Vigilant vs Britannia 1894

oil on canvas 48x48 inches

Available Thomsen Fine Art

 Oil on canvas 48x48 inches

The 1893 Americas Cup defender “Vigilant” runs before the wind leading the Prince of Wales’s champion cutter Britannia as they retrace the original course taken by the yacht America in 1851 around the Isle of Wight.

 I chanced upon this race during my research on Vigilant. In 1894 Vigilant came to England to race against the best yachts in England and in particular the Prince of Wales Britannia the Champion Yacht in England to settle the question which was the fastest yacht in the world. I discovered that during her visit Vigilant raced Britannia and another yacht, Satanita around the Isle of Wight following the original course taken by the Yacht America in 1851.

 The day in question was sunny with a nice breeze initially from the WNW that gave the yachts a run with spinnakers to the eastern end of the island. The course would have brought them right past the beach on which I take my morning walk. I immediately imagined seeing them with their huge spinnakers and mainsails filling before the breeze as they passed by me, and I knew I just had to paint it. Shortly after the moment depicted in the painting both yachts passed Satanita which had led up to this point and after a close race around the Island Vigilant ran home the winner.

 Vigilant and Britannia would meet 17 times this season with Britannia winning 12 times, Vigilant was increasingly handicapped as the season wore on by poorly fitting sails.

 The following year Vigilant lost out to Nat Herreshoff’s new yacht, Defender for the right to defend the 1895 Americas Cup against Lord Duraven’s Valkyrie 111. She continued to race actively in the New York Yacht club first as a sloop and later as a Yawl for many seasons to come.

Britannia which was built by G L Watson in 1893 for the then Prince of Wales later King Edward iiv went on to become one of the most famous yachts ever built with a racing career that extended 43 years well into to the J Boat era of the 1930s. She was eventually scuttled in 1936 off the southern tip of Isle of Wight in accordance with the will of the late King George V.

 Vigilant

Centerboard sloop owned by C. Oliver Iselin syndicate. Designed by Nat Herreshoff and built by the Herreshoff Company, Bristol, Rhode Island 1893

Specifications

Length, over-all…………………………………………………..…..………..124ft

Length, waterline……………………………………………….……..86ft 2 inch

Beam…………………………………………………………………………26ft. 3 inch

Draft…………………………………………………………….……..…….13ft. 6inch

Displacement……………………………………..…………..………..96.18  tons

Mast…………………………………………………………………………..……….74ft

Topmast……………………………………………………………………..64ft 6inch

Boom …………………………………………………………………….………….106ft

Sail Area…………………………………………………………………..11,272sq.ft.

Construction: plated with Tobin bronze. Except steel top strakes.

Britannia

Keel cutter owned by HRH. Price of Whales .Designed by G.L Watson  and built by D&W Henderson of Glasgow

 Specifications

 Length, over-all………………………………………….……….….……..121ft 6inch

Length, waterline…………………………………….…………..………..86ft 10inch

Beam……………………………………………………….………………………23ft 8 inch

Draft………………………………………………………….……...………….15ft 1.5 inch

Displacement………………………………………………..……..…….……..154 tons

Sail Area………………………………………………………..,.……………..10,327sq.ft.