The beloved Northern Michigan sailboat, known to sailors in these waters as the NM, is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. A new exhibit, “Fair Winds and Following Seas: The NM Sloop at 90” at the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society, pays tribute to this special class of boat.
To some, the NMs out sailing on the bay on race days are just another picture perfect summer moment captured from the bluff. But to many others, it’s a generational story told in theories on local winds and NM numbers.
I have covered a lot of the local sailing stories for this newspaper over the years. But writing about the NM hits differently. Because whenever someone writes about NMs they are actually telling the story of families and friends who have sailed together for generations.
Ten years ago, on the anniversary of the NM turning 80, I walked into Dave Irish’s office above the boat shop. He greeted me like he always did, that twinkle in his eye of welcome and excitement to talk about sailing. That day, he rolled out a large document that looked like a family tree. It documented the story of each of the 27 NMs and the families who’d cared for them over the years. We first spoke about the history and how this 32-foot sloop came to decorate this harbor.
An NM under sail on Little Traverse Bay last fall. (Harbor Light Newspaper photo/Charles O’Neill)
Production of the NM began in 1934 based on the design created by LeRoy (Roy) Kramer. Russell J. Pouliot, owner of Pouliot Boat Works in Detroit, built the boats. Upon completion, the boats were shipped to both Charlevoix and Harbor Springs via a truck driven by Pouliot’s nephew. In 1937, Pouliot Boat Works became Fisher Boat Works. But the strain of WWII proved to be too much for the small business and it was shuttered. While production ceased for a time, interest in the NM design did not. In 1963, local sailors teamed with the local boat shop, Irish, to start production again. Dave explained that he credited Fred Ford with making the decision to build more boats in Harbor Springs. And when I asked Mr. Ford about it, he said he wanted to do so because the NM was “a good looking boat and relatively easy to sail” And as Ford noted, “it was the one real racing class that was here.”
Pictured, a colorful NM spinnaker run on race day. The NM sloop turns 90 this year. (Photo courtesy Harbor Springs Area Historical Society.)
And as Dave pointed out “It’s a boat conceived and designed as ideal for day sailing and racing”. Its sleek design, tall mast, short boom, heavy keel, and open cockpit that offers seating for six, which lends itself to inviting friends and family to join in the fun of playing in the winds on Little Traverse Bay.
And after the more technical history was discussed, Dave turned to the story in numbers. He’d always start an NM story with “Well you already know this but…” and then give the number of one of the NMs before launching into a sailing story. He always gave me more credit than I deserved, based on the fact that he’d been sailing with various members of my family for decades. Sometimes I knew the story and enjoyed hearing it from his perspective. Most times, I didn’t know the story and pieced together Harbor Springs sailing lore with that of my own family history as he told it.
My grandfather, Ziba Graham (nicknamed “The Fox” for his skilled and cunning sailing abilities), owned #9 and then #24. His brother, Robert Graham (known to many as “Poo- Boo”) owned #12. My parents sailed against each other in the NM races long before they really knew each other (my mom, Cress Graham Meier, with Tom Carruthers on #3 and then with her father on #24). My father, Derek Meier, and his brother, Stokely Meier, enjoyed a winning streak during the 1956-1961 sailing seasons with Skip Gundrum when they sailed with him on #19.
I crewed a couple races when my brother skippered Bob Aiken’s #26 and Packy Offield’s #23. And my aunts, uncles, and cousins have all raced consistently over the years on various family and friend’s boats.
So it is, on this 90th anniversary celebration of a special sloop that I break with journalistic distance for this story. I do not pretend to be an avid or skilled sailor. And my race experience is limited to a few scattered over various sailing seasons. But wet sails drying in yards around me, and stories told in NM numbers are part of my favorite summer days. I have benefitted from this legacy of sailing in Harbor Springs. Great men like the late Dave Irish and late Fred Ford, along with Dick Babcok, and many others have generously picked up my calls, and answered my sailing questions over the years, when I’ve been tasked with covering a local sailing story. They are a part of a tradition of sailors who want to encourage the next generation to get out on the water. Many of the kids who once sailed with them have grown into professionals in the sport. Others, also continue to honor their legacy by still sailing these local waters with friends and family.
“The NM is an icon: handsome, classic design, easy sailing, fast (sort of). Owned by people who care, and maintained by people who know how. They are loved.” Dick Babcock said when I asked him recently about what makes the NM so special to him and our area.
“Part of the timeless and iconic nature of the NMs is their owners,” he added. “Not high powered racers, but mostly gentle folk who love their boats, and enjoy the opportunity to socialize. And they take pride in the boats. They treat and maintain them like a fine antique or lovely piece of furniture. When asked a similar question about the lure of NM, I often answer ‘Magic’. A combination of things I described, but to me it is magic. The boats are probably not known ‘round the world, but the people who have sailed are, the late Dave Irish and others. They make Harbor Springs look good, and Harbor Springs and the people who live there make them look good. Here’s to another 10+ years.”
The magic of the NM is hard to capture in words and timelines. For it is in the generational, interwoven tales of family and friends sailing on these local waters that have created its lore and continue its legacy.
This new exhibit at the history museum attempts to capture this magic with the help of local sailing families sharing both their stories, photos, trophies, and models.
“Once a sailor, always a sailor,” said Susan Ford, daughter of the late Fred Ford. “And for those of us that grew up around this harbor, the NMs represent an unforgettable time and place. Fleet Week in their home port is the perfect occasion to celebrate this classy class at 90–Oh and the stories they can tell!”
