R E S T O R AT I O N U P D AT E S
RESTORING THE FRIENDSHIP SLOOP ESTELLA A. By Quentin Snediker
The launching of Estella A. was a remarkable event
deck. The vessel originally carried iron inside ballast
McLaine (1895-1984), son of her builder. It was a cold
gasoline engine. A winch head for hauling gear was fit
occurring on New Year’s Day 1904, according to Newell winter and ice was thicker than usual at Bremen, Maine, on Muscongus Bay. Despite this challenge, a crew cut
a channel in the ice to allow Estella A.’s launch. Robert
(Rob) E. McLaine, Estella A.’s builder, was promised a $25 dollar bonus, above the contracted price of $425, for an early launch.
Estella A. is 34’6” long, with a beam of 11’9” and draft
of 5’6”, typical or slightly larger than the average work-
ing “Maine Sloop Boat.” Today the type is more com-
monly known as a Friendship Sloop, named for the
and had a two-cylinder nine-horse power Knox marine
to her engine. Estella A. is said to have been the first sloop fit with auxiliary power launched from Bremen, later a common practice. McLain selected his own tim-
ber, used grown hackamatack (American Larch) knees
for floors timbers and used shop made galvanized iron
fastenings, helping to account for Estella A.’s longevity. Ames fished Estella A. for lobster and fish, until
1925 when he started hauling freight among the many coastal settlements of the region.
In 1930, Ames sold Estella A. to Lieutenant Com-
town in Maine where the type is said to have originated
mander Duncan I. Selfridge of Jamestown, RI, for use
primarily as lobster boats, they found use in a variety
Selfridge sailed Estella A. in its original gaff rig for sev-
during the second half of the 19th century. While known of fisheries. “Sloop Boats” were successful in their ser-
vice and many were found up and down the coast of Maine and beyond.
As engine powered craft replaced sailing vessels in
commercial service, many of these original working vessels were converted to recreational sailing because of their aesthetic beauty. In more recent years, they have been reproduced in both wood and fiberglass.
Friendship Sloops have become an iconic symbol of the design elements identified with classic sailing vessels: gaff rig, clipper bow and strong shear. Rob E. McLain built Estella A. at Bremen, Long Island,
as a yacht in Narragansett Bay and surrounding waters. eral years. By 1937, he removed the iron inside ballast replacing it with outside lead and converted the gaff rig
to a “jib-headed” or “Marconi” rig for easier handling.
He also extended the cabin house providing more comfortable cruising accommodations. In 1957, after more than half century of active sailing, Mrs. Selfridge donated the vessel to Mystic Seaport Museum to become part of our waterfront floating exhibits.
The Museum
returned Estella A. to working configuration, removing
the added house, sistered deteriorated frames and returned the gaff rig.
As is true of all wooden vessels the boat continued
to age and deteriorate until it could no longer remain afloat. In 1967, Estella A. was hauled at the Museum’s
Maine for Henry Jackson (Jack) Ames of Matinicus.
railway to await restoration.
tella Ames. Ames operated Estella A. as a commercial
Preservation Shipyard was still several years in the fu-
The vessel was named for Jack’s daughter, Julia Esfishing and lobster boat. McLain built Estella A. using native red oak for frames with white pine planking and
While ashore, her dete-
rioration advanced rapidly. Mystic Seaport Museum’s ture, so the vessel was shipped to Thomaston, Maine
to be restored by the Newbert and Wallace Shipyard. FALL / WINTER 2020
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