The Tosebo fleet - What boats existed on your time?

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GeorgeH

The Tosebo fleet-What boats existed on your time?

During the 1952-'55 period I seem to remember. . . .about 4 "Saucers"- boxy little boats
for the youngest campers-length about 5'- beam about 2'. Material was 1/4" plywood
I think. They were paddled about inside the lifeline with double ended paddles.
8' Prams: In 1952 there were a couple old V bottom prams upside down on the beach
that we didnt use. They had many layers of thick scaling paint and were built of heavier
material than the newer prams. These may have been "rowing" prams-I dont remember
a centerboard well. I think the Buckinghams took these prams to Bloomington Indiana
after the '52 season. There were 3 gaff rigged (or was it "lanteen"?) flat bottom prams
mostly used by beginning sailors-just about impossible to capsize. 3 V bottom prams that
were gaff rigged in '52, possibly '53, but were converted to Marconi rig by '54. The Marconi
rigged V bottom prams made for some exciting sailing. They heeled over nicely and could
capsize on a gusty day. In 1954, crafts counselor Miles Carlson made a wooden rudder
to replace a steel one that went to "Davy Jones Locker" during an upset.
Snipes: In '52 there was an impressive (to a 10 year old) mahogany snipe that belonged
to Nobbie Hill. Freshly varnished, it glistened on the sunlight-whenever there was a
choice, this boat went out in the lake first. Some referred to it as the "Mahog". There were
2 green and white snipes. In '53-'55 The Buckinghams brought a "racing" snipe to camp.
With a small, narrow cockpit, this boat could capsize and not fill up with water. Once during
an upset, the daggerboard slid out of its well and went to the bottom of the lake. The other
camp snipes had a hinged centerboard.
Rowboats: I remember 3. . .a flat bottom-maybe 12 footer, and a couple round or
V bottom ones about 14".
Canoes: In '52 there were 4 canvas covered ribbed canoes. In '53 two new Grumman
aluminum canoes were added to the fleet.
And then there was the "Skunk" It may have been about 16 feet long. Powered by an
old-rarely dependable-Montgomery Wards "Riverside" outboard engine in '52. In 1953
there was a new Johnson 10 HP motor.
 
S

Strong Bow

In 1961 the Camp had two new Sailfish which provided exciting rides with the certainty of getting quite wet. Tom Buck and Larry Vaughan took them over to the Portage Lake Yacht Club for the annual Pabst Cup race series and easily won all the races against the similar, but slower, Sunfish. Their expertise is not to be discounted. I do remember an afternoon just as a storm approached, that Tom took us one at a time on wild rides doen to Sandy Point, where we would tip over, right the Sailfish and run back to Camp, where we would tip over to stop! The Sailfish were red/white and green/white. THe camp also had two snipes that were nearing the end of the trail, but still provided good service. The shallow water highlight was the "blue boats" which were plastic tubs that used a kayak style paddle. If the couselor was in the right mood, tipping wars were sometimes allowed, but normally such action lost you your blue boat to another camper.

The speedboat (I use the term loosely) now (1964) had a 35 Johnson and I remember the throttle stuck once and the boat drove right up onto one of the snipe. It also had some electrical quirks that could shock you didn't ground yourself. The canvas/wood canoes were still able to float for short periods of time, but aluminum was the only choice for trips.

In 65, the Hurricane was around to replace the rotted snipes. About 19 feet and more of a day sailer than a racer. I think some of the Bucks sailed it across Lake Michigan (or was that just a story told to a gullible 14 year old) to get it to Camp.
 
H

hausser

The "Buckingham" Snipe

In 1956, my first year, the Buckinghams brought up from Bloomington, Indiana, their own black and red snipe, with a "racing" cockpit, jam cleats, and a captsan for the mainsail sheet.

I remember being involved in a "capsize" that resulted in the soild daggerboard sliding out of it's slot. I tried to hang on to it, but found myself much deeper than the "drop-off!" (I guess there was a short rope on it, and a cleat next to the slot, which I never failed to secure in future uses!) They cut a new dagger board out of sheet steel in a short while.

This boat was still there my last year, 1958.
 
H

hausser

From Steve Buckingham:

The Hurricane was purchase by Hal Tonkins from my uncle, Otis Young, who
lived and sailed the boat in the Peoria, Illinois area. The length was
between 19 and 20 feet and the hull was fiberglass covered plywood. The
Marconi rigged sloop turned out to be impractical for camp since it required
a counselor to rig and sail. The rigging was heavy and required an extra
trip to its mooring just to get the sails on board. The rudder installation
required the alignment of gudgeons on both the transom and the rudder and
the insertion of a single brass rod through all four fittings. This was
just short of impossible when there were winds adequate to make sailing the
boat interesting. The ordeal of rigging, loading passengers, unloading
passenger, and reinstalling the cockpit cover required most of a morning or
afternoon activity period with little time left for sailing. Contrast this
effort to the five minutes required to rig and launch a Sunfish and you'll
see why the Hurricane was lightly used and barely remembered.

The centerboard trunk leaked at the pivot bolt, which eventually resulted in
enough rot to make the boat unusable. The hull was disposed of at the
county land fill. The sails are probably still hanging from the ceiling of
the boathouse.

P.S. I'm glad we're starting to get some pre-1963 members to the group. I
cherish all of my "Indian summers" at Tosebo, but particularly the "less
structured" years under Ross's supervision. I'll look forward to reading
the recollections.

Steve
 
H

hausser

The TOSEBO Fleet

Please use this "Thread" to discuss the various boats at TOSEBO.

> Hi Jerry, We are glad you discovered us. I am envious of your 1944 trip
> from Woodstock to camp in the 60 foot 3 masted schooner. I heard stories about
> it (the schooner) from older campers and counselors when I was at camp '52-'55.
> Two campers from your era are Ross Taylor and Peirce Erb. Ross is
> online and
> I have address and phone number for Peirce.
> If you'd care to share any of your Tosebo memories with us, we would
> be glad to hear from you, (and you could begin by telling about the sailing
> trip up to camp).
> George Hausser camper 1952-55

Hi George,
Thanks for the email. The trip across Lake Michigan was fun and exciting. We were in one storm and healed 45 degrees. Every one of us were worried but survived. On one canoe trip I almost drowned when the canoe overturned and I was caught in some underwater. Mr. Fawcett was the boats skipper and his wife was the cook. The only other name I can remember is one councilor, Jerry Bodholt. My memory is starting to fade so that is about all I can remember. After viewing and reading the web site helped a lot.
Thanks again,

Jerry Bergman
Evansville, IN

On 7/16/03 4:28 PM, C. J. Bergman at [email protected] wrote:


Greetings from Indiana.
I have not thought about Camp Tosebo for a long time. Today I thought I would try and find a site with info on it.
I was there for summer camp in 1944 and 45. Went to Woodstock, IL and then went by a three mast, 60 foot sail boat to the camp. The only memento I have is the medal for music with my name engraved on it. I wanted to thank you very much for all the information you provided. I am 73 and this did me a world of good. GOD bless you all.
Sincerely, C. J. (Jerry) Bergman
 
S

Strong Bow

When I came to Camp in 60 there were two wooden snipes, the Red&White and the Blue(?)&White. There were sailing prams that were mostly used as rowboats, some wooden canoes that were avoided because they leaked, the newer alum canoes, and in 1961 two new Sailfish. Fast and wet and very exhilarating even for the crew. That year Tom Buck and Larry Vaughan won the Pabst Cup Races across the lake at the Portage Lake Yacht Club. Superior sailors competing against the rest who mainly had the newer, but slightly slower Sunfish. The "speedboat" was an alum craft with hard seats and a "monster" 35 hp outboard.
Coming back in 64 and 65 the snipes were dying a painful death, but a, 18 foot Hurricane from the Buckingham family provided a much more spacious ride for about 6 and was very fun day sailor. I think we tried to resurrect the sails for a pram but most of its pieces were long gone. Fancy they were not, but oh so popular - the blue boats with there kayak style paddles. If the staff was in a good mood we were allowed to have "sinking wars" in the shallow water. The sailfish were still very popular and every year someone would not follow the rules and would sail East of the boathouse, get blown down to the end of the Lake, and the not have the skill (or the time) to get back. After a rescue with the motorboat, the wanderers might come to the dining hall late for lunch and probably missing there "Good Camper"

Dave Wallace
60-61-64-65
 
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hausser

The first year I was at Tosebo (1949), they had a Schooner called the "Sea Hawk." I thought it was 70 feet long (but things look bigger to a 7 year old.) It was not there the whole summer but just for a week or two and I remember that all campers got to go out for a sail. I was very interested in sailing and was impressed that the sails were held to the mast by rings which slid up and down the mast as you raised and lowered the sails as opposed to the more modern track and slides. That year, they also brought up a sea plane which I believe belonged to Mr. Hill. Every camper was taken for a sea plane ride (3 at a time). Neither of these adventures were
repeated in following years so they made quite an impression.

Dick Buckingham, Jr.

[email protected] wrote:

> Hi George,
> Thanks for the email. The trip across Lake Michigan was fun and exciting. We were in one storm and healed 45 degrees. Every one of us were worried but survived. On one canoe trip I almost drowned when the canoe overturned and I was caught in some underwater. Mr. Fawcett was the boats skipper and his wife was the cook. The only other name I can remember is one councilor, Jerry Bodholt. My memory is starting to fade so that is about all I can remember. After viewing and reading the web site helped a lot.
> Thanks again,
>
> Jerry Bergman
> Evansville, IN


> > Hi Jerry, We are glad you discovered us. I am envious of your 1944 trip
> > from Woodstock to camp in the 60 foot 3 masted schooner. I heard stories about
> > it (the schooner) from older campers and counselors when I was at camp '52-'55.
> > Two campers from your era are Ross Taylor and Peirce Erb. Ross is
> > online and
> > I have address and phone number for Peirce.
> > If you'd care to share any of your Tosebo memories with us, we would
> > be glad to hear from you, (and you could begin by telling about the sailing
> > trip up to camp).
> > George Hausser camper 1952-55
 
N

Neil Suits

I first learned to sail at Tosebo. At the time, Tosebo had a couple of sailfish and the Hurricane. The Snipe was ‘decommissioned’ and I think that it later became the object of sledgehammers during some festival. I had heard that Tosebo was originally a sailing camp, although I now suspect that that was not true. A sailfish can teach you a lot about how to get the most speed out of the sailing vessel, because its response is so immediate. I remember watching the bottom corner of the sail (the clew) to look see if the sheets were adjusted just right. Also, since there were two sailfish, it was possible to race. Another advantage to these boats is that if they are easily righted if they capsize. The only major crime was to forget to tie down the main sail so that if the boat capsized it would not fall off. One camper apparently forgot to do this and he was in deep trouble for this mistake. The Hurricane was a bigger boat, perhaps 16-24 feet, and there was more seamanship to learn. We even took it out on Lake Michigan once or twice. It was also faster than a sailfish and I remember one time that we tried to ‘steal the wind’ from a sailfish by passing it on the upwind side. This actually worked and the sailfish tipped backwards, dumping one of the campers. I think that Steve Buckingham may have taught me some of may sailing skills at Tosebo and that I often sailed with Roger Buckingham. For the most part, however, even though I remember many events at Tosebo, it is difficult to recall the specific names of other campers who were involved.

Neil Suits 1964-66
 
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hausser

Ross Taylor adds about "The SeaHawk"

Schooner Sea Hawk.

The Sea Hawk was a 60 foot schooner owned by Todd School. She used to spend at least several weeks each summer at Tosebo. She was build around 1930. She had two masts. The main mast aft had a marconi rigged mainsail. The foresail was gaff rigged and was attached to the foremast by wooden hoops which you could climb like a ladder when the sail was up. For headsails she had a staysail and two jibs that flew from the end of the ten foot bowsprit.

Cheers!!!
 
R

raito

A longd dead thread, but what the heck!

During my time (uh, 72-75), the red and white sailfish had survived, there were 2 sunfish (I always preferred the sailfish), and a snipe (which was sunk my last year there, it was never sailed while I attended Tosebo). There were a bunch of aluminum canoes, 3 rowboats of various types, blueboats, and an outboard to pull water skiers.
 
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