J Class (yacht)
The J-Class serves as a rating for large sailing yachts designed between 1930 and 1937. Reserved for a wealthy elite of yachtsmen, these boats were used to compete with the best sailing talents in three races of the America's Cup.
The 1930s
The J-Class is a development of Nathanael Herreshoff's Universal Rule for racing boats. It was established in 1929, two years after it was agreed amongst American yacht clubs that the International Rule would be used for 12-metre class boats and smaller. As a result the Universal Rule was retained for large boats in the United States and the 1930s America's Cup regattas were all raced in the J-Class.
Following Sir Thomas Lipton's near success in the 1920 America's Cup, he challenged again for the last time at age 79, in 1929. The challenge drew all the novelties developed in the previous decade on small boats to be ported onto large boats, and pitted British and American yacht design into a technological race. Between 1930 and 1937, the improvements brought to the design of sailboats were numerous and significant:
- the high-aspect bermuda rig replaces the gaff rig on large sailboats
- solid-rod lenticular rigging for shrouds and stays
- luff and foot grooved spars with rail and slides replace wooden hoops
- multiplication of spreader sets: one set previously (1914), two sets (1930), three sets (1934), four sets (1937)
- multiplication of the number of winches: 23 winches, Enterprise (1930)
- electrical navigational instruments borrowed from aeronautics with repeaters for windvane and anemometer, Whirlwind (1930)[1]
- "Park Avenue" boom (Enterprise, 1930) and "North Circular" boom (Rainbow, 1934) developed to trim mainsail foot[2]
- riveted aluminium mast (Template:Lb to kg, Duralumin), Enterprise (1930)
- Genoa Jib (Rainbow, 1934) and quadrangular jib (Endeavour, 1934)[3]
- development of nylon parachute (symmetric) spinnakers, including the World's largest at Template:Ft2 to m2 on Endeavour II (1936)
- Duralumin wing-mast, Ranger (1937)
All these improvements would not have been possible without the context of the America's Cup. The competition was a bit unfair because the British challengers had to be constructed in the country of the Challenging Yacht Club (a criterion still in use today), and had to sail on their own hull to the venue of the America's Cup (a criterion no longer in use today): The design for such an undertaking required the challenging boat to be more seaworthy than the American boats, whose design was purely for speed in closed waters' regattas. The yachts that remain in existence are all British, and probably log more nautical miles today than they ever did. This would not have been possible if Charles Ernest Nicholson did not obtain unlimited budgets to achieve the quality of build for these yachts. Yacht designer Clinton Hoadley Crane noted in his memoires that "America's Cup racing has never led to good sportsmanship. The attitude of the New York Yacht Club [...] has been more that of a man in the forward position at war who has been ordered to hold his position at all costs – at all costs."[4]. In 1930, Thomas Lipton spent $1,000,000 for his Shamrock V challenge when America was facing a stock market crash, but the NYYC still built four cup defenders. The rivalry lead both countries to put a display of true technological demonstrators using the maximum load waterline length authorised by the rule for Endeavour II and Ranger in 1937. This seems to concur with J. P. Morgan's famous quote about yachts: "If you have to ask how much it costs, you cannot afford it."
Most J-Class yachts were scrapped prior or during World War II because steel and lead had become precious to the war effort. In the post-war era, J-Class racing was deemed far too expensive, so no challenge for the America's Cup was placed until 1958 with the smaller third International Rule 12mR class. A revival of the J-Class was triggered in the 1980s when Elizabeth Meyer refitted Shamrock V and Endeavour.
List of J-Class yachts
Ten yachts were built to the J-Class rule between 1930 and 1937, six in America and four in Great Britain. All three which survived were designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson: Shamrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda, of which the latter never served for an America's Cup challenge.
Other boats raced in J-Class regattas: The yachts Katoura (Starling Burgess, 1927), Resolute (Nathanael Herreshoff, 1914) and Vanitie (William Gardner, 1914) served as trial horses and most International Rule 23mR yachts were converted to the J-Class, of which three remain in existence: Astra, Cambria and Candida.
A replica of Ranger in 2004 accelerated the revival of the J-Class. Several replicas and original designs were subsequently planned for construction.
J-Class conversions did not compete or qualify Challengers Defenders replicas | |||||
Launch | Sail | Name | Designer | First ship-owner and Yacht Club | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1893 | K1 | Britannia | George Lennox Watson | Prince Albert Edward, RYS | converted to the J-Class (1931). scuttled after King George V's death (1936). replica in construction |
1907 | K7 | White Heather II | William Fife III | Myles Burton Kennedy, Royal Albert YC | 23mR converted to the J-Class (1930). scrapped to cast the lead for Velsheda (1932) |
1928 | JK2 | Astra | Charles E Nicholson | Sir Adam Mortimer Singer, RYS | 23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). refitted (1987) |
1928 | K4 | Cambria | William Fife III | Sir William Berry, RYS | 23mR refitted (1995, 2001). Re-rated as a J-Class (2003) |
1929 | K8 | Candida | Charles E Nicholson | Hermann Anton Andreae, RSYC | 23mR converted to the J-Class (1931). refitted (1989) |
1930 | JK3 | Shamrock V | Charles E Nicholson | Sir Thomas Lipton, RUYC | Challenger (AC1930). refitted by Elizabeth Meyer (1989). |
1930 | 1 | Weetamoe | Clinton Hoadley Crane | George Nichols syndicate, NYYC | eliminated (AC1930, AC1934). sold for scrap (1937) |
1930 | JUS2 | Yankee | Frank Cabot Paine | John Silsbee Lawrence syndicate, NYYC | eliminated (AC1930, AC1934, AC1937). sold for scrap (1941) |
1930 | 3 | Whirlwind | Lewis Francis Herreshoff | Landon Ketchum Thorne syndicate, NYYC | eliminated (AC1930). sold for scrap (1935) |
1930 | 4 | Enterprise | Starling Burgess | Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC | winner 4:0 (AC1930). sold for scrap (1935) |
1933 | JK7 | Velsheda | Charles E Nicholson | William Lawrence Stephenson, RYS | refitted (1997) with World's tallest carbonfiber mast (56m) |
1934 | JK4 | Endeavour | Charles E Nicholson | Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS | Challenger (AC1934). refitted by Elizabeth Meyer (1989) |
1934 | J5 | Rainbow | Starling Burgess | Harold Vanderbilt syndicate, NYYC | winner 4:2 (AC1934). eliminated (AC1937). sold for scrap (1940) |
1936 | JK6 | Endeavour II | Charles E Nicholson | Sir Thomas Sopwith, RYS | Challenger (AC1937). Sold for scrap (1947) |
1937 | J5 | "77C"-Ranger | Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens | Harold Vanderbilt, NYYC | winner 4:0 (AC1937). sold for scrap (1941) |
2004 | J5 | "77C"-Ranger | Reichel/Pugh & Fred Elliot | John A. Williams, NYYC | Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens replica ("77C"-Ranger, 1937) |
2009 | JK6 | Hanuman | Gerard Dykstra | James H. Clark | Charles E Nicholson replica (Endeavour II, 1936) |
2010 | JH1 | "77F"-Lionheart | Andre Hoek | Starling Burgess & Olin Stephens original design ("77F", 1937) | |
building | J7 | Atlantis | Andre Hoek | Frank Cabot Paine original design ("A", 1935) | |
building | JH2 | Rainbow | Gerard Dykstra | Chris Gongriep | Starling Burgess replica (Rainbow, 1934) |
in design | JS1 | Svea | Andre Hoek | corporate syndicate | Tore Anton Holm replica (1937) |
in design | JH3 | Yankee | Gerard Dykstra | Simon Dierdorp syndicate | Frank Cabot Paine replica (Yankee, 1930) |
Specifications of the J-Class
The Universal Rule was established in 1903 by Nathanael Herreshoff and the NYYC to normalise the sailing sport at every size of boat. The J-Class was first developed in 1929 from the Universal Rule and rates boats with the following criteria:
- rating:
- where:
- is the Load Waterline Length in feet
- is the quarter-beam length in feet
- is measured in square feet
- is measured in cubic feet[5]
- 76 ft (23.16 m) 88 ft (26.82 m)
- where:
- maximum draught: 15 ft (4.57 m)
- minimum mast weight: unrestricted in 1930; Template:Lb to kg in 1934; Template:Lb to kg for the whole rig in 1937
- standards: Lloyds' A1 scantling rules
- build: aluminium hull forbidden in the 1930s, authorised today
- design: 1930s (replicas are only rated to the J-Class provided their design dates back to the 1930s)
- racing: elapsed time (1930s), Velocity Prediction Program ratings (today)
Launch | Name | Builder | LOA | LWL | Beam | Draught | Displacement | Sail area |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1930 | Shamrock V | Camper and Nicholsons | 119 ft 1 in | 81 ft 1 in | 20 ft | 14 ft 9 in | 134 tons | 7,540 ft² |
1930 | Weetamoe | Herreshoff Manufacturing Company | 125 ft 9 in | 83 ft | 20 ft | 14 ft 6 in | 7,550 ft² | |
1930 | Yankee | George Lawley & Son | 126 ft | 83 ft | 22 ft 6 in | 14 ft 6 in | 148 tons | 7,288 ft² |
1930 | Whirlwind | George Lawley & Son | 139 ft | 86 ft | 21 ft 9 in | 15 ft 6 in | 7,335 ft² | |
1930 | Enterprise | Herreshoff Manufacturing Company | 120 ft 9 in | 80 ft | 23 ft | 14 ft 6 in | 128 tons | 7,583 ft² |
1933 | Velsheda | Camper and Nicholsons | 127 ft 6 in | 83 ft | 21 ft 6 in | 15 ft | ||
1934 | Endeavour | Camper and Nicholsons | 129 ft 6 in | 83 ft 6 in | 22 ft | 14 ft 9 in | 143 tons | 7,651 ft² |
1934 | Rainbow | Herreshoff Manufacturing Company | 127 ft 6 in | 82 ft | 21 ft | 15 ft | 141 tons | 7,535 ft² |
1936 | Endeavour II | Camper and Nicholsons | 135 ft 6 in | 87 ft | 21 ft 6 in | 15 ft | 162 tons | 7,543 ft² |
1937 | Ranger | Bath Iron Works | 135 ft | 87 ft | 21 ft | 15 ft | 166 tons | 7,546 ft² |
Rigging problems
The original yachts would carry Template:Ftm masts, but they dismasted frequently in conditions other than the lightest of winds. As a consequence, British yachtsman Sir Richard Fairey (Chairman of Fairey Aviation, and owner of Shamrock V at the time) suggested an America's Cup challenge in the smaller K-Class (less expensive with a more manageable rig), but the New York Yacht Club refused to drop in size. In 1937, disaster struck on the delivery trip of the Vanderbilt's defense candidate Ranger from Maine to Newport when rigging parts fell from the mast whilst under tow. Nothing could be done to save the top Template:Ftm from breaking off. Fortunately, a new aluminum mast built for the 1934 defender Rainbow (a candidate for the 1937 defense) was loaned to the project and used throughout the Defender selection series until Ranger's mast could be repaired.
The J-Class rule was amended in 1937 to force rigs to weigh a minimum of 6,400lb. The larger scantling would prevent the frequent dismastings that had been previously observed in the British Big Class seasons.
Bibliography
- ^ Jacques Taglang. "1930–1934: Electric instruments". America's Cup AC-Clopedia.
- ^ Jacques Taglang. "1930–1934: An exchange of ideas, from the 'Park Avenue' to the 'North Circular'". America's Cup AC-Clopedia.
- ^ Jacques Taglang. "1934: The quadrilateral jib". America's Cup AC-Clopedia.
- ^ Clinton Hoadley Crane (1952). Clinton Crane's Yachting Memories: 60 Years as Yachtsman, Designer and Racing Authority. D. Van Nostrand Sporting, New York.
- ^ Earl Boebert. "The J-class rating rule". Yankee III (PDF).
- America's Cup
- Universal Rule
- Harold S. Vanderbilt (1931). Enterprise: The Story of the Defense of the America's Cup in 1930. Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers. ISBN 9780713669053.
- Gary Jobson (2000). An America's Cup Treasury: The Lost Levick Photographs, 1893–1937. Mariner's Museum Press. ISBN 9780917376511.
- François Chevalier; Jacques Taglang (2002). J CLASS. Yachting Heritage Press. ISBN 2951912102.
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- Ian Dear (2004). Enterprise to Endeavour: The J-Class Yachts. Adlard Coles Nautical. ISBN 9780713669053.
- J-Class Association
- Sparkman & Stephens - J-Class design
- Hoek Design - J-Class replica design
- Gerard Dykstra & Partners - J-Class refit and replica design
- New York Times - 1989 article about Elizabeth Meyer's refit of Endeavour
- David Glenn (2010-04-20). "Dr. Clark & Mr. de Waal's open letters". Yachting World. IPC Media. - letter 1 - letter 2 - letter 3
- David Glenn (2010-05). "The Enduring J Class". Superyacht World. IPC Media.
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(help) - youtube.com - videos of J Class yachts