Barnegat Bay A-Cat SPY
The Toms River Seaport Society’s Maritime Museum houses the original A-Cat SPY, a wonderful example of the beauty of classic wooden sailboats. Constructed by Bay Head boat builder Morton Johnson in 1924, she was one of a new concept in boat design at the time. SPY was developed from the plans of noted yacht designer Charles Mower who in 1922 designed the successful A-Cat MARY ANN. SPY is 28 feet long, 11 feet wide and is topped by a 48-foot mast; a 28-foot boom spreads along and beyond her gleaming deck. She carries over 605 square feet of sail. She was originally built for Frank Thatcher of Seaside Park. Commodore Thatcher’s first A-Cat was built in 1923 and named HELEN after his daughter. His second A-Cat, SPY, was named after his club, the Seaside Park Yacht Club.
SPY was actively raced for 76 years between 1924 and 2000. Highly competitive throughout a long and illustrious racing career, she is the proud winner of a number of trophies and awards. In 1985 SPY along with the other three surviving original A-Cats were placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
After SPY’s retirement from racing, Roy and Jane Wilkins of Island Heights and her other syndicate owners, Richard and Maggie Groff and Gary Stewart, donated SPY to the Toms River Seaport Society. In 2004 she received a complete makeover at the Workshop on the Water at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. Now retired from racing and sailing she serves as an example of the beautiful A-Cat fleet. A cosmetic update by Bill DeRouville and his crew at the DeRouville Boat Yard in Bayville was completed in the fall of 2011. SPY is truly a
worthy symbol of the rich sailing and racing tradition of Barnegat Bay.
Oh, by the way, if you should be out on the bay on a Saturday afternoon you may see her replacement, SPY II, built in 2001, and the 12 other remaining magnificent A-Cats carrying on the proud tradition of Barnegat Bay yacht racing.
SPY was actively raced for 76 years between 1924 and 2000. Highly competitive throughout a long and illustrious racing career, she is the proud winner of a number of trophies and awards. In 1985 SPY along with the other three surviving original A-Cats were placed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
After SPY’s retirement from racing, Roy and Jane Wilkins of Island Heights and her other syndicate owners, Richard and Maggie Groff and Gary Stewart, donated SPY to the Toms River Seaport Society. In 2004 she received a complete makeover at the Workshop on the Water at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. Now retired from racing and sailing she serves as an example of the beautiful A-Cat fleet. A cosmetic update by Bill DeRouville and his crew at the DeRouville Boat Yard in Bayville was completed in the fall of 2011. SPY is truly a
worthy symbol of the rich sailing and racing tradition of Barnegat Bay.
Oh, by the way, if you should be out on the bay on a Saturday afternoon you may see her replacement, SPY II, built in 2001, and the 12 other remaining magnificent A-Cats carrying on the proud tradition of Barnegat Bay yacht racing.
