The Sailing Vessel TATOOSH


TATOOSH newly painted with Interlux Inerthane and ready to return to her element in August of 2000. 28 years of bottom paint were removed back to bare fiberglass and Interlux Micron Extra applied.


TATOOSH has been sold and has a new home on Cape Cod.
Take a look at the NEW TATOOSH





TATOOSH is a "Nantucket Clipper" designed by Alan Buchanan, and built by Offshore Yachts, Ltd. in Royston, Herts, England in 1972. While I am unable to trace the complete history of this vessel have a document showing that she was imported through Chesapeake Bay and brought to a dealer in Massachusetts for her first owner. This owner chose a sloop rig rather than the standard yawl rig. These pictures show the vessel up in Maine.

When I purchased TATOOSH up in Maine she was named NANTUCKET CLIPPER, but I decided that sharing a name with a cruise ship did not sit well with me. The vessel was renamed after Tatoosh Island off the coast of Washington State which was home to the mythic Thunderbird.

She is 30 feet on deck, with an overall length of 31 feet 8 inches. Beam is 9 feet 1 inch, with a draft of 4 feet 3 inches. TATOOSH displaces 4.22 tons and ballast is internal cast iron of 3,500 pounds. The original Volvo Penta diesel engine was replaced by a 18 horsepower Westerbeke which had just over 100 hours when I purchased the vessel. TATOOSH is one of the early vessels built to this design - more than 400 were built over 12 years.



The British publication Yachting Monthly took a "second look" at this design in 1994:

By all accounts, Nantucket Clippers are good seaboats and possess a healthy turn of speed. Stiff, weatherly and easy to handle, they make good short handed yachts and are well capable of offshore passage making.





Renamed and rerigged as a cutter TATOOSH is now a U.S. Documented Vessel moored at the Constitution Marina in Charlestown, across the Charles River from the North End of Boston where I live. This is sometimes the view off my stern. The North End is in the background. The brown wood you see is all teak that will be refinished - and there is lots of teak including bulwark caprails.

Not shown in these pictures, are the bronze hawse pipes now installed in the stern as well as at the break of the shear amidships. This allowed removal of the original aluminum chocks on the stern caprail. It was only after I installed them that I recieved the original plans for the Nantucket Clipper, from the designer, who lives on Jersey in the Channel Islands (UK). The plans specify stern hawse pipes but they were not installed in the production version. The plans also show hawse pipes in the bulwarks at the bow, in addition to the existing chocks on the teak plank bowsprit. Another good idea, which has been added to the "to do" list. The original stern cleats were of oak and fastened with two through bolts, and it also appears that these were problems over the years. These have been replaced by 10 inch bronze cleats with 4 through bolts and proper backing plates.



TATOOSH's cutter rig is unusual - perhaps unique for a Nantucket Clipper. While the sloop rig was available, most Clippers were yawl rigged. More detailed sail plans for all three rigs are available. TATOOSH came with her original sails which were made by "Gowen & Co. Yacht Sailmakers" of West Mersey, Essex England and had seen little use. My sailmaker remarked that these are some of the best made sails he had seen. A bright red "IOR" genoa was in vitually new condition. This has been recut as a large "yankee" and set on a Profurl. The original 82 square foot storm jib had never been used and was "as new" condition. It is now used as free footed stay'sl. A quite effective rig and very colorful. Sail area is 475 square feet.

When rerigging the vessel, the single backstay was replaced by double backstays, and intermediate shrouds added to keep the stays'l stay taut and add additional support to the mast. The stays'l stay is anchored to a bronze casting, though bolted though the 2 1/4 inch teak bowsprit and the deck. Immediately under this fitting is a 3/4 inch stainless steel tie rod, bolted though the bowsprit to the outside of the clipper bow, where the martingale is attached. The tierod is original, and shows the very stout construction of this vessel. The original aluminum chocks on the plank bowsprit shown in this photo have been replaced by bronze and bronze anchor rollers have been added port and starboard.


Time for a New Sail!

After the first season of sailing I decided that the large red jib was a bit too large and too light to be considered a working sail. I came across a virtually unused sail off a Falmouth Cutter that was just under 200 square feet in area and is made of 7 oz. dacron with triple stiched seams.



I located the sail at Admiralty Marine out of Seattle, Washington. Admiralty carries lots of used and surplus marine equipment. Very helpful and prompt folks back there.As an be seen it sets very well - it just isn't quite as colorful as the big red one!!







Other Nantucket Clippers

Most Nantucket Clippers are in England but a few are in the United States, and there is at least one is in New Zealand, at least one in the Netherlands, and there is one homeported in Sweden. This is a yawl rigged sistership in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.







There is more about TATOOSH


Nantucket Clipper on her bouy in Maine