John Power; Stories from Saratoga

John Power sends me this interesting sea (actually lake) story filled with Int. 14 (and Firefly) lore from Saratoga Lake;

I actually have had just a little experience sailing 14s, I am perhaps one generation too late. But I have always been keenly interested in the older boats (the modern 14s which while impressive in their own right, are a bit too pricey and high tech for me)

When I was younger, I learned how to sail at Regatta Point Community Sailing in Worcester, Ma (a sister school to the famed Community Boating in Boston) The fellow that taught me to sail was a great guy named Allan Fearn. Al actually won the Firefly National Championships one year on Saratoga Lake, beating none other than Stuart Walker. The story among the old time Firefly/Jet14/I14 crowd at the club is that the chapter in Walker's Tactics book relating to wind around land masses on inland lakes is about the big hill on the east side of Saratoga Lake, and comes from this regatta specifically. I don't know that it is 100% true, but its a cool story and could be very probable.

Anyhow, I was a pretty large kid when I was a teen. Most of the kids at the lake were buying their own Lasers and Force Fives...AL talked me into buying an old Fairey Marine FIREFLY #2828 and thats how I got hooked. (Incidentally, 2828 was built in 1963 and I was built in 1965!) During college I did not sail much, but I had seen my first Thistle.....I have now owned 4, until recently, graduating, or perhaps stepping down to a J28 Cruiser. At my first Thistle Nationals in 89, I met Bill and we got talking about old 14s and he ended up owning my old Firefly. A few years later, I was laid off from my teaching job in CT and ended up teaching for a while up near Saratoga, meeting the old 14 crowd etc. So that is my connection and keen interest in these cool old boats.

About 10 years ago, there were a few of the old 14 fleet that wanted to start a classic 14 group on the lake. At that time John Carcich had mailed (pre email!) the folks at Saratoga to see if anyone wanted 970.(I almost bought 970 then, but I knew the boat meant a lot to Bill since he had raced against it and John Carcich when he was younger, so I passed on buying it and he bought if from Carcich). Later Bill came across and rescued the D&M while at a thistle regatta in FL. Unfortunately one of the jump starters of the classic 14 fleet shortly became ill with Alzheimer's and the movement fizzled. Bill has been making noises about selling his boats for several years and I think he is now at the point he might sell them.

There are a few 14s left up in the area and I think they could be persuaded to sail a few times each season...I would be very interested in that, and perhaps going to a classic regatta or two should I be able to find a seaworthy boat. The only 14s that i have sailed was an old Fairy MK6 and plastic PSI Proctor 7 i think? Both were single trap boats with big genoas and chutes -GREAT FUN in some breeze!

There is a fellow named JOHN BOOTH who has 3 boats at the moment, the two I sailed and a Proctor Hull that I think won the P.O W cup, the boats name is ARIADNE - Bill would know the exact details about this boat, and could fill you in on the history. I m sure there are a few other boats lurking in the area, there used to be a couple fiberglass ones that sailed on the lake on occasion.

A PSI Kirby III emerges in Saratoga

John Power from Darien Ct., who sails out of Saratoga N.Y., sends along photos of a Classic 14 pickup. Looks like a primo restoration of a glass PSI Kirby III.

John Power fills in the details:

"I found The KIII in Old Lyme. Connecticut. A fellow by the name of Charlie Ritrovato had her listed on Craigslist. He told me it was in the garage when he bought the house, and he had no idea what kind of boat is was. His neighbor helped him rig it and he had it painted and updated some of the rigging. She still needs some rigging work and spin gear. He may have some pics of her sailing as he had posted them in his CL ad. The boat has a centerboard and rudder that seem small, but I could be wrong - I bought her last November, and never got to sail her yet due to COVID."

Well it turn out I did have a email back-and-forth with Charlie in 2014. He sent me a photo of the sail number. So... originally a Canadian KIII.

Given the sail number, I replied to Charlie:

" A Kirby III designed by Bruce Kirby and built in fiberglass by Ian Bruce (who started his company, Performance Sailcraft to build the Kirby Mk III International 14). Ian Bruce would build about 100 of these Mark III's before collaborating with Bruce Kirby and producing the Laser dinghy, the world's most popular dinghy (and also an Olympic class). KC378 would make this boat one of the last Mark III's produced because Ian would start making the Int. 14 Mk V's starting somewhere after number KC389 (the KV would have a distinctive notch in the transom which your 14 does not have)."

Looks like Charlie did an admirable job at restoring this Kirby III given where he started from.



In somewhat of a coincidence, the original Canadian owner of KC378 was another Charlie; Charlie Eckenfelder, who occasionally flashed a good result in regattas in the early 1970's. According to Sinjin Martin, the Performance Sailcraft Kirby III's didn't come out until the fall of 1968. With the switch-over to the K V in 1971, the Performance Sailcraft Kirby III was produced only over a span slightly greater than 2 years.

---

In the previous post about the 1969 Team Races held at Kingston Ontario, most of the Canadian Team in the photos were sailing Kirby III's.

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.

"A Train" now up at Saratoga Lake Sailing Club

John Power of Connecticut, and head sailing instructor of Saratoga Lake Sailing Club, along with the news about his pickup of a Kirby III, also sends news that Bob Reeves' ex-Kirby IV, A Train, is now residing at Saratoga Lake Sailing Club. Saratoga Lake Sailing Club is embracing it's International 14 heritage and has picked up US 855 for use by their more talented juniors. Jim Biles of Annapolis, the owner of A Train for the last 30 years graciously donated the 14 to the sailing club. These are photos from 2018 of A Train sailing under a suit of more modern sails that had been kicking around the club.

The Fairey Marine International 14 in North America - 1952 to the 1960's - Part 2

Don McVittie, with wife Red as crew, top dog in the Seattle fleet in the late 1950's, in his Fairey MkVII

Early 1950's - After George O'Day imported the initial batch of Fairey MkI's in 1951, George didn't import many of the successive Marks, the II's, III's, or IV's over the next few years. Class records show a smattering of MkII's, III's and IV's. (I count seven, several of these may have been imported directly by their owners.) It was with the formation of the Chesapeake fleet in 1953 and the decision by the Rochester fleet to move on from the one-design Alarm hull, that jump started demand for new 14's. Starting in 1955, George O'Day would bring in approximately ten a year of the MarkV, VI, VII, and the VIII. These four Marks make up the bulk of the Fairey 14's that raced in North America.

Stuart Walker related his first encounter with the Fairey's. He showed up to the Buzzard Bay Bowl with his first 14, a USOD Alarm and, on seeing the fleet gathered on the lawn, before racing commenced, turned to his wife, Francis, and said, "Winning this regatta will be easy, look how sleek our 14 is compared to these blunter 14's." Stuart was to return home, suitably chastened, after the blunter Fairey's disappeared into the distance, racing in another gear down the planing reaches.

Stuart Walker, of the Chesapeake fleet, sailing his Fairey MkV, Joyeuse. Note the transom sheeting which was standard on the 1950's 14's. Joyesuse had a one-of-a-kind mini-step running full length, 1/2 way up the topsides. 

1956 - “George O’Day says that he has nine Mark VI’s left, two of which will probably be ordered to the Chesapeake shortly.” (Feb OTP)

Graham Hayward of the Royal St. Lawrence YC sailing his Fairey Mk VII. 

1957 - Montreal gets three new Fairey 14’s.  Transplanted Englishman Graeme Hayward, and Dave Johnson are the two top Montreal helms who get the MkVII's.

John Hsu, in his recollections, said the Fairey's were very expensive in Canada because of the import tax; which is odd given that Canada was part of the Commonwealth. One should mention the parochialism of the Canadian fleets. Each fleet seemed to be doing it's own thing in designs and hulls. (The Toronto fleets would stick with the Bourke design through the 1950's and then develop the Buller in the 1960's.) It wouldn't be until the PSI Kirby III appeared in 1968 that Canada would coalesce around one designer.

1957 - George O’Day and Marscot Plastics started molding some fiberglass Fairey Mk VII hulls for two classes, the International 14 and the new one-design Gannet (a decked over lower power 14). The first 30 Gannet’s would go to the Naval Academy for sail-training.

The International 14, with it's slightly heavier hull weight, low surface area, and round bilged hull form proved to be an excellent candidate for a competitive racing hull built in early fiberglass construction. Slightly later, Canadian Roger Hewson would build a one-off fiberglass 14 to his design and Bruce Kirby first design, the MkI , would come out only in fiberglass.

1958 - George O’Day buys Marscot Plastics from Palmer Scott. From then on, George O'Day would become the leading fiberglass manufacturer of sailing dinghies in North America.

1958 - 1958 marks the apogee of the Fairey 14’s in North America. George O’Day wins the Nationals at Alamitos Bay in a Fairey Mk VIII, Bacalao. Graeme Hayward wins CDA (Canadian Nationals) in a Fairey Mk VII (Dave Johnson second in another Fairey Mk VII). Dave Johnson wins the Buzzards Bowl.

1958 - The Newport Beach fleet gets six Marscot-O’Day shells. Leigh Brite and Ken Eldred work on putting the first two together and race in the 1958 Nationals. Leigh Brite and Eldred construction included the first reported use of epoxy resin in 14's, in this case used to bond fittings.

1959 - Roger Welsh bought George O’Day’s 1958 Nationals winning Fairey MkVIII in 1959. With US 603, Roger dominated Southern California Racing and was still winning with this hull in 1965.

1959 - Schock Marine of Southern California pulled a mold from a Fairey MkVII to produce some modified Fairey MkVII hulls beginning in 1960. Designated the Schock design, the bow was made finer and the transom wider.

In 1959 or 1960 - Ben Greene of Bakersfield California fleet pulls a mold off a Fairey MkVIII and produces six or seven Fairey MkVIII fiberglass shells to finish off. Not sure how many were finished. (OTP 62(.