Ames 2 Woodie For Sale

Just recently got this email from Jamie Leopold;

"I am the fellow from Vermont who bought Bill Moss' wooden Ames 2 I-14. I still have the boat....not much has been done to it. It still needs a better home than I have to offer it. I have lots of 14 stuff to go with it including 3 masts, a couple of centerboards, lots of fittings and more. Any one interested should contact me."

This is the same one I featured in a previous post and video not quite a year ago. Definitely somewhat of a project though it has most of the pieces. And this 14, classic looking though it is, has never touched the water!

I asked Jamie who shot the YouTube video;

"The video was shot by a friend named Tim McKegney, who was looking for a 14......I think Tim came to look at it about 3-4 years ago. Don't know if her ever found one."

Stradivarius Sails Again!

Stradivarius was the name of the International 14 that Bill Moss and I campaigned in 1980 and 1981. It was an McCutcheon built (Isle of Wight) beautifully cold molded in mahogony, a Kirby IV design that Bill bought from West Coast hot shot Steve Toschi, who, if I remember correctly, won a POW in her. US 960 was her number and she was a good craft and, as she had done for all her crews, treated Bill and I well.

I got a call from fellow old 14'er Tom Price that he and Doug Lupe (Stradivarius's current owner) were going to bring her to the light of day after  being garaged for twenty five or so years and race her in a pursuit race for Classic Wooden boats sponsored  by the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Mid-day on a Saturday I was off Trident Point on the U.S. Naval Academy grounds with one of my not-so-fancy cameras to record for posterity the re-splashing of a once top of the line International 14 and now definitely a Classic. Stradivarius sports a full battened main which became class legal in 1982, 1983 time frame but still has the single trapeze and the symmetrical spinnaker which Bill and I raced with.

Tom and Doug were able to win the Dayboat division but not without some tense moments with the 1860's reproduction Sandbagger at the finish.

Three photos of Tom and Doug in the "Strad". The craft in the background of the first photo is the Herreshoff 25 which was competing in the Cruising division.

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Stradivarius sailing in the summer of Covid-19.


Coincidentally, that same weekend, Bill invited me and former I-14 World Champion John Gallagher (and wives, girlfriends) over to dinner on Friday night and on Saturday morning, I ran into Jim Biles, who owns the other Classic 14 in Annapolis, another McCutcheon 14, in front of West Marine where we chatted for 15 or so minutes.

1971 Canadian Team at Annapolis

Former C&C designer, Rob Mazza, sends along a photo of the Canadian team at the 1971 Team Races in Annapolis. This was the first year an American Team won; the West Coast team taking the Team Race Championship - 6 wins to 3 losses. (Note the funnelator, a water-filled-balloon launcher popular for amusement at regattas, both on and off the water in those years - until someone suffered eye damage.)

Standing, L to R, Graeme Hayward (RSt.L.YC), Arthur Earl, Peter Jones (crew for Harry Jemmett).
Kneeling, L to R, John Robertson (RHYC), Ewan Swan (crew for Graham Hayward), George Overend (crew for John Robertson), Harry Jemmett (KYC), Rob Mazza (crew for Arthur Earl).

Bob Reeves bombing around under spinnaker

Most of what I have in the photo archives are of the Annapolis International 14 fleet, understandably, since I live in Annapolis and sailed with the Annapolis fleet. Bob Reeves, with wife Peggy as crew, was one of the top Annapolis 14 sailors from the mid 60's through the 70's. Here is a series of photos of Bob and Peggy sailing their Kirby IV under spinnaker (I'm guessing early 1970's as it looks like Peggy is wearing a trapeze harness). Photos taken by Ellie Martin. (Click in the photo to get a larger format and to start a slideshow.)

Bob and Peggy perfectly in control.

Bob and Peggy perfectly in control.

Oops! Bob and Peggy not in control.

1981 Team Race Party

This blog is, I admit it, all about nostalgia. Indulge the blogger on this one as he posts a video of the party for the 1981 International 14 Team Races. The party was held at the Robert Crown Sailing Center, US Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland and features the sailors from the English, Canadian and the U.S East and West Coasts.

1981 Team Races and World Championship

I haven't posted too much about my own International 14 experiences. I expect to do more of that in the future but, in the meantine, I've posted about my racing in the 1981 Annapolis International Team Races and World Championships over here at the Earwigoagin blog.

YouTube Head Scratcher?

John Power from Saratoga Lake sent a nice email (several actually). I'll devote another post to his 14 stories. John did give me a link to a YouTube video of a bare, varnished 14 hull and asked;

"Wondered if you had seen this? The locals up at Saratoga think this is one that was built by JOHN SCARANO (google Scarno boats and check out the scarano 21 and 22)"

Indeed the video does show a very pretty International 14 hull, a Classic but with modern lines.........



Well John, talk about six degrees of separation. There are probably five or so people who know what hull this is and I'm one of them.... all the parties involved are very good friends of mine. (As you probably guessed by now, this isn't a Scarano design.)

This is a Bob Ames Mk2 hull (Bob is the designer of the Vanguard 15). Three were built by Ovington Boatbuilders in Northern England in the mid 80's; two were double bottom glass hulls, and one was wood with a cold molded bottom and ply sides. The wood one was a bare shell, owned by Bill Moss, who proceeded to install a seat tank layout, even though the class in the mid-80's had gone double trapeze with assymetric spinnakers. Bill, being a bachelor, did all the boatbuilding in his living room and it took a while. When he had completed the hull, Bill realized he now had a 14 that was not competitive, so the 14 remained as a living room centerpiece for many years. Bill eventually sold the 14 hull and all the parts to a fellow in Vermont. Bob, Bill, and I had dinner with the fellow when he arrived to take the hull North. No idea if this hull ever got completed to a sailing stage.

How do I absolutely know this is the Bill Moss Ames 2? Bill built the tripod out of phenolic tube, the only 14 that I know had a phenolic tube tripod instead of aluminum.

Stuart Walker History Part 2

Part 2 of Stuart Walkers 1962 article on the history of International 14's.

(Again, click on the top right arrow icon to get a window to read the article.)

Stuart Walker History Article Part 1

In April 1962, Annapolitan Stuart Walker, famous sailboat racer and sailing writer/book author, wrote a two part series on International 14 history for the One-Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine (now Sailing World). I saw Stuart Walker two weeks ago (now in his mid 80's) accepting the 2011 Soling fleet championship award at Severn Sailing Association.

Here is Part 1 (Click on the arrow-in-a-box icon on the top right corner of the article to open in another window to facilitate reading) :

Two Pictures; US 116 and Sailing in Annapolis Harbor

Two pictures (click inside any picture for slideshow); The first picture Mark Woodard found on the Internet. US 116 is presumed to be a hot molded Sandy Douglass/Uffa Fox Alarm hull.

A picture in Annapolis Harbor. Looks to be frostbite sailing back when there were no drysuits or wetsuits. Skipper and crew unknown. Hull design unknown. Looks to be in the early 1960's.