PANCHARA
From Knob Knowledge
This yacht was designed by John G. Alden and built by F. F. Pendleton at Wiscasset, M.A. in 1935. It was a 64-1/2 foot yawl, with a 14-1/2 foot beam. It drew 9' 3" of water. Although primarily propelled by sail, it was also equipped with a 55 horsepower auxiliary engine, GM diesel, series #271. It was constructed of wood and utilized 1800 square feet of sail which had to be replaced at a cost of $10,000. It weighed 25 tons.
It was a gift of Mr. Nathan Cummings, chairman of the Board of Consolidated Foods and longtime friend of Gen. Mark W. Clark. Mr. and Mrs. Cummings had the yacht moved from their summer home in Charlevoix, M.I., through the inland waterways and the ocean to Palm Beach, where they were spending the winter. The Lake Worth channel, however, was not always deep enough to accommodate it. This inability caused Mr. Cummings to part with her.
Mr. Cummings' skipper, Captain Pickard, brought her to Charleston from Palm Beach, F.L. on February 21, 1962. He was assisted by Cmdr. Clarence E. Kuhlman, USNR, assistant professor of Business Administration, and faculty advisor to The Citadel Yacht Club, together with Chief Boatswain's Mate Harry J. Christiansen, USN (Ret.), Director of the Boating Center at The Citadel, and Mr. G. H. Mills, Jr., former merchant seaman now employed in The Citadel machine shop. The yacht, which was used and operated by the cadets of The Citadel Yacht Club, was berthed at the Municipal Marina on the Ashley River. Captain George Lockwood, well-known sailor and local authority on sailing, assisted The Citadel crew in its early training cruises. "Panchara" is a Greek work meaning "all joy." It was sold by The Citadel in 1966 because it was too expensive to maintain.
