The Whitby Brewer Sailboat Association
Harold B. Oldak was one of the original commissioners of the Brewer 12.8.
This article is a tribute to his sailing contributions.
Ted Brewer designed these beautiful, sea-worthy boats.
See his site for more information.
- History of the Whitby Brewer Sailboat Association by Bernie Boykin
- Newsletter Archive (1991-2006)
- Douglas Stephenson (1942-2014)
- Bernard (Bernie) Boykin (1921-2011)
- Edward (Ted) Brewer (1933-2021)
- In Search of the Ultimate Cruiser (undated PDF) - Interesting history and review of the Brewer 12.8 and the 'Original 8' who made it happen.
- Whitby Brewer History Project (access for owners only)
Summary of the Whitby-Brewer Fleet
Updated 02 November 2020
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The Whitby Brewer Boat History project is a collection of information of every Whitby and Brewer sailboat built at Whitby Boat Works in Whitby, Ontario and Fort Myers Yacht and Shipbuilding in Ft. Myers, Florida from 1972 until 1990. The project has two primary goals:
- Status of every hull number in the Whitby Brewer fleet (active, destroyed, etc.)
- Owner history for every Whitby & Brewer hull number
Summary of the Whitby-Brewer Fleet
| Hull Nos. | Years | Manufacturer | Model | # of boats |
| 001-201 | 1972-1982 | Whitby | Whitby 42 | 201 |
| 301-335 | 1983-1986 | Whitby | Whitby 42 | 34 |
| 202-233 | 1980-1982 | Fort Myers | Whitby 42 | 32 |
| 234-267, 269-272, 275 | 1983-1987 | Fort Myers | Brewer 12.8 | 39 |
| 268, 273-274, 276-306 | 1987-1990 | Fort Myers | Brewer 44 | 34 |
| 001-003 | 1985-1986 | Whitby | Whitby 55 | 3 |
| Total boats in WB fleet | 343 |
| Whitby 42 built in Whitby | 234 |
| Whitby 55 built in Whitby | 3 |
| Whitby 42 built in Fort Myers | 33 |
| Brewer 12.8 built in Fort Myers | 39 |
| Brewer 44 built in Fort Myers | 34 |
| Total built in Whitby | 237 |
| Total built in Fort Myers | 106 |
| Total in Fleet | 343 |
Overlapping Hull Numbers
| Hull Nos. | Years | Manufacturer | Model |
| 001-003 | 1972 | Whitby | Whitby 42 |
| 001-003 | 1985-1986 | Whitby | Whitby 55 |
| 301-306 | 1983 | Whitby | Whitby 42 |
| 301-306 | 1989-1990 | Fort Myers | Brewer 44 |
In several cases, the 3-digit hull numbers of some of the boats overlap, creating some confusion. Whitby, ON built three Whitby 55's with hull numbers 001-003, the same as the first three Whitby 42's built. Also in several cases, the 3-digit hull numbers of boats built in Whitby, ON, overlap with those built in Fort Myers, FL.
Of course, the full 12 or 13-digit Hull Identification Numbers for all of these “overlapping” hulls is unique for each boat. Confusion can still occur as there are several types of format for the HIN. Further explanation of various types of HIN's can be found in the article, What's in a Number? - Hull Identification Numbers of Whitbys & Brewers.
Status of the Fleet
| Status of Boat | Number of Boats |
| Active Boats | 224 |
| Active? Boats (Not 100% Sure) | 59 |
| Destroyed | 9 |
| Never Completed (#201) | 1 |
| Unknown Status - No Info | 50 |
| Total Boats | 343 |
| Owner Records w/o Hull Number | 86 |
| Boat Records w/o Owner or Hull Number | 12 |
Of the 343 Whitby and Brewer sailboats built, current information shows that at least 224 boats remain active in the fleet. Another 59 boats are labeled “Active?” meaning they are thought to be still active, but concrete information about the current owner is lacking. Nine boats are known to have been destroyed or parted out, and one boat was never completed, but used only for a building mold. “Unknown Status” indicates that no owner information at all is currently available.
2018 Rendezvous
Another year of fun and sharing! There’s a lot we can learn from other sailors with the same boats and a wide variety of experiences. An important lesson from this year is how long it takes before we’re talking about the ship’s head. (For non-sailors, read “toilet.”)
For the 2018 edition of the rendezvous, we had four boats at the dock of the West River Sailing Club:
- Red Ranger
- Shooting Star
- Wild Oats
- Allegria
We had almost two dozen attendees reflecting — perhaps — a dozen boats. James and Christine won the prize for coming all the way from Calgary, Alberta, some 2,300 miles. We keep Red Ranger at Herrington Harbour North, so our trip was about 15 miles: 3 hours by boat. Shooting Star and Wild Outs, similarly, are close by. Allegria, however, came down from from Newfoundland.
Some Whitby-emeritus owners (Ted, Alice, John, and Mary) live in the area so, they win the prize for shortest distance traveled.
There are some key ingredients for a proper rendezvous.
Introductions. And a boat card exchange. We all describe our boat and our favorite locations. We get to meet the folks we don’t know, greet the folks we've met before. We learn about folks new to the group, and new to their boars, as well as the folks with thousands of sea miles under their keels.
Shared Meals. We use the West River Sailing Club and Betka’s Real Food catering service provided us wonderful meals Monday night, all day Tuesday and all day Wednesday, also.
Boat Tours. With four boats at the dock, we can swap ideas, and learn from each other. I’ve seen these three boats several times before, and I’m starting to understand some of the smaller differences between them.
Program. Ruth of Shooting Star built an amazing program this year. She seems to know a huge number of cruisers, and invited lots of them to speak.
- Jeanie and Scott talked about the Whitby-Brewer web site. Jeanie explained the detailed history of the boats she’s collected. This history can help a buyer learn about previous owners and previous names for a boat you’re thinking about buying. It also helps when you see a boat and wonder who you should hail on the VHF.
- Fred reviewed the rules of the road. “Red over Red, Captain is Dead.” Okay. It’s silly, but we’ve learned to recognize the lights of a ship not under command.
- Monty and Sara — the folks who publish Explorer Chartbooks — stopped by to tell us how and why they put their unique offering together. We learned about coloring scheme for the hydrography and their policy for stating depth. The books include tons of need-to-know information about the Bahamas. Since they offered us a discount, we bought the latest editions.
- Dee and Molly told us about their trip up the coast of Newfoundland. They shared details of anchorages, and spectacular photos. This wasn’t their first trip up north, and we learned how they managed the persistent SW winds they encountered.
- Molly Winans— editor of Spinsheet Magazine — told us about sailors and the twelve reasons why she loves sailors. Stories from a master story-teller are a delight.
- We demonstrated how flares work. We tried 12-gauge and 25mm flare launchers, signal rockets, SOLAS flares, and (cheap) locator flares. Out-of-date flares really do work. We saw how the pistol-like flare launchers can be unimpressive: a 12 gauge flare with a six-second burn is barely visible. If you’re going to use this, have a generous supply. The 25mm launcher with converter sleeve didn’t work out very well, either: when the flare misfired, it wound up jammed in the sleeve. Have multiple sleeves in case of misfires. The demonstration required a fair amount of coordination with US Coast Guard, Galesville Fire Department, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and local businesses to be sure everyone was aware of what we were doing. You can see Molly’s Facebook post of our flare demo.
Day two was just as informative and helpful:
- Brian Smith from American Diesel stopped by to help us understand our diesel engines. We talked about a number of topics, including the frequency of oil changes and the complexities of getting all the oil out of the pan. We learned about the importance of looking closely at your oil as a diagnostic tool for how your engine is running.
- Kathy Barth from Seven Seas Cruising Association told us of the many benefits of SSCA membership. We have several members — and at least one commodore couple— in the Whitby family. What we’re doing is like an SSCA Gam on a smaller scale.
- We shared our stories of things that work — and things that don’t. As Milly Winans pointed out, it’s only about ten minutes before we’re talking about the boat’s head and the various complexities of marine sanitation devices.
- After lunch we had a brief business meeting to examine our finances. We pay for Whitby Brewer Sailboats. The rendezvous pricing is designed to break exactly even with the fees for Real Food and the West River Sailing Club. And that’s it. We have a couple of people who handle the tiny dribble of money. Ruth, Cindy Ann, and Maureen put the program together for the rendezvous.
- Steve showed how rock climbing safety techniques can be applied to ascending the mast. Use proper 22 kn rated carabiner clips, and use a figure-eight with follow-through knot for anything you’re climbing on.
And then we moved on to visiting boats, having hors d'oeuvre and then eating a delightful dinner.
An associated event can help. In this case, the Annapolis sailboat show starts the next day. Some of use will sail up to Annapolis to make last-minute purchases before heading south.
A bonus this year was yoga at 07:00 both mornings. CA finished her instructor training at Blue Nectar recently. The morning program was designed to build up some strength and flexibility based on the kind of activities common on a sailboat.
2018 Whitby-Brewer Sailboat Association Rendezvous
1-3 October at the West River Sailing Club
4800 Riverside Dr, Galesville, MD
The Upper Chesapeake Whitby-Brewer Sailboat Association Rendezvous will be hosted at the West River Sailing Club as it has been for the past several years. There is dock space for 7 boats, 4 mooring balls and ample anchoring room. Dockage includes 30-amp electric and water. Showers are available at the club for all. There is laundry available across the street at the Pirate's Cove restaurant/hotel.
Monday 1 October
Crews arrive during the day; lunch on your own; boat visiting.
Dock Masters on duty to assist incoming boats - monitoring channels 16 and 69.
17:00 - Social hour: cash beer and wine, bring a snack to share, if possible.
18:00 - Supper provided
Tuesday 2 October
07:00 - Yoga for sailors (45 min)
08:00 - Coffee and Continental breakfast provided
08:30 - Welcome/Introductions/Boat Card exchange
09:00 - Boat History and Website (Jeanie and Scott - S/V Joie de Vivre)
10:00 - Rules of the Road (Fred - S/V Shooting Star)
11:00 - Explorer Charts - (Sara & Monty Lewis - tentative)
12:00 - Lunch provided, cash soft drinks
13:00 - Newfoundland (Dee & Molly - S/V Allegria)
14:00 - Spinsheet (Molly Winans)
15:00 - Flare Demo (tentative)
16:00 - Boat visiting
17:00 - Social hour: cash beer and wine, snacks provided
18:00 - Dinner provided.
Wednesday 3 October
07:00 - Yoga for sailors (45 min)
08:00 - Coffee and Continental breakfast provided
09:00 - American Diesel (Brian Smith)
10:00 - open - (your presentation here!)
11:00 - Seven Seas Cruising Assoc. (Kathy Barth-Pres.)
12:00 - Lunch provided, cash soft drinks
13:00 - General Discussion Boat ideas - upgrades, storage
14:00 - Whitby Brewer Sailboats Association business meeting
19:30 - Cleanup
2017 Chesapeake Bay Rendezvous
Steven Lott, SV Red Ranger
While Monday is the expected arrival day, Sunday had good conditions and several boats arrived early. Our contract with WRSC doesn’t really start until Monday, but, the club was flexible.
The proper content began on Tuesday:
We learned about the refit on Uhane Kai. It’s almost done. She may be departing the Chesapeake next year.
We learned about surveying from a local surveyor, Karen Alt from Anchor Marine Inc.
We discussed weather, and weather resources. Terry, of Island Time, moderated the discussion. Here’s what I jotted down.
Attainable adventure cruising. https://www.morganscloud.com/about/
Modern Marine weather. https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Marine-Weather-Traditions-Technology-ebook/dp/B00BZDR2XE
Delorme in reach weather
Weather underground marine
http://www.marvsweather.com/cu_01.html
We learned about the San Blas islands from the crew of Memory. Get Eric Bauhaus’ book.
We learned about dinghy renovation from the crew of Shooting Star. We’re going to buy some ToobSeal for the pinhole leak in our dinghy.
We learned about sewing projects from the crews of Indefatigable and Alembic.
We got some promotional gear from Sailrite, including hats, shirts, and tote-bags. We had a raffle to share the bounty among all the crews in attendance. (I got a new hat.)
And that was just the first day!
On Wednesday, we shared tips and best practices. This was facilitated by Deb, of Island Time, who makes sure that everyone can share their lessons learned with the rest of the Whitby-Brewer family.
The crew of Alembic talked about Western Caribbean destinations. Looking at the hurricane devastation in the Eastern Caribbean made this particularly poignant.
We also reviewed some more mundane details. Scott (of Joie de Vivre) showed us the latest features of the web site, including the Slide Show of boats. Please submit a favorite photo of your Whitby or Brewer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We looked at sales information about our boats. And we also had a brief “business” meeting. There’s rarely much business beyond reviewing our tiny budget and getting volunteers lined up for next year.
Indeed, the biggest budget issue is the pennant. We have been selling some appliquéd nylon pennants, and it’s time to reorder. The current material doesn’t stand up well in a marine environment. Maybe we should switch to printed dacron? Or appliquéd dacron? Or Sunbrella? Lots of discussion.
Thursday, we bid tearful farewells.
Photos are available here.
2017 Whitby-Brewer Sailboat Association Rendezvous Program
2 - 4 October at the West River Sailing Club
4800 Riverside Dr, Galesville, MD
Monday 2 October - Optional
Crews arrive during the day; lunch on your own; boat visiting.
Dock Masters on duty to assist incoming boats - monitoring channels 16 and 69.
17:00 - Social hour: cash beer and wine, bring a snack to share, if possible. 18:00 - Supper provided (see menu below)
Tuesday 3 October
08:00 - Coffee and Continental breakfast provided
08:30 - Welcome/Introductions/Boat Card exchange
09:00 - Uhane Kai Renovation - Mike Foster
10:00 - Karen Alt, surveyor, Anchor Marine, Inc.
11:00 - State of the website - Scott and Jeanie Lee
12:00 - Lunch provided, cash soft drinks
13:00 - Group discussion on weather - led by Terry Temperly
14:00 - Short presentations:
San Blas Islands - Bruce and Maureen Kinsey
Dinghy renovation - Ruth Ann and Fred Seifert
15:00 - Sewing for a boat - Helen Weigel and George Chamberlain
16:00 - Boat visiting
17:00 - Social hour: cash beer and wine, snacks provided
18:00 - Dinner provided. Local boaters have been invited to join us.
19:00 - Drawing for some very cool Sailrite gear!
Wednesday 4 October
08:00 - Coffee and Continental breakfast provided
09:00 - The Cruising Corner - Deb Temperly, Maureen Kinsey and Scott Lee
10:30 - Western Caribbean loops - Helen and Bill Weigel
11:30 - General topics — All (Q & A and short presentations) - TBD
12:00 - Lunch provided, cash soft drinks
13:00 - Sales info and trends - CA Bowers
13:30 - Whitby Brewer Sailboats Association business meeting - ALL
14:30 - Group photo on the lawn / visiting
17:00 - Social hour: cash beer and wine, potluck snacks
18:00 - Dinner provided
19:30 - Cleanup
Rendezvous organizers:
Registrar - Maureen Kinsey
Greeters - John Cece, Steven Lott, Deb Temperly
Dock Masters - John Cece, Steven Lott, Terry Temperly
Club/Catering Liaison - CA Bowers
Program Coordinator - CA Bowers
MC - Steven Lott
Audio/Visual Coordinator - Terry Temperly
Treasurer - Terry Temperly
Whitby-Brewer Sailing Association Officers:
Coordinator: Cindy Ann Bowers
Treasurer: Terry Temperly
Co-Treasurer: open
Webmaster: Scott Lee
Membership Coordinator: Jeanie Lee
