THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407190169
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Weather conditions were deteriorating rapidly on the morning of Sept. 27, 1993. The barometric pressure continued to drop as Dr. William Whitmore and his son, Jack, sailed from Mobjack Bay for home port at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club.
By 2 p.m., the pair found themselves fighting 4- to 6-foot seas and 40-mile-an-hour winds just outside the fourth island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
In an instant, the situation became critical. A 50-mph gust tore out the starboard rigging and 8 feet of deck. The bow sprit shattered, the cabin ripped off, and the mast collapsed, narrowly missing the two crewmen.
``If we'd had any passengers that day, I'm afraid someone could have been killed,'' said Whitmore, a retired Norfolk physician. ``When the chain plates gave way, down came 57 feet of mast. Jack jumped overboard four times and pulled the mast back on deck. We eventually limped into Cobb's Marina at Little Creek.''
The Whitmores had been lucky, suffering only minor scrapes and bruises. But the Tradition II, a one-of-a-kind, vintage racing yacht, had not been so fortunate. Damage estimates were more than $20,000. While some people would have scrapped the vessel, Whitmore, a sailor for nearly 50 years, was intent on restoring the craft.
``I always enjoyed working on boats,'' he said. ``But I might not have had the time if I wasn't retired.''
For eight months, father and son put in hundreds of hours of labor-intensive, close-quartered work. Their efforts paid off on May 28. Along with Whitmore's daughter, Mitchell, and a friend of the family, they left Cobb's Marina for home. The Tradition II sailed proudly into the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club at about 6 p.m.
``I think she's better now than before the wreck,'' noted Whitmore, 68. ``It's kind of like a broken bone that heals stronger after the break.''
Constructed in 1947, the 52-foot Tradition II enjoys a solid history along with her 12 tons of juniper wood and fiberglass. Modeled after the old Chesapeake Bay Log Canoes, it was made by Garland Miller, a well-known area sailor and craftsman. Like its turn-of-the-century predecessors, the craft was built for speed and designed specifically for Chesapeake waters.
During the late 1940s and early '50s, it was considered the boat-to-beat on the Bay, winning numerous regattas and setting crossing records. It has been written about in Yachting Magazine several times.
In 1968, Miller sold the Tradition II to his nephew, William Miller, who spent $80,000 on renovations, including a motor. He then donated the boat to Norfolk Academy. Whitmore purchased the craft from the school in 1982.
The September disaster marked the first time that Whitmore had to put any substantial work into the vessel. But it wasn't the first time he had nursed an old boat back to health. In the early 1970s, he overhauled a 1937 German sailing vessel. In 1954, he began building a 26-foot sailboat from scratch. He finished the craft in 1960 and named it ``Lamar,'' for his wife.
``Dad's always been great with his hands,'' said Jack, 31.
Now that the Tradition II is back in the water, it will be boating as usual for Capt. Whitmore and his first mate. But a lot of time will also be spent toiling at the dock. The vessel still needs some cosmetic repair.
``I'll work on her about three or four times a week and go out maybe once or twice,'' said Whitmore. ``But with old boats like this, you never really finish. It's part of it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SARAH McGUIRE
Docked at Cobb's Marina, Dr. William Whitmore and his son, Jack,
show the Tradition's broken mast. They restored the yacht in eight
months.
by CNB