Navy Luders 44 - Alert

[IStream]

That would be Steve and Elsie Hulsizer. They're currently northbound and their blog is here:

https://www.sailblogs.com/member/ospreyvoyages/

 

[WillUSNA78]

That would be Steve and Elsie Hulsizer. They're currently northbound and their blog is here:

https://www.sailblogs.com/member/ospreyvoyages/

Looks like a Naval Academy 44 sloop (first generation), not the Luders 44 yawl. Still cool, though.

Update: I take that back, now that I've found a side view of their boat--that's definitely a Luders 44 hull, just converted to a sloop sail plan.

Update: Does anyone know of an article about all the mods they've made to Osprey? I can't find one on their blog.

 

[Bus Driver]

I just joined the SA forums, so I'm late to this party, but it's a topic that's close to my heart...

I was at USNA from 1974 to 1978, learned sailing there during my plebe summer on the "Knockabout" small sloops and the Luders 44s, and fell in love with sailing. I competed on NA-12 Vigilant in the 1975 Annapolis-Newport race, and went on to compete with the offshore sailing team on board a Swan 48 and an S&S 69. I capped my sailing career at USNA when I gained my Class D skipper's qual and commanded one of the Luders 44s. I have a lot a good memories (and a few unfortunate ones) of my times on those boats, but one thing for sure, they were tough as nails (as they had to be as sail-training boats for inexperienced sailors).

For any of you who would like more detailed information on the USNA sailing program in general or the Luders 44s (both the wooden and fiberglass versions), I highly recommend Bob McNitt's 1996 book Sailing at the U.S. Naval Academy: An Illustrated History. My copy is one of the most treasured books in my personal library. Not all of you would want to spend $30 on a "collectible" copy, but there are used copies available for under $12 dollars on Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/Sailing-U-S-Naval-Academy-Illustrated/dp/155750573X/).

To prove just how small this world is, my next door neighbor was your shipmate on Vigilant for the '75 A2N.

Here's my text convo from last night, when I saw your post (excuse the "In" when I meant "On") -

 

[IStream]

Update: Does anyone know of an article about all the mods they've made to Osprey? I can't find one on their blog.

I don't but it might be in one of Elsie's books. I think Steve used to be an engineer on steam systems and does lots of work on the boat. And he loves to talk. If there's a "contact us" link on their blogs, I'd suggest you reach out. They'll probably be gone for another month+ but they should be reachable after they return.

 

[Crash]

Looks like a Naval Academy 44 sloop (first generation), not the Luders 44 yawl. Still cool, though.

Update: I take that back, now that I've found a side view of their boat--that's definitely a Luders 44 hull, just converted to a sloop sail plan.

Update: Does anyone know of an article about all the mods they've made to Osprey? I can't find one on their blog.

Theirs is an Annapolis 44.  The civilian version of the Navy Luders 44.  It was sloop rigged and  had a much nicer interior...built by Windsong Yachts in Kirkland WA.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/annapolis-44

Bob Perry reviewed it years ago for Sailing Magazine...Its in "Sailing Designs Volume II"  which I think was published in 1980. I have it hard copy, but haven't found it yet on the interweb.  I can try to scan it if anyone is interested.

 

[WillUSNA78]

Theirs is an Annapolis 44.  The civilian version of the Navy Luders 44.  It was sloop rigged and  had a much nicer interior...built by Windsong Yachts in Kirkland WA.

https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/annapolis-44

Bob Perry reviewed it years ago for Sailing Magazine...Its in "Sailing Designs Volume II"  which I think was published in 1980. I have it hard copy, but haven't found it yet on the interweb.  I can try to scan it if anyone is interested.

Ah--didn't know that existed. I assumed from the conversation that it had been an Academy boat. Thanks for the info and link!

 

[WillUSNA78]

I don't but it might be in one of Elsie's books. I think Steve used to be an engineer on steam systems and does lots of work on the boat. And he loves to talk. If there's a "contact us" link on their blogs, I'd suggest you reach out. They'll probably be gone for another month+ but they should be reachable after they return.

I researched her 2 books and have ordered the one about sailing up the Northwest coast. From the description, I can't tell if there's a tour of the boat or not.

I did reach out to them via their contact form on her web site.

 

[WillUSNA78]

To prove just how small this world is, my next door neighbor was your shipmate on Vigilant for the '75 A2N.

Here's my text convo from last night, when I saw your post (excuse the "In" when I meant "On") -

View attachment 311261

Who are to talking to, Bus Driver?

 

[BobBill]

+1. Such fun. 

I recall "Alert" meaning reading about it at the NA. The name Luders always gets my devoted attention, being the 16 was and is one of my faves from when younger.

A friend crewed on a L16 when the Mac was not so spiffy rule-wise...and the rigs were moored in Belmont.

 

[Bus Driver]

Who are to talking to, Bus Driver?

I was responding to you.

My next door neighbor is retired Navy (rank of Captain) and we've traded sailing stories for the last 20 years.  He's a few years older, so we had maybe one or two times we actually sailed against one another in Annapolis.  He talks about the Luders with such a fondness, and I had the chance to sail on them a few times.  Some sort of invitational, maybe the Kennedy Cup?  That was when the beer fronts were rolling in with alarming frequency and the memory is a bit "shoddy".  The one thing I do remember was looking up at the spreader while grinding in the heavy #1 and seeing a 9-12" gap between the sail and the spreader tip, only to grind a shitload more sheet in and look up to see a 9-12" gap.  Stretchy sheets and stretchy dacron in a breeze truly sucked.

Anyway, you mentioned sailing Annapolis to Newport in '75 on Vilgilant NA12, and I thought "I wonder if...."  So, I texted him and he sailed the same race on the same boat.  He must have been a few years ahead of you.  I just screenshot the text convo and pasted it.  Just showing it is a small world.

 

[Innocent Bystander]

I was responding to you.

My next door neighbor is retired Navy (rank of Captain) and we've traded sailing stories for the last 20 years.  He's a few years older, so we had maybe one or two times we actually sailed against one another in Annapolis.  He talks about the Luders with such a fondness, and I had the chance to sail on them a few times.  Some sort of invitational, maybe the Kennedy Cup?  That was when the beer fronts were rolling in with alarming frequency and the memory is a bit "shoddy".  The one thing I do remember was looking up at the spreader while grinding in the heavy #1 and seeing a 9-12" gap between the sail and the spreader tip, only to grind a shitload more sheet in and look up to see a 9-12" gap.  Stretchy sheets and stretchy dacron in a breeze truly sucked.

Anyway, you mentioned sailing Annapolis to Newport in '75 on Vilgilant NA12, and I thought "I wonder if...."  So, I texted him and he sailed the same race on the same boat.  He must have been a few years ahead of you.  I just screenshot the text convo and pasted it.  Just showing it is a small world.

Even a smaller world. I was Commodore of the Midshipman Sailing Squadron in 1975 and skippered Vigilant in the 1975 Annapolis-Newport race. 

 

[BobBill]

Seems, in my murky mind that one of these boats competed with Finisterre(?).

 

[Crash]

I raced Vigilant in the 1983 Annapolis-Newport Race (and Block Island Race Week).  Indeed a small world.

 

[BobBill]

Indeed, 'tis a small world, run by an omnipresent dodger named "Murphy," don't cha know? 

 

[WillUSNA78]

I was responding to you.

My next door neighbor is retired Navy (rank of Captain) and we've traded sailing stories for the last 20 years.  He's a few years older, so we had maybe one or two times we actually sailed against one another in Annapolis.  He talks about the Luders with such a fondness, and I had the chance to sail on them a few times.  Some sort of invitational, maybe the Kennedy Cup?  That was when the beer fronts were rolling in with alarming frequency and the memory is a bit "shoddy".  The one thing I do remember was looking up at the spreader while grinding in the heavy #1 and seeing a 9-12" gap between the sail and the spreader tip, only to grind a shitload more sheet in and look up to see a 9-12" gap.  Stretchy sheets and stretchy dacron in a breeze truly sucked.

Anyway, you mentioned sailing Annapolis to Newport in '75 on Vilgilant NA12, and I thought "I wonder if...."  So, I texted him and he sailed the same race on the same boat.  He must have been a few years ahead of you.  I just screenshot the text convo and pasted it.  Just showing it is a small world.

I was trying to get you to cough up your neighbor's name, if you'd (and he) would be OK with that.

 

[WillUSNA78]

Seems, in my murky mind that one of these boats competed with Finisterre(?).

Do you mean Finisterre the 1960 S&S yawl (variously reported at 39 or 40')?

Or one of the racing sloops named Finistere (one R), mostly raced out of Australia over many years?

 

[BobBill]

The former, I believe, many a cuppa. Nice compact off-shore was cover photo for an issue of OD (and Offshore) mag. Overhead shot, as I recall.

 

[Left Shift]

Heck, I'll kick in some reminiscences as well. 

I raced in a couple of McMillan and Kennedy Cups for Cornell in the late 60s, when we were Ivy League hippies.   We won one or two I think, and Alert was one of our favorite boats, I seem to recall.  Dandy was also "quick" or at least quicker, until the yahoos from Dartmouth didn't duck on a port/starboard and took out her mizzen.  Probably faster after that as the mizzens added absolutely nothing to boat speed except on a reach.  

Nearly got kicked off campus when they discovered a couple of girls and some pitchers of beer in the visiting crew dorm, which was tantalizingly close to the perimeter fence and not too far from a pub.

The SA/D ratio of 91 published above is just a smidge lower than a TP 52 (around 95 downhill).  I'm thinking math error in the Navy's favor.

 

[fastyacht]

I raced in a McMillan Cup many years after that. It may have been the last year the Luders were raced. We were on SWIFT and the alternator burned up on the way out to the course the first day. No matter, we still raced that day.

Then a couple days ago in Dania Florida, I saw this right next to me on A1A:

 

[WillUSNA78]

Then a couple days ago in Dania Florida, I saw this right next to me on A1A

Did you follow it to find out if it was the yawl hull or the sloop? I'm guessing yawl, as that's definitely the Naval Academy colors (which I would know, since I had to help sand and repaint Vigilant before Annapolis-Newport, if I recall correctly).