Particulars
- Length:
- 43 ft 6 in
- Type:
- Sail
- Hull Material:
- Wood
- Designer:
- Herreshoff Mfg. Co.
- Builder:
- Herreshoff Mfg. Co.
- Year Built:
- 1930
- Power:
- Westerbeke diesel
- Asking Price:
- $94,500
- Name:
- CIRRUS
- Location:
- Pawcatuck, CT, US
- Contact Name:
- Peter Sterrett
- Contact Phone:
- (401) 644-8395
Off Center Harbor's Remarks
(Was $109,000) Swinging on her mooring here in Center Harbor for over eight decades, the Herreshoff Fishers Island sloop CIRRUS taught Brooklin sailors what a classic boat was all about. Graceful, fast, well built in the Herreshoff style (Joel White, who looked after her for most of her life said she was the most economical boat of all those he maintained at his Brooklin Boat Yard), she was a delight to sail. Virtually every summer afternoon for over thirty years, we watched her second owner, Alan Bemis, single-hand her down Eggemoggin Reach and out into Jericho Bay as the afternoon sea breeze built up into the high teens or better. Alan was a great sailor and he knew great boats. That CIRRUS was his pride and joy spoke volumes as we watched this marvelous thoroughbred speed by. From Alan Bemis, CIRRUS passed to Sue Drew who also kept her in Brooklin, and saw fit to have the boat thoroughly restored about a dozen years ago, including new frames, floors and backbone. Brooklin Boat Yard continued keeping CIRRUS in topnotch condition, until she sold a couple of years ago and sailed off the "west'ard." Sadly, she's had little maintenance since and shows some weathering. A recent survey indicates the damage is skin-deep, so there's still plenty of substance to this grand old yacht.
Description from Boat's Main Listing
Celebrated yawl CIRRUS (HMCo #1157) seeks new steward.
CIRRUS is a fast Fishers Island 31 racing/cruising yawl in remarkably good condition. Her red hull still sends hearts aflutter as she slides easily and gracefully through the water. When she was built, Sid Herreshoff indicated the origins of her class were derived from the Newport 29 design and years of careful study to develop a model which is sturdy, seaworthy and dry in rough going. This design can be pushed hard around the classic regatta circuit yet with her generous cockpit and comfortable interior she will take the family on a cruise with probably less fuss than many a modern boat.
CIRRUS has a long history of expert care and upkeep. Designed by Nathanael G. and A. Sidney DeWolfe Herreshoff, she was built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co. in 1930. She has stirred the soul of many during her 89 years, including Alan Bemis who bought her in 1935 and owned her for nearly 50 years. He gave her the signature red topsides that she still carries to this day. He made improvements in the rig, making her faster and in 1954 engaged Joel White to make her a yawl. The yawl rig made her easier to handle, even single-hand, and still she won races. In 1985 her worn decks were overlaid with marine grade plywood and Dynel. In 2004 she had major structural work done: her timber keel, frames and floor timbers were replaced.
Herreshoff Mfg. Co. built only 14 of these Fishers Island 31s, which have been widely recognized as among the greatest ever all-round yacht designs.