Lorraine

The Nordic Folkboat was the outcome of a design contest of the Swedish Yacht Club and became an international class boat in 1942. This boat was an apprenticeship project for Scandinavian boatbuilders, and for this reason, more folkboats have been built than any other wooden boat in history.

Lorraine was built in 1959 in Middelfart, Denmark before being transported to San Francisco for active class racing. In 1979, she was trucked to the Pacific Northwest and since then, had been under the care and ownership of sailmaker Carol Hasse until 2023. She has undergone several extensive refits by Port Townsend’s finest shipwrights including Ed Louchard, Steve Chapin, Ernie Baird, and Tim Lee. During this time, cruising amenities were added, including a wood stove, anchor grating, yuloh, midship cleats, quarter bits, and many other small thoughtful details that add a level of comfort unmatched by most small boats.

Carol’s son, Grayson, who has sailed Lorraine his whole life, took ownership in 2023, and now cares for the boat and spends his summers sailing the Salish Sea with partner Natalie. They have fallen in love with the freedom of the cruising lifestyle, the camaraderie of wooden boat life, and even the craftsmanship and dedication required to keep a wooden boat in “Bristol fashion”.