Yellowbird, NM #1, holds a special place in the history of Northern Michigan sailing. She is the first hull of the Northern Michigan Sloop, a wooden one-design sailboat that would become one of the defining symbols of sailing on Little Traverse Bay.
The NM was conceived in 1933 by a group of yachtsmen from Charlevoix and Harbor Springs who wanted a boat that could be both a competitive racer and a comfortable daysailer. Local sailor and amateur naval architect LeRoy Kramer developed the original concept, drawing inspiration from the fast 6-Meter and 22-square-meter boats of the era. Naval architect and boatbuilder Russell J. Pouliot then developed the final design and began building the boats in Detroit.
The first NMs arrived in Northern Michigan in 1934, shipped by railroad from Detroit to the communities around Little Traverse Bay. The design was approximately 34 feet long, with a lean, easily driven hull, a deep keel and a large open cockpit. It was designed to be fast enough for racing while still providing room for a crew and guests.
Yellowbird is NM #1—the first hull in the class. The earliest boats were built by Detroit Boat Works, later associated with Fisher Boat Works, and the original production run included hulls 1 through 17, with hull #13 intentionally omitted from the numbering.
That makes Yellowbird more than simply an old wooden sailboat. She represents the beginning of a sailing tradition that has lasted for more than 90 years. The NM became closely associated with Harbor Springs and the Little Traverse Yacht Club, where the boats continue to race today. The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society describes the NM as perhaps the best-known racing sailboat on Little Traverse Bay, with owners, sailors and builders maintaining the tradition across generations.
Today, only a portion of the original fleet survives, making the preservation of NM #1 Yellowbird particularly meaningful. As the first Northern Michigan Sloop, she is a tangible link to the sailors and boatbuilders who created a uniquely Northern Michigan design in the 1930s—and to the generations of sailors who have followed them across Little Traverse Bay.
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