Charley Morgan’s Lovely Legacy

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Fifty-two years ago, a mongrel yawl named Brisote was launched on the waters of Tampa Bay, setting in motion a chain of events as improbable as they are inspiring.

The hard-chined hull form was the creation of local designer Charlie Hunt and a 28-year-old sailmaker named Charley Morgan. Evolving during midnight “tank tests” of small scale models on nearby Lake Wailes, the hull cut through the water with little effort. But with its boxy cabin top and hard chine, the boat was hardly a work of art. In the rush to make the start of the 1957 St. Petersburg, Fla. to Havana Race, the masts, sails, and keel were scavenged from other boats.

The race committee initially snubbed Brisote, contending it wasn’t fit for a sailing race to Havana because it lacked an engine. The absurdity of banning a sailboat for being a sailboat prompted a few choice words from Morgan and the committee promptly retreated. The boat, true to its name, breezed to first in its class.

Four years later, Morgan drew the lines for Paper Tiger, the famous 40-foot yawl that captured consecutive Southern Ocean Racing Conference championships in 1961 and 1962. The feat was never matched.

Just as his career as a designer and builder of custom boats was lifting off, Morgan was hospitalized with tuberculosis. Though a major setback, the illness also gave him time to contemplate future designs. Two years later, his health restored, he joined forces with his longtime friend and sailing companion Bruce Bidwell to restart the Morgan Yacht Corp. Their first true production boat, the Morgan 34, came off the line in September 1965. Three years and more than 1,000 hulls later, the company merged with Beatrice Food, and Morgan was a multi-millionaire.

To many, Morgan’s legacy in the world of sailing rests in two projects that followed. The first was his bold attempt to upset the stuffy racing establishment in the 1970 Americas Cup with his 12-Meter Heritage. The press hailed his underdog effort in the cup trials, but the star-struck Heritage fell to rival and two-time Cup winner Intrepid. The two boats still duel on the waters off Newport, R.I., with the other 12 Meters each summer.

The second “legacy” boat stands in stark contrast. The Out Island 41, a pudgy full-keel boat whose windward ability relied largely on its rumbling Perkins 4108 diesel. Performance aside, the Out Island proved to be just what the booming Caribbean bareboat market needed. The charter trade and the publics growing fascination with liveaboard cruising made it the most popular 40-footer ever built.

For me, however-and I suspect I am not alone on this-Morgans legacy is neither the woebegotten Heritage (it was dropped from its crane on launch day) or the ponderous Out Island 41. When I think of a Charley Morgan design, I think of boats like the Morgan 30 featured in this months issue, the svelte offspring of Paper Tiger. Far from perfect, they are nevertheless a perfect expression of the moment, a serendipitous convergence of a time, a place (in this case the shoalwaters of Tampa Bay), and a dream. The result is nothing less than art.

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Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.

2 COMMENTS

  1. I would love to communicate directly with the author. I am Charlie Hunt’s son & lifelong friend of Charley Morgan. In fact, my sister was the Christener of Heritage, on that ill-fated launch day, and God-child of Charley Morgan. I have a few thoughts to contribute for the author’s consideration.
    Regards,
    Skip Hunt