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Jay Picotte's Recovery, Newport, RI - a F.L. Tripp and Sons (Westport, MA) built Dolphin, Tripp # 2? (updated July 29, 2010)  
   
Here is Recovery ready to roll! This photo taken at the head of the small bay in Rockport, Maine at the launch area near Rockport Marine. Photo taken before Jay installed her new round portlights. Your webmaster has been in this same spot a few times looking at Marionette on a mooring.

This is what Jay has to say about his Dolphin. He sent this in 2 parts so the webmaster did some minor editing.

"I believe my boat is hull # 2 of the 4 that were built by F.L. Tripp & Sons (click here to go there) in Westport MA. She doesn't have a hull number corresponding to the hulls built by O'Day, Yankee, Pacific, etc. as far as I know. (Webmaster Note: February 5, 2010. This picture at left of Recovery's nameplate 'surfaced' when posting the interior photos of February 10, 2010 below. It had been in our files for at least 2 years..unfortunately, it has no hull #)

She was built in 1966 and has a Yanmar diesel engine. I've owned her ten years and I do have records of all (I believe) her previous owners - 4 I think. Her original owner was in CT., Darien or New Canaan, someplace on the western Sound. (Webmaster Note: See below) He raced her very seriously. She eventually made her way to Lake Champlain in Vermont where a subsequent owner heavily outfitted her for cruising (windlass, diesel cabin heater, dodger etc..). He then sailed her North through the Richelieu River, the St. Lawrence seaway to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and then back to Vermont.

When I bought her in 1997, she was pretty run down. I've done a lot of restoration including: reconfiguring the interior layout, re-coring the deck, rewiring the whole boat, stripping the entire hull, barrier coating the bottom, awlgripping the hull (1997 and again in 2006) painting the mast (1997 & 2006) and replacing all of the windows.

 

The round portlights were put in by me, in 2005 I think. The original portlights were oversized (about 5"x16"), and they were Plexiglas with black rubber frames. The Plexiglas was so old and crazed I could barely see through them. From the moment I bought the boat I knew I would do this because they were so ugly and big. They drove me crazy. It was a big job that required reglassing both sides of the cabin trunk as well as the front. I decided on the round bronze portlights because I just thought they would look best (still do). Click here for larger image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These following 2 pictures are a few years old, prior to the bronze portholes. In the cabin, you can see the fold-up seat I installed (part of the v-berth) as originally designed by S&S. It's folded up in the picture. To starboard of that I've created a storage compartment that fits my folding bikes when cruising, and sails. That compartment also folds down and there's a filler to make a complete double v-berth. On the inboard face of the ice box there is a fold up mahogany table and another  smaller one on the partial bulkhead aft of the two burner stove that's very handy when cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another old photo of the cockpit. There has been a lot of canvas work: new cushions- cabin and cockpit, new dodger, new sailcovers and awning. I bought all new sails in 2005. I also had custom built a galvanized Triad trailer with brakes and an extending tongue that allows me to launch and retrieve the boat myself. The winch on the trailer combined with a gin pole allows me to step the mast by myself.

 

 

 

 

I built a Herreshoff dinghy that I carry on deck when cruising. Webmaster note: Dolphin owners know how to take dinghy pictures!


 

The dinghy is a Francis Herreshoff design I resigned and built as a nesting dinghy. It comes apart athwartships, forward of amidships and the bow section nests inside the after section. When it's on deck I can walk around it and the transom rests aft of my mooring cleat so I can still access that. I'm also able to assemble and launch it and retreive it solo. Nesting it only requires removing the center thwart and the four 1/2" bronze bolts with wing nuts that hold the two sections together.

Recovery - circa pre round portlights


 

 

I bought Recovery in Vermont and have cruised her down the Hudson River to New York, all through the (LI) Sound, numerous trips to Block, Vineyard & Nantucket and 2 trips to Maine.She's quite fast. I've done very little racing but have done very well against all boats her size and many heavy larger boats. On the downwind leg, (about 5 miles) of the around Conanicut Island (Jamestown) race a couple of years ago I had a bad start but managed to pass 4 J-24s before the windward mark. As you know, she does very well downwind and in light air and with the masthead rig, flies a very large spinnaker. Here is a photo approaching the Newport Bridge. Note her wooden boom and spinnaker pole. Click here for larger image.

 

 

 


One final story: About six years ago I was at the F.L.Tripp yard and mentioned to one of the employees that I had a sailboat that was built there. He said that I must be mistaken because they only build power boats. He then summoned one of the Tripps who was working there. He wasn't aware of any Dolphins built there either. He suggested I go upstairs and talk to "Uncle Bill". Uncle Bill was pretty old and said "Yep, I built that boat." He went on " Might have built more too if Sparkman & Stephens didn't send someone up here to look over my shoulder. I don't like being told how to do my job." After a pause he looked at me and admitted "They were probably the best boats we ever built".


Webmaster Note: When Jay read the November 8, 1968 S&S internal memo to Rod Stephens on this site in the Technical section (click here to read it) he noticed that items 4. and 5. referred to improvements made by a Harold White Jr to his boat Imp. This was his boat - Recovery's old name. Harold was a successful Dolphin racer in the mid 60's. Click here to go to Imp

Another Webmaster Note: Jay has the best of two boating worlds - and another good looking boat built by Tripp - Waterlily. Click here to see her

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In response to an inquiry on the Forum regarding dodgers Jay sent in some pictures of Recovery wearing her dodger and the following email (edited by your webmaster). One of the pictures has another shot of Recovery's Herrshoff nesting dinghy on deck.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         November 26, 2007

Hi Ron

I noticed that there was an inquiry about dodgers on the forum.

 

 

 

 

 

Attached are some shots of Recovery from this past summer, most with the dodger up. I can't recommend one enough for anybody who cruises (that's really the only time I use it). It provides protection from spray when sailing but really comes in handy at anchor or on a mooring when the boat is always pointing upwind. Then, it eliminates wind when sitting in the cockpit and I can leave the companionway hatch open in all but the hardest downpours. It also provides some standing headroom which is nice when putting on pants or when you need to stretch out. In fact, I often stand in the protected companionway under the dodger while underway, which is nice after long spells sitting. Click here for a larger view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pictures with the dinghy on deck are the day after returning from a week-long cruise to Martha's Vineyard. (click here for a larger view) I've made the trip countless times but set an all-time record for speed on August 18th, making it from Newport to Vineyard Haven, covering about 42 miles, in 6 hours. We sailed on a day with WNW winds of 25-30 and had the current in our favor through Vineyard Sound where we were doing 8.5 - 8.7 over the ground at times. The whole trip we did a lot of surfing and averaged about 7 kts which is almost unheard of for a Dolphin. It was a crisp, clear, cool day and I can say it was probably the best sail of my life. The trip back was another story.

I hope you had a good summer and are doing well. It appears that Marionette is getting some TLC this year. The interior looks great. Recovery could use the same treatment, if only I had a barn....

Jay

 

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Jay's day job is curator of the Newport Museum of Yachting. He has been involved in the Museum's recognition of Olin Stephens' 100th birthday in 2008 and his commerating his work at Sparkman and Stephens. Click here to see more on this.

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January 7, 2009

Jay sent in a few more pictures of Recovery and more comments on his restoration work.

You will have to look close. Jay 'confesses' that this is a really faux paint job on his fiberglass combings as well as on the fiberglass transom and forward hatches! Fooled me. He did not like the look of Imp's fiberglass combings, or her original hull color (white), or her oval portlights. No problem. Recovery is an example of what you can do when you really know what you are doing... The wood toe rails were the original with bolts glassed over inside and had lots of cracks, splits and open scarf joints. After thinking about undertaking the big job of replacing the toe rail completely, Jay decided that he buy some time and fill the cracks, splits and scarf joints with 5200, and then paint them. That was 5 years ago. No leaks and practically maintenance free although some attention and 5200 will be needed this spring.

Hard to believe that these combings and that transom hatch are faux painted fiberglass. I'll bet there are some other glass combing Dolphin owners out there that are going think hard when they see this picture. Speaking of good looking this looks like good, high potential crew.

A helicopter shot of Recovery - Jay must be connected to get one of these

Another one!

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February 5, 2010. Jay sent in the following interior pictures. Note that Recovery's nameplate has surfaced in the website's files - see photo near top.

An updated version of one of the above pictures



From the V-berth looking aft

Starboard Communications and Audio Center

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May 11, 2010. Jay sent in a 'Winter Cover' Report which kicked off a new page in our Technical Section on this subject. Click here to go to it

 

 

 

 

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July 19, 2010 - July 19, 2010 - Jay sent in a photo of this beautiful model he had built by Seacraft Classics/Abordage (click to go to their website). They worked off photos and detail instructions Jay provided. This photo shows the model in its display case in Jay's living room.

To see a larger scale photo click here. The detail you can see in the large scale photo is incredible. Note the anchor at the bow, wooden shroud rollers, bronze winches, coiled main sheet, flag, etc.

This model has been included on our models page in the Technical Section . Click here to go to that page

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 20, 2010. Jay also sent in a couple of pictures of the white oak rudder he had built for Recovery. Those pictures and a description are included in the Technical Section/Rudders. Click here to go there.

 

 

 

 

 

July 29, 2010. Your webmaster was in Newport July 16-18 on a 'working' cruise and filed a report. Click here to go to it. Jay was a gracious host and we got to go out on his (also) Tripp built Angler 22, Waterlilly. Elsewhere on this site we had a picture of this boat and just realized that we had no mention of her on this page. She is well worth a mention! Here she is at the dock at Fort Adams ready to take us to check out Recovery on her mooring. Click here to go to Waterlilly.

 

 

 

 

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