Hi folks, 

We have had a BUSY year so far, and while we build the newsletter we wanted to put out the highlights:

• Greg and Nan hosted a wonderful get-together and fundraiser at their home, it was a really special event.  Frank did an amazing job with the planning and then he wrote up a really valuable "how-to" guide that we can use for future events.  
• Frank and James began developing the sailing program for RASCAL, SUNDA and OCEAN QUEEN V, and have built a great plan to sail all three boats this season
• We welcomed Jody Watt, a seasoned boat restoration project manager, to oversee the next phases of CLOVER's restoration.  He's completed schematics and parts lists for the electrical and plumbing systems, and roughed out a design for the pilothouse.  Jody is a huge addition to making the next phases of Clover's restoration occur efficiently.
• We hired Brion Toss Rigging to build the rigging to the original sail plan.  Ian Weedman came out and began his work, and he expects to be finished by the end of summer.
• Rascal's sailing outing with veterans from two new groups have been really successfully: Swords to Plowshares and the Women Veterans Alliance.  We look forward to introducing more veterans to sailing from these and more groups!
• Sunda raced with an all veteran crew on the Master Mariners Race on Memorial Day weekend.  It was a beautiful day and the crew gave a good account of themselves.
• WBFV welcomed new project manage Jody Watt to the team of Advisors and staff.  Jody brings over 30 years of experience to the Clover restoration Project, and we are excited with what he has achieved so far.
• Clover is scheduled to haul out at Svendsen's Bay Marine on August 9th, to receive her new engine, have her topsides re-caulked, and the remaining floors, lodging knees and rotted frames replaced.  After this haul-out Clover will get a new electrical system.  Clover also has a brand new 12 ft skiff donated which will serve as her tender.
• Ocean Queen V is also scheduled to haul out at Svendsen's Bay Marine on August 9th, to repair leaks and replace her standing rigging as well as service her engine and upgrade her bilge pumping and electrical systems.  We are excited to get her back in service as quickly as possible.
  
• In May WBFV received a very warm welcome at Westpoint Harbor, the home port for Ocean Queen V.  Over 100 were in attendance to hear from our board members James, Frank, and Jen.
• The American Classic Boat Society - Tahoe Chapter, wonderful sponsors that they are, teamed up with us to co-host a potluck dinner at the Pt. San Pablo Yacht Club in June 11th in Richmond, and a Veteran's Rally in Stockton Marina.  We are really grateful for their efforts to bring wooden boats of a different size and caliber to veterans.
• WBFV was well represented at a very special event at the St. Francis Yacht Club, sponsored by our long time supporters the Order of St. John. 
• WBFV also received wonderful support from Saltchuk/Foss, Matson, the Bohnell Family, the Stern Family, MMBF, and the Overwatch Alliance.

Finally, we want to extend a warm welcome to Charlie Hart - our newest Board Member.  Charlie is well known to all in the Bay Area sailing and non-profit communities, and you can find out all about him on our website and a separate blog post.

Our upcoming events:

August 20th - All women veterans crew racing in the Sausalito Yacht Club women's only race

September - Farallons sail and ROLEX (hopefully) 

October - Fleet Week

Veterans Day - Celebration and Open House aboard Clover.

As many of you know, Wooden Boats for Veterans has been getting vets out on SF Bay for over seven years, and with additional vessel donation(s) and Covid winding down we will be expanding this capability through the rest of 2022. But what about actually racing
wooden boats with veterans?

Our organization is more focused on providing the fundamental experience of sailing and the camaraderie that can help support our vets, most of whom have no prior sailing experience. Racing offers the opportunity for even more tightly coupled crew capability, a higher bar for preparation, and also safety. In short, racing pushes all of the basics that we normally practice to another level. So, how do we get there with an all vet crew ready that doesn’t have much racing experience?

Enter Alex Salogub, an Air Force veteran with two decades racing experience on SF Bay. He donated his time to instruct members of WBFV team and provide a deeper understanding of all the tweaks that are done to the sails for speed, how to balance the pressure on the tiller with the mainsheet (for speed and safety), how to visually read wind shifts and current changes, and how to tune the rig for speed. In the corporate world we’d call this a ‘train the trainer’ approach, so that his knowledge can then be shared with a broader group of vets that find this type of higher intensity activity to be a positive emotional experience.

So how did the race go?

Moderate conditions of 15-20 knots and light 1’-3’ chop made for a good opportunity to
showcase some of the newly honed skills. Sunda was the first in her starting group to cross the line and she maintained good standing among the fleet of vintage wooden sailboats on the course that day. Eventually, she passed a few boats that had started earlier and ultimately spent the last few legs of the race in a see-sawing, back and forth battle with a single boat.

At this stage of WBFV growth, it was a win to have the crew and boat ready to compete and provide several other competitors a run for their money. It’s also a win that we can provide the opportunity for our vets who really get the sailing bug, a way to take their new skills to the next level. It is a stretch goal for our organization to continue building on this and ultimately have THREE or more classic wooden sailboats compete in the Master Mariner’s cup in 2024. But to get there we need your help.

Any folks with racing and sailing experience who want to help vets train on the water? Passing down some of your knowledge to vets who can really benefit physically and emotionally from the opportunity may be one of the most rewarding experiences you can have on the water. Contact us to get involved or to just get more info on our sailing program.

Wooden Boats for Veterans is proud to announce it has added Ocean Queen V to its fleet. Built in 1951 at the venerable Abeking & Rasmussen yard, she is a Philip Rhodes 55' yawl with a storied racing career.  Through the sponsorship of the Demere family, and through the generosity of Westpoint Harbor and the Driscoll Family Foundation (a supporting organization of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation), WBFV will sail her for veterans and other groups in the south bay area. She arrived on Saturday March 26th and will host an Open House on April 30th at 2-4 pm.  Keep a lookout for our upcoming schedule this year.
 
Since 2015 Wooden Boats for Veterans has given sail training to over 500 veterans, future veterans and their families on the water to provide physical, mental and emotional therapy for their injuries brought about by operational service. We provide three programs; sailing training, experiential sailing, and wooden boat preservation. Learning to sail and saving wooden boats are outlets for coping with PTSD, and traumatic injuries. At WBFV, teamwork, community and camaraderie is rediscovered through our educational programs in sailing, racing, voyaging, restoring and preserving.
 

Rob Jarman, Editor for Offshore Gaffer's Association, had an amazing chat with Mr. Brian Turner in Poole - who at 92 still remembers sailing in Clover with her owner Eric Thompson.  We will shortly post the video he recorded in the conversation... lots of good quality info about Clover and Eric and Hamble and the yards and wartime and post-war activities - he's 92 but has a memory full of fascinating facts!
a few nuggets:
- Eric offered Clover to the Admiralty even before the declaration of war in 1939, but on condition that his skipper Fred Matthews was retained as the sole full time skipper during her use by the Admiralty.
- she was assigned to Coastal Command and based in Falmouth, and used as an inspection vessel for the expert assessment of convoy ships coming across the Atlantic as soon as they entered 'safe' water in the Western Approaches. Many of those convoy ships were damaged and the assessor decided where they should be taken for first safest landing so the cargoes could be salvaged. They took off valuable documents and money. Clover was adapted for this work by:

1. Removal of all standing and running rigging, mast and spars. A 'stump' mast was installed with a derrick crane attached, for lifting heavy objects aboard, such as a ship's safe.
2. A wide thick fender was installed all around the hull, almost to the waterline. This was removed at the end of the war and the hull was completely unscathed
3. All the interior arrangements, joinery, equipment etc was kept untouched from the original as fitted by Lukes.
4. All her passages were made under motor, using the original National oil engine.
5. She was not used for any heavy work, salvage, detection, diving etc - she was a 'floating office' as Brian called it. She never saw any action.

She seems to have covered a wide area of sea around Britain, from the SW to the NE and through the English Channel. She was used all year round.
In 1945, Eric took her back and had all the rigging and original mast and sails re-fitted - Brian did not know which yard did the job - could have been in Hamble or IoW or Poole. Clover was kept on the Hamble mostly and looked after by Moody's yard, even though Eric sailed her also from Poole.
Brian joined as crew to support Eric and Fred when they started cruising again, from 1945. He was recommended by Luke's yard, as he had been working on the Hamble all during the war servicing and fueling the motor patrol launches and landing craft operated by the Solent Patrol - incredibly, whilst still at school... he was contracted by the local RN people to work for them, to free up the Navy for other work.
Brian was aboard Clover when the above photo was taken - definitely in the Solent, in 1947. Brian had several more photos from that shoot.
Eric liked to cruise down the Atlantic seaboard of France and to N Spain - they were the first cruising yacht after 1945 to sail down there, even though the waters will still mined!! to Arcachon and Santander, etc. Frank was the man who knew how to sail and handle a large yacht, Eric liked to work the helm... the 3rd hand worked on the sail handling and equipment, all made very easy by the mechanical gear that Eric had had fitted. Clover was a very kindly yacht to sail.
from about 1947 or '48, Brian joined the Merchant Navy as AB and travelled to Africa, Australia, NZ, Med etc for the next 40 years... Eric used to correspond with Brian's mother and tell her of his cruising plans, so that Brian could join the cruises sometimes. I asked whether any of that correspondence might survive and Brian said no, sadly... Eric did not keep a ship's log, which is quite surprising...

​Watch this space for the full video.

Clover's Original Sail Plan vs. Current Dimensions

True to our vision for her restoration, Clover is returning to a gaff-rig.  In the 1970's she was converted to a Marconi masthead rig; 14 feet of Douglas fir was added to her mast, and 3 feet was taken off her boom.  

Her original sail plan as shown in a 1938 issue of Britain's Yachting magazine looked like this: 

Her resultant plan today, given that we have shortened the mast and retained the boom as altered in the 1970's, would look like this:

A number of issues present themselves.  First, the resultant sail area is 100 s.f. less in the mainsail.  This has the combined effect of driving the lateral Center of Effort farther forward and slowing the boat down, giving her a large amount of weather helm; how much is difficult to project.  The boat has a 50 ton displacement, which requires the sail area to drive her.  On the other hand, she has a long full keel to counteract a large amount of lead in the Center of Lateral Effort, and may do just fine with a reduced sail area.

Also of interest is the difference in the staysail stay, which results in a loose footed staysail with an offset between the tack and the forward end of the staysail boom.  Clover's samson post came later in her life, which accounts for the shift in the position of the staysail.

What to do? It will be interesting as we look into this further to decide whether to take the current dimensions of the boat or to make further adjustments to get her closer to her original configuration.

2021 At a Glance 
44 Veterans Introduced to the Sport of Sailing during a year of COVID restrictions
 
1,420 volunteer hours
 
1 Trip offshore to the Farallon Islands
 
4 Sailboats Added to the WBFV Family
 
1 Sailboat added to WBFV via Vessel Donation
 
I Veteran scholarship awarded for Sail Training
 
1 Veteran Recommended for acceptance into IYRS School of Boatbuilding

Here are the many accomplishments this wonderful foundation was able to complete this year on its journey toward a national sailing and restoration organization for veterans:

​Finish Deck for D-Day Event
Mast Re-shaped and Repaired
Basic Electrical begun - schematics and AC/DC design
Cockpit Improvement Phase begun
Boat moved to Richmond to facilitate stepping the mast
Cockpit Phase completed
Schematics and Parts List
Carl Moyer Grant Application Submitted
Stepping the Mast; Beginning the engine re-power; rigging the boat
Mast stepped in Richmond and boat moved for re-power.
8/21 Board Appreciation Get-together aboard CLOVER
Metrics and Scorecard Established
Drafted Business Plan and Funding Plan
2020 Tax Filing
2022 Budget Planning
Present 2022 Financial Plan
Created Cmte Charters
Complete Board Skills Matrix
Report ofSkills Gap Analysis
Added 4 Members on Cmtes
Created Outreach and partnership overview plan
6/6 - D-Day Event
Latitude 38 Article
8/26 - Chamber Event in Fairfield
10/3-10 Fleet Week
10/13 St. Francis YC Speaking Event
10/23 - Gold Star Family Event
11/13 - Veterans Day Event
$2500 milestone in Giving Tuesday
6/19 - Bay Sail (Rascal)
7/21 - Farallones (Rascal)
8/8 - Bay Sail (RASCAL & SUNDA) with STP
8/28-9 Receive SUNDA and bring her to her new berth
9/11 - RASCAL & SUNDA sail
9/25 - SUNDA sail
10/9 - Navy Fleet Week (RASCAL)
10/16 - Jessica Cup (St. Francis YC) - Cancelled
11/12 - SUNDA sail
11/13- Annual Fundraiser

Here are the Goals for 2022:

1. Grow “VetsBoats” Sailing Program
   1. Establish bi-weekly San Francisco Bay Area Sailing program with SUNDA, RASCAL, PEGASUS and SEA VALOR
2. Add the following Veteran Service Sailing Organizations
   1. Liberty Launch in Havre de Grace FL
   2. West Coast Seafaring Society in Loch Lomond CA
   3. Classic yacht Restoration Guild in Earleville MD
   4. American Odysseus Sailing Foundation, Aledo TX          
3. Sail Training Scholarship Program: Fund 2-5 Veterans for ASA 103 Certification                              
4. Vocational Program: Fund 2-5 Veterans to attend IYRS or NWSB       
5.  CLOVER Project: Re-power and re-rig the vessel for Sea Trials and Maiden sail
6.  Development
   1. Establish a Separate Capital Campaign to finish CLOVER Project
   2. Continue Membership and Sponsorship Programs
   3. Host 3 Live events                                                           

​We envision a bright and impactful future for Wooden Boats For Veterans. Our location in the Bay Area can grow with additional boats that can be donated and refurbished by veterans. These boats and their crews of veterans can be deployed for more missions of service and workforce development. The quality of life for more veterans in the bay area and Delta can be a reality. This can lead to additional WBFV chapters in other areas of California with bays, rivers, and lakes.
 
WBFV will continue to build impact and deliver valuable service in the following ways:

• Expanding website and social media presence to reach veterans and supporters.
• Establishing nationwide sailing opportunities to veterans
• Increasing scholarships through advocacy with businesses to build partnerships
• Promote greater awareness to ensure veterans get access to Veteran’s Administration services and benefits

 
 
Thank you for your support of our mission to give back to the veterans and future veterans who have sacrificed to defend our nation.

Fleet Week Fellowship sail – October 8th
 
The much anticipated return of ‘Fleet Week’ in 2021 was upon us with the prior year having been cancelled due to Covid.  It wasn’t hard to get vet volunteers for this great outing  - and WBFV used this as an opportunity to thank Vets who had volunteered for restoration work with a chance to experience both the parade of ships and airshow from a unique vantage point on SF bay.
 
As our vet crew assembled on Rascal around 10:30am, we knew it was going to be a very different/exciting day on the bay.  Not just due to the Blue Angels, but because the winds were already 15 knots steady, gusting 20+.   SF bay is known for challenging sailing conditions, but winds this strong before noon aren’t common.  We were gonna be in for a wild ride – and despite most of our crew having very little sailing experience, fortunately the vets onboard were stout of heart and tested by both military training and deployments to hostile areas.  We departed Pier 39 with a conservative sail plan  (two reefs in the main and only showing about 50% of the jib) which provided enough power to glide through the choppy seas created by the wind and boat traffic at 6+ knots.
 
Our spirits soared seeing the US Navy warships enter the bay under the Golden Gate bridge – led by San Francisco Fire Department Ship’s amazing display of water cannons celebrating the return of the fleet.  In the following 2 hours we were treated to amazing aerial feats including U-2 spy plane low level fly byes,  acrobatic Pitts biplane stunts, a United Airlines 777 with surprising maneuverability, and everything in between.
 
But then something happened – the entire rig of Rascal all at once shuddered as the winds had continued to pick up and were now 20 knots steady gusting to 25+.  Unfortunately a line that holds tension on the partially furled jib gave way suddently so now we could only sail with full jib . . . and would be less maneuverable.   More important, we needed a plan just to recover the jib in such high winds before returning to the marina.  Long story short  (the long story better shared over a beer), our crew of inexperienced sailors made up for it with decades of experience including former Navy submarine electrician and an Army National Guard Vet (who is very good with all things mechanical).  They came through with a temporary fix while on the lee side of Alcatraz for reduced wind.  We then chose less crowded waters to navigate, and later safely secured the jib for return to the berth.   Oh yeah, by the way – the vet crew did all of this with Blue Angels flying overhead.

The action packed day concluded at Pier 39 berth with multiple toasts to recently fallen soldiers who had service with one of our crew members during Iraqi freedom.  While trying to fall asleep after the long day, my mind raced with vivid images of ships, airplanes, and some of our crew members getting doused in saltwater while troubleshooting mechanical issues at the bow.  In the end, it’s hard to say what was more impressive – the Blue Angels, or an inexperienced vet crew’s ability to bond and overcome adversity.   

The following are excerpts from interview with Mike Thomas, of Dorset, United Kingdom.  As a young man Mr. Thomas sailed in CLOVER with her original owner, Eric Thompson, and had several reminiscences to share.

​__________________________________________________________________________________________

I was pleased to discover that Clover is still “alive”and is doing a good job for the Vets.
She was originally built to the order of my friend Eric Thompson at, I believe, Luke Bros. yard on the Hamble River,Hampshire in 1937. For many years her home port was Poole, Dorset which is my home town. At the age of 17 and at something of a loose end while awaiting my call-up for military service I met Eric on the Quay when standing and admiring Clover. He invited me aboard to show me around and discovering that I had worked on a well known ocean racer and looking for an extra pair of hands to prepare the boat for a voyage down the West coast of France offered me a job. I lived aboard for several months before joining the Army.

On my return I met him by chance. By that time he and his colleague were beginning to find the work of handling her heavy canvas and gear a bit too much and regretfully had sold her. She was replaced by motor vessel of about the same tonnage as Clover and he was about to take Faith on a trip down the West coast of France. I was invited along as a working guest and enjoyed my demobilisation leave in an unexpected manner.

I have often wondered what happened to Clover.Eric would never discuss her wartime activities but this would be due to our Official Secrets Acts.

She may have been laid up ashore at the time of Dunkirk but I think she may have been used by Eric and Fred Matthews his colleague as a floating base for marine salvage at some time during the war. It is a pity that this period is a closed book but, like you I would love to what did happen during those and subsequent years.

Exploring the internet I have found some references to ownership by a William Pringle. In letters to the magazine Latitude 38 he has written about being in Grenada having had damage to her rig near Martinique.  In the same letter he reports the loss of a friend in a hurricane. Another letter describes the near death of his son while in Sausalito Harbor and living aboard Clover.

Eric Thompson was a businessman with connections to the Brewing Industry and may have been the founding member of The Crown Cork Company who made the closures for beer and other bottles. He had been a pilot in WWI but told me little about that. Fred Mathews came from a family of local fishermen (11 brothers!) and had, I think been a Hired Hand. When I knew him he was both a representative for Eric’s Company and his sailing companion. I have been trying to get information about Eric’s family hoping that I might glean more from them but no luck so far.

Concerning the location of the photos - I don’t think the Bekens did other than take them beyond the Solent. They had all the subjects they could wish for within a couple of miles of their base at Cowes. I think that the coastline is that of the north side of The Solent which is low lying and wooded.

The binnacle is sited in a convenient position for taking bearings. If you look at the cockpit/deckhouse structure there is not really room for that operation and a separate compass was used for general navigation.

I am still of the opinion that she was not used for operations. I think that that the level of German air and seaborne activity in the Channel would have given any small vessel a  short life. If you have found evidence of ASDIC as against  sounding equipment I can only assume that some sort of experimentation at some stage had taken place. I think I have mentioned in previous correspondence that there was a mention of her use as accommodation on a salvage job. I know that Eric Thompson had some sort of interest in diving but to what purpose and when I don’t know. Both Eric and Fred were Royal Naval Volunteer Members throughout the War but their role was never discussed. This, as you will be aware, is not unusual. We all are bound by the Official Secrets Act and this has prevented a lot of knowledge being put into the public domain.

                                                                                                                               Mike Thomas
                                                                                                                               Dorset, England
                                                                                                                               ​August 31, 2021