The Republican journal., 1913-02-20
The Yacht Wanderer.
Former Rockland Boys Recollections Of
the Fastest Sailing Vessel of Her Time.

From the Rockand Courier Gazette.]
In recent issue of this paper ap-
peared an item, copied from The Belfast
Journal, referring to the yacht Wan
derer 1t has called forth communica-
ton from a former Rockland boy, Albert
C. Tibbetts. now of Eureka, California.
By way of introduction the Belfast pa
per's item is reprinted:
Injecting Capt. Royal w. Warren on
the water front a short time ago the sub
ject of yachts came up and he recalled
the fact that the once noted yacht Wan
derer had loaded potatoes at this port
for Savannah and made the voyage out
in heavy weather under storm sails. He
also spoke of her having been rebuilt at
Rockiand, and of the care that was
taken to preserve the original model.
The Wanderer was built at Setauket,
L. l., in 1857, and a picture of her at
the time in Harper's Weekly shows her
as a two-topmast schooner, with long
hollow bow and strong sheer. She was
no doubt the fastest sailing craft of her
class in her day; but later marine archi-
tects have wholly discarded hollow water
lines. The original owner sold the Wan
derer to a Capt. Corrie of South Caro-
lima and she is supposed to have engaged
in the slave trade and to have landed
cargo of slaves IN the Savannah river;
but there is a mystery as to her move
ments for a number of years. She is
said to have been in the possession OF the
government at one time, but the writer
has no reliable information as to that,
or her final fate. The name is common
one for vessels, and we find in the gov
eminent list for 1877 the schooner yacht
Wanderer Of 97.0l tons, hailing from
New York; but the list Of those days did
not give the place where built, and 1t
would seem that the original Wanderer
must have been larger craft, although
that was good size for yacht fifty odd
years ago.
''This clipping from The Courier Ga
zette of Jan. 21st" (writes Mr.. Tibbetts)
"takes me back few years. to the time
when the famous vessel became a part
of Rockland's fleet. This was IN the
summer of 1865 or '66.
Coming from Portland on the good
schooner Mary Brewer, with light, fair
wind. we had got up somewhere about
Herring Gut q think you now call 1t
Port Clyde when a big fore after
came out from anchorage, headed p the
bay, and in very short time was out OF
sight After coming to anchor at Rock
land, showing sails and coming ashore at
Spears wharf, we found the Wanderer
tied up at the Snow Tor Farnsworth)
wharf, with little water around her, so
she must have been at the dock several
hours before we arrived. The Wanderer
certainly could sail!
"Having been placed in service by the
government in Southern waters. during
the Civil War, she was sold after its
close 70 the Shows of Rockland and was
brought to that port by Capt. Joshua
Rowe. who commanded her for some
time thereafter. Shortly after coming
to Rockland she was put on for an ex-
cursion to the campground at Northport,
to sail from what was then known as the
Old Steamboat wharf Upon the day
appointed, the Wanderer made sail from
Atlantic wharf, to shift docks. When
rounding to for a landing on the east side
of the Old Steamboat wharf, the yacht
was either going faster than the master
figured on, or failed to answer her helm
as quickly as he expected, and so went
into the wharf almost at right angles.
She went into the structure long way.
her iibboom clearing the sailloft build
ing, and resisted all efforts to get her
back and clear Of the wharf. After the
TIDE had fallen good deal she slid out Of
the mess herself, breaking her bowsprit
short off at the kniGht-heads,
The excursion being off. the vessel
was taken to the South Marine Railway
for repairs. Later examination showed
her to be very rotten in places and event
ually she was hauled out on the railway
and almost entirely rebuilt. Originally
the Wanderer had Y stern, similar to
that of many yachts of her day. In re-
building, this was replaced by practi-
caily a round stern; otherwise the hull Of
the vessel presented its former appear
ance. In resparring the mainmast was
stepped farther aft, giving bigger fore
sail and reducing length of the main
boom. After this change her rig was
not as sgntly as formerly.
"While gving into St. Thomas, D. W.
l., with load, the Wanderer struck on
a reef, losing her keel, and considerable
money was spent on repairs. | think
this was soon after she was rebuilt. The
Wanderer and the schooner Israel Snow
lex Pembroke) were employed for a time
in Wreck1ng the British ship Guy Man
nering, which went ashore somewhere
around Matinicus and was sold as she lay
to the Shows. At this time the Wan
derer was commanded by Capt Isaac
Thomas Ingraham and the Israel Snow
by Capt. Hiram Pisbury. The latter
vessel was afterward employed as a
fruiter.
what use was I ade of the Wanderer
after the spring of 1868 do not remem-
Der, bu- the Shows owned her as late as
1865 or 70, as at that time C. w. Snow
was visiting San Francisco and made in
quiry as to chances for sale Of the vessel
to parties engaged in the Tahiti fruit
trade. Later | noted the sale of the
Wanderer to Philadelphia parties who
placed her in the South American trade;
later still read where she went ashore
somewhere around Cape Hatteras, be-
coming total loss.
THE Wanderer was large yacht, 260
tons old measurement. and after rebuild
ing, when the present measurement
came in vogue, something like 100 tons
net. Forty or more years ago met a
Dane at this place who told me that he
was member of the Wanderers crew
during one of her Shaving voyages He
is still living in Eureka, and l see him
quite frequently.
1.-THE Courier-Gazette's Twenty-Five
10