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 General George S. Patton  John G. Alden |
Schooner
WHEN AND IF - History |
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| WHEN AND IF is a classic John G.
Alden designed schooner, built by FF Pendleton in Wiscasset, Maine for
then Colonel and Mrs. George S. Patton. She was launched in 1939 and the
Pattons planned to sail her around the world "when and if" Patton
returned from the war that he saw looming in Europe. Unfortunately, Patton
- by then a famous General - was killed in a freak auto accident shortly
after the end of the war. But while he never sailed WHEN AND IF completely
around the world, he did sail her before his death, relishing her superior
ability under sail. After the general's death, WHEN AND IF was sailed by Mrs. Patton for some years. She then gave the schooner to her brother Frederick Ayer, who sailed her along the New England Coast, where she acquired many admirers for her lovely design, superb seaworthiness and sailing qualities. The family continued to sail WHEN AND IF until the 1970s when they donated the vessel to the Landmark School north of Boston. For over 20 years, she was used in the Landmark sail training program for dyslexic kids (Patton himself was dyslexic). She took hundreds of kids sailing, teaching them the elements of seamanship, and a lot about life, in the finest traditions of the sea.
When she was lifted off the rocks the damage was substantial but not as bad as feared. She was placed aboard a barge and brought to the renowned Gannon & Benjamin Boatyard of Martha's Vineyard. Vineyard Haven Harbor has long been known as a haven for wooden schooners and boats, and the island had the craftsmen and skilled shipbuilders to repair her. She remained in the boatyard for two years and was relaunched in June of 1994 to much joy in the classic yacht and the sailing world. In 2003, WHEN AND IF garnered the award for "the most dramatic finish" in the Retired Skippers Race off Castine, Maine. She sailed in Foxy's Regatta sponsored by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead, MA, the Gloucester Schooner Race and, closer to home, the MOFFETT Cup out of Vineyard Haven. She is now proudly owned by the Ruitenberg family, who manage her charter with love and the thrill of a classic sailing vessel slicing through the Atlantic waters again. |
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Ruitenberg Charters PO Box 95 Midland Park, NJ 07432 201-739-8810 cruitenberg@hotmail.com www.SchoonerWhenandIf.com Copyright ©2006-2009 Schooner When
And If & Ruitenberg Charters. All rights reserved. |
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