“Alden Fiberglass Boats” List

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Hi Gregg,

Great to hear from you and to have news of another of our flotilla that’s under TLC.

Iain
 
Feb 22, 2006
30
Gregg,

Welcome aboard.

I own the first Alden Mistral built, 981-A and would love to exchange photos of the boats. I have been refitting my boat for about 4 years and I'm nearly done. I have tried to stay as close as possible to the original plans and specs but I believe this was the first boat that Field Aircraft Services ever finished off so I've had to make some improvements without changing the character of the boat. ( For example, the whole boat was wired with 20 gage aircraft quality wiring that had no less than 4 shorts in it when I pulled it out.) Hopefully your pictures will give me some additional info to guide me. Th Mistrals seem to have a lot of variation from one to the other so I will be very cureous to see what yours looks like.

I assume you have a complete set of drawing for the boat. If not I would suggest you get a set from Neils.

My boat is located in Seattle. You're certianly welcomed to stop by if you're ever in the neighbor.

If we are going to be sending a lot of pictures back and forth, maybe we should do this off line. My e-mail address is:
williamlmerrick@msn.com

Bill Merrick
S/V Carmina
Seattle WA
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Presently the only boat of this group I'm aware of probably having had a teak deck from new is the 1969 Molich finished Caravelle 992M "Cythera" (ex Dawn Piper), presently for sale - see link at 992M on The List - but I'll check my facts on that. As Bill says, these yachts all have their differences, which is one of the nice things about them. So 'Ti' quite possibly was finished with teak decks - for example if Alden or Halmatic were struggling to sell her. But I think it's more likely that a past owner did it. Do you know if the owner your father bought her from was the first U.S. owner, and/ or when she was first registered in U.S?

I recently started making some Field Aircraft Services historical enquiries in UK and will report with news as I have it. The company still exists as Harrods Aviation, but no longer builds bespoke executive plane interiors, which is what it was doing in the 1960's at Wymeswold, Leicestershire, when the Marine Division worked on so many Alden and Camper & Nicholsons yachts because Field Aviation and Halmatic were then part of the same holding company, Hunting.

Regarding Bill's aircraft spec. wiring comments, I love the London Underground map like neatness of that in my boat: 40 years old and no voltage drop.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Hi Gregg, welcome to the board. I hope you Mistral owners will keep us in the loop with photos and details, I'd love to know more about the boats. We sailed out of Charlotte Vermont for nearly a decade before moving to Maine. I've yet to find a place that's prettier than Lake Champlain to sail. We still have friends in Charlotte. I look forward to hearing about your boat and Lake Champlain. We used to keep our previous boat at Charlotte Sailing center/ ex Trudy Fisher (I think?) Where will you sail out of on the Lake?

I must have seen the boat in Bucks Harbor as we used to go there quite a bit when the kids were younger. Dan Cassidys Challenger has been there over the years as well, it may still be. It's a great spot to keep a boat. We sail out of Rockport down the bay.
 
May 19, 2008
10
Hi Bill: thanks for your reply and for your information. I will send photos of TI when I get some mailable. Sounds like you have embarked on quite the four year journey. How complete are you?

I will send some photos soon.

Best,

Gregg,

Welcome aboard.

I own the first Alden Mistral built, 981-A and would love to exchange photos of the boats. I have been refitting my boat for about 4 years and I'm nearly done. I have tried to stay as close as possible to the original plans and specs but I believe this was the first boat that Field Aircraft Services ever finished off so I've had to make some improvements without changing the character of the boat. ( For example, the whole boat was wired with 20 gage aircraft quality wiring that had no less than 4 shorts in it when I pulled it out.) Hopefully your pictures will give me some additional info to guide me. Th Mistrals seem to have a lot of variation from one to the other so I will be very cureous to see what yours looks like.

I assume you have a complete set of drawing for the boat. If not I would suggest you get a set from Neils.

My boat is located in Seattle. You're certianly welcomed to stop by if you're ever in the neighbor.

If we are going to be sending a lot of pictures back and forth, maybe we should do this off line. My e-mail address is:
williamlmerrick@msn.com

Bill Merrick
S/V Carmina
Seattle WA[/quote]
 
May 19, 2008
10
Tom: Thank you for your post. I will post photos and details as I have them.

I live in NE Charlotte on Dorset Street extension. I have my boat presently at George Darling's boatyard on Ferry Road. He and his team are doing a great job. Although I recently joined the Lake Champlain Yacht Club, I am contemplating a mooring at Point Bay Marina because of its better proximity to open water.

My dad had a mooring in Rockport Harbor for many years, located halfway out the harbor. Walt Frazer painted a lovely watercolor with TI unknowingly featured.

More to follow

Regards,

Gregg
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Good to see some Challengers and a Caravelle selling recently quickly and apparently for good prices in relation to condition. Hopefully no unaccounted-for Caravelle, Challenger, Mistral or Zephyr suffers this fate...
 
May 21, 2008
30
Alden Challenger Portland
Hi Ian,Since promising to send you pictures of Mock Turtle last year I have let my UK house and moved much of my stuff to France where I live most of the time and in the process misplaced them.I have not forgotten them or trying to find the location of Mock Turtle but as I am usually only in the UK for short periods it escapes my thoughts but it will happen one day.I am at present in the USA working hard on Black Star.
Regards
Philip Dann
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Good to hear from you. All the best with 'Black Star' Philip.
 
Jul 26, 2010
14
Hello, Iain

I believe I have 949CC, once Nimbus, but for the last 28 years, Godspeed, out of Annapolis, Maryland, cruising on the Chesapeake. At least the last 15 or so of those 28 years were spent out of the water, on jack stands in a small marina on the Severn River.

And Now, in my boatshed near New Paltz, NY near the Hudson River, hopefully to return to the water in 2011, with a new name, but not until a lot more work happens.

If you know of any Alden Challenger owners near me (say, Long Island Sound?) I would appreciate a way to contact them, as I seek models for rebuilding the interior.

Thanks, Joe Hayes
845-255-8582
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Thanks for that Joe.

I think you may be best to make contact by PM with board member "Whit" who has a LeComte Challenger somewhere east of you.

All power to your project.

Iain
 
Aug 29, 2009
5
Re: “Alden Fiberglass Boats” List - Caravelle Update

Nice work re: Alden List.

I'm Cythera, listed as Caravelle hull 992M, and do appreciate both the data and pic links you've set-up. However, pls change the home port to Charleston, SC (not NC). Thx.
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
Thanks for your nice comments. Sorry about the geography - sorted now! Cythera looks stunning. Iain
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
949FF "Lorelei": found... and lost.

"The History of the Southern Yacht Club" by Flora K. Scheib, 1986, confirms that 949FF "Lorelei" was lost in 1969 during Hurricane "Camille".
 

CaravelaofExe

Alden Forum Moderator
Jan 24, 2006
221
Alden Caravelle 42 / Northern European waters
A rainy autumn Saturday seemed right for a rather tardy spring clean to this listing post, which now includes some biographical links for original owners at yacht first names.

I was getting rather worn out by this task towards the end, but there was gold at the end of the rainbow once the reason for 992R’s original name, ‘Chic’, was revealed: her commissioning owner was a Maryland poultry farmer.

There are still a lot of boats out there unaccounted for during the life of this forum... All new input and updates welcome.
 

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
I can't help, but I'm glad you're still on the hunt for us. Iain.
 
Feb 28, 2013
3
Dear Ian,

I have bought the Alden Mistral Perigee. 981B. It will be harbored in Gloucester, MA.

Sincerely,

Stephen Arnason
 
Feb 28, 2013
8
Ian

I just wanted to give you an update on Mistral 981E SAKI. My wife and I purchased her in February of this year. We are currently in the process of rejuvenating her and will be renaming her SENSATIONAL. When the initial work is done we will move her to the North East River in MD.

Thank you for keeping this information.

Steven Frankel

Wilmington DE