Cape Ann dory
Encyclopedia
The Cape Ann dory is a traditional fishing boat, a variant of the beach dory or Swampscott dory
. Cape Ann
dories were often fitted with a small spirit rig sail, a short folding centerboard, and washboard
s (bits of deck that run alongside the boat to keep the water out when heeling). The descendants of the Cape Ann dory are still raced as the Town Class. Due to their 'V'-shaped hulls, dories, especially those that are more slab-sided than rounded, have a tendency to heel sharply at first.
Beach dories were designed to be launched behind a breakwater (structure)
and into no more than a moderate surf for a day of fishing
or lobstering
. The oars were generally used to propel the boat to the fishing grounds and the afternoon wind would come up and allow the sails to be used for the return trip.
In 1876, Danish
immigrant and fisherman Alfred Johnson sailed a custom twenty foot Cape Ann dory from Gloucester, Massachusetts
to Liverpool
in 66 days, proving the design built for fishing the rough Atlantic Ocean
could handle nearly any weather. Johnson's dory, named the "Centennial" in honor of America's 100th Anniversary, was outfitted with three watertight compartments to prevent sinking if swamped and to hold his supplies. Instead of the simple spirit rig usually found on traditional Cape Ann dories, Johnson equipped his with a square sail and two jibs.
Swampscott dory
The Swampscott dory is a traditional fishing boat, used during the middle of the 19th century by fishing villages along the coast of Massachusetts. It is a type of dory designed to be launched off the beach...
. Cape Ann
Cape Ann
Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...
dories were often fitted with a small spirit rig sail, a short folding centerboard, and washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
s (bits of deck that run alongside the boat to keep the water out when heeling). The descendants of the Cape Ann dory are still raced as the Town Class. Due to their 'V'-shaped hulls, dories, especially those that are more slab-sided than rounded, have a tendency to heel sharply at first.
Beach dories were designed to be launched behind a breakwater (structure)
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
and into no more than a moderate surf for a day of fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
or lobstering
Lobster fishing
Lobster fishing, sometimes called lobstering, is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine lobsters, spiny lobsters or crayfish.-Lobster tools and technology:...
. The oars were generally used to propel the boat to the fishing grounds and the afternoon wind would come up and allow the sails to be used for the return trip.
In 1876, Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
immigrant and fisherman Alfred Johnson sailed a custom twenty foot Cape Ann dory from Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in 66 days, proving the design built for fishing the rough Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
could handle nearly any weather. Johnson's dory, named the "Centennial" in honor of America's 100th Anniversary, was outfitted with three watertight compartments to prevent sinking if swamped and to hold his supplies. Instead of the simple spirit rig usually found on traditional Cape Ann dories, Johnson equipped his with a square sail and two jibs.