Category: 12 meter class

POURING LEAD

I intended to make orderly posts starting in 1958 finishing in 1987, the 12 meter era.  I knew I had pictures of this event, I did not remember exactly what, and certainly had not found them until yesterday. 
This may qualify as one of the more foolish things I have done in my life.  I have written about having lofted and built “Courageous”. we literally did it all; we built everything. 
The boat was well underway; it is the early spring of 1974, We started early in the morning, everything was prepared. We started heating and loading 50,000 pounds of lead in the cauldron we had crudely built. After all it was a one time use. As you can see from the photos this lasted all day and well into the night. Keeping the lead flowing and the slew free and running proved to be a challenge. If you notice how we are dressed, it may be a clue to how foolhardy this was. The hot lead was spattering everywhere.
We are pouring the lead into a cement mould also weighing nearly 50,000 pounds; which we had let cure for a period of time. With all this molten lead pouring into the mold the steam coming out of the cement was impressive. The heat was coming right through the soles of my shoes. 
Obviously we succeeded. “Courageous” became the last two time defender of the America’s Cup

12 meters and the America’s cup



The longevity of the 12 meter class is owed in no small part to  Lloyd’s scantling rules. They were strict and the boats were indeed inspected for compliance. These boats were overbuilt certainly by today’s standards and the result is that they are still here today.
In fact while I was building “Courageous” at Minneford’s Yacht yard one of my jobs was to co ordinate with Lloyds, as we were building the first ever aluminum 12 meter.


 

America’s Cup 1958

Columbia the first 12 meter built after world war II and the first 12 meter to defend the America’s Cup.

The “J” boat era was brief 1930-1937 and few boats were built. Prior to the J’s the boats were built to the universal rule with fundamentally a waterline length as the only restriction. and in earlier events time allowances were part of the game.
Back to 12 meters, City Island,NY was the home of the greatest boat building yards in the East,rivaling those in Europe. Certainly during the 12 meter years, any syndicate wanted to have their boat built by a City Island boatyard. There was without question a community of skilled craftsman that were attracted there. Additionally, The major naval architects were based in New York, as were the men with the money. It made sense to have easy access to a construction project. If you lived in Greenwich or White Plains, City Island was on the way home.
Sparkman&Stephens dominated the 12 meter years having 5 designs defend between 1958 and 1980. Two of them being two time defenders.(in the history of the America’s cup there have been 3 two time defenders)
Olin and Rod Stephens lived briefly in City Island, Rod working at Nevins Yard, learning the practical aspects of boatbuilding. and Olin’s early designs were built there.
The Sears family committed to build the first 12 meter, once the class was determined for the America’s Cup competition, the first after world war II.
I had the pleasure to sail “Columbia” US 16 her sail number, in the America’s Cup Jubilee in 2001. Henry Sears, the grandson of the original syndicate head, brought his scrap books, a true joy to listen and read a first hand story.
I will continue this thread along with photographs for the entire span of the 12 meter years.
For those of you interested I have a number of books related to these years for sale.



26 years ago in 12 meter history

The New York Yacht Club lost the America’s Cup 26 years ago this September. Change is always troubling for anyone. I have always regarded this event as: the right thing happened for all the wrong reasons.

Change is inevitable, we all know, but all resist nonetheless. This was one of those occasions. It breathed new life into the Cup life.



12 meter prize giving

A rainy day in Newport,for the awarding of prizes for the 12 meter world championship as well as the north american championship. The final day of the” legends” forum. full of recognizable faces of those who have contributed not only to the America’s cup but sailing as a whole.

Next week the twelve meters will sail in North Harbor on the Hudson in New York City, for those who were not able to view them sailing here in Newport.

12 meter world championship day one


The first day of racing started almost on time, the wind at 6-8 knots at 11 am, building to 15-18 knots in the afternoon with relatively flat seas. The racing was tight, in some cases three boats crossing the line overlapped. Three races were completed, which always makes a race committee happy, creating a cushion in the event of bad weather.

Once more I am indebted to my good friend Jimmy Gubelmann for inviting me out to watch the racing.


PAPERS

In 1968 I sailed the Bermuda and Trans-Atlantic races. Finishing in Travemunde, Germany. My friend John Watson and I had the clever idea of selling our plane tickets, buying a car, touring Europe, selling the car at the end of the summer and buying tickets home. The problem was that the very second hand car we bought died within a few days.

Now we are stuck; with no money. The story has many twists and turns. We sold the car for junk, with difficulty; bought tickets to England , because my uncle who had been the ambassador to the court of St. James; had given me the name and address of some friends. Arriving in England, immigration was not sure they wanted us to enter the country, as we had no money, no visible means of support. I swallowed hard and called my uncle’s friends. We were immediately welcomed to their house on Hyde Park Corner. We stayed a few days, They very kindly loaned us money to get home.
This is when I decided that I would prepare for this eventuality by writing to all the shipping companies I could. There were quite a few and most of the owners had sailboats and raced them.
The Only one who responded favorably was Jakob Isbrandstsen. I did go through the process to get “papers” which I still carry, although never used.
This June at Block Island Race Week Jakob and his wife were honored at the members dinner of the Storm Trysail Club. I told him the story.


How I Learned To Love Math

I don’t know about you, I struggled with math throughout school. I, like so many, could never see the necessity of knowing much math.

I loved sailing and wanted to know everything there was to know about boats. I worked building sails, building boats. I started lofting the designs; drawing them full size, This is the moment where any errors in the initial design appear. We would re-fair the lines. But for me, suddenly there was a reason for math. It all became so clear. I could define the “lines” of the boat with a formula. Math had a purpose, and therefore became a useful tool.