Pacifier Is Cute on Two Sticks

Pacifier is not just cute on a stick, she’s cute on two sticks, as the above photo will testify. That’s because, though just 15 feet long overall — and a mere 10 feet on deck — Pacifier is a bona fide schooner.

"The little schooner was designed and built of fiberglass by legendary schoonerman Paul Mitchell," writes Brad Brown. "Two others are known to survive: one in Port Townsend, WA, and the other in Australia. Mitchell says the boats are attractive to those who want ‘strings and things —something more than just one sail, so that not only do you have more to do, but you have more sails to do them with.’"

In the hands of brothers John and Chris Frost, Pacifier won Class B in 1979’s Memorial Day Ancient Mariners race, 15 miles from Mission Bay to Shelter Island, competing against boats as long as 54 feet.

In the America’s Schooner Cup on April 1, Pacifier sailed alone in class D, skippered by Olivia Springfield and crewed by Jimmy McManus. The Schooner Cup, hosted by Silver Gate Yacht Club and sponsored by Star Clippers, is a fundraiser for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. We’ll have a report and more photos in Racing Sheet in the May issue of Latitude 38.