Homes & Estates Mid-Atlantic Collection Spring 2017 | Page 11

Yard in Gloucester City, New Jersey, before moving his shipbuilding operation
to occupy fi ve acres along Severn Avenue in Annapolis in 1947. After Trumpy
Sr. died in 1963, his son John Jr. became president and treasurer, while Donald
Trumpy became vice-president and secretary until 1973, when Trumpy & Sons
closed its doors. Sigrid Trumpy, granddaughter of John Trumpy Sr., fondly recalls
going to the Annapolis shipyard on weekends with her father, Donald.
“I would wander off by myself, looking into the buildings that housed the paint
shop and wood shop or the machine shop, fascinated by the parts and pieces,
the smell and the touch and the scale of it all,” says Sigrid Trumpy, who currently
serves as director of exhibitions for Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and curated
the 2016 exhibition, “A Single Goal: The Art of Trumpy Yacht Building,” which
showcased her family’s rich historical archives and artifacts from Trumpy Yacht
owners, restorers, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and more.
Th e houseboat Freedom, seen under way about 1930, exhibited the varnished wood cabin
and clean white topsides emblazoned with the scrollwork “T” at the bow that characterized
John Trumpy’s designs.*
Chapman says there has been a small yet noticeable uptick in the interest in
Trumpy yachts in the last three years — although he cautions that “few buyers
actually have what it takes to fi nancially and mentally own one,” due to the
maintenance and care involved in owning a vintage wooden vessel.
“There is a level of prestige that carries over into pricing, but the yacht must be
maintained very well to get top dollar,” he says. “Condition, style and uniqueness
all play into it. Well-maintained examples, depending on size, will sell for $450,000
on up to well over $1 million.”
Part of the Trumpy mystique can be traced back to the bespoke nature of each
boat, which was meticulously handcrafted to the owner’s specifi cations. Each
Trumpy was fully equipped with anchors, chains, hawsers, fenders, compass
and binnacle, bell, foghorn, running lights, life preservers, fl ags, awnings, tenders
with covers, deck hose, bed springs and mattresses, galley equipment, chairs,
tables, lamps and deck furniture. Decks, as well as furniture for the salons and
staterooms, were made of teak. Interiors were fancifully decorated in lush fabrics
and linens.
Each Trumpy exuded the quality and hand-craftsmanship made possible by John
Trumpy Sr.’s high standards for boat building. A Norwegian-born naval architect,
he came to the United States at age 23 and began building yachts in Camden
Th e wheelhouse of the 90-foot houseboat Consort IV, built in 1936, shows the brightly
fi nished woodwork typical of John H. Trumpy’s designs.*
As Alice Estrada, executive director of Annapolis Maritime Museum, noted:
“The attention to detail is astonishing in a Trumpy. Much like the older homes,
the craftsmanship is simply not replicated today. It was often referred to as the
Rolls-Royce of yachts. To this day, the maritime industries in Annapolis, and
specifi cally Eastport, have some of the best reputations in the world for technique
and workmanship.”
Chapman’s buyers certainly agree with Estrada’s sentiments. Many of them are
honored to be owners and stewards of a Trumpy — even 43 years after the last
Trumpy boat took shape in the Annapolis shipyard.
“They share a deep respect and appreciation for keeping classic yachting
traditions alive,” says the broker. “It’s a big responsibility to own one of these
yachts, but it’s also great joy.”
*Photo by Morris Rosenfeld, courtesy of the Rosenfeld Collection, Mystic Seaport Museum. This photo was part
of A Single Goal: The Art of Trumpy Yacht Building, a traveling exhibition featured at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime
Museum in St. Michaels, Md., in fall 2016.
ColdwellBankerHomes.com | 9