Memories of the Wonderful ALERIA

My first sail in a Yankee (Aleria – Y27) was rather inauspicious. My younger brother John, my father, James Jackson, Jr., and I picked Aleria up in Hull and set off for the Cape Cod Canal. The wind was light and fluky and our pace was such that we arrived at the East end of the canal well after dark.

On the Cape side of the East entrance there is was an unmarked almost submerged breakwater which we succeeded in bouncing over on our way to the harbor of refuge where we spent the night.

The next morning we were towed through the canal by a friend’s powerboat heading directly to Bigalow’s yard where she was hauled. The only damage was to the lead quickly corrected with a 3 pound hammer.

My dad, mother and usually two siblings for crew headed our from Monument Beach every Saturday to race in Marion. We were unbeatable in light air, but middle of the fleetish in the typical Buzzards Bay Sou’wester.

I spent a week or two each summer cruising with teen age friends — we ranged from Long Island Sound to the West and Nantucket to the East.

I have two memories which stick in my mind about this wonderful boat.

The first was at a Nantucket Regatta where I believe there were six or eight Yankees crossing the line. My father was unable to make the regatta so my older brother, Jim was skippering.We were on a downwind leg a few yards to leeward of Dick Wakeman in Monsoon when I heard a snapping sound and turned to see Jim holding a broken tiller yelling at Monsoon.

We rounded up rather quickly just missing Monsoon’s stern spinnaker wrapped around everything. This should have been the end of the story except we had left our only anchor back in the harbor to mark out our territory.

The Coast Guard towed us in letting us know in no uncertain terms that we were not really clever and we were lucky they were so busy rescuing other boats in trouble.

My most exciting experience in a Yankee was when Beverly Yacht Club hosted the Cummings Cup in 1947. My crew which included Nick Baker, Toby’s older brother, had won the eliminations racing in Vineyard Sound in Vineyard 15’s and were excited to get on the Yankees.

Because the boats were quite a bit larger than the norm for this series we were limited to working jibs and no spinnakers. The best part was we won the Cummings cup and went on to win the Sears Cup. The Yankee really did what she was designed to do.

I can’t remember the year when the Yankee, US 1, 5.5, International and several others I can’t remember raced in Marblehead, Buzzards Bay and somewhere on Long Island Sound. The Yankee was mediocre at best in Marblehead and the Sound, but was unbeatable on Buzzards Bay.

– Mike Jackson, 2/21/11