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With the success of the Sea Witch design, Hugh Angelman and Charles
Davies (and other Angelman WILBO associates), designed several smaller vessels for lower end cruising
markets. Among them were the "Sea Spirit," "Husky,"
the "Alpha-30," and the "Sea Babe." There is also a
boat named the "Wavelet." The "Moonbeam" was about
the same size as Sea Witch, and the "Mayflower" took the Sea
Witch idea to a whole new level.
It can be seen from the photograph above that
the Sea Spirit, design retained a great deal of the charm of the larger
Sea Witch, and she is almost as large and roomy, with a LOA of 34', LWL
30', Beam 11' 2", and Draft of 5' 2". Her displacement is
21,000 Lbs. and she carries 5,200 Lbs. of ballast. Lobo de Mar is an
Angelman/Ward design.
It seems that there may be variations
(with different co-designers), that go under the general subheading of
"Sea Spirit."
The Husky – "go-anywhere" Pacific
Coast ketch. "He-man ability... but 'she' grace and charm" is
how Husky is described in the advisement shown below (clipped from the November, 1957 issue of The Rudder magazine).
Husky's measurements were 30' LOA, 11' beam, and 4'-8" draft.
Of significant note, the Mayflower, was the next step beyond
Sea Witch when it comes to "traditional sail." She was a larger vessel,
designed for more affluent traditional
"ship" lovers. She was 40 foot on deck, and only had about five inches more beam than Sea Witch, but she has the appearance
of a full grown ship, compete with square sails and the luxury of great
cabin aft.
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ALPHA-30 |
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much about the Alpha-30, nor the name of the vessel shown here.
Presumably, she is about 30' on deck. |
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SEA BABE |
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| Roger Marlin, a
former owner of the Sea Witch, "Golden Hind,"
contributed these photos of the Sea Babe, which he also owned.
The Sea Babe was a design unto herself, and was built in Hong
Kong in 1961, as one of a kind. Roger tells us:
"I repowered her with a three
cylinder Universal Diesel. She actually had an enclosed
head and full headroom throughout down below. Quite a feat
for a boat with a 23’ waterline. She was a real great boat at
sea also. A real tribute to Hugh Angelman and Charlie Davies..."
"...Sea Babe was a standalone
design and only one was built... They had the only one built by
American Marine. The construction cost was too high to pencil
out for Hugh and Charlie. She was a little tender in the
beginning and Charlie designed in some additional ballast. She
had many of the same features as the Sea Witch, including
outside on deck loading ice box with inside opening icebox
located in the galley. The current owner lives onboard in
San Diego...
"She is actually a very comfortable
vessel, easily single handed. I sailed her up and down the
California coast on my own. I had her in very heavy
weather on two occasions, both times off Conception, and was
very impressed."
SEA BABE PLANS!!
In August
of 2013, Roger Marlin located his copy of the Sea Babe's plans,
and has generously provided us with images of the three sheets
that he has. Thank you Roger!
More details about the design from
Roger: "The history I know is that Sea Babe was under-ballasted
and very tender when she was built.
"They considered options including
shortening the rig, thus the marked up plans. The rig was
never changed. They added about 350 pounds of ballast that
was bolted to the sides of the outside lead ballast, and
additional lead ballast added inside. That solved the
problem with the original rig.
"While I had Sea Babe I made patterns
that fit between the floor timbers and had the inside ballast
cast to fit nicely between the floors on top of the keelson. The
bilges were deep (and dry) and this allowed for extra storage.
She had no problem with the size of the rig. I had her in
some good weather going to the Channel Islands and back on many
occasions from Morro Bay, and she stood up to it very well.
"American Marine built Sea Babe with the
idea of producing more, however due to the high cost of
construction they decided not to build any additional boats. I
bought Sea Babe from a good friend, Robert Dorris in Newport
Beach. He was a naval architect and designed many of the
boats for American Marine."
The plans are dated 1945, though Sea Babe wasn't built for
another sixteen years. |
Lines |
Sail Plan
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Layout/Construction
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.PDF downloads Sea
Babe lines
Sea
Babe sail plan
Sea
Babe layout/const |
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WAVELET
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The Wavelet is only 21' on deck,
complete with all the Sea Witch enchantments, including taff
rail and a figurehead - but sloop rigged.
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MOONBEAM |
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| Moonbeam might be called a "de-witched Sea
Witch." She obviously has a lot of Sea Witch in her, but
without the most enchanting features. Her measurements were
about the same, but with only a 12 foot beam. She's nice, and
very utilitarian in appearance. Built in 1950 at the South Coast
Company yard where Hugh had gone after leaving Wilbo. |
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The MAYFLOWER |
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Pictured here is the "Miraka," number 8, of
ten "May- flowers" built between 1957 and 1962 by American
Marine in Hong Kong. She was first owned by Hollywood actor
Neville Brand, perhaps best known for his role as the warden in
"The Birdman of Alcatraz."
Miraka was totally restored and
refurbished in the 1990s by the present owners who presently
have her on the market. See more about Miraka at:
http://www.tallshipmiraka.com
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THE
MAYFLOWER
a Storybook "Ship"
When Hugh Angelman and Charles Davies realized how the Sea
Witch enchanted admirers, the logical next step, of course, was
a "pirate ship."
The Mayflowers
took the Sea Witch concept to the next level. Still a ketch,
but what a ketch she is! She's a topsail ketch, with square
sails on her main mast!
Perhaps Hugh and Charles outdid themselves
a little on their
"Mayflower" design, but there is no getting around the
fact that the Mayflower has plenty of enchanting features and
charm. And she had one of the things Hugh wanted most to put
into one of his designs – a "great cabin" aft with
ornate windows in the transom. She is only four or five feet
longer than the Sea Witch on deck, and her beam, at 13' 8",
is only slightly more than that of Sea Witch.
But where the Sea Witch, in spite of all her
charms, retained the businesslike appearance of a "working
cruiser," Mayflower seemed somewhat flamboyant and
storybookish, and thus immediately became known, not as just a
small ship, but a "pirate ship" – or, as one Sea
Witch fan has put it, "a Sea Witch on steroids."
See much
more at: http://www.tallshipmiraka.com
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