Worthy of the Sea: K. Aage Nielsen and His Legacy of Yacht Design

"As I think of Aage, the one word that describes him completely is integrity. He knew what he was doing and he took no shortcuts. His drawings, complete and attractive, his care to skip nothing proper to the boat's purpose, his full acceptance of the need to use an able builder and then to follow through at the builder's yard and see the new boat to full completion, the spirit behind all this activity, can be characterized by the single word: 'integrity.' That was Aage Nielsen." -From the Foreword by Olin Stephens Although the name of Knud Aage Nielsen is arguably not as well known as his colleagues in the pantheon of great yacht designers of the twentieth century-Olin Stephens, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, John G. Alden, and others-it should be. Nielsen devoted his life to boat design and construction, beginning with his youth in his native Denmark. Nielsen's ability to build anything he designed gave him a unique relationship with accomplished builders-most notably Paul Luke in Maine and Aage Walsted in Denmark. These fine craftsmen earned Nielsen's respect and were completely faithful to his finely detailed drawings. His boats, all but a handful of which were custom-built under his direct and exacting supervision, remain highly prized by their owners today for their construction quality, sensible arrangements, comfortable accommodations, and, above all, their seaworthiness. Since serving as the founding director of the duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, in the 1960s, Maynard Bray has been a central figure in the revival of wooden boat construction and restoration. He serves as an adviser and consultant on many yacht restoration projects, and he is a longtime contributing editor for WoodenBoat magazine. Tom Jackson has had a lifelong interest in boatbuilding and maritime history. He has served as the associate editor of WoodenBoat magazine since 1997.