Sister ships for sailing brothers
Issue 113: March/April 2017
Brothers Peter and David Herring came to sailing early. They grew up near what is now Cambridge, Ontario, close to a few small lakes. Their father built them a wooden punt that resembled a Sea Snark. It had no keel, but he gave it a small mast, a gaff, and a sail and set them adrift. Today, he might be charged with child neglect for not providing life jackets, GPS, a marine radio, and signal flares, but back in those days it was up to the boys to learn how to use the wind, the sail, and the rudder to get out on the lake and back home again. The experience gave them confidence they could handle any boat, and set them up for a life filled with sailing adventures.
Years later, Peter, the elder brother, was making his living in the commercial fishing industry on Lake Huron. His wife, Joyce, at first found it surprising that, although he spent his days working on the water, Peter found relaxation sailing their 25-foot Mirage out of the marina in Goderich on Lake Huron.
“At first Joyce was quite nervous about going out, even in calm weather,” Peter says. “But she learned quickly and came to enjoy it. After a while, I’d come home tired and say ‘Let’s stay home tonight’ and she’d be the one to say, ‘Let’s go for a sail. You’ll feel better.’ As always, she was right.”
Meanwhile, David married Jayne, also a non-sailor. They stayed in the Cambridge area, where they started a family. Although they weren’t able to find a lot of time for sailing at home, while they were on vacation in St. Lucia one year, Jayne arranged a sail with a friend and noted how much David enjoyed it. The next year, Jayne and David took a sailing course aboard a catamaran in the Virgin Islands and experienced some rough weather. This was Jayne’s first exposure to more challenging sailing, but she soldiered on despite the brisk winds and choppy seas. She soon found her sea legs and came to think the experience wasn’t so bad after all. Before long, David and Jayne purchased an Aloha 28 and sailed it regularly out of Fifty Point Marina on Lake Ontario.
During their working years, Peter and Joyce trailered their Mirage from Goderich up to the North Channel to spend vacations discovering the beauty of the passage between Manitoulin Island and the North Shore. As they got older, the tiny boat came to seem a bit cramped and they decided to move to something larger. After searching for some time, and having inspected a lot of boats, they found a well-equipped and immaculately maintained 1981 Aloha 34 that won their hearts the minute they stepped aboard.
“For me, the 7-foot-plus headroom was a big factor,” says Peter. “We both loved the way the interior was finished. It’s just a beautiful boat.”
“The name Silver Darling was a natural,” says Peter. “I’m a Herring, and while I was fishing Lake Huron, we called the herring we’d haul in silver darlings. Given her silver-gray hull, it just seemed like the right name.”
Last summer, Peter and Joyce sailed Silver Darling to the North Channel to revisit the ports they’d discovered in their little trailerable many years before. Now they are retired, Peter and Joyce spend a lot more time aboard Silver Darling, still berthed in Goderich on Lake Huron.
Ouyang Boat Works
All Aloha boats have a reputation for being more than just “a beautiful boat,” especially the Aloha 34, designed by Ted Brewer and Robert Wallstrom. They are sturdy, seaworthy craft that can take on blue water or bring home a trophy in club races. However, as Peter noted, they are known for their outstanding interior design and finish work, the credit for which goes to Ouyang Boat Works.
All Aloha boats were built by Ouyang Boat Works, founded by Ti Ouyang, a carpenter by trade and an entrepreneur in spirit. As a young man, Ti left China and built a successful contracting business in Calcutta, India. When the assets of Chinese people in India were frozen due to a dispute between India and China, Ti and his wife and three children fled India and landed in Oshawa, Ontario, with $45 in their pockets. As a skilled craftsman, Ti quickly found a job with Whitby Boat Works.
It wasn’t long before Ti Ouyang decided he could do better on his own. He successfully produced a series of trailerable boats under the Matilda name, beginning in his garage (see “Wing Ding II, a Matilda 20,” November 2014). As his company grew, he saw a market for bigger boats, and commissioned Brewer and Wallstrom to design a 28-foot boat, the first under the Aloha name. The 34-foot Aloha followed, as did more boats by other designers. The Aloha name came from one of his sons (both of whom were active in the family business) who’d been enchanted with a Hawaiian girl he met in college. The Aloha line was very successful and Ouyang Boat Works ultimately produced more than 600 boats. But like many recreational sailboat manufacturers, the company was hit hard by the sharp rise in the cost of materials that was a byproduct of the OPEC oil embargo. Then, crushed by the financial downturn of the mid-1980s, it was finally forced to cease operations. Today, Ti’s legacy and pride live on with the many Alohas that survive and sail the world and through a dedicated Aloha Owners Group (www.alohaowners.com) that shares secrets, tips, and a passion for their storied vessels.
Shared affection
As for the Herring brothers, their boat-ownership stories became even more aligned. While David and Jayne had been happy with their Aloha 28, once they visited Peter and Joyce and sailed Lake Huron aboard Silver Darling they began a search for their own Aloha 34. Eventually, they found Enchantment, which they keep moored at Fifty Point Yacht Club on Lake Ontario, spending as much time aboard as they can. They often take her out on daysails and on club cruises to other yacht clubs around Lake Ontario.
While both boats are Aloha 34s, subtle distinctions between the two set them apart. The two boats’ interiors differ slightly in the design of the cabinets and the woods used to make them. This is a result of boat-building practices in the 1980s, when craftsmen used whatever materials were available at the time and often made changes when they saw ways to make improvements. Peter and David have also made changes to accommodate their personal preferences.
With Enchantment on Lake Ontario and Silver Darling on Lake Huron, I had to wonder whether the two boats would ever sail together. David is adamant: “That will happen. Once we’re fully retired, Jayne and I plan to either sail Enchantment to Goderich or have Peter and Joyce sail Silver Darling to Fifty Point . . . or maybe we’ll meet in the middle on Lake Erie.”
All four Herrings look forward to that day: boating brothers in sister ships, sailing side by side.
Don Davies, after a lengthy career as an advertising copywriter, marketing consultant, and speechwriter, turned his attention to film scripts, novels, magazine articles, and grandchildren. He lives with his wife, Jacqueline, in Toronto and sails his good old Grampian 30 on Lake Ontario. His website is www.dbdavies.com.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
