From Fishermen to Yachts: The Schooners of John G. Alden

MaritimeGloucester
Aug 23
2 min read

By Justin Demetri

There are few names more synonymous with schooner design than John G. Alden.

A designer and sailor who used his personal knowledge and insight from the past to create schooners that some say border on perfection. Nearly every Gloucester Schooner Festival has had an example of his works for us to admire, dancing along the breeze during the Parade of Sail.

Alden began his design career as an apprentice under B.B. Crowninshield in 1902. Although Crowninshield was better known for yachts, he designed fishing schooners as well. It was back then as a young draftsman, that Alden drew the lines for several fishing schooners including TARTER, built at Essex in 1904.

Alden left to begin his own design company in 1909. He took the design and construction aspects admired in the Gloucester fishing schooner and modified them for small to medium sized yachts. The early years were financially difficult, however Alden hit his stride in the 1920’s with a series of fishermen-inspired yachts named MALABAR.

Success In Ocean Racing

Alden was not interested in designing pure racing hulls, his goal was to create comfortable, balanced ocean-cruisers capable of the occasional ocean race. Starting in 1923, several of his MALABAR designs won the famous Newport to Bermuda Race, the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race in the world. This culminated in 1932 when MALABAR X and three other Alden designed boats swept the competition. Alden’s designs were indeed exceptional, and the yachting world took notice.

As his design office grew, Alden did less designing and hired a staff of talented draftsmen. Although he officially retired from designing in 1955, the company continued, designing over 1000 sailing vessels of various rigs, up until 2008.

Alden Vessels at the GSF

John Alden’s designs are no stranger to the Gloucester Schooner Festival. His MALABAR II (Design No. 162) and HEART’S DESIRE (Design No. 253) were participants in the very first Festival in 1985. Both vessels have also made return visits to the Festival. The best known of the Alden schooners among locals has to be WHEN & IF (Design No. 669) a frequent Festival participant, originally designed and built for General George S. Patton. Here are the Alden designed schooners that have participated over the years:

ADVENTURER* (Design No. 248C)

BLACKBIRD (Design No. 309Q)

HEART’S DESIRE (Design No. 253)

MALABAR II (Design No. 162)

MALABAR X (Design No. 453)

SUMMERWIND (Design No. 412)

SPIRIT (Design No. 581)

WHEN & IF (Design No. 669)

*Another vessel with the same name has also participated in the Gloucester Schooner Festival

2025 John Alden Schooner Participants include...