The ''Sylph'' was a 19th-century

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 ...

first built in 1834, by Whitmore & Holbrook for

John Perkins Cushing John Perkins Cushing (April 22, 1787 – April 12, 1862), called "Ku-Shing" by the Chinese, was a wealthy American sea merchant, opium smuggler, and philanthropist. His sixty-foot pilot schooner, the ''Sylph'', won the first recorded American ya ...

as a Boston yacht and pilot-boat for merchant and ship owner

Robert Bennet Forbes Robert Bennet Forbes (September 18, 1804 – November 23, 1889), was an American sea captain, China merchant and ship owner. He was active in ship construction, maritime safety, the opium trade, and charitable activities, including food aid to I ...

. She won the first recorded American yacht race in 1835. She was a pilot boat in the

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, located adjacent to Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the Northeastern United States. History 17th century Since its dis ...

in 1836 and 1837 and sold to the New York and Sandy Hook Pilots in October 1837. She was lost in winter of 1857 with all hands during a blizzard off

Barnegat, New Jersey Barnegat Township (pronounced "BAR-nuh-git") is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,296, the highest ever count at a decennial census and an increas ...

. The second ''Sylph'' was built in 1865 from a half-model by Dennison J. Lawlor. The third ''Sylph'' was built in 1878 at Nathaniel Porter Keen Shipyard on the Fore River in North

Weymouth, Massachusetts Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of 13 municipalities in the state to have city forms of government while retaining "town of" in their official names. It is named after Weymouth, Dorset, a coastal town ...

for Boston Pilots. She was sold out of service in 1901, after 23 years of Boston pilot service.

Construction and service

First Sylph (1834-1857)

The pilot-boat ''Sylph'' owned by China merchant and ship owner Captain

. She was built in Boston in 1834 by Whitmore & Holbrook

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

for

. Forbes supervised her construction of the schooner. According to

Samuel Eliot Morison Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and tau ...

, the ''Sylph'' won the first recorded American yacht race on August 3, 1835. The race was held at

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

and sponsored by the Southern Massachusetts Yacht Racing Association, between the ninety-two foot yacht ''Wave,'' owned by

John Cox Stevens John Cox Stevens (September 24, 1785 – June 10, 1857) was the founding Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. He was a member of the ''America'' syndicate which, in 1851, won the trophy that would become the America's Cup. Early life Stevens w ...

and the sixty-foot yacht ''Sylph''. The race started off

Vineyard Sound Vineyard Sound is the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean which separates the Elizabeth Islands and the southwestern part of Cape Cod from the island of Martha's Vineyard, located offshore from the state of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), ...

, then around

Block Island Block Island is an island of the Outer Lands coastal archipelago in New England, located approximately south of mainland Rhode Island and east of Long Island's Montauk Point. The island is coterminous with the town of New Shoreham, Rhode Isl ...

and finished off

Naushon Island Naushon Island is the largest of the Elizabeth Islands in southeastern Massachusetts. It is part of the town of Gosnold, Massachusetts, and is currently owned by the Forbes family. As of the 2000 census, the island had a permanent population of ...

. William Carlton Fowler took charge of the pilot-boat ''Sylph,'' and skippered the ''Sylph'' at the 1835 yacht race. The ''Sylph'' was a pilot boat in the Boston Harbor between 1836 and 1837 and then sold to the New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots in October, 1837. The New Jersey ''Sylph,'' No. 1, was lost on March 2, 1857, with all hands during a blizzard off

. Pilots Daniel Lane, John H. Lane, a brother, William Glyun, and William Champlain were lost. Two of her pilots, Charles E. Warren and Isaish Harlan boarded ships before the storm.

Second Sylph (1865)

The Boston fishing schooner ''Sylph'' was built in 1865 from a half-model by Dennison J. Lawlor. She was launched on May 22, 1865, Meg McManus (Aunt of Thomas F. McManus) and Kate Leonard, christened the new schooner Sylph at her launch at Bucks Wharf in

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Suffolk County ( ) is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 797,936, making it the fourth-most populous county in ...

. She was 55.8 feet long with a beam of 17.5 feet and 30.24 tons. On November 9, 1883, the ''Sylph'' sank in a winter storm on

Georges Bank Georges Bank (formerly known as St. Georges Bank) is a large elevated area of the sea floor between Cape Cod, Massachusetts (United States), and Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia (Canada). It separates the Gulf of Maine from the Atlantic Ocean. ...

with all hands.

Third Sylph, No. 8 (1878)

The Boston pilot-boat ''Sylph, No. 8,'' was launched on September 14, 1878, from Keen's

in North

. The shipyard was founded by Nathaniel Porter Keen who was a ship, yacht, and boat builder. The new ''Sylph'' was commanded by Captain Joseph H. Wilson. She was registered with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'' from 1881 to 1898 to J. H. Wilson as master and to A. Nash & Co. as owners. She belonged to the port of Boston. On April 30, 1885, the pilot-boat ''Sylph, No. 8'', was cruising off the Middle Bank, twenty-five miles east of Boston. Second boatkeeper, Charles Sands was swept away in a terrible storm. On May 23, 1896, the pilot-boat ''Sylph,'' No. 8, towed fishing sloop ''Main Girl'' of

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. Captain Joseph W. Colby of the ''Sylph,'' picked up the fishing boat ten miles east of

Highland Light The Highland Light (previously known as Cape Cod Light) is an active lighthouse on the Cape Cod National Seashore in North Truro, Massachusetts. The current tower was erected in 1857, replacing two earlier towers that had been built in 1797 and ...

as her

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support and control a sailing ship or sail boat's masts and sails. ''Standing rigging'' is the fixed rigging that supports masts including shrouds and stays. ''Running rigg ...

had fallen to pieces with no sail. On February 17, 1899, the pilot-boat ''Sylph,'' No. 8, arrived in the Boston port after being blown off shore by gales and not been heard from for over a week. Captain James H. Reid, Jr., of the ''America, No. 1'', spotted her forty miles outside the

Boston Light Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The ...

, and reported the news. In May of the same year, pilot-boat ''Sylph, No. 8'', rescued the

naphtha Naphtha (, recorded as less common or nonstandard in all dictionaries: ) is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture. Generally, it is a fraction of crude oil, but it can also be produced from natural-gas condensates, petroleum distillates, and ...

launch ''Tirzah,'' forty-five miles southeast of the Boston Light. Captain Joseph Colby, of the ''Sylph '' towed the boat into Boston. In November 1899, many transatlantic liners were used as supply ships during the South African wars, which caused some of the Boston pilot-boats to be placed out of commission. Captain Colby of the pilot-boat ''Sylph,'' and the pilot-boat ''Minerva'' were moved to

East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, which was annexed by the city of Boston in 1836. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Massachusetts, Winthrop, Revere, Mas ...

. In 1900, Boston had seven pilots boats in commission. The ''Sylph'' was Boston's pilot schooner number eight. The other Boston boats included, the ''America,'' No. 1; ''Liberty,'' No. 3; ''Adams,'' No. 4; ''Hesper,'' No. 5; ''Varuna,'' No. 6; and

Minerva Minerva (; ; ) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. She is also a goddess of warfare, though with a focus on strategic warfare, rather than the violence of gods such as Mars. Be ...

, No. 7.

End of service

When the Boston pilots reorganized down to five boats, the pilot-boat ''Sylph'' was sold out of service on June 1, 1901, to Captain Burgess of the Metropolitan coal company. She had been in the Boston pilot service for twenty-three years. She was owned and commanded by Captain Joseph Colby, one of the best known Boston pilots.

References