The ''Actaea'', or ''Actea'', was a 19th-century

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

built in 1880 by Weld and David Clark of

Kennebunk, Maine Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,536 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Kennebunk is home to several beaches, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, the 1799 K ...

for David Sears, Jr., of Montgomery Sears of Boston. She was purchased by a group of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Sandy Hook Pilots in 1890. She was one of the largest and fastest

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

s in the fleet. In the age of

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

, the ''Actaea'' was sold in 1896 to John J. Phelps of the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

and used as a pleasure yacht.

Construction and service

The two-masted schooner ''Actaea'' was built in 1880 by Mr. Weld and David Clark, as a Boston yacht at

, for David Sears, Jr., of Montgomery Sears of Boston. ''Actaea'' comes from the

Greek myth Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancien ...

Actaea, which means seashore. The American yacht ''Actea'' of Boston was at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. She was repaired and sailed back to Boston on July 24, 1880. The ''Actaea'' was registered with ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'' from 1881 through 1900 as a

Schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

Yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

, with the David Sears as the owner; built in 1880 at

; Port of call was the

Port of Boston The Port of Boston (Automated Manifest System, AMS Seaport Code: 0401, UN/LOCODE: US BOS) is a major seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the Boston, Massachusetts, City of Boston. It is the largest port in Massachusetts and one of th ...

; she was thoroughly overhauled in 1891. Her dimensions were 94.9 ft. in length; 22.1 ft. breadth of beam; 9.1 ft. depth of hold; and 97-tons burthen. On May 15, 1882, David Sears sailed his schooner-yacht ''Actaea'' from Boston to

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

, that took 24 days. They had a crew of 12 men, including the owner, Charles Longfellow and James Barker. On September 1, 1882, they sailed for

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port, port city in the Finistère department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a peninsula and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an impor ...

, then to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Cadiz,

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

, Cadiz,

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

islands and then to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on December 24, 1882, and then back to Boston. The ''Actaea'' was purchased by the Sandy Hook Pilots in 1890 for $15,000 to replace a pilot boat that was lost off the

Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Africa * Highlands, Johannesburg, South Africa * Highlands, Harare, Zimbab ...

. She was one of the largest and fastest boats in the pilot fleet. She had flaring shaped bows. The boat number "15" was painted as a large number on her

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast (sailing), mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. T ...

, that identified the boat as belonging to the Sandy Hook Pilots. On June 13, 1891, pilot James J. Keeley came into port with and the steamer ''Caledonia.'' He reported that when he was on the ''Actaea'', he ran into a school of whales, 350 miles east of Sandy Hook. They were moving at a rate of 20

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot or knots may also refer to: Other common meanings * Knot (unit), of speed * Knot (wood), a timber imperfection Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film * ''Kn ...

an hour. One of the whales did not dive soon enough and the sharp bows of the boat struck him on the back, which caused a large gash in the fish and a loud thump on the boat, causing everyone on the boat to wake up. On May 7, 1894, pilot James J. Keely, on the station boat ''Actaea'', went aboard the French steamship ''La Champagne'' to help bring the vessel into the

New York Bay New York Bay is the large tidal body of water in the New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary where the Hudson River, Raritan River, and Arthur Kill empty into the Atlantic Ocean between Sandy Hook, New Jersey, Sandy Hook and Rockaway Point. Geogr ...

. Because of dense fog, he had difficulties bringing the vessel through the channel and around the

buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...

s. The steamship landed on the

sand bar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

off

Fort Hamilton Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which ...

. 14 lifeboats were placed in the water to lighted the load, but this did not help. As a result, 329 passengers had to be transferred to the boat ''Rosa.''

End of service

On February 1, 1896, the New York Sandy Hook Pilots discarded sixteen sailboats and moved them to the Erie Basin in Brooklyn. They were replaced with steam pilot boats. ''Actaea'' was purchased by John J. Phelps of the

for $4,500. She was then towed from Erie Basin to the C. & R. Poillon shipyard on May 13, 1896, to be overalled. The ''Actaea'' was registered to John J. Phelps, with the Atlantic Yacht Club of the

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

. Phelps had a private pennant flag with the letter "P" on it. John J. Phelps of Newark, sold the ''Actaea'' to Captain Charles A. McCarthy of Brooklyn, his brother Frank and a cousin, W. R. McCarthy. On January 26, 1898, the ''Actaea'' left the

South Ferry, Brooklyn South Ferry was a ferry landing on the Brooklyn side of the East River, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue below the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. It is now Piers 5 and 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. History The name "South Ferry" does not derive ...

and traveled around the

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

to the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

, San Francisco, then to St. Michael, Alaska on a Klondike voyage. The voyage took 120 days to complete. On April 19, 1900, John J. Phelps sold his steam yacht ''Actaea'' to M. L. Williams of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, to be used on

Lake Memphremagog Lake Memphremagog (; , ) is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport (city), Vermont, Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake spans both Quebec and Vermont, but is mostly in Quebec. Most of the watershed th ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. The boat had to reach the lake by train from

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village primarily located in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, a small western section of the village lies in Clarkst ...

because there was no direct water access to the lake.

References

{{List of Northeastern U.S. pilot boats Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1880 ships Pilot boats Ships built in Kennebunk, Maine

Construction and service

End of service

See also

References