Yankee sailing on San Francisco Bay with Alcatraz Island and the Bay Bridge beyond. Photo: Will Campbell, Yankee Archive.

The History of Yankee

120 Years on San Francisco Bay, 1906–2026

From the Great Earthquake to the present day — the complete story of a schooner, a city, and the families who kept her sailing.

Among the wooden yachts still sailing on San Francisco Bay, none carries a longer or more storied history than the gaff schooner Yankee. Built in 1906 at the Stone Boat Yard near the Presidio, she was shaken from her building cradle by the great earthquake that leveled much of the city — and she has been sailing ever since.

Yankee burgee — green pennant with white Y — The Yankee burgee: a green pennant with white “Y” and gold olive branches.

Across twelve decades Yankee has known only three private owners, served in the United States Navy, appeared in Hollywood films, raced in nearly every classic regatta the Bay has to offer, and been the flagship of the St. Francis Yacht Club seven times. Her story is inseparable from the story of San Francisco’s waterfront, and from the families who gave her their care.

What follows is a history drawn from the primary documents preserved in the Yankee Archive — newspaper clippings, oral accounts, written histories, and the records of the West Coast Seafaring Society — supplemented by published histories of San Francisco Bay yachting and independent research.

Chapters

Chapter I The Builder: William Frank Stone The Stone Boat Yard Three generations of boatbuilders, from the Gold Rush to the Roaring Twenties — and the yard that built Yankee. Chapter II Birth & Baptism by Earthquake 1905–1906 Commissioned by David Abecassis, shaken from her cradle on April 18, 1906 — launched in the same hour that reshaped San Francisco. Chapter III The Abecassis Years 1906–1907 Racing glory under Carl Westerfield — the McDonough Cups, the inaugural Farallones Race, and a brief, brilliant first chapter. Chapter IV Captain Charles Miller 1907–c. 1925 Bohemian yachtsman, Catalina voyager, and the man who converted Yankee from sloop to schooner. Chapter V The Ford Family 1925–1942 “I’ve found our boat!” — five generations begin, from a schoolboy’s discovery to the St. Francis Yacht Club. Chapter VI War Service 1942 Painted Navy gray, patrolling the Golden Gate for the Japanese fleet — and composing the most famous radio message never sent. Chapter VII The Postwar Decades 1945–1989 Commodores and legends — Arthur Ford’s famous tide plays, Bobby Ayers aloft, the Bicentennial Regatta, and Loma Prieta. Chapter VIII The Great Restoration 1996–2001 The Yankee LLC, an eighteen-month haul-out at KKMI, and a remarkable community effort. Chapter IX Racing in the New Century 2001–2018 The Billiken Trophy, the “Home Depot Racing” gaff, the all-women crew, and seven flagship years. Chapter X Hollywood Cameos 1923 & 1962 From a King Vidor silent film to sharing the screen with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick. Chapter XI Sailing Yankee The Vessel Herself What it means to sail a big gaff schooner without mechanical assistance — 1,475 square feet of canvas and no winches. Chapter XII The Transition 2019–2025 The West Coast Seafaring Society, a pandemic interruption, and the call for new stewards. Chapter XIII The Course Forward 2025–2026 The Golden Gate Wooden Boat Trust — a new generation steps forward to complete the work and return Yankee to the water. Chapter XIV Yankee’s Place in History 1906–Present The longest continuously family-owned yacht on the Bay — born in the earthquake, served in a war, and still awaiting her next chapter. Reference Appendices & Sources Ownership, Specifications, Sources & Fact-Check Notes Ownership timeline, flagship years, key specifications, bibliography, and notes on questionable details.

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