yacht aphrodite watch hill

Jock Whitney’s Iconic Aphrodite Now Queen of Watch Hill, RI

Once the pride of the Gold Coast commuter boats that whisked financiers from their Long Island homes to their Wall Street offices in the 1930s, Aphrodite , one of the most easily recognized boats on the water, is now the pride of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, having been totally restored back to her former glory.

Even in its original incarnation, Aphrodite was never just another pretty commuter boat. It was commissioned by John Hay “Jock” Whitney in 1937 from the Purdy Boat Company in Port Washington, on the north shore of Long Island. Whitney lived in Manhasset, across the bay from Port Washington, and took his 72-foot commuter boat from his waterfront mansion there to his Wall Street office during the spring and summer. The problem was that Whitney’s brother-in-law, Charles Payson, had a faster commuter boat, and was passing Whitney on Long Island Sound.

Purdy built Aphrodite to go fast, with twin 1,500-hp Packard airplane engines. They pushed the 74-foot boat to a top speed of 38 knots, faster than Payson’s boat and any other commuter boat on the Sound, although it did burn 300 gallons of aviation fuel an hour. It also was arguably the prettiest commuter boat on the water, with its signature torpedo stern, long, low, black profile and gleaming mahogany.

During the Second World War, Whitney gave the boat to the Navy, which used it to carry dignitaries (including President Roosevelt) up and down the East Coast. After the war, when Whitney was the publisher of The New York Herald Tribune , he sent Aphrodite every morning from his then summer home on Fishers Island to New London to pick up the morning papers. He also entertained on the boat, with a guest list running from Fred Astaire and Spencer Tracy to Shirley Temple. But in the ‘60s Whitney donated the boat to charity, and it eventually went through several owners and various states of disrepair.

In 2003, Chuck Royce, of Royce Mutual Funds, found Aphrodite languishing in Florida and brought it up to the Brooklin Boatyard in Maine for a total, two-year restoration. The boat now is moored in Watch Hill, near the Ocean House hotel and resort there, which Royce also restored.

For more:  http://www.theday.com/video/20170723/aphrodite-icon-on-watch-hill-waterfront

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Aphrodite: How a storied yacht was restored to former glory

Kirk Reynolds hesitates just a fraction of a second when he's asked about Aphrodite, the 74-foot vessel that ties up every summer in Watch Hill Harbor and of which he is the captain.

"Who is she? What is she? She's like a Ferrari," he purrs in response. "She's fast and nimble and quick. Light. But she is really pretty easy-going, she's got a free spirit. She is the goddess of love after all."

Aphrodite, the private yacht of Ocean House owner and developer Charles M. "Chuck" Royce, is as well known in local waters as the ferries and fishing boats that regularly ply Long Island and Fishers Island sounds.

Mariners know the hum of Aphrodite's twin 1,000-horsepower Caterpillar C18 engines and recognize its distinctive silhouette on the horizon, even from a considerable distance.

Built by the Purdy Boat Company in Port Washington, N.Y., and launched in May of 1937, this Aphrodite was the third in a series of five boats by the same name and originally was used as a commuter yacht by a Wall Street financier named John Hay "Jock" Whitney.

Whitney would be chauffeured to the boat and, once on board, he'd shave, dress and then have his coffee and read the newspaper on his quick voyage to Wall Street.

Following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Whitney offered the boat to the government for war service, and in 1942 it was commissioned as a Coast Guard auxiliary vessel.

It was during this time that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was ferried on Aphrodite from his home in Hyde Park, N.Y., along the Hudson River, and other dignitaries were transported along the Eastern Seaboard.

Reynolds said Aphrodite also would carry A-list Hollywood celebrities, like Spencer Tracy, Sir Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn, because of their relationship with Jock Whitney, who backed Technicolor and convinced David O. Selznick to produce "Gone With the Wind." Today, a photo of childhood star Shirley Temple onboard Aphrodite hangs in the ship's parlor; she celebrated a birthday onboard.

By the 1960s, Whitney outgrew his use for Aphrodite and donated the boat to a program for inner-city youth that was held on Long Island. After that, the vessel went through a series of owners and eventually fell into a state of neglect, at least until the late 1990s, when friends of Reynolds saw it in Palm City, Fla.

Reynolds, who owned a boat painting and varnishing business in southeastern Connecticut, had just been hired by Royce to tend to and captain his boats.

Recognizing the beauty of Aphrodite but not knowing the boat's storied history, Reynolds' friends alerted him and suggested that his new boss might be the only person to save it. That started a complicated process of working with the owner, surveying and assessing the boat, and researching its history.

Reynolds said Royce initially was noncommittal, but the more he saw and heard about Aphrodite, he soon became smitten.

Locally known for his business acumen, philanthropy and preservation efforts, Royce recognized the value of saving Aphrodite.

"He said, 'This is a piece of American yachting history and it needs to be saved, because in another year, it will be gone,'" Reynolds said.

It was 1999 and Aphrodite was in dire shape.

"The boat was derelict," Reynolds said. "The bilge pump, all four bilge pumps, were running 24 hours a day to keep it floating. And the worm damage and termite damage was so extensive. And any time it rained, there was water coming in everywhere."

Painstaking restoration

By 2000, Royce owned Aphrodite, and was going to do for the boat what he also did for the Ocean House, the historic ocean-front hotel in Watch Hill that he recreated.

But don't call Aphrodite a replica, says Reynolds, who is adamant that it was a restoration.

"I can argue that point all day long," he said. "There are some people who feel it is a replica, but there wasn't a day when you could walk into that shop and say what boat is that? You could always tell it was Aphrodite."

The boat was moved to the Brooklin Boat Yard in Brooklin, Maine, in 2003 and painstakingly restored.

"They took the old pieces off, and they put new pieces on as the old pieces were being taken off," said Reynolds, who watched much of the work.

The same species of woods as the original were used, as were the same methods of construction, albeit with modern techniques and materials like glues and adhesives, Reynolds said. One exception was the fiberglass cabin top.

There is air conditioning now, and a few other modern amenities, but Aphrodite looks much like it did when Jock Whitney was onboard.

The vessel still employs its original cast bronze, chrome-plated shifters and throttles that followed the boat in a cardboard box for 50 years. Today they are digitized. And, the boat has many original fixtures, such as running and masthead lights, cleats, stanchions and bow chocks.

"It's pretty remarkable we still have them," Reynolds said.

The boat is mostly used now by Royce family and friends for luncheons and sunset cruises, and everywhere it goes, it gets noticed.

"She gets a lot of attention, and that is kind of hard to take sometimes," Reynolds said.

"We pull up to a dock and hands on the boat are tossing a line and the line just falls to the feet (of the person onshore ready to catch it) because they're just staring at the boat," he said.

But he admits it's fun, and there is much pride with all the attention.

'She's an icon'

Aphrodite is long and lean, and its Philippine mahogany hull is always varnished and sparkling.

It is 74 feet long with a 14.6-foot beam, and displaces 22 tons, drawing just four feet. Eighty years ago, when it was built, the contract set the price at $90,000 and there was a stipulation that the boat must do 38 mph.

Today, the boat's cruising speed is 30 mph and it can make the 90-mile trip from Watch Hill to the Royce home in Greenwich in three hours. Running at 26 mph, Reynolds said the vessel burns about a gallon of fuel a mile, or wide open, at about 40 mph, it will burn about 150 gallons an hour.

Mostly, the boat runs in Fishers Island and Long Island sounds, and spends time at its summer home on the Plimpton Dock in the Watch Hill Harbor.

"She's an icon," Reynolds said. "In Watch Hill, people look forward to seeing this boat every season. You cannot do this job and be on this boat and think you're going to be invisible."

The captain is grateful that his employer had the foresight and wherewithal to save this classic vessel.

"For Chuck, it really is about preserving for the next generation," Reynolds said.

"It's not just boats, he does properties, houses, too. For him, it's about preserving the past because it's flying by so fast, and next thing you know, it's gone, and if you don't do something, it's all going to be gone."

Royce was not available for comment and Reynolds would not disclose what his employer paid for the boat or how much he invested to renovate it, but he did say it was an investment intent on preservation.

"It was important for him with Aphrodite, and a few other vintage boats he's had, that they are maintained and preserved," Reynolds said. "So, all his projects have been to save it for future generations."

The captain said Aphrodite is regularly used and the public can get a chance to cruise on it when Royce and his wife, Deborah, put rides up as an auction item at charitable functions.

But for most people, it's the iconic boat in Watch Hill Harbor, a throwback to the past, to a different time and lifestyle, and it has been preserved as a reminder.

"We could have made it better than when it was built, we could have, but I didn't want to and Chuck didn't want to," Reynolds said. "It was very important to Chuck that it be the same boat."

Is it really the same boat, he's asked.

Absolutely, says Reynolds.

"She still has the same soul, I know, I can tell."

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Stephens Waring Yacht Design

Spirit of Tradition Yachts Designed In Maine

This mighty 1937 Purdy commuter yacht was completely restored at Brooklin Boat Yard. Aphrodite’s rehabilitation shows how traditional design and technological innovation each have their place on the water. With redesigned propulsion and steering systems, new tanks and plumbing systems, and completely revamped interior, she is perfectly matched to her owners’ flawless tastes. The result of this collaboration is a thrilling glimpse at what yachting was like in the 1930s—with all the comforts of today.

LOA :  74ft 0in (22.56m) LWL :  73ft 0in (22.25m) BEAM :  14ft 6in (4.42m) DRAFT :  3ft 8in (1.12m)

DISPLACEMENT :  41,000 lb (18,597 kg) D/L RATIO :  48 POWER (diesel) :  2 x 1000 Hp Caterpillar Max Speed :  37 kts

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Historical Summary:

APHRODITE was built by the Purdy Boat Company and launched in May of 1937 for Wall Street financier and later Ambassador to the Court of St. James, John Hay (Jock) Whitney of Manhasset, Long Island.

Best described as a “Commuter Yacht”, this elegant and sleek 74-footer would each morning whisk Mr. Whitney from his large two-story boat house westward down Long Island Sound and thru the East River to his Wall Street office. During the 45 minute commute Mr. Whitney would go up to the forward cockpit and read the Herald Tribune to catch up on the day’s news.

APHRODITE’S guest list over the years reads like a “Who’s Who” in the worlds of government, business and entertainment with such luminaries as Fred Astaire, Sir Laurence Olivier, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Henry Ford II, FDR advisor Harry Hopkins and Nelson Rockefeller aboard for summer day cruises down Long Island Sound. APHRODITE also once served as the site for a birthday party for Shirley Temple.

The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Whitney offered APHRODITE to the government for war service and she was commissioned in April 1942 as a Coast Guard auxiliary vessel (CGR-557). The boat spent most of its war-time career ferrying dignitaries up and down the Atlantic coast and transporting President Roosevelt to and from his home at Hyde Park on the Hudson River.

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Wartime Use

Aphrodite was commissioned in the Coast Guard Reserves April 1942. CGR-557.

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APHRODITE revs up again

By Steve Cartwright — March 1, 2006

The Brooklin Boat on Blue Hill Bay has rebuilt the APHRODITE, a 74-foot speedboat originally constructed in 1937 for financier Jock Whitney, whose family philanthropy extends to Maine’s art treasures.

He used this sleek, torpedo-stern launch to commute from his Manhasset home to his Wall Street office, a 45-minute cruise. He would settle back to read the New York Herald Tribune , which wasn’t surprising since he owned the paper. He required that his new boat, built by Purdy Boat Company of Port Washington, N.Y., cruise smoothly at 38 mph. Double-planked in Philippine mahogany over steam-bent white oak frames, APHRODITE has a 14-foot, 6-inch beam, draws 3 feet 5 inches and displaces 23 tons.

APHRODITE’s latest owner, mutual fund manager Charles Royce of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, spent $2 million to have the Maine yard rebuild her. That’s more than the boat’s original $90,000 cost even when adjusted to 2005 dollars at $1.3 million. And when yard owner Steve White says, “rebuild,” he means 100 per cent. There isn’t an original timber left in the hull, yet the classic lines and opulent features remain intact.

This is a glamorous old girl, and those who partied on board included Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Henry Ford II and Nelson Rockefeller.

Whitney’s sister Joan Payson, who had a home in Falmouth, owned the New York Mets baseball team. The Portland Museum of Art now includes the Joan Whitney Payson collection.

White, grandson of writer E.B. White, said that two years ago, the tired old APHRODITE made it from New York to Brooklin under her own gasoline-engine power, but caught fire in Rockland while the crew was at breakfast. They returned to the dock just in time to save the boat from serious damage. That was late fall, 2003. Over the next two years, White’s workers created a replica vessel piece by piece. They even found barnacles below decks, suggesting the vessel sank and spent time under water. All hands at Brooklin Boat Yard celebrated her re-launching last October, taking a trial spin around the bay.

APHRODITE runs on twin 1,000 horsepower Caterpillar diesels, the boat also has up-to-date electronics tucked into fine woodwork. White had located two vintage Packard engines still in crates and never used, just like APHRODITE’s original gas hogs, but Royce wanted diesel reliability.

During World War II, APHRODITE ferried Franklin Delano Roosevelt to his Hyde Park home on the Hudson River. Later, the boat served a summer program for kids from city slums, and in the 1970s it took on a hippy-ish name, MOONFIRE, and went through various owners and serious neglect. Boatyard owner John Pannell restored APHRODITE in 1984, selling it to Royce five years ago.

Pannell’s marina sits on the site of the Purdy yard where APHRODITE was first launched.

Is today’s boat really the same boat? White says that depends on your definition, and he doesn’t lose sleep over it. The reconstruction was very faithful to the original — except that the new APHRODITE clocks at 43 mph.

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"Aphrodite" Watch Hill Yacht

Website: messingaboutinboats.typepad.com/sailing/   september 03, 2007   the restoration of aphrodite   aphrodite's guest list over the years reads like a "who's who" in the worlds of government, business and entertainment with such luminaries as fred astaire, sir laurence olivier, spencer tracy, katherine hepburn, henry ford ii, fdr advisor harry hopkins and nelson rockefeller aboard for summer day cruises down long island sound. aphrodite also once served as the site for a birthday party for shirley temple.   the day after the attack on pearl harbor, mr. whitney offered aphrodite to the government for war service and she was commissioned in april 1942 as a coast guard auxiliary vessel (cgr-557). the boat spent most of its war-time career ferrying dignitaries up and down the atlantic coast and transporting president roosevelt to and from his home at hyde park on the hudson river.   in the early 1960's mr. whitney no longer needed a boat of aphrodite's size and so donated the boat to anthony drexel duke and boy's harbor, a summer program for disadvantaged inner-city youth which operated on mr. duke's estate at east hampton, long island.   in the late 1960's or early 1970's aphrodite was renamed moonfire and under this name she went through a series of owners under which her condition quickly deteriorated to the point where she was parked ashore with weeds sprouting around her neglected hull.   around 1977 mr. john pannell started a marine repair business (harbor view marine) on the site of the old purdy boat company where aphrodite was originally built. in 1983 mr. pannell was approached by a gentleman from new jersey who told him he had just bought an old boat, would he be interested in a restoration project and added "she's got moonfire on the transom but i think she's aphrodite" the boat was launched and towed back to her original birth place where she was then hauled and restoration work begun.   the unexpected death of the man from new jersey shortly after work was begun brought the restoration efforts to a temporary halt. work began again in earnest when john pannell accepted ownership of aphrodite from the heirs as payment for work in progress.   after relaunching in 1984, aphrodite could be seen traveling up and down the east coast and in attendance at many classic boat events where she garnered many a prize.   in the fall of 2000 john pannell sold aphrodite to her present owner, a true classic boat enthusiast. despite pannell's loving attention to the boat, the new owner found that he could not stop the clock and retain the boats past glory. in the late fall of 2003 aphrodite was delivered to brooklin boat yard where a complete restoration of the boat is planned to bring her back to her original appearance and to bring her ship's systems up to today's standards.   aphrodite's rebirth   the “aphrodite” was a complete restoration using the original boat as a template from which to create what would become the reborn “aphrodite”.   the first stage of this project was to extensively catalog all aspects of the boat for later reference. once this historical documentation was completed, forms were placed into the boat to retain her hull shape. next the job of disassembly began in earnest with the removal of the deck, superstructure, bulkheads, all interior accommodations and ship’s systems leaving only the hull in place.   reconstruction began with the replacement of the original backbone, stem, floors and the reframing of the intricate curves of “aphrodite’s” signature torpedo stern. next on the list was the removal of the original hull planking and the fastening of temporary ribbands to the original frames. after all planking was removed, new white oak frames were fabricated and steam bent into position and the original frames were removed.   on september 2, 2004 the final original frame (last wood of the original boat) was removed marking the transition from old to new.   once the all important structural framing work was completed the hull was then replanked as originally built with double-planked, copper-riveted philippine mahogany. with a new hull in place the work of engine and systems installation went forward along with the reconstruction of the interior accommodations spaces, new deck construction and the crafting of aphrodite's distinctive cabin and superstructure. launching aphrodite   on a crisp clear october day in 2005, with a huge crowd made up of aphrodite's owner's, the crew of brooklin boat yard and families and friends from both sides of the project on hand to wish her well, aphrodite slipped into the waters of center harbor maine to begin her new life.   website: messingaboutinboats.typepad.com/sailing/.

SEABUDDY Brown

Aphrodite, a 74’ yacht that goes 42 mph.

Launched in 1937 by the Purdy Boat Company, this commuter yacht was restored at the Brooklin Boat Yard for a 40,000-hour restoration and rebuild. That is 10 men and women working only on this boat for two years.

Aphrodite turns heads at the pier and underway. She is repowered with twin 1,000 Hp Cat diesels using traditional shaft drives. Her underdeck of plywood and teak regular deck stiffens the whole lightly framed boat to handle the power and speed.

Long ago photo.

Best described as a “Commuter Yacht”, this classic and sleek 74-footer would in the morning carry Mr. Whitney from his large two-story boat house down Long Island Sound and thru the East River to his Wall Street office. During the less than an hour commute Mr. Whitney would go up to the forward cockpit and read his Herald Tribune to catch up on the day’s events.

Built as one of the Gold Coast commuter boats that whisked financiers from their Long Island homes to their Wall Street offices in the 1930s. She was commissioned to be built by John Hay “Jock” Whitney. Whitney lived in Manhasset, across the bay from Port Washington, and took his 74-foot commuter boat from his waterfront mansion there to his Wall Street office during the spring and summer.

Purdy built  Aphrodite  to go fast, with twin 1,500-hp Packard airplane engines. They pushed the 74-foot boat well, but did not survive the years, thus the repower with twin CAT diesels. It also was the prettiest commuter boat on the water, with its signature torpedo stern, long, low, profile and gleaming mahogany.

During the Second World War, Whitney gave the boat to the Navy, which used it to carry dignitaries. After the war the government gave it back to him. He entertained on the boat, with a guest list running from Fred Astaire and Spencer Tracy to Shirley Temple.

In 2003, Chuck Royce, of Royce Mutual Funds, found  Aphrodite in Florida and brought it up to the Brooklin Boatyard in Maine for a total, two-year restoration. The boat now is moored in Watch Hill, near the Ocean House hotel and resort there, which Royce also restored.

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September 1, 2021

Golden Jubilee Trophy presented to the Watch Hill 15 Fleet at Ocean House Reception

Honoring James “Ding” Schoonmaker and John “Hap” Fauth 

Honoring James “Ding” Schoonmaker and John “Hap” Fauth  (pictured with wife Geren, and HMM Director Bill Lynn)

Watch Hill, RI – For nearly 100 years, generations of Watch Hill families have shared a special relationship with the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, the renowned yacht designer and builder from Bristol, RI, as owners and competitive sailors of the famed one-design racing yacht, the Watch Hill 15. 

On Thursday, August 12th, the Herreshoff Marine Museum extended this historic bond by presenting the Watch Hill Yacht Club with a new trophy in celebration of the museum’s 50 th anniversary. Sponsored by the Ocean House, the Herreshoff Golden Jubilee celebrates the museum’s achievements in collection, preservation and education as well as the commitment by Herreshoff yacht owners, past and present, who propel the Herreshoff legacy into the future. 

“Ocean House was originally built in 1868, the same period when the young Herreshoff brothers began building catboats across the Bay in an old Bristol tannery, said Bill Lynn, President & CEO of the museum.  “For generations, Ocean House has welcomed the most discerning guests and similarly, customers looked to Capt. Nat Herreshoff and the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company for the finest, fastest and most innovative sailing and power yachts in the world.  Chuck Royce, who once owned an important Herreshoff powerboat, had a vision to save the Ocean House, preserve its place in history, and share it with the community and the world.  In 1971, the descendants of Capt. Nat had a similar vision. The Herreshoff Marine Museum was founded that year with no building, just a growing collection of historic yachts that returned home,” said Lynn. 

The Herreshoff Marine Museum was founded that year with no building, just a growing collection of historic yachts that returned home.”

With more than 125 guests in attendance, this reception enabled the museum to honor two sailing legends and museum benefactors from Watch Hill. James “Ding” Schoonmaker, who passed away in January 2021, was “incredibly generous to young sailors and old boats,” Lynn testified to the audience.  An Olympic sailor in his teens, Ding won the Star World Championship in 1975, and earned the Nathanael Greene Herreshoff Award, US Sailing’s highest honor, in 1988. For the museum, he contributed funds to restore Capt. Nat’s personal yacht, CLARA, and recognized the opportunity to preserve the first Watch Hill 15 ever built, FIREFLY, contributing funds to its restoration after the Muenchinger family donated the boat to the museum. Ding’s widow, Treecie, along with her son, Julian Gage accepted a custom Herreshoff Golden Jubilee trophy in Ding’s memory.

John “Hap” Fauth, CEO of the New York Yacht Club AMERICAN MAGIC syndicate and a three-time world champion in the Maxi 72 Class, was also presented a custom Herreshoff Golden Jubilee trophy for extending Bristol’s dominance in the design and construction of more yachts to defend or challenge for the America’s Cup than any town in the world. An important part of the museum’s own history is the founding of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1992. While the America’s Cup Hall of Fame is international in scope, it is anchored by Herreshoff and Bristol. “Hap ensured that Bristol’s legacy as the cradle of innovation in yacht design and construction continues,” stated Bill Lynn. “The museum is proud to be a community partner with the AMERICAN MAGIC team, a partnership that exposed our students to the best of boatbuilding and sailing.”

Then, in front of many Watch Hill 15 owners and sailors, Bill Lynn and the museum’s curator, Evelyn Ansel, presented the Herreshoff Golden Jubilee trophy to J.B. Daukas, Commodore of the Watch Hill Yacht Club. This was the fourth of 12 trophies to be presented this year by the museum at different yacht clubs. The trophies feature an authentic Herreshoff bronze cleat mounted on a mahogany backboard, sponsored and produced by JM Reineck & Sons and MPG Boats.

The museum was also able to surprise Watch Hill sailor, Richard Holliday, with a special trophy in honor of his volunteerism with the museum during the Golden Jubilee, and for being an ambassador for the Watch Hill 15 fleet.

In 1922, 11 Watch Hill Yacht Club members went to Captain Nat Herreshoff to ask his advice for a new class of racing yachts. Herreshoff agreed to update his Buzzards Bay 15 design to include a modified Marconi rig. Construction began in August 1922 and JOSEPHINE (now FIREFLY) was sea trialed that December. In the spring of 1923, JOSEPHINE and 10 other boats were delivered to the Watch Hill Yacht Club. Eight or nine of those original wooden boats are known to exist, four of them are still sailing in local waters. The first fiberglass Watch Hill 15s were launched in August 1969 with a further improved rig. Twenty-five of these boats were built and all remain in the Watch Hill waters. Twice weekly, 10 to 12 Watch Hill 15s race competitively as one of the best examples of an enduring Herreshoff fleet. 

The Herreshoff Marine Museum launched its Golden Jubilee earlier this year with a series of articles on an Anniversary section of its website (www.herreshoff.org/50th), including the curious story of its founding in 1971. Sponsored by BankNewport, Ørsted, Ocean House, East Bay Newspapers, Pure Insurance, Gowrie Group, Bristol Marine, and Shipyard Brewery, this Golden Jubilee aims to engage sailors across the globe with a special focus on Herreshoff owners, past and present, and Herreshoff one-design fleets that continue to race actively from Maine to Florida. These fleets, such as Watch Hill’s, demonstrate the multigenerational dedication to the boats, and the museum is celebrating the commitment to the Herreshoff legacy with a monthly article in WindCheck Magazine , its official Golden Jubilee media partner. Also celebrating its 50 th anniversary, the Newport International Boat Show has selected the museum as its charitable partner for its September 16-19, 2021 show (www.newportboatshow.com). 

The museum is also hosting an expanded Herreshoff Regatta and Rendezvous from August 27 through 29, and the Golden Jubilee Gala on September 30. The museum’s 50 th Anniversary concludes with a dinner at the New York Yacht Club in New York on November 18, 2021.

Since its founding, the Herreshoff Marine Museum waterfront campus has grown dramatically, starting in 1971 when it had no home but instead consisted of a small fleet of Herreshoff boats, a literal “floating museum.” Today, the museum includes a number of original company buildings, the Herreshoff family homestead, and a modern exhibition building, the Isaac B. Merriman, Jr. Hall of Boats. Named for one of the museum’s earliest benefactors, this exhibit space displays more than 60 Herreshoff boats, steam engines, and an array of artifacts. The Nathanael G. Herreshoff Model Room & Workshop exhibit is a re-creation of Captain Nat’s own model room and workshop, and contains more than 500 original design models, tools and documents. Over the past five years, the museum has delivered STEM-focused experiential education programs to thousands of Rhode Island students. The museum is now partnering with the National Sailing Hall of Fame on an America’s Cup Hall of Fame exhibit at its new Sailing Museum in Newport, RI.

The 50-year history of the Herreshoff Marine Museum has not only preserved this chapter of American ingenuity, it serves as a bridge to the future of boatbuilding, as the Town of Bristol and State of Rhode Island continue to prosper as a cradle of innovation for the maritime community. According to the Rhode Island Marine Trades Association, the state’s marine industry is comprised of more than 1,700 companies employing 13,000 people and generating $2.7 billion in annual revenue. 

To learn more about the Herreshoff Jubilee and these events, contact Ted Regan at [email protected] or visit www.herreshoff.org. Consider joining the museum as a member of the Golden Jubilee Afterguard, or as one of 500 new members during its Golden Jubilee year.

Museum Image Gallery (For editorial use only, with caption info & required credit in "Stock Image Guide" provided) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Zn-r76SlwAfJm9Q72FTwOHtiLHQn7Y5o

Read Herreshoff Fleet Features with Our Official Media Sponsor

www.windcheckmagazine.com

Learn About Our Golden Jubilee Sponsors

www.banknewport.com

www.oceanhouseri.com

www.newportboatshow.com

www.eastbayri.com

www.bristolmarine.com

www.pureinsurance.com

www.gowriegroup.com

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Restaurant-Yacht Chaika

Ratings and reviews, location and contact.

Pleasantly surprised, service is good so is the food. Great selection of Fusion food, a mixture of Italian, Japanese, European, Asian etc. A pleasantly nice dining experience, highly recommended, a must try!

Thank you for your feedback and invite you to have lunch or dinner again aboard the ship in an atmosphere of high standards of yacht hospitality.

everything was perfect - the food, the service, the desserts were the best, nice atmosphere and the location - magical

Best food, best view in Moscow. absolutely faultless from arrival to finish. Best risotto i had for many years absolutely perfectly cooked. The view on Ukrainian hotel and the white house by night is amazing

Had to wait for the food for 1.5 hours and then another 20 minutes for the check. Finally called for the manager and he offered... a 10% discount as a compensation. Simply pathetic! The food is mediocre at best. Not bad per se, but one... would expect something better considering the prices. There are many places to eat in area that are much better. Avoid this one at all costs. More

Hello, Alexander Your comment is extremely important for us, thank you a lot for it. We are terribly sorry for your time that you`ve spent waiting your order and we have already taken actions to improve quality of our service and it would be realy... More

Food is very expensive,very pretentious, doesn't worth that money. Portions are very small. We ordered ravioli and there were 4! Four raviolis! For almost 15 euros. Then we asked to bring us dessert menu but nothing, they didn't even bothered, so we payed and left... without dessert. Very poor service for that price. More

This is a very good restaurant. The food is really good, maybe the best in Moscow. The service is also good. The view from the restaurant is great. The prices are very high.

I often visit this restaurant and must say it’s one of the best in Moscow in terms of quality and service. Staff really try hard to make sure that you are happy and satisfied. Customer service is a huge problem in Moscow but Chaika sets... a great example for others in the industry! Food is delicious and the menu has lots of options for everyone! Atmosphere is great and view is beautiful on the embankment. Special thanks to German & Oleg! More

Thank you for your feedback! Again aboard the yacht restaurant "Chaika" in accordance with the high standards of yacht hospitality.

Highly recommended, great location in the city center of Moscow with a superb atmosphere. Too many menu choices, though all delicious!

Thx a lot for your review! We are looking forward to see you in our restaurants.

Visited this lovely restaurant with a friend of mine. It was relaxingly warm August evening - so the place on the river seemed like a good idea. We came quite early and the restaurant was not full. The hostesses kindly offered several places to sit... and we chose to sit on the sofas. We had some wine, which was good. We struggled a bit when deciding about the food as few options (scallops) were not available. Fish on ice on display did not look very fresh. To be honest it was an unusually hot August and it is probably understandable that some see food options were not available. However, we did manage to order something and sat waiting and looking onto the river. My long-legged friend struggled sitting at the low sofa and the manager noticed that, offering as a very good, proper table beside the open window. It was nice touch and I was very pleased by their polite observations and immediate reaction to solve the problem. Food was quite good and presentation was perfect. Perhaps I can something about the food, but 1 visit is not enough to criticize or make a definitive opinion. Overall, quality place, which of course, does not come cheap. I would recommend this restaurant without hesitation. More

Good afternoon! Thank you for your detailed feedback! We are looking forward to seeing you again, we are sure that you will be delighted with our dishes!

I've been here several times during two business trip in Moscow. The overall quality for both service and food is absolutely top-notch, plus the location is very unique.

Hello! Thank you for your feedback! We are looking forward to visiting again!

Located on a boat at Krasnopresenskaya River Bank this 5 Star Restaurant transforms into a party location due to multiple groups hosting events. Impressive wine selection, Asian and European kitchen...

Thx a lot! We are waiting for you!

It is a nice place to gather specially at the lounge The service and staff very good I like the river view The food is almost like all restaurants in Russia they serve different cuisine. Staring Russian appetizer till Asian dishes Presentation and taste amazing... I consider it overpriced little bit More

Good location. Nice views. Good choice of food and drinks. European and Asian menu. Nice service. Pricey enough.

Had a large group dinner here. Food was above average and service quite good. The real attraction is the view of Moscow from the river on a nice night. Great place for a larger group dinner. More

Hello, John We are really pleased by reading that you and your friends were satisfied by our service, client`s experience is the highest value for us. We will be happy to see you again, come and enjoy some new dishes from our chef and nice... More

The luxurious atmosphere of this place, the view and the location make it quite outstanding. We had dinner here with friends and the dishes were amazing, accompanied by a chilled bottle of Chablis, it really made me feel as if it was a part of... the classic Russian movie. More

RESTAURANT-YACHT CHAIKA, Moscow - Presnensky - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

• Service: 4.5
• Atmosphere: 4.5