An interview with Marnie McLagan and Diane Looney about the 2024 H Class Championships
by David Schmidt 11 Jul 2024 16:00 BST
July 26-28, 2024
Herreshoff H-12½ Class racing action © the Edgartown Yacht Club
In 1898, a group of New Englanders led by Robert W. Emmons II approached the famed yacht designer Nathanael G. Herreshoff (AKA, the Wizard of Bristol) with a request for a gaff-rigged sloop that carried 15-feet of waterline, which they could race on the often-choppy waters of Buzzards Bay. While the resulting Buzzards Bay 15s were popular, they pressed a bit too much canvas to the New England airs for junior sailors. So, in 1914, the same group—again led by Emmons—approached Herreshoff with a request for a smaller, more user-friendly version of the boat that their children could safely race and sail.
The result was the H 12 1/2 (H12), a gaff-rigged sloop that's anything but hard on the eyes. Great-looking aesthetics aside, the boat quickly proved popular amongst juniors and adults alike, and the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company produced almost 400 of these capable wooden daysailers, which have been described by some as the world's finest small-boat design.
Other builders took up the design following Herreshoff's death (1938) and the subsequential demise of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company (1943), and they produced dozens of additional boats; in 1973, a fiberglass version of the boat (AKA, the Doughdish) was created.
While 1914 isn't exactly recent (or even living) memory, the boat remains a favorite, especially on New England waters (but also across the USA and in other countries), and it continues to enjoy a strong class association, the latter of which holds an annual championship each summer.
This year's H Class Championships is being hosted by the Edgartown Yacht Club, in Edgartown, Massachusetts, from July 26-28, 2024. Racing is open to all registered H Class boats that meet the class association's current rules (and whose skipper is a current class association member); the event will unfurl on the historic waters off of Martha's Vineyard.
I checked in with Marnie McLagan and Diane Looney, who serve as the Edgartown Yacht Club's H12 Fleet co-captains, via email, to learn more about this exciting and historic regatta.
Can you please tell us a bit about the history of the H12 class?
The Herreshoff 12,(sometimes referred to as a "doughdish" a corruption of the Italian word dodici, meaning twelve) is a gaff rigged sloop measuring 12.5 feet at waterline and 16 feet overall. It was designed by Nathanael Herreshoff in1914 and built at this workshop in Bristol, Rhode Island.
The original production consisted of just 20 boats, each selling for $420 and christened with such names as Chub, Granny, Shrimp, Butterball, and Doormouse. Initially these boats were designed to be used as teaching boats for young boys who were learning to sail in the rough and windy waters of Buzzards Bay. They were solid and reliable and could withstand rough seas and high winds.
Beyond their utility, Herreshoff 12's are real beauties with an elegant silhouette and graceful lines. The sails were often brown rust color achieved by soaking the sail cloth in the tannin rich bark of oak trees. This process was sometimes used to increase the longevity and resistance of the sails.
Today, most H12 have reverted to more technically advanced sail design in white and the tanbark sail is becoming more and more scarce here in Edgartown. They are the only boat designed by Herreshoff which use his name as the identifier of this boat!
The H12 boats here in Vineyard waters were first acquired more than 50 years ago. The first Doughdish in Edgartown, Sail number 132 was purchased in 1974 by D. Norman Brady, who was then the rector of St Andrew's Episcopal Church. A few years later the Vietor family bought two boats, Sail numbers 134 + 135 and Edo Potter bought number 136. Thus, a fleet was born.
Of the original four H12 boats purchased in 1975, one is still sailing with our fleet. Sail number 135, named June Bug, is skippered today by Deb Orazem.
Today, we have approximately 40 H12s registered at the Edgartown Yacht Club. A H12 made her film debut in Jaw 2 filmed in 1978 and was skippered by Edgartown Yacht Club member Tom Dunlop.
As a follow-on to the first question, can you please tell us about the H12 class' current culture, and the kinds of competition levels one can expect to encounter at the this year's H12 Class Championship?
The H12 fleet has sailors with a wide range of expertise, ranging from novices, those just sailing a season or two, to championship winners and some with 70 years of experience! There are a lot of fun teams, from a number of dad-and-daughter boats like Marnie who sails with her Dad, Don; husband-and-wife teams, friends like Diane who sails with her buddy Sigi and more.
The Edgartown Yacht Club H12 Fleet is the largest fleet at the club with an average of 12-17 boats for races. The H12 fleet is as competitive as it is social. We relish in the Corinthian sailing spirit on the water and celebrate together with drinks post-race. H12 sailors are a big family and while competitive, love to support each other, and are united in their passion for their beloved boats.
Here at the EYC, we have season opening and closing parties as well as great laughter and banter post-race on the EYC Stringpiece. [At] our end of season party, we love to encourage growth and honor our most improved sailor with the Broken Gaff award.
The Edgartown Yacht Club fleet also has an annual challenge with other clubs around the Vineyard Called the Vineyard Herreshoff Cup. This end-of-summer tradition is where sailors from Menemsha Pond Racing, Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, and the EYC compete against each other with the venue alternating each year. This has become another beloved tradition and way to bring the H12 community together on Island!
What kind of entry numbers are you seeing ahead of this year's event? Also, are there any notable geographical concentrations to this entry list?
The annual H12 Championship is open to all owners of Herreshoff 12s that are members of the H Class Association, but [it] draws primarily from five yacht clubs: Quissett YC, Falmouth Ma., Shelter Island YC, New York; Beverley YC, Marion Ma; Buzzards Bay YC, Cataumet, Ma; and Edgartown YC, Edgartown, Ma.
In addition, we have a new and growing racing fleet from Menemsha Pond in Chilmark, who will also compete in Edgartown this year.
Weather-wise, what kind conditions can sailors expect to encounter off on the waters off of Edgartown in late July? What are the best-case and worst-case weather scenarios?
In Edgartown, we're known for a strong southwest wind that generally picks up in the afternoon. On our best days, we have a strong 10-14 knot breeze with a little chop.
Like anywhere we do have extremes. From days where the wind just dies, resulting in long tow-ins for the fleet, to excessive wind with high seas and gusts.
If you could offer one piece of advice to visiting (and local) sailors, what would it be?
Watch out for the Chappaquiddick Ferry, it ALWAYS has the right of way!
Give yourself enough time to get to the racecourse.
Have fun!
What kinds of onshore entertainment is planned?
We have fun planned both on and off the water! We are excited to welcome all sailors to the Edgartown Yacht Club on Friday July 26 with a Welcome Party taking place on our club's Anchor Deck.
We've offering yummy breakfast for purchase each morning from our Galley Grill. We'll celebrate each day of sailing with drinks and snacks at the club.
We are also hosting a casual dinner Saturday night in the main club house which is open to all sailors, families and fleet supporters. During this dinner we'll also have our H12 Association Annual Meeting and Silent Auction!
Can you tell us about any efforts that you and the other regatta organizers have made to try to lower the regatta's environmental footprint or otherwise green-up the regatta?
The fleet is very environmentally conscious. The club does a lot to eliminate waste wherever it can from making all documents available online to encouraging spectator boat pooling and reusable water bottles and more.
Is there anything else that you'd like to add about the H12 Class Championship—or about this historical class—for the record?
The Edgartown H12 racers are a close group of sailors who cherish their friendships and their rivalries. A mutual respect, a bit of rivalry, and an esprit de corps characterize this fleet.
On behalf of the EYC H12 Fleet, our Commodore and fellow H12 sailor Russ Salisbury, we are excited to welcome sailors to the 2024 H Class Championship and encourage all to join us for a memorable weekend filled with great racing and wonderful comradery and to celebrate the boat that we all love so much.
For more information and to register please visit: www.edgartownyc.org/club/scripts/library/view_document.asp?NS=HCC&DN=H12
Finally, fleet poet Don McLagan wrote a poem celebrating the love of racing such a historical boat.
Why I Sail A 100-Year Old Boat
Today when twin hulls foil on top
Why splash through waves that slow and stop?
With carbon-fiber's proven use
Why still a mast of sitka spruce?
When titanium's in demand
Why lay-up fiberglass by hand?
And as I stop to think of it
A
The boat I sail's a century old
At least in its design and mold.
When Princip shot Duke Ferdinand
That year when World War I began,
When Charlie Chaplin's on-screen vamp
Introduced The Little Tramp,
Then Cap'n Nat got Emmons' note
And made by hand the H12 boat.
He had a goal for ease of sail
So kids could learn in Buzzard's gale,
Though it's not hard to make her go,
The trick is not to sail her slow.
The gaff-rigged main can be perverse
The peak-set is the devil's curse:
Stretch it, loose it, lower to lee,
Forget to raise - a tragedy!
There're more mistakes that can occur
When putting up the spinnaker.
I've made them all and here's my list -
It starts with getting a forestay-twist;
I've had it doused into the sea
Which slowed my pace considerably;
Other times it's up too long
And I jibe the mark completely wrong.
This H12 boat can separate
The best, from sailors not-so-great
Because it tests their seamanship
Instead of high-tech brinkmanship.
So when it's a comparison
Of Cap'n Nat and Ellison,
I'm proud to sail, when I cast off,
The boat that's named for Herreshoff.