Appendices & Sources

Appendix A: Ownership Timeline

Period Owner(s) Notes
1905–1907 David Abecassis Commissioned construction; raced under Corinthian YC burgee
c. 1907–c. 1925 Charles E. Miller Converted to schooner rig c. 1911; added engine; removed centerboard
c. 1925–1955 Arthur & Sydney Ford Purchased by Ford family; Yankee stolen 1933; WWII service; flagship 1942–43
1955–1967 Arthur Ford (sole) Sydney sold his half to Arthur; Sydney buried at sea from Yankee, 1965
1967–1981 Arthur & Robert D. Ford Arthur sold half to Robert, with right of survivorship
1981–1996 Robert D. Ford & Richard Ford Robert sold half to his son Richard in 1981
1996–c. 2019 The Yankee LLC Family LLC formed February 1996 at Jerry O’Connell’s initiative
c. 2019–present West Coast Seafaring Society 501(c)(3) nonprofit; EIN 84-1776838; GGWBF program from 2025–26

Appendix B: Flagship Years at St. Francis Yacht Club

Year(s) Commodore
1942–1943 Sydney W. Ford
1951–1952 Arthur W. Ford
1972 Robert D. Ford
1989 Richard (Dick) Ford
2009 John McNeill

Seven flagship years under five Commodores of the extended Yankee family, confirmed against the St. Francis Yacht Club roll of past Commodores.

Appendix C: Key Specifications

Dimension Value
Length Overall (LOA) 62’ 6” (incl. bowsprit)
Length on Deck (LOD) 52’ 6”
Length Waterline (LWL) 36’
Beam ~15’ (some family documents say 16’)
Draft 5’ 10”
Rig Gaff schooner (originally gaff sloop with centerboard)
Sail Area 1,475 sq ft (Jib 395, Fore 335, Main 745)
Construction Douglas fir planking on white oak frames
Engine Perkins 4-236 diesel (current); no engine originally
Sail Number K-103 (logbook-era racing designation “X3”)
Builder & Designer William Frank Stone, Stone yard (Stone & Van Bergen), Harbor View, San Francisco

See the Sailing Yankee chapter for additional details.

Appendix D: Sources and References

Primary Sources (Yankee Archive)
  1. The Ship’s Logbook of the Schooner Yankee “X3,” May 1937 – August 1998. 171 photographed pages; full transcription, photo index, and report in the Yankee Logbook collection.
  2. “Tales of the Yankee”: transcript of St. Francis Yacht Club Wednesday Yachting Lunch presentation by Staff Commodore John McNeill, January 17, 2018.
  3. “History of the Yankee”: four-page illustrated history written November 2014, updated June 2015. The Yankee LLC.
  4. “The 1906 Gaff Schooner, Yankee”: one-page factsheet, The Yankee LLC, April 17, 2011.
  5. “YankeeHistory RDF”: history narrative authored by Robert D. Ford, covering 1906 through 2014.
  6. “Yankee Sailing On”: website-style overview with photo galleries. WCSS.
  7. San Francisco Call, July 18 and July 23, 1906; July 16, 1907: contemporary notices of Yankee, David Abecassis, and Frank Stone (Library of Congress, Chronicling America).
  8. Pacific Motor Boat magazine, August 1915: Pan Pacific Regatta coverage.
  9. Charles Miller Log, 1915: Ship’s log kept by owner Charles Miller.
  10. “XMAS Letter Arthur Ford”: Christmas 1982 letter by R. D. Ford.
  11. Richard Fulton Ford obituary, Marin Independent Journal, December 2006.
Secondary Sources (Yankee Archive and community)
  1. Roberta Stone O’Grady, “Wooden Boat Building in San Francisco Bay: One Family’s Story”: Alameda County Historical Society presentation, January 26, 2012 (PDFs hosted by the Master Mariners Benevolent Association).
  2. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: finding aids for the Stone Boat Yard drawings and photographs — the authoritative yard chronology (Online Archive of California).
  3. “Generations of Greatness: Profiling the Ford and McNeill Families”: Mainsheet magazine.
  4. Robert C. Keefe (StFYC Staff Commodore, 1975), St. Francis Yacht Club history essays: source for the 1942 flagship Vallejo win and the Lipton Cup chronology.
  5. San Francisco Chronicle, April 28, 2006: Centennial feature article.
  6. “Sailing in Marin: Century-plus old schooner Yankee a family treasure”: Marin Independent Journal, October 12, 2015.
  7. Latitude 38: April 2006 centennial feature; “Yankee — Great Earthquake Survivor” (April 2008); Leukemia Cup coverage (October 2015); “Yankee Needs a New Home” (Sightings, November 2025).
  8. The Shellback (MMBA newsletter), November 2010.
  9. “WCSS — WHY and HOW”: founding document of the West Coast Seafaring Society, May 2021.
  10. Soundings, “Bringing Yankee Back to Life” — on the KKMI restoration.
Published and Online Sources
  1. San Francisco Yacht Club history (founding 1869; the 1907 Farallones trophy; the 1927 Belvedere vote and the forty-nine founders of St. Francis YC). sfyc.org.
  2. St. Francis Yacht Club history and roll of Past Commodores. stfyc.com; Wikipedia.
  3. Corinthian Yacht Club history. cyc.org.
  4. Master Mariners Benevolent Association: regatta history and Billiken Trophy deed. sfmastermariners.org.
  5. W. F. Stone & Son builder’s list. shipbuildinghistory.com; “Stone Boat Yard,” Wikipedia.
  6. Schooner Martha Foundation. schoonermartha.org.
  7. “Northern Light (pilot boat),” Wikipedia; Latitude 38, “Revisiting the 1927 Schooner Northern Light.”
  8. Classic Sailboats, “William Frank Stone: Yankee.” classicsailboats.org.
  9. “1906 San Francisco Earthquake.” Wikipedia; National Archives.
  10. “Panama–Pacific International Exposition.” Wikipedia; SF Heritage.
  11. AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Wild Oranges (1924), including Camera magazine’s 1923 reports of the San Francisco yacht filming.
  12. Reel SF, “Days of Wine and Roses” film locations. reelsf.com.
  13. “Coastal Picket Force,” Wikipedia; U.S. Naval Institute, “The Hooligan’s Navy”; “Bombardment of Ellwood,” Wikipedia.
  14. “Tinsley Island,” Wikipedia: StFYC purchase (1958) and Stag Cruise history.
  15. Islapedia: Santa Cruz Island chain of title; Justinian “Justy” Caire II; Carey Q. Stanton.
  16. Lipton Cup San Francisco (PICYA) history. liptoncupsf.com.
  17. “Tom Blackaller,” Wikipedia; YRA of San Francisco Bay buoy registry.
  18. KKMI, Point Richmond. kkmi.com.

A companion dossier, “Yankee History: Fact-Check Notes & Image Sources,” records every known discrepancy among the sources, the evidence weighed, and the resolution adopted in this edition. It is maintained in the project archive alongside this history.