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Westward ready to race.
After 6 days of intense modelling and over 70hours my 3d model of Nat Herreshoff’s 1910 schooner Westward is ready to race.
Westwards first outing will be the 1931 Kings Cup against the newly converted Bermudan rigged Britannia which finished in a famous dead heat.
Im just back from a very exciting close to the classic yacht Regatta season at San Tropez. Over the past few weeks Ive spent a great deal of time wit “Elena of London” in preparation for a number of commissions involving the Herreshoff schooners Westward and her original sister Elena.
Ive made a start on a 3d model of the Herreshoff sisters that will form the basis of the paintings. The model is drawn from original lines plans and photographs along with my observations of “Elena of London”
Many paintings require quite a bit of research. One recent commission is to paint the schooner Westward racing close to where the client lives. On researching the subject I found that many races Westward participated in rounded the Warner buoy located close to the clients home. As soon as conditions were right I went out to the Warner buoy to get some reference material for the painting. This reference will be used for the setting. Now I’ll start reading through various race reports to find the ideal moment to depict.
I’m very proud to announce that my painting Puritan”After the Jibe” is to be exhibited at the prestigious Mystic Seaport Galleries “Annual International Marine Art Exhibition”. The exhibition runs from September 28th to December 31st . Each year the exhibition show cases the best in Contemporary Marine Art. To have my work selected is a great honour indeed.
Puritan “ After The Jibe “ Oil on Panel 24x36inches
The painting depicts the Alden designed schooner Puritan racing in the Mediterranean with the Herreshoff schooner Mariette and the Gardner designed 3 masted schooner Atlantic. Puritan has just Jibed around the mark in chase of Mariette whilst Atlantic, under charter watches from a distance.
Puritan was designed by John Alden for New York Yacht club member Edward W Brown in 1929 and after delays caused by the stock market crash of 1930 finally launched on the 25th April 1931, making her one of the only luxury yachts built during the great depression.
Puritan participated in the 1931 New York Yacht Club cruise that included amongst other famous yachts the Americas Cup contenders from 1919 Resolute and Vanitie and the 1930 J Class Weetamoe.
Upon the death of her owner Puritan was purchased in 1933 by Harry J Bauer of California where she spent the rest of her pre war years.
Puritan subsequently had a colourful career including serving with the Navy during the 2nd world war .
In 1972 she was rescued as a wreck by Patsy Kennedy and Bill Bolling who lovingly restored her to her former condition.
Today Puritan as part of “The Classic Yacht Experience” is to be found cruising the Mediterranean and participating in the various Classic Yacht regattas of the “International Schooner Association.
Specifications
Length over all 126ft
Length on deck 103.3 ft
Beam 23ft
Draft 9 ft
Brenton Reef An Cape May Coarse
My Historic recreations are inspired by reading contemporary race reports. Often I’ll plot the race out noting wind direction, sea state and time of day, this is accompanied by creating a story board of the race . The purpose of the story board is to illustrate the key moments of the race . Creating the story board will often spark the ideas which I later work out with various composition thumbnails
Built alongside the 1903 Americas Cup Defender Reliance, Ingomar was the first of Nat Herreshoffs’ 9 great schooners that would include Westward and Elena. Built for Morton F Plant, a principal owner of a line of Steam ships, Ingomar quickly proved herself very fast, with her huge rig and deep draft she won nearly every race for her class on the New York Yacht Club cruise of 1903 including the prestigious Astor Cup for schooners.
In 1904 with Charlie Barr in command, she crossed over to Europe principally to win back the “Cape May Cup” which had been won by the kings Britannia against Navahoe in 1893. Charlie Barr raced Ingomar very successfully both in Germany and England returning home with 17 trophies, making her the most successful schooner since the Yacht America. Unfortunately, the deed of gift for the Cape May Cup meant that as Britannia had been sold out of the Royal Yacht Squadron, the Cape May Cup had to be returned to the New York Yacht Club in any case.
Her principal opponent in European waters was the Kaisers 2 year old Meteor 3, a huge schooner with a 120ft waterline. The Kaiser had ordered Meteor 3 from the American yacht designer A Cary Smith who had designed the schooner Yampa that had so impressed The Kaiser on her trip to Europe in 1897.
Meteor 3 proved no match for Ingomar with an aggressive Charlie Barr at the helm and was roundly defeated in both the heavy wind conditions in Germany and the lighter conditions in the Solent.
The painting depicts the two great adversaries as they race through Osborn Bay during Cowes Week 1904.
A replica of Ingomar is currently under construction and will undoubtedly be seen shortly racing in The Mediterranean alongside the other great Herreshoff schooners Elena, Elenora, Mariette and Vagrant.
Length over all 127 feet
Length on the water line 86 feet 1 inch
Beam 24 feet 2 inches
Draft 16 feet 3 inches
Length over all 161 feet
Length on the waterline 120 feet
Beam 27 feet
Draft 15 feet
Today I had the chance for a little sightseeing as I delivered my latest painting “Ingomar vs Meteor 3” to the Rountree Tryon gallery in London. It was a great day out crowned by a beautiful sunset over the solent on my return.
Today I had a great trip out photographing Seaview . The day was perfect for photography and sketching local land marks. Many thanks to Lee who kindly ferried me around from place to place in his rib and Ben my son who had the chance to drive, even if he did want to go fast and forgot about the artist hanging over the back.
Seascape and Marine Artist