Boat Name: Mood

Sail: US 68

Year Built: 1936

Designer: Sparkman & Stephens

Builder: Nevins, City Island, New York

Owner: Duncan Green

History: Mood, ex Bobkat III, ex Firecracker, was designed and built for J. Seward Johnson, CEO of the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Johnson also commissioned the design of the US 56 "Jill" and US 59 "Jack". "Mood" was intended to sail in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but did not. In 1948 the lead was removed, recast in a new shape and placed slightly farther forward, presumably based on the success of later S&S boats like Goose and Llanoria. Duncan Green of Toronto has been the owner since 1963 and relates the following:

"I found bronze plates on the boat showing it was surveyed and built under Lloyd's Standard '+14R' - whatever that means- and built by Henry Nevins Yacht Builders at City Island, New York. "Mood" was inscribed as the original name in 1936 (editor's note: she is erroneously described as "Bobkat III" in "Best of the Best - The Yacht Designs of Sparkman & Stephens). In 1970 I sandblasted and partially 'deboned' the inside of the hull inside and outside - in order to make a plug to be fiberglassed inside and outside. The original 5/8" planking is the core of the section. The original shape of S&S Design 104 has not been altered in the least, although the bridge-deck is a single diaphram of 3/8" laminate which affords shelter and a standup bar underneath. "Mood" is the first ever sailboat, S&S or otherwise, with a reverse transom."

J. Seward Johnson sailed "Mood" on the victorious American team in the 1936 British-American Team Race with the virtual Who's Who of American yachting of the time: future America's Cup winner Briggs Cunningham on "Lucie", Scandinavian Gold Cup, future Olympic Gold Medal winner and 6 meter legend Herman "Swede" Whiton on "Indian Scout", and Philip J. Roosevelt on Seawanhaka Cup winner "Jill". As "Firecracker" she won again in the 1951 British-American Team Race with Herman Whiton at the helm.

1/7/00 - Pictures coming soon.

 

 

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