the COMPANY the YACHTS BROKERAGE
HERRESHOFF ALERION 26
REVIEWS
| Alerion, A Classic From America by Mark Corke | |
| Alerion 26: Sweet Sailing in a Modern Classic by Peter J. d'Anjou
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| If
you visit the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, the large ships
in the harbor catch the eye but many visitors pass over the boat sheds.
Here, some gems of maritime history, boats too fragile or old to take
the water, are stored. One particular yacht caught my eye: built
in 1912 for Capt. Nat Herreshoff's own use, the 26' Alerion is
the boat he used to sail every day. I took a picture but thought
no more of it until I visited the Newport Boat Show; among all the
white plastic sat a pretty little yacht. Then I made the connection.
The modern version is moulded by Proper Yachts of Bristol, RI. The hull is substantial. Rather than use a pigmented gelcoat, the boats are painted with Awlgrip paints, offering the potential owner an almost unlimited choice of colour. The hull is bonded and bolted to a no less substantial deck moulding which has a balsa core for stiffness and to reduce topside weight. |
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| I went aboard Sage, one of the new boats and the gunwales hardly rocked as I stepped aboard; the original had a centreboard; the new version has a deep keel. The cockpit is deep and secure with the foot grating actually below the waterline and a sump below connects to an electric bilge pump for any water that finds its way aboard. On each side of the cockpit are wide locker tops with ample room for four and there is enough wood to keep the most traditional minded owner happy. The lockers give plenty | 
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of room for fenders and even fishing gear
and an open space abaft the rudder in the counter stern offers additional
stowage for lifejackets, perhaps even a small liferaft.
Lift-off teak doors give access below where space is inevitably limited by the long overhangs, though a full-length V-berth forward offers comfortable overnight accommodation for a couple. A Porta Potti hides under the cushions. To starboard, between berth and companionway, is a small galley with Origo alcohol stove, stainless steel sink and cool box. To port is a small seat useful for when preparing simple meals or doing laptop chartwork. A 6 US gallons tank below the cabin sole supplies fuel to a 9hp Yanmar diesel. |
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| Decks are uncluttered and the 300 sq. ft. sails can easily be handled by one person without the aid of winches. With her high ballast ratio, she is well able to stand up to her canvas. There is just one set of reefing points to be pulled down when the wind tops 18 knots. It takes a little breeze to get her moving but in 12 knots of wind in Newport Harbor, Sage was able to show a clean pair of heels to larger, more modern yachts. | 
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When a gust hit, she simply heeled slightly
and accelerated away and at no time did she require more than
a couple of fingers on the slender ash tiller. Tacking is simple,
without drama and fuss. The helm is put down and she slowly
and deliberately comes about, her weight carries her through the wind,
the self-tacking jib takes care of itself and all that's needed are
minor adjustments of the mainsheet. I found the Alerion a delight to sail, well mannered and pleasing on the eye. |
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| Alerion 26: Sweet Sailing in a Modern Classic by Peter J. d'Anjou |
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| When
asked to review the Alerion 26, a daysailer with classic lines, I
couldn't resist asking, "Why this boat?" Normally,
Sailing World focuses on boats with racing orientation, but
I soon learned that the boat has both champion bloodlines and an exciting
history. Nathanael G. Herreshoff designed some of the most famous racers and America's Cup winners in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1912, he designed the first Alerion for his own use. One could reasonably conclude that the most famous race designer of his day would design a sweet sailing boat (The original Alerion now resides in the Mystic Seaport Museum.) Since the early '70s, Captain Nat's grandson, Halsey C. Herreshoff and his Herreshoff Design Company, located in Bristol, RI, have honored a few requests each year to build the design on a custom basis. The requests became frequent enough to prompt Herreshoff to contract Proper Yachts to build the Herreshoff Alerion 26 on a production schedule. |
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| It
was a beautiful fall day when I met Herreshoff and owner Brian Carroll
for a test sail. As we walked down the dock my eyes were drawn
to the elegant lines and handsome wood trim of the little sloop.
On further inspection I found a clean finish and amenities such as
modern hardware, a Yanmar diesel, and an aluminum Hall rig that had
been integrated successfully with the classic look. Herreshoff said that his grandfather went for a short sail every day of his life until well into his 80s, mostly in his Alerion. Apparently Captain Nat used to time how long it took to get underway, because he believed that time should be spent sailing. True to form, we were under way in minutes. The wind was a puffy, light, northerly coming down Narragansett Bay, and the Alerion proved responsive in the dimin–ishing breeze. It accelerated quickly out of a tack and with its keel-mounted rudder, the helm was nicely balanced. We weren't able to test the boat in all conditions, but when we did sail through the 3-foot wake of a passing motor boat, the boat gave me the impression that it could comfortably handle moderate seas. The Alerion's cockpit is the most notable feature of the boat. It's roomy and deep, with floorboards below waterline level, giving excellent sight lines over the cabin-top |
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a sense of complete security without being too high off the water.
The high teak coamings provide perfect backrests. The second notable feature is how easy it is to sail. The mainsail was set on luff-groove slides and the jib was set on a roller furler and self-tacking jib boom. |
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Taken together, these made it easy to get
underway and easy to handle. For instance,
we never had to leave the cockpit to reach any control lines. The
cabin has sitting headroom, a cornpact galley, V-berth bunks, and
a hide–away head. Most sailors won't take the boat for extended
cruising but there's a nice built-in seat for reading or passing
the time during a rain shower. The gel–coat finish and oiled teak
fiddles in the cabin are examples of the nice finish de–tail found
throughout the boat. The fuel tank is well situated over the keel,
and the fuel gauge shows through a prism set into the cabin sole. Proper
Yachts builds the Alerion of fiberglass with cored top-sides, a
solid fiberglass bottom, and a balsa-cored deck. The deck is bonded
to the hull with high strength adhesive and through-bolted with
stainless steel bolts. Vinylester resin is used throughout to prevent
blister–ing, and the entire boat is finished with NPG gelcoat. The
full keel is an external, epoxy-coated lead casting, fastened with
3/4" diameter stainless steel bolts. At a base price of $79,900, the Alerion comes with a standard electrical and plumbing package, ~Yanmar lGM diesel with folding prop and the roller furler. Overall, the boat remains true to Capt. Nat's design for a simple daysailer-easy enough to singlehand or to take a small family out for an overnighter. With a draft, it's shallow enough to go gunkholing, and at 4,800 lbs. it can be lifted with a crane by the keel-top lifting ring onto an optional Triad trailer for backyard stor–age. The Alerion 26 will turn heads with its classic good looks and enthuse its own–ers with its sweet sailing performance. |
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