Why I Paint The J Class

Going forward I have one big story I want to tell and it’s a story I feel my whole life has been in preparation for and one I will be dedicating the rest of my life to telling and thats the story of the J Class Yachts.

The J class were a class of yachts that raced for the Americas cup from 1930 to 1937. They were built to the Universal Rule, a rule introduced to produce a stronger more seaworthy yacht than those that had been racing for the Americas Cup prior to the first world War. Their short life which was ended by the second world war, became known as Yachting’s Golden Era.

What makes them so Iconic

Firstly, it was their sheer size and beauty when compared with the much smaller 12 meter yachts that followed them after the 2nd world war, secondly it was the huge sums of money lavished in building and running them, thirdly it was the personalities involved from business tycoons to Kings.

The story of the J class is the story of the clash of cultures between the “can do” new world and the “tradition laden” old world and how both cultures would embrace and develop the rapidly advancing technologies of the time.

It’s the story of Harold Vanderbilt’s obsession over the fine details, looking at everything and everyone on his boat with an eye on saving weight and improving efficiency. Of the Boston syndicate, headed by men like John Francis Adams ex secretary of the navy, determined that their city Boston wins the honour to defend the cup over rival city New York.

Of Gerard Lambert, who in 1930 fitted out Vanitie as a J class to test the new class of boat, and then purchase Yankee from her Boston syndicate at the end of 1934 and race her in England during the remarkable season of 1935, healing the wounds left after the disputed 1934 contest and opening the way for the 1937 challenge.

It’s the battle of the best designers in the world constrained by the Universal Rule, learning how best to drive a hull only slightly shorter than the huge Reliance of 1903 with little more than half her sail area.

In 1930 Enterprise is slowly improved as she battles for selection over the faster Weetamoe. In1934 Yankee is drastically modified by a determined and very skilful Boston syndicate and for most of the season looks a clear favourite for selection, only to be defeated by just one second in the final race of the season by the new New York boat, Rainbow. The 1934 challenger Endeavour proves a faster boat, but in a contest full of twists and turns fails to win the cup.  In 1937 we see the birth of the Super J Ranger, a boat that was the culmination of all the latest scientific developments in her conception and design.

In 1930 Francis Herreshoff builds a revolutionary boat in Whirlwind, a boat that proved a failure at the time largely due to her steering, but in her size and rig, predicted the future development of the J class from the old triple head rig to the modern single head rig, and from the smallest waterline allowed by the Universal Rule to the largest.

For the first time, The Americas Cup was contested by yachts with the Bermudan jib headed main sail. From one challenge to the next we see the rig go from triple to double headed and even single headed, we see the development of the sails, first with the introduction of Genoas, then Quadrilateral jibs and finally Parachute spinnakers. Throughout the period the individual sails got larger, and their use better understood.

Hand in hand with the development of the sails we follow the development in the spars from traditional wooden booms to the famous Park Avenue and bending booms, from wooden masts to riveted duralumin masts and welded steel masts and the introduction and development of bar rigging.

The J Class represented the change of world order, they illustrated very clearly Americas Industrial and technological dominance over the old world and the sweeping changes that were to come.

After nearly fifty years only three boats remained, largely, forgotten and unrecognisable. Elizabeth Meyer now enters their story. She buys and restores Endeavour whose empty hull she had seen in the Solent, forms J Class Management and restores Shamrock V. In September 1989 she achieves her dream of seeing two J Class yachts race. Following on from Elizabeth’s restorations, Velsheda is bought and restored and in 1999 the three boats race together in Antigua. Six new boats have now been built to original lines by a new class of owners lavishing the sums of money required to keep them at the forefront of technology whilst keeping the spirit of the J Class.  I have been lucky to have witnessed them racing many times and been invited aboard many of them. Today they are accorded a special place at the Americas Cup, sharing the waters and anchorage with the very latest boats racing for the Cup.

Wherever they go they inspire admiration and awe!  This is the story I want to paint