5.5 Inventory: details of a boat

Boat details (n°559)

USA-77

Essentials

Designer

Dr. Jerome H. "Jerry" Milgram (USA)

Builder

Chr. Christiansen, Marina America Inc., Stamford CT (USA)

Material

Mahogany on oak ribs; fir used as well

1st certificate issued

00-00-1968

Original boat name

Lady Luck

Original country

USA

Original sail number

Current location

Tall Timbers, Chesapeake Bay (USA)

5.5 USA 77 "Tango" - front view : In the crane
(credits : Stuart Hanley)
Added by Kaspar Stubenrauch
on 2013-12-01

Photo Gallery (11)

Notes (4)

5.5 USA 77 "Lady Luck" - back in the USA

13-12-2019

by Kaspar Stubenrauch

by Kaspar Stubenrauch, 13-12-2019

The boat is now taken care of on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. Restoration going on, to prepare her for racing condition, in a not too distant future.

Awaiting a rebuilding

26-02-2016

by John Lister

by John Lister, 26-02-2016

Lady Luck is now in the yard with the keel pulled off awaiting a rebuild. She is currently in very rough shape with many of her planks in need of replacement and most lower ends of her ribs totally deteriorated. I am currently rebuilding another boat and hope to get to Lady Luck in a year. All being well, she will race again as Lady Luck CAN 77.

5.5 US-77 "Lady Luck"

28-12-2012

by Kaspar Stubenrauch

by Kaspar Stubenrauch, 28-12-2012

Steve Colgate, who has been crew on the US-Olympic 5.5 "Cadenza", has helped with a list of starters in the 1968 Olympic trial races, stating US-77 "Lady Luck". The boat is today sailing as "Tango".

Boat data of "Lady Luck" moved to USA 77

27-12-2012

by Kaspar Stubenrauch

by Kaspar Stubenrauch, 27-12-2012

Lady Luck for sale in Fort Lauderdale, FL - 20.01.2011 by Matias Johansson
"1968, 5.5 METER—Fast and historic, mahogany/oak, composite deck, open cockpit, “cruiserized” with small cabin. Same loving owner 30 years. Healthy, good wood, lying Fort Lauderdale, FL. Asking $24,500, “to good home only.” 954–922–3224, aztecair(at)bellsouth(dot)net." See WoodenBoat Classifieds #218 (http://www.woodenboats4sale.com/pdf/wbclass218_bfs.pdf). edit
Per Matti Muoniovaara - 19.01.2011 by Daniel Rossi
This boat must be a 5.5 owned by Benjamin D. Gilbert.
It was built 1968. The first name of the boat was "Pregnant Whale" and later "Lady Luck".
I have never found out the US sail number for this boat.
The boat should have sailed the 1968 US Olympic trials at Newport Beach, California but never got ready for that test (was not competitive). Instead the the racing team, John Marshall, Carter Ford and Mike Lehmann used another Gilbert owned boat Bingo 2.
Benjamin D. Gilbert, a close friend to Bill Luders, from Stamford Yacht Club owned several 5.5s including, Madeline US-45 (Luders), Antiope US-47 (Luders), Bingo US-50 (Luders), BIngo 2 US-65 (Luders). The sails (in the photo) with letters US-50 are from Bingo.
Lady Luck was built by Chris Christiansen in Southport and designed by Jerome Milgram, MIT professor. edit
ZZZ / The place for unsolved cases - ZZZ 1 = US-? - 22.07.2009 by Kaspar Stubenrauch
For this boat the search is on, to find out about its original US-sailnumber.
The owner, Stuart Hanley, has told about its first name being "Lady Luck", built with mahogany planks on oak frames, in the 60's.
Information from Matti adds to the history of the boat: Owned by Benjamin D. Gilbert, built 1968 by Chris Christiansen in Southport and designed by Jerome Milgram, an MIT professor. She was nicknamed "Pregnant Whale", meant to race the 1968 Olympic US-qualifications, but in the end she did not.
Those having a hint to her sailnumber, please advise.

Document library (4)

Document

Size

By / When

Jerry Milgram
Article - Author Ted Jones

268 Kb

Kaspar
Stubenrauch
28-12-2012

US 5.5m 1968 Olympic trials
One-Design & Offshore Yachtsmen article 1968

752 Kb

Kaspar
Stubenrauch
28-12-2012

5.5 USA 77 "Lady Luck" - 1968 Olympic trials
Steve Colgate (US-68) kindly provided a result list with US-77 "Lady Luck"

178 Kb

Kaspar
Stubenrauch
18-01-2014

5.5 US 77 "Lady Luck" - Lloyd's Register
Info

852 Kb

Kaspar
Stubenrauch
24-03-2020

5.5 USA 77 "Tango" - front view : In the crane
(credits : Stuart Hanley)
Added by Kaspar Stubenrauch on 2013-12-01

Ownership history (4)

Sail#

Name

Owner

USA-77

"Lady Luck"

Benjamin D. Gilbert (1968-?)

USA-77

"Tango"

Stuart Hanley (1981-2014)

CAN-77

"Lady Luck"

John Lister (2014-?)

USA-77

"Lady Luck"

Daniel Rossi (2019-?)

Results History (0)

Links Library (1)

5.5 US-77 "Lady Luck" in the 1968 trials

28-12-2012

by Kaspar Stubenrauch

(Steve Colgate (US-68) reports on the short appearance of "Lady Luck")

Kaspar Stubenrauch, 28-12-2012