There is a certain allure to sailing a boat designed for the solitary purpose of sailing well; the way the quarter wake licks along the toerail towards the transom, or the lightness of the helm as balance in motion, like a vintage sports car perfectly tuned. The Luders 27 (L-27) is one such boat, and for Nakomis Nelson and his wife, Haley, of Islesboro, Maine, becoming the owners of the L-27 Myth has brought a seafaring life and love of boats full circle, as Myth is more a member of the family than a mere boat.
“We love racing, cruising, and just looking at her from shore. My wife and I both feel a deep connection to the boat and to the story of the boat,” says Nelson, who also has a young son, Eifion, who sails with them. Indeed, Myth was present at Nakomis’ and Haley’s wedding this summer on the shores of Crow Cove on Islesboro. In full dress for the entire weekend, and in company with other classic yachts, Myth was part of the celebration and took the newlyweds for a sail to cap off the wedding ceremony.
Designed by Alfred Edward “Bill” Luders Jr.—one of the greatest American yacht designers at the pinnacle of wooden yacht building and the Cruising Club of America (CCA) racing rule—the L-27 “was the final boat Bill Luders designed and built for himself; he owned the first of six, Storm,” Nelson says. “In the process, he was able to build and design a yacht to his interpretation. Myth happened to be the last of the six L-27s ever built.”
Considered a pioneer in molded plywood lamination, Luders built Storm in 1955. Like Storm and all of Luders’ L-27s, Myth has no joints, requiring no caulking, with a smooth frameless interior. In an interview in 1987 preserved by Mystic Seaport Museum, Luders explained that his boat was “built to be fast, and a lot of competitive sailors really envied us.” He liked the “skinned out” approach to his cold molded designs and loved that they had very few frills. The L-27’s 40-foot hull is a mere 27 feet on the waterline and just under 10 feet wide.
Luders is also credited with the design and build of two America’s Cup contenders in the 1960s, Weatherly and American Eagle, and was known for his innovation and skill as a designer, builder, and sailor.
“I think there is an ethos of who Bill Luders was as a sailor that I respect deeply, he pushed boundaries, tested the limits and thought outside of the box. He was happy to do something very novel,” Nelson says. “He took risks and in doing so bettered the whole yacht design community.”
Nelson believes that the L-27 was built with absolutely everything Bill Luders could mentally put into it. “It is narrow, long, and points very high. It is perfectly balanced with no weather helm. It tends to settle right into a groove, and almost sails itself,” he says. “There is no pull on the helm, even when heeling well over.”
In keeping with Luders’ preference for simplicity, it is “a very simple boat down below. There is nothing modern about it,” Nelson says. “The only thing we added was one 12-volt outlet to charge our cellphones. Our to-do list this past season was limited by a short period of time before the yard required us to launch. Mostly we prioritized the underwater work. This winter she will get new topside paint and standing rigging.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Myth had been on the hard at a boatyard in southern Massachusetts. Nakomis and Haley found her in the spring of 2024 and quickly set about making plans to purchase and deliver her to Maine.
Freddy and John Valois, Myth’s original owners, were renowned Woods Hole scientists and accomplished sailors. They purchased the hull of Myth in the early 1960s from Bill Luders and spent over 30 years finishing her. They did not sail her until the mid-1990s because their focus on research work left little free time. Their long years of work on Myth are evident in the deck, cabintop, and interior that features beautiful joinery work.
“They took their time and were able to sail Myth to their hearts’ content after their retirement,” Nelson says. “They had 15 years of sailing until their health declined. She is still adorned by a beautiful carving of a horseshoe crab and a seahorse at each end of her cove stripe—a testament to their research.”
That history resonates deeply with Haley, a native of Cape Cod who teaches science at the school on Isleboro. “She feels we are showing our respect to them,” Nelson says.
Nelson, who has spent his life on Islesboro, has had the benefit of a rustic life while meeting some of the most prominent people in America as many summered on the island over the generations. Growing up, his summer neighbors were Bob and Maurine Rothschild, descendants of the prominent 19th century banking family, and he spent many summers cruising with the elder Rothschilds who shared their love of yachting with young Nelson on their 42-foot custom built yawl, Amistad.
In his early 20s, Nelson acquired the Winthrop Warner-designed, Paul Lake-built Congar, launched in 1949. He cruised the 43-foot cutter engineless for a few years—even ending up in a local paper after going out for a post-snowstorm cruise one January. After tacking through Camden Harbor and being noticed by the captain and owner of the 148-foot sailing yacht Islandia, Nelson was offered a mate position, and he sailed aboard throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
Returning to Maine, he set about rebuilding Congar, living aboard and cruising as often as he could while continuing to work as a private yacht captain. About Congar Nelson says, “She sailed like a freight train,” and he ended up owning her twice, selling her when he was 27 and buying her back more than a decade later.
Nelson has also rebuilt a derelict 20-foot Herreshoff Fish Class, working with his son to restore it to pristine condition. It was a form of therapy, he says, helping him deal with the divorce from his first wife at the time. He still owns the Herreshoff, adorned by a gold leaf flying fish drawn by his son, which is a perfect vessel for short day sails around Islesboro.
“The boats I have owned were bought for pleasure, they were boats that I loved,” Nelson says. “These boats often were down on their heels, and they needed someone to bring them back. I put some elbow grease into them and gave them a new home.”
Nelson has never exactly hung out a shingle, but through word of mouth he has become an in-demand boat captain, voyager, and marine consultant. He is at ease advising anyone about boats, whether they live in a cottage or a mansion or prefer power to sail. His most recent 4,200-nautical-mile trip on the Viking route happened in part because he advised and encouraged his employer on the benefits of going with a Dutch-built Elling E6 power yacht not only to cross a remote part of the world, but also to be a comfortable cruising yacht around the Maine coast. Nelson most recently has traveled back and forth to the Netherlands to consult with another Elling owner who wants to explore the far reaches of Greenland.
“I do think that we have some of the best sailing in the world in Maine and that is partially why Maine is so dear to my heart. Anyone who has sailing in their blood can look across a harbor and know when they see a beautiful boat,” he says. “And you know what you are looking at. The right boat, the right moment. Something speaks to you, and boats, well, they are kind of like lovers. They all have something to offer but some make more sense than others.”
But Myth is something special. “Sometimes you get on a boat, and they just are so perfect, so beautiful, so well thought out and sail so perfectly,” he says, “balanced on any point of sail.”
November/December 2024
