The story of When and If began in a time of great uncertainty. It was 1937, war was imminent, and American George S Patton, a US Army Colonel at the time, was recuperating in hospital. His injuries were the result of an accident aboard the 67ft (20.4m) schooner Arcturus while en route to San Diego. In an effort to boost her husband’s downcast spirits, Beatrice Patton called in naval architect John Alden to design the couple a new yacht.
Alden, renowned for schooners built for speed and grace, designed the couple a vessel that would also prove sturdy, comfortable and safe for long-distance voyaging. In January 1939, papers were signed authorizing FF Pendleton of Wiscasset, Maine, to build the 63ft 5in (19.3m), 43-tonne vessel. According to current owner Seth Salzmann: “Nothing was spared. She’s built with all the best materials. There wasn’t one bit of penny-saving. She’s double-planked on black locust frames; Alaskan yellow cedar inner planking, outer planking is mahogany. She’s bronze-strapped and bronze-fastened.”
The final mark of finesse, placed upon the boat when christened When and If, sailed the schooner into history. The story told is that Patton proclaimed: “When the war is over, and if I live through it, Bea and I are going to sail her around the world.”
As Patton rose to the rank of General, When and If awaited his return in her Massachusetts home port of Manchester-by-the-Sea. Their infrequent time together is documented in-home movies and photos, which show a proud owner at the helm, surrounded by family. The dream of circumnavigation grew as the war closed. The ‘When’ finally arrived on September 2, 1945, but ‘If’ capsized when the stalwart General died that December following a car accident in Germany.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Classic Boat.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2020 من Classic Boat.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The Need For Speed
Saving lives at sea has always been bound to the speed of rescue, from the first rowing boats to the 60-knot, all-weather motorboats of today
ROW YOUR BOAT
There has been a steady rise in recreational rowing over the past few years, and the choice can be bewildering. What’s the right boat for you?
Traditional Tool
JOINER’S NAME STAMP
Classic misuse of a word
Real classic ownership involves rot, rust and reward
SCUD MISSILE
Herreshoff’s newly-restored Bar Harbor 31 Scud lit up the classic racing scene in the Med in 2020 with a double win at Cannes and Saint-Tropez
BOSUN'S BAG
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER
DOUG LEEN - Tugboat man
Vietnam vet, park ranger, dentist, small-craft conservator and tugboat skipper.... meet Ranger Doug!
CHANCE TO SAVE AN Albert Strange yawl
Chances at Albert Strange ownership don’t come up often, and Sheila II is the quintessential Strange – and one with a great history, too
AFFORDABLE CLASSIC Salcombe Yawls
A friend and I once decided that walking might make a change from sailing. So we set forth to walk from Branscombe to Bigbury, a 100-mile stretch of the south-west coastal path marked by knackering climbs and knee-wrenching descents.
Cardiff, Wales - Save The Elena Maria Barbara!
A rare, 18th-century schooner replica, restored to the tune of around £1 million, could be abandoned if a buyer is not found soon.