History ‘Baruna’ was built to the maximum size under the CCA rule and won first overall in the 1938 Bermuda Race, setting the Race record in the process. She won this race again after the war against the new S&S design ‘Bolero‘. Described by Francis Kinney in his history of Sparkman & Stephens as ‘fast in light airs, fast in strong breezes, comfortable at sea and beautiful……. Every line was absolutely perfect……… Baruna is so beautifully proportioned both hull and rig’. Text courtesy of Classic yacht info
Comet’s design was inspired by Stormy Weather and Skylark both of which also emerged from the Sparkman & Stephens studio in New York. Her first owner was a Chicago-based lawyer called John P. Wilson who sailed her on the Great Lakes. In the 1970s, however, the yawl completed a four-year round the world voyage. In 2002, Comet’s new owner Peter Wood had her shipped from the US to Britain. There, she was restored at the Gweek Boatyard in Cornwall in line with her original plans and renamed Cometa. Transferred to the Mediterranean, she won the Porquerolles Classic in 2007, before being sold to a Swiss owner in 2012 who returned her to her original name of Comet.
Shipped from USA to Gweek Quay Boatyard in Cornwall for restoration in 2004. She had new masts fitted and was renamed ‘Cometa‘. ‘Classic Boat’ magazine showed her refit in November 2004 with Olin Stephens having come aboard himself for the launch! 2007 – New ownership 2012 – New ownership and reverted back to the original name ‘Comet’ Based in Barcelona at the Real Club Nautico and will be participating in the classic regattas in the Med in the coming years .(Nov, 2012)
Participated in the 2013 Yawlba event on Elba island with 4 other S & S yawls.
Regatas
Sparkman & Stephens has designed many ‘classics’. While embracing the bloodline of Dorade and Stormy Weather, Sonny has benefited enormously from loving care extended by eight owners bent on preserving her originality. We remain in communication with the son of the gentleman who commissioned her build and also the son of the gentleman who owned her from 1957 through 1992. Commissioned by Albert D. Phelps of Connecticut, design number 94 was built by Jacob’s Shipyard on City Island New York, launched and christened Sonny in the spring of 1935. Sold and re-named Gladja she was commissioned for service during World War II. She foundered after colliding with submarine off Nassau but repaired quickly and placed back in to service. She was sold to Albert E. Peirce, owner of the 172’ square foretopsail schooner Cressida who re-named her Sonny. Ownership was transferred to George T. Bowdoin of Seawanaka Corinthian Yacht Club who cruised and raced her from New York to Maine. In 1957 Van Dorn C. Smith purchased her and while maintaining a similar sailing program for the next thirty years. During that period, the Smith family was fastidious with her upkeep and devotion to maintaining the condition of original equipment, fittings and inventory. Following a short, intervening owner-ship in the late 90s, a gentleman from Germany became the owner in 2001. He shipped her to Cantiere del Navale Argentario for major refurbishing. She was re-planked below the water line, the stem was replaced, a new keel attached and the horn timber replaced, thereby correcting the ‘quick’ repair done after her foundering during WW II. Following this major work she was raced successfully in the Mediterranean for the next few years winning in Argentario, Antibes, Cannes and St. Tropez. Sonny was returned home to US waters in 2007 by her current owner and sailed for one season prior to continuing her detailed maintenance and improvements. East Passage Boatwrights of Bristol, RI has performed extensive work including re-fastening the topsides, replacing any remaining original frames and stiffened her extensively at the mast partners. Her worm gear steering was replaced with a quadrant and wire cable and the bottle screw/lever back adjustment replaced with a purchase system. Any original equipment and fittings removed from Sonny are marked clearly and placed in safe storage. The sail inventory is continually updated and with only slight modifications, her original 1935 Sitka Spruce rig is still contributing to the performance of this beautiful vessel the way Olin Stephens intended. In addition to her regular maintenance over the winter of 2014/15 the 1-1/2” laid teak deck, was re-fastened and re-caulked. The topsides are in perfect condition, the varnish maintained to perfection. Sonny carries the most detailed maintenance records I have seen on a boat of this vintage; in fact they are more in line with the log books one would find accompanying a highly valued vintage airplane. Sonny had a very successful season of racing in 2014 including class wins in the Annual New York Yacht Club Regatta along with class and overall victories in the Museum of Yachting Classic Regatta. She commenced the 2016 season by finishing second in her class in the Leukemia Cup Regatta in June followed by a second place finish in her class at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta held in Newport, RI. From there she cruised up the New England coastline to compete in the Maine Series where she placed first overall in the Castine-Camden Race, sixth in class in the Camden-Brooklin Race (carrying a 25% performance rating penalty) and second in class in the Eggemoggin Reach Regatta (carrying a 25% performance rating penalty). She concluded the season with a second in class finish back in Newport, RI at the IYRS Museum of Yachting Classic Regatta in September.
Regatas
Encargada por Floyd Noble de Nueva York, originalmente se llamaba 'Clemencia'. Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en 1946, fue vendida, renombrada 'Adiós' y llevada a la Costa Oeste de los EE. UU., con base en San Francisco, donde compitió con cierto éxito, participando también en una regata Transpac de San Francisco a Hawái. Más tarde se trasladó a la costa del noroeste del Pacífico, donde fue adquirida por un propietario reciente y llevada al Mediterráneo. Información cortesía de la empresa de yates Sandeman.
Commissioned by Floyd Noble of New York she was originally named ‘Clemencia’. Post WWII in 1946 she was sold, renamed ‘Adios’ and taken to the West Coast of the USA, based in San Francisco where she raced with some success – participating also in a San Francisco to Hawaii Transpac regatta. Later she moved to the Pacific Northwest coast, where she was acquired by a recent owner and brought to the Mediterranean. Information courtesy of Sandeman Yacht Company
History Viveka, was designed by Frank Paine of Paine, Belknap & Skene and built by Fred Lawley in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1929 and 1930. She was designed for J.P. Morgan who wanted a cruising boat that was fast as well. Thus, Frank Paine designed her to rate at the top of the class G and at the same time under the universal rules in the 12-meter class, one of the few schooners out there to rate in this class. During the Second World War, under the name Seaweed, she became part of the “The Hooligan’s Navy”, a government fleet of pleasure vessels used as spotter boats on both the West and East coasts. Until recently Viveka was owned by Merl Petersen, who circumnavigated with her one and half times. He then sold her to a British yachtsman in 2012, who sold her to the current owner. Together the two of them along with Rutherford’s Boat shop in Richmond, California, have restored Viveka to the elegant yacht she is today, trying to keep as much as possible to her original designs and layout.