ON THE WINDS OF THE WAR

General Patton’s plan to sail When and If around the world was never realised – current owner Seth Salzmann intends to full the boat’s destiny

- JAN HEIN

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.