LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2018 LOCALadk Magazine 25 LOCALadk When the racers have fun names like Water Sprite (31), Elf- mere (25), Mayfly (28), Shadow (20), Kingfisher (22), Peak-A- Boo (2), Spider (27), and Dragonfly (23), you just know it is going to be a great time. The thrill of watching these beautiful sailboats tack across a pristine Adirondack lake during a warm but windy summer day was surreal. I was witnessing so many things at once: a rich histor y, a long tradition, friendly yet serious competi- tion, and pure passion for sailing. These gorgeous sailboats are called Idems and they are 32-foot gaff-rigged racing sloops. They were built in 1899 by boat-builder Clinton Crane specifically for the St. Regis Yacht Club waters. Only a doz- en were built. At the time they cost $750 each. The Idem is believed to be the oldest one-class racing design that is still sailed in the United States. Today there are 13 Idems in existence. One of the original 12 is now on display in the lobby of Adirondack Experience, the museum in Blue Mountain Lake. That boat, Water Witch (24), has been on display since 1960 when it was donated by Whitelaw Reid, one of the original owners. (Whitelaw was, in 1953, also the editor and president of the New York Tribune.) The remaining 11 sailboats still sail on St Regis Lake and are raced ever y summer. In 2004 the Millennium Falcon (32), the only new Idem, was built. It was built to the exact specs of the originals, thus bringing the racing fleet back to 12. One intriguing aspect is that many of the boats are sailed by descendants of the original owners. Elfmere (25) was first owned for a short time by James R. Roosevelt, who then sold it to George H. Earle Jr. Today, Elfmere is sailed by one of Earle's descendants, George Earle V, who started sailing at the age of 16. He spent his first three summers working the mainsail as his dad skippered. This summer will mark his 62nd year sailing on 25. His son, George VI, is often part of his crew. The design of the Idem is key to why they are the right boat for a small lake like St Regis. Crane designed a boat that is large, light, and low-sided. The deck area is ver y flat with a U-shaped section where the crew sits and sails from. The large cotton sail is 600 square feet and the mast is 28 feet tall. All of this makes for a ver y fast boat that performs best in smooth water – perfect for St Regis. Over the years some of the boats left St Regis for bigger lakes but they all came back after failing to sail well. The bigger lakes provide too much wind for the large cotton sails.

• Cover