The Center for Wooden Boats recently announced the sale of the1938 International 6 metre yacht K 57 "Erica". She was designed by Charles Nicholson and built at Camper & Nicholson, Gosport, England. Proceeds of the sale of "Erica" will go toward the in-progress complete restoration of the 1926 Ted Geary designed "R" boat, "Pirate". New owner Richard Bond is very excited to have a new project after having recently completed the extensive restoration of another Nicholson 6mR, the 1947 design, K48 "Caprice". Tino Rownsley's excellent work on this project was well chronicled in Classic Boat Magazine's September 1999 issue. Word has it this time around Mr. Bond will trust the world famous craftsmen at "Erica's" birthplace, Camper & Nicholson in Gosport, England.
"Erica" was commissioned by Scottish distiller Ronald Teacher to compete in the 1938 British-American Team Race Challenge, which was held on Long Island Sound, New York that same year. Unfortunately for "Erica" and her sister competitors, K55 "Circe", K56 "Solenta", and K60 "Vrana", the Americans were up to the task with Sparkman & Stephens designs US77 "Fun", US80 "Djinn", US81 "Goose" and US76 "Rebel". Suffice it to say that the only consolation for the British Team that season was the later victory of K55 "Circe" over US81 "Goose" for the Seawanhaka Cup. Following the series, "Erica" went back to Great Britain, where she competed mainly on the Clyde, in Scotland, through the war years. Erica made her way to Canada immediately following WWII, sailing in Vancouver, B.C., then Everett, north of Seattle. She has been well maintained through the years, thanks to her former owners' careful maintenence. While in the Pacific Northwest for the last 50 or so years, she has been known as "Hecate". Her most recent owners, Ann Lichtenwalner and Richard Langendoen, donated her to the Center for Wooden Boats, where she has been receiving attention to her rudder, rig arrangement and a return to her original trim and sail plan, more or less. More on "Erica".

The Center for Wooden Boats is a hands-on non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of significant wooden boats and yachts. The CWB is located in the middle of Seattle on the South end of Lake Union. For more information on "Pirate", see the website at http://www.r-boat.org