Summer sailing in Great Cove officially may begin.
Legendary “Martha” returned to her mooring there on Tuesday. She was the first sailboat to return to her summer home in the Cove, which soon will be colonized by many vessels. But none with her fascinating history.
Martha was built here in 1967 by the famed Brooklin naval architect and founder of the renowned Brooklin Boat Yard, Joel White. Joel built it for his even more famous father, the New York- and Brooklin-based author E.B. White (“Charlotte’s Web,” etc.). The vessel was named after Martha White, Joel’s daughter, the granddaughter of E.B. (“call me Andy”).
There’s more for those of you who are fascinated by man-made things that wander over water by wind. “Martha” is almost 20 feet long overall (19’ 9”) and has been designated as a sloop-rigged Crocker-inspired pocket cruiser. A “cruiser” is built to sail on multi-day trips; that is, it’s not just a “daysailer.” Among other things, cruisers usually have at least one berth to sleep on, a stove to cook on, and a head (toilet) to sit on.
But, being a “pocket cruiser,” “Martha” has all of the above amenities in miniaturized form, which requires exquisitely well-designed and finely built accommodations. The “pocket” designation derives from the practice of applying that term to objects that are smaller versions of usually larger things (e.g., pocketknives, pocket watches, pocket battleships, etc.).
Martha is Crocker-inspired because, when he designed it, Joel admittedly was influenced by the designs of naval architect Samuel Sturgis Crocker. S.S. Crocker, another highly-regarded naval architect, created many small and stout cutters with sharply sweeping bows. (Take another look at Martha’s magnificent bow.)
After E.B.’s death, Martha was sold by the White family to Rich Hilsinger, the long-time former Director of the WoodenBoat School here. He promised to keep her in Brooklin where she belongs and where he still lives. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 28, 2025.) See also the image in the first Comment space.