Dear Larry,

In 1967 I bought the burned wreck of Sandpiper from Jack Niedringhaus in Annapolis. For the next two years I carefully rebuilt her into a very nice boat. Eventually, I did sell her for a larger boat. About 1995 A young man named Cris Gordon called me to say that he now owned the boat and was successfully racing it in the Chesapeake Fleet. I had his address but have lost it. I was hoping that I could either get his address from you folks, or if security is a problem, have him call me (301-946-3921)

In the event that he has sold the boat I would like to get in touch with the new owner.

I am now eighty and had to give up boating a couple of years ago, but the Sandpiper was dear to my heart and it would be fun to find out were she is. Any help will be most appreciated.

Former Triton Assoc. Member, James A. Higgins

James,

I'm forwarding your request to Dave Hoyt who knows Cris and Sandpiper well. I'm sure he'll be able to help you.

I have a connection with Sandpiper, too. In my boat, Dogstar, there's a now-rusty can of Chesapeake Bay seasoning for crabs (the red-stuff that gets into tiny cuts on you hand). It's labled "Thanks from Sandpiper", a little gift from the 1996 Nationals.

Please let me know if you need more help finding Sandpiper's whereabouts. I can post your question on the web.

Best regards,
Larry Suter

Hello Mr. Higgins--I am responding to your email to Larry Suter about Triton #129 "Sandpiper". Chris Gordon owned the boat for many years and sailed it actively and raced competitively on the Chesapeake, winning CBYRA high point several times (3 years in a row). A couple of years ago he decided to change his lifestyle: he bought a well equipped Crealock 37 and sold his Triton and his house. He left this area last fall, sailing south to Florida and then out to the Bahama Islands for the winter. He returned this past spring, sailing up the east coast, stopping here in Annapolis for a few weeks before going on to New England. He was in Maine in July, and I would expect he will soon start back this way. You can contact him by email at: midnightmail@juno.com, or by snail mail at 2411 Whitney St., Houston, TX 77006 ( a mail drop that gets forwarded to him). Chris sold Sandpiper to Stuart Gillespie, who keeps the boat at Whitehall Marina (with about 7 other Tritons including mine), near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Stuart is less active than Chris, but does use the boat routinely. Stuart used to live at 323 N. Patrick St., Alexandria VA 22314. I understand he moved a few months ago, but his mail should be forwarded. I think Don Frye, Commodore of the Chesapeake Bay Triton Fleet, has his current address: try emailing DonaldFrye@AOL.com. I was fascinated to hear you bought the boat from Jack Niedringhaus. I knew Jack and Barbara, but the boat he owned at that time was Puffin, # 520.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Always nice to hear from old, I mean former, Triton owners. Dave Hoyt 410-768-4932

Hi David.

Many thanks for your news and the information about the SANDPIPER. I had tried to call Cris Gordon, but his phone had been disconnected. How nice to hear that he is off sailing on a full time basis. I spent a good bit of time at sea with our Navy andI really liked being around boats and the water, but I must admit I've never had the urge to live and travel on a small boat for more than a couple of weeks

Sandpiper, #129, was originally purchased in the late 1950s by Richard Bowe of Rugby Hall. The story as I remember it, was that it was tied up for the winter at his private pier. A young neighbor boy got on the boat during the winter and tried to light an alcohol stove that sat on a high shelf near the companion way hatch. It flared up, the boy managed to get out and ran. The fire burned through the wooden companion way hatch, out along the cockpit coamings, scorched the gel coat on the aft port side and died out on its own. The fiber glass in the cockpit burned, fluffed up and went out -- protecting the full gasoline tank just beneath it. After Mr. Bowe discovered that the boat had been on fire, he had it towed to Smith's boatyard (now Mears Marina) in Eastport Annapolis. Fortunately, most of the boat's outfit had been stored ashore for the winter. Mr. Smith stored the engine and spares in a warehouse. And there the boat sat for several years. I'm not sure when Jack Niedringhaus bought the boat. He had intended to have it repaired and strip it down to be used strickly for a racer. I have no idea why he gave up on the idea but he did. I was looking to build a boat for myself, but was having some reservations of starting from scratch, One day I had stopped in to talk to Mr. Smith and he was showing me all the parts an things that came with the rather sad appearing hull, and it began to make sense so I gave Jack a call and wound up buying the wreck in April of 1967.

Mr. Smith cleared a spot for me to work on the boat, and the fun began. I cut away the old top deck molding, and arranged for Pearson to cast a new top deck molding with a headliner. While waiting for that to be delivered, I had cleaned out the inside and repaired the hull. I installed the new deck molding and had her closed up tight, and in December of that year, I had it moved to Bolling Field were it was more convenient for me to work. I worked on the boat through the winter and she was launched August 20, 1968 , and I sailed her the first time on September 14, 1968. I continued to add to the boat through that winter, and in the spring of 1969, we moved her to the West River at Shadyside. I kept the boat for about eight years and my young family thoroughly enjoyed having it. I sold it to a close family friend, Elmer Wachter, who in turn sold it to Chris Gordon. Its remarkable that the boat is near fifty years and is apparently still going well.

About 1973, it appeared that the gate valves, that had been supplied with the boat as through hull fittings, were failing. I had her hauled out at Whitehall Marina for the winter so I could replace the through hull fittings. I also had them take down the mast so I could work on it during the winter. In the process of taking it down, they dropped it. They had a sling on the mast but it was slack when they released the shrouds. The mast fell across the dock onto the dock's electric cables and bounced. The bottom of the mast came out of the step and shot across the deck just catching the starboard toe rail. If you look at the teak toe rail it has a small dutchman set in as a repair. I was standing on the stern of the boat when this happened -- that was the nearest that I ever came to falling off a boat. Actually, I think I must have learned to fly or I should have gone in head first. My wife and I will plan soon to go by Whitehall Marina to see Sandpiper -- she has brought so much pleasure in so many different people in so many different ways. I hope Stuart Gillespie has the same good experience.

Chris came to see me about ten years ago, and gave me the cup that he had won for, I believe, the 1989 regatta. I hadn't had the chance to meet him before and it was especially nice of him. My wife and I both appreciated his visit the most.

I'm going to try to scan in a couple of pictures of the boat -- I'm not terribly skilled with email attachments but I will try. Again, thanks for responding to my message,

Take care, Jim Higgins