Flagship of CYC for 14 years, Freda is undergoing an extensive, and expensive, refit.
Come hear how it's going. Check out the Spaulding pages!
Freda
Preserving maritime heritage, passing on traditional skills, and restoring historical significant vessels are essential to any healthy waterfront community.
Freda is a community asset and a living example of the Bay Area’s historic maritime past. After her launching Freda will be sailing the San Francisco Bay waters weekly.
RESTORING FREDA
Freda has been widely celebrated as the “Matriarch of San Francisco Bay.” A 32-ft. gaff sloop, she was built in 1885, is the oldest active sailing yacht on the west coast. Freda embodies the creativity and self-reliance of San Francisco Bay wooden boat builders. She is an important tool for communicating traditional boat-building qualities and ideals to future generations.
Freda is a true American historical treasure. As one of sixty gaff sloops built in the 19th century, today Freda is the only remaining boat of its kind in existence.
After sinking in 2004, The 501(c)(3) Master Mariner Benevolent Foundation donated Freda to Spaulding Wooden Boat Center for a museum-quality restoration.
Before her restoration, Freda was considered an extinct species. An important part of this restoration project is that for the first time her historical design will be recorded and documented with a set of accurate plans to be used nationally and internationally by museums and maritime institutions.
The Freda restoration is an educational project for the Spaulding Center and for the Arques School of Traditional Boatbuilding. Under the leadership of Bob Darr, Director of the Arques School at the Spaulding Center, Freda has become a working classroom for students to learn the art and science of boatbuilding. Under Bob Darr’s expert guidance, Freda’s restoration is incorporated into an advanced curriculum course for Arques School students.