S/V Mistress is a classic racing yacht from the 1930’s with a long storied history.
LOA: 77′
LOD: 60′
LWL: 50′
BEAM: 15′
DRAFT: 9.5′
DISPLACEMENT: 41 tons
DESIGNER: Sherman Hoyt
A former flagship of the New York Yacht Club, Schooner Mistress was built in 1930 for George Emlem Roosevelt, of Oyster Bay, Long Island–a cousin (once removed) of President Teddy. He was a prominent banker, philanthropist and railroad financier. George commissioned Charles Sherman Hoyt (who served as draftsman for Henry J. Gielow, Inc.) to design a yacht following the design rule parameters of the NYYC. The result was a wooden schooner, christened Mistress, built by Eastern Shipbuilding Corporation of Shelbourne, Nova Scotia. During his distinguished yachting career, George Roosevelt was elected commodore of three of the country’s most prominent clubs – The New York Yacht Club, Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, and the Cruising Club of America.
With her stark black topside, the Schooner Mistress was Roosevelt’s special delight for 30 years. She was an able competitor in blue water races to Bermuda and across the Atlantic. After Roosevelt died in 1963, Mistress became a training vessel, renamed Commodore, at SUNY Maritime Academy at Ft. Schuyler on Long Island Sound. Upon her sale, she was christened Mistress again and became a fixture of the charter scene in St. Thomas USVI. In the mid 1970s she was sold again, and subsequently went through a series of private owners–at one point making the passage to Hawaii.
In 1987, the Brothers McCormick acquired the vessel. Though the classified advertisement said “ready for world cruising”, it was not! With numerous friends assisting in the grand effort, they spent the next 15 years, paycheck to paycheck, rebuilding her from stem to stern, masthead to keel. Retaining the classic details on the exterior, the interior was rebuilt using local exotic hardwoods by Key West artisan Jimmy Wray, who gained inspiration from famed woodworker/artist George Nakashima. With the Glenn McCormick at the helm, she has participated in several Classic Yacht Regattas in Antigua, toured with the Tall Ships in OPSAIL 2000, and engaged in several Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Races. The home of Glenn and Julie McCormick, Mistress cruised throughout the Chesapeake, Caribbean and New England waters before taking Mistress to her current home in Chase Creek off the Severn River near Annapolis in 2017.
As of 2019/2020, Mistress is preparing for yet another chapter in her storied history.
Schooner Mistress 
Hello Monk, just sitting in the skiff riding the ebb and flow of the Beaufort Inlet’s tide. Just wanted to say howdy. Howdy! Interesting posts. 😉 I remember those days in Key West getting her ready to make sail, even if my efforts were but for a few days. I revisited Key West back in 2003 and ran into Buckethead @ the usual place when he was apparently the wing HMFIC, with about 30 other Adversary types. The Tequila flowed freely that afternoon. Hoping for fair wind and a following sea for you always sir.
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Wow, I haven’t been on this site for months and months, and I get two blasts from the past in one weekend! (Perhaps I should start writing again…) How the hell are you. Been hanging up here in Annapolis, retired, but busier than ever. How does that work? Still have Mistress, but attempting to have one of my crew take over the maintenance and running of her…and we’ll just visit wherever she is. Got a note from Shlafe/Opie/Gazer a few weeks ago…they were down in KW. Haven’t seen Bucket in quite a while…though I did go to one of his change of commands.
Hope all is, and remains well. Thanks for checking in.
Monk
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Sailed aboard the Mistress in Hawaii in 1978 over to Honalulu harbor to get her main sail sewn up. We crossed the Molokai channel in 12 foot seas and 20 knot winds. She tracked down swell beautifly. Ralph was the captain but my old school mate Dale Krieter owned her. I have a picture I can post of me in the cockpit if I may?
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I sailed her the winter of 79, she was a totally haunted ship.
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I was crew on the Mistress in 1972- 3 in Mexico. Ralph was the owner at that time. She was a delight to sail and solid under foot in a sea..
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I sealed the Mistress during the winter of 1979 in Hawaii. We would sail down 50 foot breaking seas in the channel between Maui and Molokai. The boat was a wash constantly. Many times we had to tie ourselves into the cockpit so not to get washed overboard. We saw many ghosts on that voyage, The captain who we would see many times over and over again in the dead of night and his companions. At one time I asked Ralph who was the said owner of the boat that I thought I was seeing ghosts and he asked me which ones I saw.I had mentioned I saw the captain many times and I have met the crew on different occasions going back into the cabin in the engine room. All these great people had come back from the dead to sail this great boat which they had the greatest adventures of all time on. There were two of us from maine, Nick and myself.
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I sailed aboard the Mistress from 1973 or 4 until 1979.We harbored at Shelter Island in San Diego
California.
The voyage you referred to re; Hawaii was in 1977. Mistress was the oldest vessel ever to sail the Transpac Race at that time! In addition to winning the Bermuda Race ywice and the Fastnet Race in England.
There was a book aboard entitled The Mistress which explained her history, (also listing other vessels designed by Sherman, her racing triumphs, her Annapolis training days, etc.) There was a photograph of President Eisenhauer sitting in the cockpit behind the binnacle. Do you still have the book?
I could tell you some amazing tales of our trips to Catalina, but mostly out of Kawaihi Harbor on the Big Island during a storm that claimed the Holo Holo, a Hawaii Research vessel with 12 men aboard., all of the trips when we were out on the Roadstead off Lahaina until we sank a permanent mooring.
She’s a dream to sail, one of the finest ever built. We hauled her out every year to do the bottom, keel, repairs on the prop. Decks were teak, sticks are spruce.
Do you know what happened to her during the 80’s & 90’s? Who allowed her to fall into such a pitiful condition in the keys? They should be keel-hauled and hung from the yardarms.
I actually went to Honolulu to study for 100 ton ocean operator’s skippers papers with Captain Alverson from the Coast Guard for a month.
I miss her! One of the fairest lasses ever to grace the sea!
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Hello Karen–
Thanks for your note. It’s always a pleasure to link up with former crew of Mistress.
My brother found her in Solomons Maryland on the Patuxent River, and we bought her in Feb 1987. The previous owner had her for about 15 years, I think. She was in bad shape, and we ended up gutting her in Annapolis to reframe. We took her as a shell (no interior at all–stupid) to Key West, arriving Jan ’89. There we rebuilt the interior…and ended up cold-molding the hull anyway in ’98. Since then she’s been up and down the coast and to the Caribbean several times. Good fun. She should be around for a while yet.
We do not have, and have not heard of the book of which you speak. Would love to track down a copy. Any idea who wrote it?
Best–
Glenn
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Lex call capt tnt 2519795741
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Howdy Monk How’s. Scum. Doing. Still Married. ??? Are you still withbAnerican air. Good to hear old mistress is still ploughing the oceans wide
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When I was a lad sailing out of Huntington Bay, Long Island, the next Bay east of Oyster Bay, we used to appreciate Mistress. My family was well known in yachting circles and so knew George; who was about 90 years old when I was a kid in the 60s. She never had auxiliary power, George wouldn’t have it.
Some years later, having just graduated from college, I was cruising with Julian K. Roosevelt aboard a nice little 40′ yawl he had. We were anchored in The Thimble Islands off the Connecticut shore, twilight, cocktail hour–quiet as could be–in sails Mistress, holds up to wind, drops sails, drops anchor…no power necessary. “Dooley” Roosevelt and I were pleasantly shocked, looked at each other and said nothing. She is aptly named, Mistress. Thanks for the memories. –Beeper Moore, California (boy) now, St. Francis YC. It’s all good.
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Thanks so much for your note. One of the great pleasures of continuing the Mistress story is meeting and hearing from some of her earlier “family”. If we ever make it to the Bay Area, as I intend some day, I hope there’s room for us at the YC! (I used to live in Alameda, and still consider myself a California boy.
Glenn
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Hello Warren – this is Jay Bolton former skipper of the Mistress when she was at NY Maritime College – If you send me your email address, I’ll send you some pictures . brgds jay Bolton
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Oh the rewards of stumbling on an old friend…Hack, Bandit and Omar
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Well now Hack…great to hear from you too. Still with UPS?
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Is this the fine lady that some of us Omars had the pleasure of doing some small labor on in 92, or 93? If she be the vessel, she sure turned out to be quite a fine specimen indeed. As I recall, she needed lots of love and a ton of hard work after being brought down to the Keys. The payment, as my faulty grey matter suggests was a meal at the Compass Rose.
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Good day Allen. Great to hear from an Omar! This is indeed the same Mistress. And she is presently in Key West, but I am heading there today to bring her north to the Chesapeake Bay. I’m living just outside of Annapolis now…at least for the near term! And yes, the Compass Rose was the place to hang out. Unfortunately, the CR closed many years ago.
Best regards–
Monk
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Hi! Ms. Julie. This is Hannah from Ballet Royale. I’ve recently found your blog and have been reading it frequently. I can’t wait till you come back to dance. Hope your having fun in the warmth. -Hannah
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Gorgeous! Simply Gorgeous!
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Wow she looks beautiful!
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