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Small Colin Archer; deck detail714 viewsEven on a small display model, we try to get the detail right. It's surprising how many models show the sails hoisted and the lines coming down to a pin rail or cleat and cut off there. Imagine you're on the real boat. You go to lower a sail. You cast off the rope; the end vanishes up the mast...... that's why pin rails, as here, have the bights of the ropes coiled down and hanging from them.
(Model by John Davies)
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Small Colin Archer, Port Bow view.685 viewsBuilt to a tight deadline for a wedding present, she makes a pretty picture.
(Model by John Davies)
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Shamrock V (J Class)702 viewsMarking the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, "Shamrock V" was the last Americas Cup challenger built for Sir Thomas Lipton, who had tried, unsucessfully, to regain the cup, for many years. She was also the first British J class yacht.
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Shamrock V (J Class)622 viewsDesigned by Charles Nicholson, she was planked in mahogany over galvanised steel frames. This was an unusual form of construction for a J. Apart from the American "Whirlwind", all had metal hulls. Her lines are very graceful. She is noticeably narrower than most J boats, a feature which our model faithfully reproduces. This makes her a little tender in strong winds, but very slippery indeed in light airs. On one occasion, she won a race by shooting straight for the line over a distance of three miles, her skipper relying on her ability to carry her way through the light fluky breeze and patches of calm.
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Shamrock V (J Class)568 viewsShe set off for the Americas Cup after an extremely successful season in British waters. At the time, she had a wooden mast, laminated from about fifty pieces of silver spruce. Many of her lines were rope, where their equivalents in "Enterpise" were wire. She relied heavily on tackles, having few winches. It also seems that her afterguard were less expert than Vanderbilt's team, while at the same time being reluctant to take advice from the professional crew. It is therefore perhaps not surprising that she was badly defeated, never looking likely to win a single race of the series.
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Shamrock V (J Class)529 views"Shamrock V" survives. At the time of writing (2001), she has just completed a magnificent restoration at Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth. She has been restored to a condition very close to the original. The closest attention has been paid to everything, down to the details and materials of her cabin furnishings. However, despite appearances, in many ways she is now a very different boat. A conspicuous radar aerial decorates her modern mast, she has twin engines, and a full set of modern winches to control her rig. There is only one conundrum. Whereas in the 1930s, she seemed to manage with about 19 professional racing crew, and few winches, today, with the benefit of a full outfit of modern winches and other labour saving equipment, she seems to need about 30 hands.
It would be churlish to nitpick. Anyone who has seen that lovely dark green hull, endlessly graceful, slicing through the water, can only stand and wonder. Our model is a tiny tribute to a very lovely yacht. We hope you may feel it will grace your home or office.
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Ranger. (J Class)619 viewsThe mighty, invincible, "Ranger", the "super-J", was a boat around which legends were woven. In one short and glorious season, in 1937, she raced thirty-seven times. She was beaten once by "Yankee", and once by "Endeavour". Most of the time, interest centred on who came second.
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Ranger. (J Class)589 viewsSopwith's challenge of 1934 had frightened the Americans. When he issued a fresh challenge for 1937, with a new J boat, "Endeavour II", they decided to build a boat nothing could beat. Advances in the science of tank testing made it more feasible to try many different sets of lines.
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Ranger. (J Class)578 viewsThis was fully exploited by a brilliant design team, which included the experience of Starling Burgess and the rising talent of the young Olin Stephens. The set of lines you see here resulted. Some considered them unconventional, even ugly. To my eye, they are extremely beautiful, and speak of speed.
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Ranger. (J Class)603 viewsShe was broken up in 1941. It seems a full-sized replica may be built. You can buy our lovely miniature replica for a great deal less, today.
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Rainbow (J Class)625 viewsSopwith's challenge of 1934 came as an unwelcome surprise to the Americans. The effects of the financial crash of 1929 were making themselves felt. Even the very rich were not quite as rich as before. Suddenly, they found themselves facing a genuinely dangerous challenge, from a ruthlessly organised British team, headed by an extremely determined millionaire with a background in aircraft development and manufacture.
The syndicate to build "Rainbow" consisted of no less than seventeen people. Time and expense were saved by not commissioning a new design. Instead, Starling Burgess took a set of lines he had drafted in 1931, and overhauled them. The new defender was built in a rush, in the record time of 100 days.
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Rainbow (J Class)640 viewsShe nearly failed to be selected as defender. Just as with the challenge of 1930, Vanderbilt faced stiff opposition from other American J boats. In this case, it was "Yankee" which posed the main danger. Always a fast boat in stiff breezes, she had been modified so as to retain all her speed in strong winds, while becoming much faster in light airs. She gave "Rainbow" a very hard time in the selection trials. To this day, partisans for "Yankee" claim she was robbed. In 1935, "Yankee" came over to British waters, the only American J boat to do so, and posed a stiff challenge to "Endeavour"s supremacy in her home waters. There is little doubt that she could have been as effective a defender as "Rainbow".
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