POSTAGE STAMP
The stamp appeared in 1937 to little fanfare, purporting to show a “typical Bermuda yacht.” The governor of the British Crown Colony had personally selected the photograph of LUCIE, thinking it to be the VIKING, a local six-meter. Apparently, someone in the postal ministry realized the error but decided that nobody would ever notice. In fact, nobody did until VIKING’s owner took out his magnifying glass.
However, when Bermuda revamped its stamp set in 1938 to substitute George VI for George V, the LUCIE stamp sailed on with only a slight color modification. That’s when the furor erupted. A headline in a New York paper declared, “American Yacht on Bermuda Issue Makes Britons Angry All Over Again” and the story appeared in papers wherever yachting was popular.
DESIGNER
Clinton Crane was a major force in the development of Corinthian yachting, a gentleman yacht designer, and an active 6 metre campaigner. His multiple challenges and general pursuit of the Seawanhaka International Challenge Cup are well covered in the history of that club. Mr. Crane opened the door to Olin Stephens’ career as a yacht designer, literally stepping aside when he realized that he was potentially taking clients away from Olin, a young man at the time, and whose livelihood depended on design commissions. Olin credited Mr. Crane with allowing him to succeed. Mr. Crane also designed 12’s and 8’s, as well as other sailing and power craft, including dinghies, unlimited speedboats and high speed luxury commuters.

PARTIAL HISTORY of OWNERSHIP:

  • Year: 2011; Name: Lucie; Current owner: Matt Brooks, STFYC, San Francisco, CA
  • Year: 2005; Name: Lucie; Previous owner: Gregory C. Carroll
  • Year: 2004; Name: Lucie; Previous owner: Thomas Owsley Rodes
  • Year: 1986; Name: Lucie; Previous owner: Patrick T. Henley
  • Name: Lucie; Previous owner: Peter J. Durand and Frederick M. Miller
  • Year: 1968; Name: Lucie / Stork; Previous owner: Mathews; National Yacht Club in Toronto, On.
  • Year: 1962; Name: Lucie / Stork; Previous owner: Hugh T. Brown; Hamilton Ontario (RHYC) on Lake Ontario
  • Year: 1940; Name: Lucie / Stork; Previous owner: Wilmot Vail ‘Rooney’ Castle; Rochester, NY.
  • Year: 1931; Name: Lucie; Previous owner: Briggs Cunningham

ABOUT BRIGGS CUNNINGHAM:
Much of Briggs Cunningham’s early experience was gained in the hotly competitive
Star Class, and as a member of the Yale team in two of the intercollegiate matches, in which he sailed in an Eight-Metre and in a Class S yacht. He has won yacht racing honors in international racing, as well as in his home waters, the Pequot Yacht Club, Southport, CT. In 1928 he was part owner, with F.T. Bedford, of the Eight-Metre “Loke,” which he sailed a good part of that summer. The next year he bought the Six-Metre “Akaba,” which won the Seawanhaka Cup in 1928, and renamed her “Lucie.” That season he won the championship in the Sound with her. Taking “Lucie” abroad the following spring, he won the series championship in fast company on the Riviera, and last summer he and this fast “Six” were chosen for the American team picked to meet the British in the British-American team matched sailed off Oyster Bay. The American team won overwhelmingly, and “Lucie” was the high point boat in the match.

SAIL PLAN
(from Sparkman Stephens)
Although this 6-meter is a Clinton Crane design, she shows up on our job list. The drawing shown below is interesting. It is an original inked sail plan found in our files. I can’t tell if it was generated by Nevins (note top portion of title block) or by Crane (note lower portion of title block). The fact that we have it leads me to believe it could have been produced by Rod or Olin from our short lived satellite office at the Nevins yard.

SPECIFICATIONS
Sail: US 55
Year Built: 1931
Designer: Clinton Crane
Builder: Nevins
Owner: Matt Brooks
Length LOA: 37′
Length on waterline: 23′
Beam: 6′
Draft: 5′ 6″
Displacement: 8,300 Lbs.