Shamrock V
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Shamrock V is the name of a sailing yacht that was built in 1930 by the Camper & Nicholsons shipyard in Gosport according to the J-class rulesfor the America's Cup . Her sail number is J-K3. Sir Thomas Lipton was the client, owner and skipper. The name shamrock refers to the Irish shamrock .
The Shamrock predecessor yachts
Sir Thomas Lipton was the owner of the English chain of grocery stores called Lipton. Among other things, he imported tea from India. The Lipton tea brand later emerged from this business . In addition to his business activities, Lipton was a member of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club , with which he competed five times as a challenger to the America's Cup between 1899 and 1930. For each of these challenges, he took on a yacht that was specially built for the challenge. All yachts were named Shamrock , named after Ireland's unofficial national symbol , the three-leaf clover. Lipton had always been inferior to the American defenders, most recently in 1920 with the Shamrock IV against the Resolute .
Shamrock I, 1899
Shamrock II, 1901
Shamrock I and Shamrock II, 1901
Shamrock III, 1903
Shamrock IV, 1919
Construction and use for the 14th America's Cup
A new design rule was set for the 14th America's Cup: the J-Class . Lipton had the Shamrock V designed by Charles E. Nicholson as the first ship according to this rule in 1929 , thus establishing a new era in yacht design. In contrast to most other J-class yachts, the hull is made of mahogany planks on steel frames. The design was implemented by the Camper & Nicholsons shipyard in Gosport. After the launch , the hull, rudder and rig were improved several times. Lipton's interest was not only sporting - since the race took place in the USA and was followed with great interest by the population, Lipton expected a good chance of gaining a foothold with his tea on the North American market due to the increasing popularity.
The American defenders (Defender) answered the draft with the construction of four yachts according to the new rule: Enterprise, Whirlwind, Yankee and Weetamoe. From these, the Enterprise was finally chosen for defense. The Enterprise was designed for Harold S. Vanderbilt by Starling Burgess and built at the Herreshoff shipyard.
In the run-up to the America's Cup, the Shamrock V took part in 22 races, of which it won 15. In addition, she was sailed across the Atlantic to the venue on her own keel , as prescribed by the America's Cup rules of the time.
In the regattas for the America's Cup, Lipton was clearly defeated 4-0 with the Shamrock V. After this fifth unsuccessful challenge, Lipton did not run again.
Template for further Js
After the America's Cup, the aircraft designer Sir Thomas Sopwith and then his friend Sir Richard Fairley bought the Shamrock V. These optimized the shape of the fuselage, the rudder and the rig. The ship was a superior winner in various British regattas. The ship served as a comparison ship in the development of the Velsheda and the Endeavor , with which Sopwith then competed as a challenger at the 15th America's Cup in 1934.
post war period
After the Second World War, the Italian Mario Crespi bought the yacht. The bird's eye maple interior , which is still there today, dates from this period . Crespi sold the ship to his compatriot Piero Scanu in 1962 . Between 1964 and 1967 he had the Shamrock V completely overhauled at the Camper & Nicholsons shipyard in Gosport. The fuselage was stripped down to the steel frames and sandblasted , repaired and repainted. The hull was then rebuilt from up to 5 cm thick teak planks with bronze rivets. The boat received a new engine, a new rig and other new systems.
In the following 20 years the Shamrock V had several other owners. In contrast to all other J-class yachts, the Shamrock V was never cannibalized. In 1986 the Lipton Tea Company purchased the ship and donated it to the Museum of Yachting in Newport , Rhode Island.
The paths of the old J-class yachts cross again
In 1989, Elizabeth Meyer took on the Shamrock V and gave it an extensive overhaul. Meyer is known as a restorer of classic yachts and had previously restored the J-class yacht Endeavor . In 1995 the Newport International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) bought the ship as a figurehead for the history of sailing regattas and the IYRS restoration projects.
The yacht was resold to Newport Shamrock V Corporation in 1998. The proceeds were used to support the Coronet restoration project. Under the new owner, the Shamrock V was chartered out in New England and in the Caribbean during the winter months.
In 1999 there was a remarkable encounter with the likewise restored Js Endeavor and Velsheda in the Caribbean at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta . The Shamrock was technically largely on the historical level while the two opponents achieved far superior sailing performance with modern materials.
The Shamrock V is currently owned by a South African banker. In order to maximize the potential of the Shamrock V, it was overhauled for 18 months at the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth , England. The ship was again dismantled down to the frames. It then received a new keel and planking, with the ballast proportion increased. The engine, interior fittings, rigging and sails were also replaced. As a result, the sailing performance could be increased significantly. The deck and deck fittings were later renewed by Fairlie Yacht Restorations in Hampshire .
Since then, the three yachts have met again in various regattas on the south coast of England.
Web links
swell
- ↑ a b c d e TheUltimateSail: America's Cup - J-Class Yachts - Shamrock V (JK 3) (English)
- ↑ America's Cup: J-Class Era Yachts - Shamrock V Accessed January 20, 2009
- ↑ a b c d The history of the J class yachts - The greyhounds of the seas (English)
- ↑ Alessandro Vitelli: J Class Renaissance . Boat International USA. ( PDF 1.1 MB ) (English)
- ↑ a b c d e www.jclassyachts.com (English)
- ↑ Wiel Verlinden ( WDR ): Battle of the sailing giants . Television Documentation, 2004, ISBN 3-7688-7143-6