old one. In the 1920 and 1930s E.J. Willis, founded in 1888, appears to have been a fairly large outfit, selling under their own brand all kinds of marine fittings and even rope and paint. They were based in New York City. Almost 100 years later the company was still in existence, now located in Middleville, NY, and known as a maker of bronze bells for the U.S. Navy." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 13, 2022.)

"Sail area approximately 140 square feet by rule." (Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Yachts by Herreshoff. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company: Designers and Builders of Sailing and Power Craft since 1861. Bristol, Rhode Island, 1937.)

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 #1435s [12 1/2 for Paul Cabot]. Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné. https://herreshoff.info/Docs/S01435_12_1_2_for_Paul_Cabot.htm.