While we are the Shallow Water Sailors who ride the wind across waters that no powerboat would normally dare to attempt for fear of digging in its propeller, we are not averse to appreciating a graceful hull and a comfortable cabin when we see one, even if it is a bit “deep”. Our friend Jerry Culik found one such in Rock Hall, MD.
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When a sailor mentions “Crosby,” he’s not talking about Bing. It’s about catboats, and more specifically, it’s about catboats built by one of eight generations of boatbuilders who hail from Osterville, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
If you’re old enough, you might even recall seeing pictures of a very famous Crosby catboat, the Victura, a Wianno Senior, being sailed about Hyannis by John F. Kennedy and family. So when Tom Lippincott mentioned “Crosby tugboat” during a phone call, he got my attention. Crosby…Tugboat…Whaaaat????
While Crosby is best known for those catboats, this one has a 4-cylinder Westerbeke 44B4 diesel providing primary motive power. And if that’s not enough, she’s also rigged with a mast and sail. Invincible was built in 1971 by sixth-generation (??) Chester A. Crosby & Sons, and she would look right at home put-putting around the Cape or anywhere along the Maine coast. But right now she’s resting on the hard outside Rock Hall, Maryland.
Although many Crosbys are built of wood, Chester A. came over to the dark side and also built in fiberglass, probably beginning in the sixties or seventies. According to one source he bought the molds for a 22-foot hull with generous displacement from an outfit (Tugboats International) located down the coast in Stonington, CT (I can find no other information on them). Invincible has a solid fiberglass hull, a pilothouse aft and custom woodwork throughout. Although there are many bigger, 26-foot Crosby tugs and launches – and you can still buy one from the Crosby Yacht Yard – it’s hard to find much information about any boats built with the shorter hull mold. I’m trying to track down the history of this specific tug, so far with little luck. I did find photos on the internet of only one or two other shorty tugs, but their deck layouts have the normal tug layout with the pilothouse up front. There seem to be more mentions of super seaworthy Crosby harbor launches, and 26-foot tugs, than there are of 22-foot tugs from either Crosby or TBI.
With an aft pilothouse, Invincible has a compact cabin up forward under the booby hatch. Step down and there are two narrow V-berths and some storage for gear; and originally a head, since removed. Two port windows and two panels in the folding door are screened to keep the skeeters and biting flies out. The anchor chain runs down through a hawsepipe to a locker under the cabin floor.
The anchor pulpit has an Imtra electric winch operated back at the pilothouse. A carved eagle headboard sits underneath. The aluminum mast rises from the aft end of the cabintop and is stayed forward and aft to the cabin sides. The boom for the riding sail is set high enough to clear the pilothouse – and any heads; the sheet runs forward to a set of brass pins; it, the halyard, and the boom lift are all easily accessible from the deck.
The deck between the forward cabin and the pilot house is short, the bulwarks are high and full length, and there are strong stainless railings to keep crew and gear aboard. There is a door in the bulwark on the starboard side. Multiple scuppers will clear any wash. Big cleats combined with hefty bronze hawser holes through the bulwarks take care of mooring. A deck seat set against the pilothouse lifts up to reveal the 41-hp diesel engine. Forward of the engine, behind the cabin, is tankage for 24 gallons of fuel.
The pilothouse is accessible from either side via sliding doors. There is a hatch in the pilothouse roof and the forwardmost window appears to at least crack open for ventilation. Even better, each of five “downlift” windows facing aft disappears into the sterncastle to completely open up the pilothouse to a breeze. Besides the helm bench, there is additional seating across the stern of the house. It’s a tight fit, but there’s even a bit of a folding table back there. Other than a refrigerator that is located under the helm bench, the cruising accoutrements are spartan – there is no galley or sink. And the potty is gone.
The view from the helm is unmatched. The wheel looks right at home, and there’s a Raymarine ST6001 autopilot to help out with navigation. Invincible has some dated but still useful cruising kit to fill out the dash – Raymarine depthfinder; Garmin chartplotter; Standard Horizon radio. The shore power and dual battery setup looks stock and original, with the exception of an inverter that’s tucked away in the engine compartment to provide AC power while underway.
Invincible is looking for a new caretaker. If you’d like to own a classic character yacht, contact Tom Lippincott at 410-639-9380.