May 2005

Dear friends,

We splashed Stately Lady.

Launching the 72-foot Trumpy (formerly Zarya) was like trying to prepare the space shuttle for take-off. Lists after final check lists. People hurrying all over the yacht, knocking off one last little project after another. But when she splashed down, everything went beautifully.

The next day, I flew to Annapolis for the Trumpy Yacht Association meeting. I have to tip my hat to John Patmore, the association’s secretary, for putting the meeting together. It’s not easy rounding up people for a meeting these days. The board decided to keep Carolyn Weaver, the current president, in that post until a full meeting of the board at Ocean Reef’s Vintage Weekend, Dec. 2-4. Vintage weekend at Ocean Reef is a great time for anyone who has a chance to attend. I’ll put out more news on this in coming letters. If you got my Christmas postcard with the row of glistening Trumpy yachts, I shot that at Ocean Reef last year.

There were some very positive steps taken at the meeting, such as scheduling the next Annapolis Trumpy Meet for May 4 through 7, 2006.More activities are planned for the association and I will keep you up to date as I learn them myself. A new thing at the next Trumpy meet will be awards for participation. Stephen Kneipp, our resident artists whose work grace our T-shirts, volunteered to help design the awards. As for the mahogany bases, I’m sure I can help in that department for at least the first few meets.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Annapolis and I had a great time with good people. Donald Trumpy and I sat around shooting the breeze about Trumpy yachts, what else. He corrected me on the proper term for I’ve been mistakenly calling “tees” and “filigrees.” The name used at the Trumpy yard, hence their proper name, was always scrolls. He also dispelled a number of Trumpy myths. I’m saving that for a later. Even through all the rain I had a terrific time. I even met up with people I hadn’t seen in a while. Capt. Bret Todd with the Enticer was in town and it was good to see him. Enticer is quite the yacht. She was restored at Brooklyn Boat Yard in Maine and what a great job. Photos will be on our web site soon as my web master gets back from vacation.

After I got back from Annapolis, I made a quick trip to Fort Myers, where I received an invitation to take a ride on Myton Ireland’s Trumpy, Miss America, Contract 422, 1965, a 50-foot, flush-deck cruiser. She runs at 22 knots and the boat ran perfectly. I asked him if he would slow her down to 16 knots, which is the top cruising speed of most Trumpy yachts and it was like we were standing still. Thank you, Mr. Ireland for the inspiration.

The very next day, I went out on a sea trial on Stately Lady. We headed north in the Intracoastal and we brought her up to full speed. She roared like a lion. She came right up on a plane, and we hit just over 17 knots. Her owner, Mr. Hollis Baker, had his hands on the wheel and a smile on his face. It was a great day. Once we reached the dock, we uncorked the champagne and we celebrated the end of the boat yard and the beginning of new adventures.

Looking back, I never even dreamed of working on projects like these. The other day, I was cleaning out my garage and came across some old, yellowed newspaper clippings, back from my early days in Maine. The story was about my first boat shop in Lubec, Maine. I’m proud of my humble beginnings and I was always hardheaded. Back in 1979, there were over 200 boat shops building wooden boats in Maine. Today, there might be 20. I’ve stayed true to myself. We still only work on wooden boats, 98 percent of them Trumpy yachts.

I don’t miss those cold days in my shop over the frozen waters in Maine. What I do miss are some great friends and some great craftsmen, some of whom have now passed away.

But the skills they taught me, I have taught others. This year, we have re-started training apprentice boat carpenters. It’s hard to find people who are committed. It’s hard work. Still, I can’t think of anything more worthwhile than making sure the Trumpy legend lives on.

Until next time,

Jim