I Knew It! I Knew It! Steve Shumaker, son of Yankee 30 builder John Shumaker
| Steve and Friends: My father, John Shumaker, built these boats. I was 15 when the company folded, but until then I was able to sail the boat our family owned (Hull #5, Zapatero) extensively. I have always thought the 30 was the most pleasant, seaworthy boat I have ever sailed, and felt it must have a cult following somewhere. Well, I was right. I'm delighted with this website, and I'm going to tell my dad about it, as soon as he get's back from taking my son to his first day of the summer sailing program at Dana Point. He'll be tickled. By the way, that's me on the cabin top in the photo with Olin Stephens at the helm. That was the only time I met him. He was kind and softspoken; it was hard to believe he was the world's leading yacht designer at the time. Meeting Mr. Stephens was quite a treat for me, because at that time I was thinking of becoming a yacht designer. My parents have a large framed original of that photo in their home, only in the original you can see my lower legs. It seems the marketing people wanted to make sure you could see all of the cabin, so out came the air-brush, and away went my legs. The man in charge of marketing in those days was Ned Keonig. He was the original owner of the boat named Leading Lady, which I see from this website, still has that name. I think Ned died several years ago. After Yankee Yachts ceased to exist, we moved inland and my dad started growing avocados. I took up backpacking and rock-climbing, but still sailed and raced from time to time. My father is still involved with boats, he currently owns a Laser 28, Zapatero. The boat is a Bruce Farr design. My dad, ever the boatbuilder, has modified the boat, adding a keel bulb and a swim step, among other things. Dad and I have recently embarked on a couple of new projects together. One is a 14' trapeze dinghy, which started out as a Farr designed Javelin, but I made substantial changes to the lines and construction details. It is under construction now. The second project is a bit more ambitious: a 33' light displacement cruising boat we are going to build using plywood and cold-molded construction. I think dad has always wanted to build a boat entirely out of wood. The first boat he built was the Yankee Dolphin, Hull No. 71 (the previous Dolphins were built by O'Day). He had O'Day provide him with a fiberglass hull and he built the deck, cabin, and interior out of wood. He even built a hollow, laminated spruce mast for the boat. The boat, Yankee, was gorgeous. I think he named the company after the boat; I have vague recollections of he and my mother trying to come up with a name for the boat and later (I think), the company. The first four boats were built in the same manner. Subsequent Dolphins, like the Yankee 30s, sported fiberglass decks and aluminum masts. But I digress. I am designing the 33' boat to be fast and easy to handle, especially downwind. But given the choice between it (or any other boat) and a Yankee 30 to sail around the world, or upwind in a blow, I would choose the Yankee 30. By the way, my Dad's friend bought a MK I a few years ago. He is currently replacing the engine with a Bukh sail drive. I got to see the boat in the yard a few days ago. What a beautiful boat. It is hard to believe it was designed to the IOR rule. I hope this little bit of history about the boat and its builder proves interesting. Love the site, |