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Worthy of the Sea: K. Aage Nielsen and His Legacy of Yacht Design
Worthy of the Sea K Aage Nielsen and His Legacy of Yacht Design Author:Maynard Bray, Tom Jackson Worthy of the Sea is more than worthy of every sailor's library, for here is a handsome, rich, and readable study of the extraordinary genius of Aage Nielsen, for too long known only to his clients and those among the cognoscenti who appreciate such genius. Authors Bray and Jackson have crafted an eloquent, well researched, and inspiring tr... more »ibute to the man who devoted his entire professional life to thinking through and making perfect every single detail of his beautiful, seaworthy, and still-winning yachts. Truly unique among yacht designers, Nielsen's style and work deserve the most attentive study and appreciation. This book now makes that possible. --Jon Wilson, Editor-in-Chief, WoodenBoat magazine Knud Aage Nielsen may not be as well known as many of his contemporaries in twentieth-century yacht design--but het should be. He devoted his life to boat design and construction, beginning with his youth in Denmark and continuing first with illustrious design firms and later on his own. In 1925 Nielsen immigrated to the United States to work with the John G. Alden Company in Boston, Massachusetts. Among the stellar young designers there were Nielsen's great friends Murray Peterson and Fenwick Williams, with whom he worked during the early 1930s. In 1936 he became the sole designer in the Boston office of Sparkman & Stephens, Inc. He struck out on his own at last after World War II with a one-man design practice in Boston. An extraordinary number of his clients returned time and again for his services. From the beginning, his plans were known for remarkable attention to form and detail. His insistence on excellent construction was legendary. His plans--now in the collections of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts--were held in the highest esteem by boatbuilders and by his fellow designers, Olin Stephens among them. His seaworthy double-ended cruising yachts, inspired by distinctively Danish types, are widely admired, but his work ranged from the largest Alden schooners to small craft to keel-centerboard raceboats. Many of these are still active today, especially in New England. Nielsen designs remain highly prized and meticulously cared for by their owners.« less