Newport and The Sirens of Titan

You know, Kurt Vonnegut lived and wrote the Sirens of Titan here but the strongest sirens I heard and felt were those of old Nathaniel Herreshof. For non sailors this will not set off any sirens but for anyone worth their sea salt the name sends shivers down ones spine.

Nathaniel Herreshoff was of Prussian ancestry and the family gained notoriety through their innovative steam engines; but, Nathaniel was besotted by sailboat design. Through the early 1900s he designed and built a series of Americas Cup winners as well as building a line of sailboats which still grace the waters of Narrangansett Bay.

The actual Herreshoff boatyard is/was in Bristol just a few miles up the Bay. What remains today is the Herreshoff Museum which is located on the same property where the Herrshoffs built their boats..

A small sign denotes the mainn building

Inside are some of the most incredible boats built by Herreshoff but not any of the Americas Cup Winners of which Reliance – Reliance – was the largest gaff rigged vessel ever built.

Overlooking the floor where a number of original Herreshoff boats are on display

Connie’s favourite – Torch

Beautifully restored Torch

For those of you interested here is Torch’s history

And rooms full of half models

Although not a Herreshoff original this gaff rigger, Columbia, is a near replica to an Americas Cup winner at the turn of the 19th Century

Of course, Newport has money. Here are a few pics of some of the boats we saw.

Of course there are no power boats. I wonder why!