After a weekend away from home, it was an incredible return to find on my kitchen counter a signed copy of my dear friend’s new book Aida: N.G. Herreshoff’s Finest Shallow Draft Yawl, written by OffCenterHarbor.com founder Maynard Bray, who with his wife ad children, was
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John Thomson says:
I have a copy of Aida, and would like to get it autographed by Mr Bray if possible. We are planning on spending the week of 9/29-10/6, plan to poke around Brooklin area. We were in Mr Hylan’s shop at the beginning of the restoration. I had promised Steve Corkery some pix, as well as George White. Ihave been the carertaker of the White’s property here on Shelter Island for about 40 years. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
John Thomson
malcolm kerstein says:
Hi Eric,
I received my copy two days ago and more than half way through this wonderful book.
I feel as if my affliction called R.B.S.-restless boat syndrome has progressed to it most serious complication;Idiopathic wooden boat classicists!
Maynard’s and Ben’s book with Doug’s comments seems to have precipitated this crises.
I think I will call Doug tomorrow and have him consult with Maynard and see if it would be
possible to design and build a10% smaller version of N.G.H’s Pleasure with a Yawl rig like
AIDA’S.
Maybe this could be the cure!
Cheers,Dr.K
malcolm kerstein says:
Thanks for the heads up Eric.
I just ordered my copy for delivery to our Summer place in Gloucester.
Cheers, Malcolm
Charles Barclay says:
Funny, I saw this book on the Herreshoff Museum’s website yesterday 7/30/12, but little description and its not listed on Amazon yet. Eric thank you for the description, and thank you Maynard and Benjamin for a soon to be new addition to my library. –CB
Charles Barclay says:
The book is available at the Herreshoff Museum: http://herreshoff.org/store/page3.html.
HMM is a worthy location to purchase a book from, you’ll have it just a few days. My copy came as a gift from an HMM executive.
What a genuine treat this book is!
Finished it in two evenings. Seven Chapters and an appendix of letters between two owners and NGH and LFH.
This is a story of the Maynard and Anne Bray family’s love affair with the yacht, its design, the previous owners, stories of its use and its maintenance leading up to its 2008 restoration. The final chapter is a log of Maynard’s and OCH Guide Doug Hylan’s trip from Center Harbor Maine to Shelter Island NY to deliver to new owners. You can see the sweet remorse in selling the boat after 40 years to new caretakers who are hoped and appear to love Aida as much as the Bray’s did (not sure possible).
This is a detailed study of why we love classic yachts, what we do with them, and why we should never think too much about how much. Gorgeous photos by Mendlowitz, Bray and others. Maynard writes wonderful, understated, prose.
The vessel is now part of Mystic Seaport’s Collection, this book should be part of your collection.