 |
|
|
|
|
Wings
|
|
|
|
|
Read about the June 2004 Accident: Wings Dramatically Dismasted!
"WINGS": The Oldest King's Cruiser Still Afloat?
by Ellen Dove Fiedler, former HERITAGE HAILER Editor
(and a Past Commodore of the Heritage Boat Club)
Being involved with the Heritage Boat Club and being temporarily
"boatless" resulted in a number of my good friends deciding that they
knew
of "the perfect boat" for me: "Vandal", the old King's Cruiser that Jack
McDermott owned that had been sitting in the Chicago River, next to the
houseboat for about four years. That was the beginning-beginning with
numerous suggestions that I get in touch with Jack about buying the boat
from him. (I told my HBC friends that they were just doing this because
they were tired of hearing me plead with them to take me sailing!)
The saga continued with calls from various interested parties about
partnering with them on this boat. (I asked myself, "Why would I want a
boat partner?" The answer was always the same, "I don't.")
Eventually, the pressure to check out the old "King" in the river
got too great, so I went down to "have a look-see". I found the boat
floating on her waterline, looking forlorn and more than a little worse
for wear. Upon closer inspection (aided and abetted by my then co-editor
of the Hailer, Vance Bechelli), the boat was found to be basically sound
-- just in serious need of a substantial amount of TLC (tender, loving
care)! Therein began my "feasibility study" (i.e., just checking out the
possibilities, you know) that resulted in (at long last) my becoming the
proud owner of MY OWN BOAT, which I renamed "WINGS." (When you see me on
the lake or in the boatyard, you can ask me why; there are more reasons
than one!)
Insofar as I've been able to determine (and I've done quite a bit of
checking, including on the Internet),WINGS is the oldest King's Cruiser
still afloat. The boat is Hull #5, built in Gothenburg, Sweden, by A. B.
Telfa in 1955. Here are her "vital statistics":
LOA: 27'9" Beam: 7'6" Draft: 4'0"
Displacement: 5,750 lbs.
Hull: Edge-glued mahogany carvel planking on oak frames
Hull color: Teal with white boot top
Deck and cabin-tops: Dynel-covered tongue-in-groove fir
Cockpit and cabin sides: Varnished mahogany
Engine: Vire 6 (single-cylinder gas)
Prior to Jack McDermott, the boat was owned by John Neumann, who
told me he bought her from Chuck Coloppy, who now has a Choi Lee as well
as the fleet of sight-seeing boats that dock at the Shedd Aquarium. John
said that the boat was originally taken off in New York Harbor and sailed
to Chicago, unlike most of the members of the old King's Cruiser fleet
that were off-loaded at Larsen's in Waukegan before their years of
sailing
and racing in and around the Chicago area.
I "adopted" WINGS in the Fall of 1993 and spent 10 months literally
working night and day in the boatyard. Inside storage, even though
unheated (better for the boat, you know), made it all possible.
Even though I was basically "going it alone", I had lots of
help......including that provided by skilled ship carpenter, Tony
Finocchiaro, and his crew, who did those elements of the work that were
far beyond my capabilities. Tom Brand rebuilt the old engine, which had
been pronounced dead twice, and an unbelievable amount of able assistance
was provided by Herb Kaczmarek, who initially got involved when I asked
him to help me with the wiring on the engine (the point at which Tom was
ready to "pass the torch" on the project). Good friends too numerous to
mention (THEY know who they are and how grateful I am to them!) helped me
in ways too numerous to mention, including providing fantastic emotional
support whenever the restoration seemed to be getting overwhelming. (They
also seemed to come up with whatever piece of hardware I desperately
needed when I needed it........not to mention, of course, TONS of
advice!)
WINGS was relaunched on September 21st of 1994, after spending a
month at Crowley's where Harry Swieca finally got the old engine running
dependably enough for me to head for the harbor........just about at the
time when most folks were beginning to put their boats away for the
winter. I spent the next month carrying out what might best be described
as a series of "shakedown cruises", hauled out at the end of October of
'94, and began the winter's work again (even if I never get as far as I
hope with everything on my list in any given year).
In 1998, WINGS hit the water in May........which felt like a major
triumph, especially since the discovery of significant dry rot resulted
in
the need to replace the entire stem and forefoot and four planks!
Shipwright, Wayne Shibley, came forth to do an excellent job taking care
of this problem, as well as repairs to the mast.
Re-doing the cabin interior and an absolutely spectacular job of
repainting the topsides (based on expert consultation and collaboration
with Pete Mathews) were among the more recent improvements to my boat. In
the future, as my time and ambition allow, my plans include stripping and
refinishing the mast and boom...........and, of course, more coats of
varnish.
I've had all kinds of great sailing on WINGS, with lots of
"fine-tuning" involved in getting everything going the way I want it.
(I'm still working on that.......a never-ending challenge and part of the
fun of it all.) Look for WINGS at next year's Heritage Wooden Boat
Festival (as well as next season on the lake) and see what I've managed
to
get done!