J’ai contacté les 5 flottes de Luders 16 actives aux États Unis :
- Chicago Yacht Club, Chicago, IL
- Frenchman’s Bay Luders 16 Fleet, Frenchman’s Bay, ME
- Mount Desert Island Luders 16 Fleet, Mount Desert Island, ME
- Southern Yacht Club, New Orleans, LA
- Wooden Hull Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
Merveilleux retour de William (Bill) F. Simpson du Field Museum de Chicago :
When in 1987 I was looking to join the Chicago L16 Fleet, I corresponded with an owner from NY who had a planked L16 for sale. His name was John Packard. Here’a a pic!
Silver Wings a donc un sister-ship, parmi les 4 candidats potentiels construits en bordés classiques avant-guerre (rappelons que 11 des 14 bateaux construits avant 1838 ont été détruits par l’ouragan de septembre 1938 sur la côte de Nouvelle Angleterre, et que la coque n° 15 a été construite en 1939).
Voici la photo de cet autre Luders 16, prise en 1987 :
Le Luders Hull Register rapporte que, des bateaux construites jusqu’en 1938, seuls les n° 1, 5 et 8 – bien que sérieusement endommagés – ont survécu. Les coques 1, 5 et 8 étant de la série initiale étaient construites avec un roof court. Il est donc hautement probable que celui-ci est le n° 15.
Alleluia (traduction : Gloire aux Luders 16) !
Great News ! Voici ce que m’écrit Bob Walstrom (qui a travaillé avec Bill Luders) :
Hi Emmanuel,
Wow, that was exciting news that you have discovered Hull 421, L-16 – 13. in France. I am thrilled that there is at least one of the original series still afloat and has been used for so many years. I can’t agree agree with you that your boat might be the last planked L-16 because Hull 437, L-16 – 15, a build from for T.W. Russell was finished in 1939. I have no further indication as to where she went or later owners.
I am sorry to report that all the drawings that dated back to the original construction in 1937 (according to the year of build noted in Luders Hull Register notations of that year) were destroyed by a disastrous shipyard fire in 1963. Have you determined that there might be some original images of her that might have been taken at Lake Leman. Since she may have race competitively there, there may be some long forgotten about records near that place. We can hope that some enthusiastic keeper of old records might have some forgotten about hidden treasurers.
I did find a cutting from January 1937,Yachting magazine, that mentions the class that was designed for the Fishers Island Yacht Club. It is attached, but without a guarantee that we have been successful in the endeavor. Please let me if you effort has made it to France. I would appreciate your advising your contact points of address and phone number for my record.
Cheers and best wishes.
Bob Wallstrom, Brownfield
La coque n° 421 serait donc le 13ème (sur 15) Luders 16 produit en bordés classiques, probablement en 1937, commandée par George Gould.