Herreshoff Schooner
MARY ROSE is the last Schooner designed and built by Nathaniel Herreshoff. Design #954, launched in 1926 and she is now seeking a new guardian.Boasting an enviable provenance, built for Harold Brooks of Long Island who in 1927 won the annual New York Yacht Club regatta and went on to beat the J Class Enterprise skippered by Harold Vanderbilt, among many other pre-war race wins. Rebuilt after being destroyed in a storm in 1938 followed by further rebuilds in the 1970’s and 1990’s. At one time owned by Hugh Heffner she was the backdrop for an old Playboy photo shoot. More recently Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene spent some of their honeymoon in Antigua aboard Mary Rose. She has been in the same ‘guardianship’ for the last 20 years, based in Antigua year round and maintained in beautiful condition with some sensible modifications to allow her to be sailed short-handed, such as the addition of a boom-kin to enable one of the sets of running backstays to be removed, to the approval of the Herreshoff museum and possibly the great man himself. A five time class winner of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and boasting several concours d’elegance trophies too. When not competing in Antigua classics, Mary Rose has only been lightly sailed and is always hauled for scheduled maintenance each summer. She has a beautifully designed and crafted interior with three guest cabins plus a crew cabin, two heads and a gentlemanly lounge of varnished teak and soft leather surrounded by leaded glass cocktail cabinets, with all the elegance of a bygone era. Her hull was replanked and refastened just a couple of years ago, her thick teak decks are in superb condition and the painstakingly varnished deck hatches and dorade skylights are always protected from damaging UV rays when they are not being admired. The engine is a Lugger and a generator plus solar panels keep the batteries charged. The shorepower is dual 110v / 220v AC and the domestic electrics are all 12v. The galley has extremely efficient refrigeration to keep the drinks cold and the old cabin heater is still installed however the air-con and all the other unnecessary modern additions have been removed to keep Mary Rose not only as authentic as possible but also an affordable classic to maintain. Lying in Antigua and newly listed for USD 750,000. Please contact the Central Listing Agent Richard Watson at Caribbean Brokerage in Antigua to arrange an inspection. |