1939
A True Classic is Born
The Silverlining is a 42-foot Sparkman & Stephens sloop sailboat. Designed to race for the Commodore of the yacht club in Marblehead, Massachusetts, she was built in 1939 entirely of wood and bronze by the well-respected Maine builder Henry R. Hinckley.
1950-1969
Retired Racer
After ocean racing aggressively for nearly two decades, the then Gelouba passed into the hands of several prominent families in Kennebunkport, moored in front of the River Club, she was casually raced and served as a family cruiser.
1970-1981
Nearly Sunk
Languishing at the River Club was clearly not good for the wooden structure of boat and having the vessel yard maintained must have been expensive. By the late 1970’s, she needed work and clearly didn’t receive enough. At some point, the automatic bilge pumps stopped working and the boat filled with water and settled to the bottom of the river. After being pumped out, she was towed to the boatyard, surveyed, and declared total loss.
1982 – Present
A New Owner
Purchased by the present owner for her scrap value the winter of 1982 saw the beginning of a decades-long restoration. A year of full-time work initially, mending and repairing the structure brought the vessel back to sailing condition and she was moved to Perkins Cove to start a new phase of her saga as a ‘for hire’ day sailor. The then Silverlining would sail all summer and then return to the boat shed to continue the restoration work on an as-needed basis. New laminated ribs, a new teak deck on new deck frames, replanking over half of the hull, new stem, transom, mast step and floor timber, mechanical upgrades and diesel repowers, mast repairs, new brightwork and deck furniture, the Silverlining has been gone over and restored literally stem to stern.
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