When the crew at Norwalk Cove Marina in Norwalk, CT heard of the retirement of the principals at sailmaker and rigging company Hathaway, Reiser & Raymond in nearby Stamford, the initial reaction was sadness that another iconic stalwart of the industry was gone. The second reaction was of opportunity, and the third was a question: How can we help preserve the legacy of Hathaway?
Hathaway Rigging at Norwalk Cove is continuing the proud tradition of the company that built sails and rigging for such legendary yachts as Reliance, pictured here in the 1903 America’s Cup.
Norwalk Cove was able to purchase the rigging side of Hathaway, and were fortunate to also attract a 15-year Hathaway employee to join the enlarged “Hathaway Rigging at Norwalk Cove” department and enlarge the crew that includes the former rigger from McDonald Yacht Rigging and a Cove employee who worked there and was a relative of Hathaway partner Edgar Raymond.
Almost all the equipment has been set up and the rod rigging tooling is being slightly revised due to the closing of Navtec. The springtime rush is well underway and the crew is ready to plan summer refits/re-rigging/upgrade projects with renewed enthusiasm and commitment to Hathaway’s 127-year old tradition of quality and integrity.
In 1890, Alden Reiser relocated his sailmaking loft from Lunenberg, Nova Scotia to Boston, MA, later joining forces with Asa Hathaway, head sailmaker at the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. in Bristol, RI. Moving to Connecticut, Reiser and Hathaway worked out of the Luders yard in Stamford for a short time. Throughout this period, they built sails and rigging for yachts including America’s Cup defenders Vigilant, Defender, Columbia, Reliance and Resolute. Edgar L. Raymond, Jr. joined the business in 1947. His son Skip took over the company upon Ed’s retirement and ran it for years. Later, Tom Anderson took over the rigging aspect of the business and, though he claims to be “slowing down” he’s still helping Norwalk Cove move forward. For more information, visit norwalkcove.com.
