Welcome to Bull & Bear Sailing

The "Bull & Bear Sailing Team" travel with two replicas of 1800 boats called Sandbaggers, they are named the Bull and the Bear. The team is promoting youth sailing, teaching people about the boats history and racing for charity.

This website has been made to disseminate information on the boats, the team and events in which they participate.

Please check back here often for information on events in your area. Also, to see photos and video after events have taken place.

What is a Sandbagger?

Originally built in the 1860's, Sandbaggers were work boats used in New York Harbor to shuttle cargo, such as oysters, to market. The fastest boat to market could set the price of the day. Owners and crew then started to race them with wagers on the outcome. The racing boats had a length restriction, but none on the sail so they kept getting bigger and the masts, boom and sprites longer. In addition to this making the boats faster, it made them tip over more easily. To compensate, the crew would literally move cargo, which evolved to sandbags, from side to side to keep the boats upright. Hence the name "Sandbagger!"

An article on Sandbaggers in Wooden Boat Magazine was read by a stock market maker in the mid 1990's and he saw a striking similarity in the boats original purpose to today's stock market specialists: to "set the price." Having always been a market and wooden boat enthusiast, and a charitable supporter of the Independence Seaport Museum of Philadelphia, he endowed the museum with funds to build two replicas of the boats.

Museum boat builder John Brady then set out to recreate two of them in 1996 and 1997. Starting with original drawings from the Smithsonian Institute, Brady had to fill in a lot of the missing design data and interpolate new drawings from his own experience as a boat builder. With the help or Newt Kirkland, Bob, Ranson and Sean Corson, Brady was successful.

The results are the magnificent boats raced throughout the country today. Bull and Bear (obviously named from market terms).

What is their Mission?

The boats purpose is to promote and encourage youth sailing while teaching their sailing history in the workplace and on the racecourse. They also race to benefit charitable organizations.