Here you see the Friendship Sloop Belford Gray in Great Cove, as the sun tries to pierce Sunday’s fog:
On an earlier, sunny day, a class at the WoodenBoat School took her around the Cove under only two of her five sails, her mainsail and staysail. (See the image in the first Comment space.)
According to WBS records, the Belford’s design is based on small-scale drawings of a Friendship Sloop that were found in a 1907 magazine by Jon Wilson, founder of the School and WoodenBoat Publications. At Jon’s request, famed Brooklin naval architect Joel White created building plans for the sloop.
She was built during the years 1987-1992 by Gordon Swift, an instructor at WBS, in a series of classes and volunteer sessions at the School. She’s 28.5’ long and 9.5’ wide at her beam (widest part), according to WBS data. Her name honors Belford Gray, another WBS instructor who was a highly regarded wooden boatbuilder.
Here’s a Leighton Archive imaged of her fully rigged under her five sails (mainsail, main topsail, jib topsail, jib, staysail):
Leighton Archive Image
(Primary Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 3 and 13, 2023.)