My First Herreshoff!

Herreshoff Hull Plaque

This is "CYGNET" a Seafarer Class Sloop designed by A Sidney DeW. Herreshof and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. in 1938. Sidney was the son of Nathanael Greene and the brother of L. Francis Herreshoff. Cygnet was one of two built and was my first acquisition of a Herreshoff designed and built boat, her hull # was 1474. In those days each boat that came out of Bristol bore a hull # plate that was affixed the the vessel, sort of like a Vin #.

Cygnet leaving  Long Beach  Island Lagoon

She was sailed out of the Beaton Yard for many years before I sold her to a chap that allowed her to fall into disrepair, she was finally destroyed. This Plaque is all that remains of her. Incidentally 1938 was the year of the terrible storm that destroyed much of the Herreshoff Manufacturing facility.

The aftermath of the 1938 storm that devastated the Herreshoff Yard

For those of you that are Herroshoff followers, here is their Family Tree, you can see that two of Nathanael's sons were Sidney and L(ewis). Francis.

Herreshoff Family Tree

While Sidney never gained the status of his brother L. Francis, he was non the less quite creative an inventive as you can see by the car he designed and built, double planked out of Mahogany and varnished.

Mahogany car built by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co.