[Alan Bemis—home movies] Reel 5

Date1937

AbstractCan notes:"Grown-up Stuff MAINE 1937 "Men's Cruise" + other" Donor notes: "Grownup Stuff Maine 1937 Picnic at Marshalls (black +white) early July [Cruise to the Eastward loading boats at H. Head, Roque I., Cutler, West Quoddy Head, Lubec Welch Pool, St. Croix River, the Falls leaving Cobscook Bay July.] [Seal Cove, Hog Wrestle---Blue Dolphin + Corbeau in Reach Aug 21] Gang at Cabin, H Head sawing wood + sailing on Reach Oct. 12] Sunset at McCoy's late August" The yacht "Cirrus" is a Fisher Island Sound class sloop, sail number 11 with a distinctive red hull. She was built at Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, RI, in 1930 (originally named Kelpie) and bought by Alan Bemis in 1934 or 1935. There were 14 boats in the class. LOA 44 ft. In 1954, Bemis converted Cirrus to a yawl rig. Bemis owned Cirrus for more than 50 years, sailing her almost exclusively in Maine and Canadian waters. The men's cruise was an annual event, starting in about 1935, to Passamaquoddy Bay and back, usually with an overnight at Roque Island. The first cruises included Ken, Eric and John Parson, Manny Sargent, Harold Willis. B&W Shots from boat as rowboat full of people with little freeboard is rowed to shore. Picnic at Marshall's Island, near Swan's Island, early July 1937. A campfire is built using logs from sandy beach. Several people swim. Cirrus and Vieux Corbeau are anchored in cove offshore. HAS to dock from house at High Head. Vieux Corbeau and Cirrus tied up being provisioned for cruise, including barrels and boxes being unloaded from truck on dock. Color footage: Men's cruise July 1937. Scenes of Cirrus taken from dinghy in tow. Views sending small fireworks into water. Passing by Vieux Corbeau at anchor with man up the mast. Pass by women on Vieux Corbeau. Boats at anchor. Views at Roque Island, Cutler, and passing West Quoddy Head Light Station in Lubec, erected in 1808, rebuilt in 1858. Passing shoreline in Lubec, showing canning factories, etc. Shots of Cirrus underway under full sail. Vieux Corbeau going through Cobscook Falls behind Cirrus, both boats motoring, trying to steer a straight course. Views of several boats anchored near each other, launch service on Noah's Ark, and party on one of the larger boats (Blue Dolphin). Three-masted schooner underway. Vieux Corbeau sails to and by Cirrus. B&W footage: Sawing up logs for fire at campsite. Women come out of small cabin at High Head to watch and supervise. Color footage: Chapie Bemis with Harold Willis on Vieux Corbeau sailing toward High Head. Views from water of High Head, sailing with rail under on the Reach. Sunset shots over the Bay from the McCoy house in Brooklin.