It is rare to find a boat with such pedigree, history, and grace as Hope, John Alden's personal race boat built at Hodgdon Brothers boatyard in East Boothbay, Maine in 1929. Enthusiasts of restoration know how rewarding researching a historical artifact can be. Hope’s history is a treasure trove- beginning with her original drawings in the John Alden collection at MIT, then followed by photos and correspondence throughout her life and career.

The Universal rule that created the “letter class” racers came about in 1902 and was a departure from the Seawanhaka rule at the time, originally called the Herreshoff rule and adopted by the New York Yacht Club in 1903. The previously used Seawanhaka Rule was based on two factors: the boat’s upright waterline length and the sail area. Herreshoff exploited this rule to the extreme with Reliance, the defender of the America’s Cup in 1903. While only 90’ long on the waterline, she was 201’ LOA from the tip of her bowsprit to the end of her boom. The top of her mast was 199’ off the water, her spinnaker pole was eight-four feet long, she flew 1501 square meters of sail and required a crew of sixty-four. Herreshoff realized the absurdity of this rule and came up with the Universal rule that took into account the boat’s displacement and encouraged more practical boats, or boats with great performance as well as accommodations and seakeeping abilities. J class boats were adopted as the class to race for the America’s Cup, and they did so from 1914-1937.

The Q class at 45 – 50’ LOA was a much more approachable size for many sailors, and there were about twenty first-generation Q’s built prior to WWI. The first-generation boats were short but carried more sail area with gaff-rigged sail plans and club-footed jibs. The second-generation Q boats were built after WWI beginning in 1923. They were longer overall with less sail area and Marconi-rigged with small jibs. This class had the interest of all of the leading designers of the day- Herreshoff, Burgess, and Alden. In 1929, John Alden commissioned one for himself. Working with a young K. Aage Nielson, who had recently immigrated from Europe and was new to his design office, Hope’s plans were developed and she made quite a splash as the largest Q boat in the class at 50’ 3” LOA. There are early photos of John Alden at the helm and a young Olin Stevens on the foredeck racing off Marblehead. 

By this time, a new competing class was forming on the East Coast called the International Rule that was comprised of 12, 10, 8 and 6-meter classes. Due to the Great Depression and the increased popularity of the 8-meter class, Q boats started their migration to the Great Lakes. Hope first went to Chicago and then to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after World War II. She ended up back in Chicago and eventually landed in  Detroit, all the while racking up wins at some of the most notable yacht races of her day. She won the Chicago to Makinaw Race twice in 1936 and 1938 and was the Queen’s Cup winner three years in a row in 1949, 1950, and 1951. She was owned for long periods by yachtsmen Brian Galligan, Royce Foley, and David Coleman, all tireless proponents of wooden boat sailing and racing. With her racing history and original pedigree, she came to us at Brooklin Boat Yard with boxes of newspaper clippings and handwritten correspondence that is part of her story. 

Hope was delivered to us as a piece of history. She has been altered slightly with the addition of auxiliary power and a different rig configuration than when she was first launched, but she is in otherwise remarkable (and close to) original condition. In every restoration we have undertaken, it amazes us what can be discovered in the documentation of and dismantling of a historical artifact such as Hope- the stories told of all the people who had a chance to sail aboard her back in the day, the places she has been and history she has seen. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to give her the full restoration she deserves? 

We build boats for customers who want a boat you cannot buy, a boat that fits their use profile and their taste in aesthetics, but what about providing a customer with the experience of a historical scavenger hunt? Restoring a significant piece of history is an opportunity like no other- it’s the opportunity to unpeel stories layer by layer and bring history, perfectly preserved or updated (your choice), into modern day. Imagine being at the helm of the personal race boat of one of the most prolific yacht designers of his time; better yet, imagine racing the personal boat of John Alden. Now THAT is a boatbuilding experience like no other.