THE “FREDONIA II” PROJECT
“We are a bit crazy – we have a project to build a schooner.”
“Well, we were crazy too. You have to be in order to realise some projects. If no one has crazy ideas, how does the world know it exists?”
Where, you might be asking, is this conversation taking place? Some bar after one too many drinks? Actually, on a slightly drizzly Sunday morning on the deck of the reconstructed French 18th. Century dispatch schooner, “La Recouvrance”, where one of the principals of the ship’s crew was discussing the ship and the project with us with a lot of enthusiasm and encouragement.
Why encouragement? Because we have a similar idea, we being a group of friends who want to see the watershed-design schooner “Fredonia” afloat once more in the guise of “Fredonia II”.
As readers of the Friends’ journal will possibly remember, “Fredonia” was designed in 1889 by Edward “Ned” Burgess as a fishing schooner for Boston businessman, Malcolm J. Forbes.
Burgess had already designed several America’s Cup defenders for the syndicate of which Forbes was a member and the innovations he made in these designs were carried through to what was to be a highly successful model of Grand Banks fishing schooner.
While her sister “Nellie Dixon” went straight to the fishing grounds, “Fredonia” served as Malcolm Forbes’ private yacht for the first year of her existence and it is this version that we want to bring back to life.
There are an increasing number of projects to rebuild famous – and not so famous – vessels of the past and this is to be greatly encouraged. There is also a wide range of philosophies behind these projects and we hope that we have found a concept that will appeal to a wide range of people.
As is often the case, the original idea behind a concept goes through various changes and evolutions and the more that is done before actually trying to start something is time and efficiency gained further down the line. As one of the main instructors at the IYRS (International Yacht Restoration School) in Newport, Rhode Island, said: “you have to know what it is you want to do and who you want to do it with!” We think we now have this firmly in place – while always leaving room for manoeuvre.
Trying to build a vessel of this type will always be a costly exercise so the first thing is to get the maximum for the budget involved. Rather than try to do a replica, we intend to take the original design and use modern cold mould building techniques to maximise even further the performance offered.
Our designer, Sean McMillan and his partner, Mick Newman, had the following to say :
“You have to remember that people like Burgess were pushing the techniques of the day to the limits – they were people of vision. A vessel such as “Fredonia” had to combine speed with efficiency and if the only way to do this was build as lightly as possible with thousands of bits ‘holding hands’, then that was the way to go. Take the same design and use modern techniques; you will end up with a ship that is far superior in rigidity and strength and, as such, far greater performance in terms of performance. We are sure that Burgess would love it!”
So what are we planning? Basically, the build the schooner with as near an identical look as possible to “Fredonia” at the time of her famous race with the Lawlor-designed pilot schooner “Hesper” and an interior based on late 19th. Century wooden vessels.
Centrepiece of the ship will be a very large saloon that can be used for a variety of activities and of which more later in this report.
After much consideration and investigation, it has been decided to build the ship via subscription donations and details can be obtained from the “Fredonia II Association”.
The vessel will also have to have a commercial activity in order to pay for her upkeep and to preserve what will be in effect, the subscribers’ investment.
Terry Nelson
The Founders
Terence Nelson – Gisèle Clark – Sean McMillan – Mick Newman – Bryan Gaze –
To find out more about how you can participate in this project, please contact :
Switzerland :
Terence Nelson, Chemin des Roses 2, CH-1400 Yverdon-les-Bains
Gisèle Clark, Crêt de St Tombet 14, CH2022 Bevaix
UK :
Bryan Gaze, Limehouse Consulting Ltd, 66 Victoria Wharf, Narrow Street, London
e-mail : info@fredonia2.org - Website : www.fredonia2.org
The Founders gratefully acknowledge the help and assistance from the following persons and institutions relative to “Fredonia II”:
Erik A.R. Ronnberg, Jr. (Marine historian) – Essex Shipbuilding Museum (with special thanks to Diana Stockton) – Peabody & Essex Museum – MIT – Banque Piguet & Cie -International Yacht Restoration Society – Mystic Seaport Museum - Friends of the National Maritime Museum (Director: Polly Larner) – J. Malcolm Forbes (Boston).