Fastnet ’79 • 18 x 43 inches: At dawn on the morning of the fatal Fastnet race of 1979, when a freak storm blew up in the Irish Sea and
bore down on the 306-boat fleet. Fifteen yachtsmen, three rescuers, and five yachts were lost. The painting was commissioned by Gary Jobson, who is depicted in this scene at the helm of Ted Turner’s Tenacious, which went on to win the race. A small edition of 450 prints was published, all countersigned by Jobson.
Restoration Work It is not so much about the funding; it is about the understanding of what an historic artifact means, and why you would go to so much trouble to save it.—JM In 1980, John Mecray read an article about the 1885 schooner yacht Coronet in WoodenBoat magazine. Coronet was considered by many to be the finest sailing yacht of its day, and after visiting the yacht in Gloucester, Massachusetts, he explored options to see if the 133-foot schooner that originally belonged to Arthur Curtis James, a wealthy speculator in copper mines and railroads, could be restored. He subsequently painted three works depicting Coronet and published a print, with most of the proceeds going to a museum fund to
Reaching Off Soundings • 25 x 49 inches
Coronet blasting out of the fog.
stabilize and help maintain the yacht. A small group of friends met in his Thames Street studio regularly to discuss the possibility of starting a museum in honor of yachting in Newport and take up the effort to return the yacht to her original splendor; in 1979, the Museum of Yachting opened at Fort Adams State Park.
iyrs
IYRS: In 1992, John Mecray joined forces with Elizabeth Meyer to found the International Yacht Restoration School. When the doors opened at its Newport waterfront location in 1993, IYRS offered instruction in Boatbuilding and Restoration. Today, in addition to this original program, the school offers programs in Composites Technology, Marine Systems, and Digital Modeling and Fabrication. 24
SEA HISTORY 164, AUTUMN 2018