John Trumpy Sr. came to the US in 1902 after training as a naval architect in Berlin Germany, and in 1908 he was hired as a naval architect by the Mathis Shipbuilding Company. This begins a collaboration that produced some of the most famous, and glamorous yachts of the period, and it all ended in the very early seventies with the advent of fiberglass construction, and labor problems. About 300 of these wood yachts, or in my view "art in wood" were produced, and the owners had names like Dupont, Firestone, and Chrysler. You didn't go to dealer to buy these vessels, you met with Mr. Trumpy, commissioned a design, and then had it built. Owning a "Trumpy" was the pinnacle of yacht ownership for many decades. Freedom showed up at the Sarasota Yacht Club for a few days, and I was able to take a few pictures of this elegant yacht.
