j k4 sailboat

Story of the J-Class Yachts:

The J-Class was adopted for America's Cup competition in 1928, looking forward to the next regatta in 1930.  The Class itself, though, dated back to the turn of the century when the Universal Rule was adopted though no J-Class yachts had yet been built.

The Rule used a yacht's various dimensions to calculate an equivalent rating in feet.  Boats of equal rated lengths could then race against each other directly without making other allowances for time or distance sailed.  Even though one yacht might have a longer length or another yacht a larger sail area, their overall configurations had to produce a rated length that met the Universal Rule for that class. Boats in Class J, more commonly today termed J-Class yachts, were the largest constructed under the Universal Rule.  The Rule actually includes provisions for an even larger type of boat, the I Class, though none were ever built.  Inquiries made in the 1930s for a Defense in the smaller K Class were rejected.

The J-Class were the first yachts in an America's Cup match to be governed by a formal design rule.  Previous defenders and challengers were only restricted by minimum and maximum lengths set forth in the Deed of Gift.  Sir Thomas Lipton, challenging in 1930 for the fifth time, had held earlier discussions with the New York Yacht Club in hopes of adopting the Universal Rule for the previous America's Cup match, intended for 1914 but delayed until 1920.  Though an agreement to use the rule was not reached for that match, the 1914 US boats, Vanitie and Resolute, still roughly followed J-Class parameters.

Building Program:

There were only 10 J-class yachts designed and built.  Additionally, several yachts of closely related dimensions, mostly 23-Meter International Rule boats, were converted after their construction to meet the rating rules of the J-Class. 

Only the purpose-built Cup yachts, though, could compete in the America's Cup.  The "converted" J-Class yachts, while acceptable for Class racing events, were not admissible for America's Cup competition.  Responding to issues that surfaced in earlier defenses, the America's Cup rules required that all boats had to be sailed to the event on their own bottom.  Some critics pointed out the possibility that the challenger might, as a result, be disadvantaged by  being of heavier construction than the defender.  In order to avoid a situation that could be perceived as an undue advantage, the NYYC eventually agreed that all America's Cup J-Class yachts would be built to Lloyds A1 standards, ensuring that defender and challenger met the same minimum construction specifications (the nautical term is "scantlings").  Most existing yachts were not built to such standards, so the Cup-eligible boats thus ended up heavier than the ineligible J's.

(The issue of challengers having to build heavier boats due to the ocean crossing was a popular, if uncertain, explanation in the British press for the long string of American victories.  In practice, a number of challengers added internal bracing for the crossing, which was then removed before racing.  And on a few occasions defenders subsequently made the crossing in reverse in search of competition following their successful defense.  The rule requiring that the challenger sail to the event on her own bottom was actually instituted in response to a super-lightweight challenger towed to the match through canals and rivers from Canada.

The J-Class Yachts

Disposition:

Conceived at the height of the affluent 1920's, the J-boats arrived during the Great Depression.  They required enormous crews, and, despite expert attention to their technical details, still broke an astonishing number of masts.  While they were in most regards the most advanced sailing yachts yet built, and they were  indeed powerful sailing thoroughbreds formed in sleek lines that can race the pulse of almost every viewer, the glorious J's proved too extravagant for their own good.  Most had very limited sailing careers outside of America's Cup.  Ranger , whose 1937 cost was upwards of $500,000, was laid-up at the end of her debut season and never sailed again.  All of the American J's were scrapped between 1935 and 1941. Most of the British J's were either abandoned or scrapped.

When NYYC sought to revive the America's Cup in the 1950s, there was a faction that favored returning to the J-Class.  Mike Vanderbilt even stated that not only would he like to see the Cup contested in the large boats, but that if so he would consider rebuilding a new Range r to the design of the original.  Still, another faction hoped for smaller dual-use yachts that could be used in offshore racing when the Cup year was ended.  With cost estimates for a 1958-era J starting around three million dollars, the impulse for a J-Class defense faded away in the face of economic pressures and a compromise was reached to sail the America's Cup in International Rule 12-Meters.

The J-Class Resurgent

J-Class rigs today are no longer built of wood or dur-alumin, but with modern lightweight composites.  Their sail technology is long past being canvas duck, and many other subtle changes have been made to make the ongoing maintenance and operation of these yachts a realistic proposition.  Still, the J-Class owners have gone to great lengths to insure the integrity of the boats.  The J-Class is self-administered, rather than governed by an outside organization as is the case with almost all other classes.  This allows the members to more easily adapt the rules in order to serve the needs of these uniquely historic yachts.

Most of the surviving J's are available for charter.  Cambria was reportedly for sale in 2000.  Endeavour changed hands in 2006 for a reported $13.1 million USD, though as her former owner Dennis Kozlowski said, "No one truly owns Endeavour .  She's a part of yachting history.''

Recreations, Replicas, and a Tender:

For decades, most yachting fans thought that we would never again see the likes of these boats again, the few survivors would sooner or later fade away, and the whole history would be reserved for books and fading photographs, but following the restoration of the surviving hulls rumors grew throughout the late 1990's and early 2000's about building "new" J's.  In 2001, all of this dock talk began to become reality:

Ranger Wooden Boat magazine, March/April 2001, described a "Dutchman" who had commissioned a new Ranger built to the original's plan.  This incredible rumor came true, and a piece of lost sailing history was brought back to life.  The new version of this "Superboat", as Mike Vanderbilt once called her, was officially launched in October, 2003. 

Designed by Studio Scanu and Reichel-Pugh, and built by Danish Yachts, Skagen, Denmark, she is not an exact replica of the original. Some would term her a re-interpretation, as a number of changes were made including greater freeboard, and Ranger 's original designers did not participate in the project.  The new Ranger first competed head-to-head against other J's in Antigua, Spring, 2004.  It took some additional adjustment after launch by her owners and designers to seek the proper trim that would make her float on her lines, an essential step in the process of being officially rated a J-Class yacht.  Visit the Ranger Website for more info.  J-Class Management is also at work on a restoration of Bystander, tender to the original Ranger .

Endeavour II An Endeavour II replica is being built at Royal Huisman Shipyard, with a planned 2008 launch date.  Gerard Dykstra and Partners is leading the project, which features a lightweight Alustar (aluminum alloy) hull and carbon-fiber mast.  See additional photo at Yachtspotter

Lionheart Based on an unbuilt alternate design by Starling Burgess and Olin Stephens II that was considered for 1937's America's Cup defender Ranger , this new boat is being built at yards in the Netherlands for an expected 2008 launch.  Lionheart will be the longest J-Class yacht when completed. See more including photos of the completed hull at the Lionheart Website and the story of sailing onboard including photos and videos Cruising J-Class Style Aboard Lionheart at Yachting World Designer:  Hoek Design Builders: Bloemsma Aluminiumbouw and Claasen Jachtbouw BV

Svea Tore Holm's unbuilt 1937 design, said by some to be faster in the test tank than any of the original boats, is being pursued by Hoek Design

Name To Be Announced In late March 2008, reports of another replica about to begin construction appeared on the Classic Boat website .  Whether this is one of the known projects, such as Svea , above, or yet another replica about to become reality, such as Rainbow , below, should become known shortly.

Rainbow In late May, 2008, Dykstra and Partners announced that a new build of the 1934 America's Cup Defender Rainbow was underway, with an expected launch date of 2010.  Read the Press Release

Other projects: Hoek Design is also studying replicas of 1930's Enterprise and another boat from Yankee designer Frank Paine.  Yankee herself has also been rumored as a new project, as well.  Earlier reports of a Ranger alternate-design carrying the name of Seawolf may have been referring to the project that has become Lionheart , see above.  Whirlwind and Weetamoe are the only two designs of the original ten J's that aren't known to be sailing, building, or under serious consideration as of 2008.  The J-Class website points out that there are 10 unbuilt J designs from the 1930's, so the possibilities for more J-Class yachts are intriguing.

Yachting World reported in May, 2003 , that construction was underway on a yacht replicating the famous G.L Watson design Britannia .  Photos showed a nearly completed hull at Solombala Shipyard, in Arkhangel, Russia, and included interviews with the yacht's owner Sigurd Coates of Norway.  The design was adapted by Cesil Stephansen from published plans.  The original designer's modern descendent company, G.L.Watson & Co., Ltd., has no involvement with the Arkhangel boat.  Little was been heard of this ambitious project for years, until the yacht was finally launched only to become subject of a financial dispute, trapping her in Russia until 2009, when she "escaped" to Norway. 

In the Spirit

A similar project to return elegant yachts to competitive racing, the W-class, was set in motion by Donald Tofias, an American enthusiast.  He commissioned naval architect Joel White to design a new class with lines evocative of famous racing yachts like the New York 50's and the J-Class.  The first two boats, Wild Horses and White Wings , were built in Maine of modern cold-molded wood construction and launched in 1998.  It is Tofias' aim that there will eventually be a whole fleet of the beautiful W-class to regularly compete against each other.  The one-design W-76 is actually similar to the New York 50's.  Tofias' long-range plans involve a range of classes including 46, 62, 76, 105, and 130.  The 130's would be nearly identical in basic dimensions to the J-class. See the W-Class Websit e .  

Additional Links: Chris Cameron onboard Ranger at Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, 2010: Photo Gallery

Web Sites of Particular Interest: The J-Class Association J-Class Management, Inc.  

Further Notes:

K-Class: The Royal London Yacht Club made and withdrew its inquiry for a K-Class challenge in 1935.  The intent had been to reduce costs, not the least of which was hoped to be a lower velocity of mast replacement, but the K-Class line of thought was rejected for several reasons.  For one, the K-Class wasn't so much smaller than the J-Class as to have clearly led to significant savings.  Additionally, no K-Class yachts existed on either side of the Atlantic while several J's of various pedigree were available for testing, training, and racing in 1935.  Also a factor was that the NYYC was already actively considering another challenge at the time the RLYC began their communication  about the K-Class and it was the NYYC's policy to consider only one challenge at a time, in keeping with the Deed of Gift.

Sailing to the Event on Own Bottom: This provision of the Deed of Gift was at times strictly interpreted to the the degree of making sure that the challenging yacht actually was under her own sail while traveling to the match, not towed by another boat.  Challengers returning across the Atlantic after Cup matches concluded were sometimes towed for convenience. Eventually the NYYC agreed at various times to permit towing the yachts to the match, particularly when conditions were light, and in 1956, for the coming of the 12-meter yachts in 1958, the Deed of Gift was amended to eliminate the requirement.

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Endeavour JK4

• February 8, 2015

Endeavour JK4 (original)

Designed by: C.E. Nicholson, re-configured by Dykstra & Partners

Build: Camper & Nicholsons, in steel, in 1934.

Skipper: Simon Lacey

Identifying features: Navy blue hull, Breton-striped crew shirts, red cross on white spinnaker.

Odds: Good in light airs, but proved she has all-round pace in St Barths in 2012

Rockstar rating: Torben Grael helming – enough said.

Endeavour is often described as the most beautiful J Class, and Britain’s worthiest America’s Cup challenger. We have only seen her race competitively once in the last decade. It was fresh after her 18-month refit at Yachting Developments in New Zealand, when she stole the show at the St Barths Bucket in 2012. Since then however, little has been seen of Endeavour as her current owner favours private cruising.

Endeavour is the yacht that came closest to winning the America’s Cup for Britain. Designed by Charles Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholsons in steel in 1934 for aircraft manufacturer Sir T.O.M Sopwith, she was the only J to beat the original Rainbow. Her build took 146 days, and on launching she was declared ‘the perfect boat’ by someone that really knew his shapes, Nat Herreshoff.

Sopwith took a scientific approach, using his aeronautical experience. The innovations lavished on her included the likes of four-speed and ‘rowing bar’ winches, the first windvane linked to a dial by the helm, and a double-clewed jib. But following a crew strike over pay, Sopwith replaced 13 pros with amateurs shortly before leaving for the US. This, together with taking off more and more ballast during the series – meaning the boat lost her stiffness, while Rainbow added to hers – was largely seen as his undoing.

Endeavour sat in a Hamble mudberth for over three decades before her restoration began slowly in the mid 70’s. But it was when Elizabeth Meyer took over the mantle in 1984, that her resurgence, and that of today’s J Class fleet, really began. Meyer had Endeavour re-configured by Dykstra & Partners, shipped to Royal Huisman and fully restored, before cruising and racing her all round the world.

Recent developments

Endeavour’s latest 18-month refit at Yachting Developments in New Zealand, again under Dyskstra & Partners transformed her once again. Forty tonnes of material was removed, including 14 deck winches while the remaining winches, hydraulics, electrics, engine and generators were all replaced during100,000 man-hours of work.

She remains in mint condition today and is being sold through Edmiston – see here: https://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/toby-hodges-blog/j-class-endeavour-sale-rare-chance-buy-one-iconic-yachts-ever-built-61761

Essential figures: Specs: LOA 39.56m Beam:  6.72m Built in steel Draught: 4.76m Manufacturer: Camper & Nicholson/Royal Huisman  

JK4 Endeavour   /    J Class Sloop

Specifications

In 1984 American yachtswoman Elizabeth Meyer bought JK4 Endeavour and undertook a five year rebuild. Since the hull was too fragile to be moved and was miles away from any boatyard, Meyer had a building constructed over the boat and hired welders to restore the hull. Endeavour's missing keel and ballast were rebuilt, the steel frames and hull plating repaired and replaced where necessary, and a new rudder fabricated. The newly seaworthy hull was launched and towed to Holland where it was put on a barge and transported to the Royal Huisman Shipyard. There, the mast, boom and rigging were designed and built, the engine, generator and mechanical systems installed and the interior joinery completed. Endeavour sailed again, on June 22, 1989, for the first time in 52 years. Between 1989 and 1999 Endeavour cruised extensively and competed in numerous races, creating a wonderful spectacle In April 1999, history repeated itself when she was joined by Shamrock V and Velsheda to compete in the Antigua Classics Regatta, bringing in a new era of J Class sailing a sight not seen in over 60 years. Endeavour, Velsheda and Shamrock raced together at the J-Class Regatta for the first time in UK waters after more than 65 years. Endeavour won both regattas after close racing between the yachts.

JK4 Endeavour underwent an extensive refit again in 2010/2011. Dykstra Naval Architects were the Naval Architects responsible for the construction, sail plan and deck layout on a project that was carried out by Yachting Developments in Auckland. The refit included a new deck structure, new rig and sails, a new deck layout, an engine room upgrade and a new crew interior. Jon Barrett, who oversaw the yacht's first refit as captain at Royal Huisman in 1989 (which, incidentally, was also Gerard Dijkstra's firtst major J-Class refit) was project manager for this prestigious project that resulted in a "ready for battle" Endeavour.

Dykstra Naval Architects have gained over 30 years of J-Class experience and where responsible for the rebuilds of the J-Class yachts: JK3 Shamrock V, JK7 Velsheda, JK4 Endeavour, performance refit of J5 Ranger, the new builds JK6 Hanuman and JH2 Rainbow and J Yankee on the drawing board. To keep the J-Class fleet and races alive and to encourage new build yachts to enter the field, new JCA maximum performance rules have been developed, including allowing aluminum as building material. The new rule is a VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) based rating system which puts limits to the performance. This new rule has been developed by the Dykstra Naval Architects office and the Wolfson Unit in Southampton. The aim of the JCA, the Dykstra team and the rule is to bring fair & close racing to the fleet and to give all designs a chance of winning (on a handicap based system). Over the years the Dykstra team gained an enormous amount of hands-on information by racing on all the Dykstra J's in the current fleet. J-Class Association

Related Projects

JH2 Rainbow

JK3 Shamrock V

JK6 Hanuman

JK7 Velsheda

The J Class has its roots in the oldest international yacht race in the world, the America’s Cup.

Our Heritage

Considered some of the most beautiful yachts ever built, the story of the J Class is defined by fierce transatlantic competition for the America’s Cup, followed by an era of steep decline, and the modern-day revival.

The J Class includes a mixture of refitted surviving yachts along with a number of new yachts faithfully built to original hull lines from 1930’s designs, with more yachts currently in build.

The J Class Association was founded in 2000 to protect the interests of the Class, present and future, and organises an annual calendar of racing for these magnificent yachts.

2024 Calendar

The Superyacht Cup Palma

Palma, Spain

8 - 14 September

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Puerto Cervo, Sardinia

5-11 October

America's Cup J Class Regatta

Barcelona, Spain

We love them because they are sublimely beautiful, utterly impractical and fiendishly demanding.

Elizabeth Meyer

Modern-day saviour of the J Class

Latest news

Svea finish on top at the superyacht cup palma.

With a carefully crafted victory in today’s final 25 nautical mile coastal race, the Swedish flagged Svea won the J Class at The Superyacht Cup Palma.

A coastal race win to savour for Velsheda at The Superyacht Cup Palma

Velsheda proved they are still very much a force to be reckoned with when they won a hard fought 26 miles coastal race at The Superyacht Cup Palma today.

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Endeavour Sailing Yacht Charter

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If you have any questions about the Endeavour information page below please contact us .

Sailing yacht ‘Endeavour’ is a 130 foot J Class classic sailing sloop which was launched in 1934 and embodies one of the most formidable and famous sailing yachts in the world. Following her 2011 refit, she is in an ‘as new’ condition and is ready and waiting to give you the exhilaration of the powerful sailing of yesteryear. Her high sailing performance is matched only by her truly elegant interior accommodations and extremely high standard of craftsmanship, catering, service and facilities.

Sailing yacht Endeavour has now been almost entirely rebuilt in such a way that her quality of workmanship and sleek lines are entirely consistent with her original condition. She does, however, boast the recent technology and increased performance of a modern yacht. She has a powerful engine and generators as well as bow thrusters, an aluminium mast and boom, hydraulic winches and a water-maker and all the latest electronic entertainment and navigation and equipment one could desire.

Endeavour's saloon and dining area is an amazingly memorable space for charter guests to relax and entertain. Her interior joinery is American Cherry wood raised panels, nickel plated fixtures and locust sole.

The crew of classic charter yacht Endeavour are professional and amongst the best in the business. They include the captain, first mate, engineer, chef, steward, stewardess, as well as three deckhands. The fantastic friendly crew will pamper you with first-class service and absolutely fabulous cuisine during your yacht charter. As a lady who has been brought into the contemporary world, Endeavour provides all the modern electrical entertainment systems and yacht water toys. Have you ever helmed just a famous, powerful and impressive classic yacht? It will be no problem if you wish to spend most of your day helming the greatest yacht in the world, the mighty Endeavor under full sail!

Endeavour Specifications

Sailing yacht Endeavour has been awarded the best Refitted yacht at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards and her extensive 18month refit, which concluded in October 2011, included the replacement of the complete weather deck, new deck equipment, relocation of steel deck framing, reconfiguration of the accommodation forward and new interior.  The main engine, electrical system, electronics, air conditioning, hydraulics bow thruster and winches were all replaced.  A new carbon fibre mast was built by Southern Spars and the new interior was built in house by Yachting Developments tradesmen.  Dykstra & Partners, Naval Architects, have been instrumental in the design of the new sail plan, deck layout, and structural engineering. The interior was collaborated by John Munford and Adam Lay Design Studios to ensure the originality of the boat was maintained.  Care was taken throughout the refit to preserve as much of the vessel as practical, yet still enhance performance and improve functionality.  

Yacht Accommodation

Classic Sailing yacht Endeavour is remarkably comfortable with accommodation for up to eight guests in four staterooms - two with queen berths, one with a king berth and one with twin berths. The staterooms adjoin their own baths with lovely heated towel bars and nickel plated shower enclosures. Endeavour’s master bathroom also features an over-sized bath tub.

Amenities and Extras

Luxury classic sailing yacht Endeavour offers the following amenities for your yacht charter vacation: a Zodiac Mark 2 tender with a 25 h.p. out-board engine, two wind-surfers, a dive compressor and a water maker. In the yacht’s Saloon is a 25 inch TV with VCR and an N.A.D. music system with a CD player and there are both indoor and outdoor speakers, a large library of CDs movies etc. Her Master stateroom also provides a Hi Fi music system with a CD player. Sailing yacht Endeavour is fully air conditioned throughout the interior in all of her staterooms. The yacht has up to date modern communication and navigation electronic equipment.

Endeavour Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht Endeavour displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

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Camper & Nicholsons became known for its fast, wooden racing sailing yachts, which included the famed J-Class sloops that competed in the America’s Cup Races of the early 20th century, including two J-Class boats commissioned by Sir Thomas Sopwith, Endeavour and Endeavour II.

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William Fife. III CAMBRIA

Sail Number: K4

Vessel Type: 23 Metre Class

Ex; 1934, 1962 Lilias

LOA: 135′ 0″ / 41.14m – LOD: 111′ 0″ / 33.83m – LWL: 78′ 0″ / 23.77m – Beam: 20′ 5″ / 6.22m – Draft: 9′ 3″ / 2.81 – Displacement: 162 Tonnes – Sail Area: 8,270 sq ft – Hull material: Steel – Rig: Bermudan Cutter – Designer: William Fife III – Built by: William Fife & Son, Fairlie (no. 758) – Year Built: 1928 – Current Name: Cambria – Original Owner: Sir William Berry – Website: Sailing Vessel Cambria

Historical:

Forerunner of the J-Class Yachts

YachtCambria.Com – Launched in May 1928 Cambria was the first of a new generation of Big class cutters. Finally after years of racing a mixed class of yachts under an unsatisfactory handicap system there was an attempt to create a new harmonious Big Class. The years of austerity that followed World War I were over, the rating rules were well established and both Sir Mortimer Singer and Sir William Berry commissioned new cutters. Singer’s Astra was designed by Charles E. Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholsons, Berry’s Cambria was designed and built by William Fife.

There could not have been a greater contrast between the owners of these two new cutters. Singer was an established yachtsman from a wealthy family trading up from the 12 Metre Class, Berry was a newcomer and as such relied on the advice of experts. First among these was Brooke Heckstall-Smith, secretary of the Yacht Racing Association and editor of Yachting World magazine, one of many titles in Berry’s media portfolio.

Sir William Berry’s rise to prominence is one of the greatest rags to riches stories in the media and it is all the more so since he was one of only a handful of 20th Century newspaper owner-editors. Leaving school at 13 he was apprenticed to a weekly newspaper in Merthyr, South Wales, six years later he moved to London. With a capital of 100 pounds he single-handedly edited, collected advertising and distributed his own magazine, within a few years he had secured a foothold in the publishing industry. In 1915 he borrowed money to buy the moribund Sunday Times and became its editor in chief. This was the start of phenomenally successful period of empire building. Within a few years he had acquired the Financial Times from Sir John Ellerman, The Hulton Press from Lord Rothermere and the Amalgamated Press (magazines) from the executors of Lord Northcliffe. These were followed by the purchase of the largest newsprint manufacturer and the ailing Daily Telegraph from Lord Burham by which time Berry had created the largest media empire of the time.

With business came a social position, – a baronetcy and later his elevation to the rank of viscount – and the formation of one of the great British collections. Berry had tremendous taste, he bought avidly and eclectically; Old Masters, British pictures and furniture, oriental carpets, porcelain, glass and silver. The world began to take notice in 1927 when he bought van Dyke’s Portrait of Abbe Scaglia, one of the artist’s finest works. In 1935 he bought Hackwood Park from Lord Bolton to house his collection and it remained there until dispersed on the death of his son, the 2nd Viscount Camrose, in 1998.

It was in the midst of this whirl of collecting that Berry ordered Cambria, famously asking his wife if she too might like a similar yacht, an offer she declined. Success in yachting would bring an altogether new prestige: King George V dominated the Big Class with his Britannia and to enter this peer group Berry needed to be prepared. Heckstall-Smith was ideally placed to advise him on the choice of designer but was far from impartial since he and Charles E. Nicholson had crossed swords several times over rating rules, Alfred Mylne would have been a gamble so Heckstall-Smith directed Berry to William Fife. Fife was a safe bet and eager to secure so prestigious an order. When contracts were exchanged on 1 August 1927 Fife was forced to write to Berry conceding, ‘that it is a term of the bargain that the specification is subject to such reasonable variations I may agree with Sir William Burton, acting on your behalf, without variation of price.’ Burton was another of Heckstall-Smith’s appointees, he considered him ‘the greatest master of sailing a plain level match’. Certainly Burton’s credentials were immaculate, he had dominated the 52 foot, 15 metre and 19 metre classes with his own yachts and helmed Shamrock IV in the 1920 America’s Cup.

With trials completed on schedule Cambria made her racing debut in Harwich at the first event of the 1928 season. It was a close race and she won setting the tone for what Berry would expect from then on. Cambria, like Astra, was built to the Second International Rule and had to rate between 21 and 24 metres and a time allowance to settle any differences. Had the class been limited to these modern Bermudan rigged yachts it would have worked. However, by necessity the class had to include the King’s Britannia, built in 1893 and still gaff rigged, the old rule 23 metre class yachts Shamrock and White Heather of 1908 and 1909, the one off cutter Lulworth and the schooner Westward. It was a rating officer’s nightmare and the racing was far from equitable.

Most significant amongst the problems that afflicted the new yachts was a limitation imposed on mast height and Cambria, built to the upper size limits of the class, was particularly handicapped. Burton steered immaculately but, penalised by the rating, the prizes went disproportionately to yachts 10 to 25 years older than Cambria. The atmosphere on board deteriorated and whilst Berry may have retreated to the fully equipped wireless room he had had fitted on board for business purposes, Fife was left to lament that he knew all too well what was wrong.

For the 1929 season Fife designed a new gaff rig to circumvent the undue penalties applied to the Bermudan rig but a late alteration in the rules suddenly allowed a taller mast and the modern rig thus remained. Astra was withdrawn from racing following her owner’s death but the class was joined by a new Nicholson-designed cutter, Candida. The old gaffers still dominated on handicap but amongst the new yachts Cambria led what was in effect a class within a class.

In making his fifth and final challenge for the America’s Cup, Sir Thomas Lipton heralded in the era of the J Class yachts. His Shamrock V outpaced all existing Big Class cutters creating in effect a third class within the Big Class but with this newcomer soon preoccupied with racing in America, Cambria shared honours with the much improved Candida and both dominated Astra now racing under new ownership. However, the British Big Class could not survive in such a fragmented form, the J Class had arrived and finally the older yachts were forced to do what they could to adapt to the new rule or give up. Again King George V led the way converting Britannia to Bermudan rig for the 1931 season but other veterans soon gave up. Of the more recent cutters only the smaller Astra was able to convert successfully.

Sir William Berry had benefited from the advice of some of the most talented and most informed persons in yachting and campaigned his yacht in up to 50 races a year for three years but like many others his efforts fell victim to rule makers that dominated the organisation of the sport. His most enduring contribution was Cambria herself, the supremely beautiful cutter that has never wanted for admirers. By 1934 she had passed into the ownership of Sir Robert McAlpine who renamed her Lillias and on whose death in 1936 she was bought by H. F Giraud.

In Giraud’s ownership the great cutter became a cruiser based in Izmir, Turkey. Well maintained she made regular passages to Pireus for periodic Lloyds Register inspections and though she inevitably fell out of class during World War II Giraud had her reclassified. According to Giraud’s son Turkish Premier Ataturk was a guest on board and she remained in Turkish waters, mainly Cesme, until the early 1960’s. In 1963 she was briefly owned by Belgian, Andre J.M.Verbeck, who soon sold her on to his compatriot Georges Plouvier. In Plouvier’s ownership she began to voyage more extensively and came to the attention of American Michael Sears who acquired her in Marseille in 1972.

Sears embarked on a circumnavigation whose details remain sketchy, a dismasting off the Canaries is rumoured and it was he who re-rigged her as a ketch in 1975. By the time she reached Australian waters, Sears was forced to part company with her. Australian restaurateur Charlie Whitcombe took her over and mothballed her in Townsville near the Great Barrier Reef where she was eventually discovered by yachtsmen Iain Murray, Denis O’Neil and John David.

Cambria’s beauty seduced them, she had survived virtually intact, her deck structures and fittings were still pure Fife and below her original and elegant mahogany interior needed just polish to bring it alive again. In structural terms the mahogany planking on steel frame hull had partially degraded. In Brisbane 1995, after careful steel repairs and some planking renewed, Cambria was strong again and ready to sail. A new deck was laid over the original and with light new systems she was perfectly in keeping with a fast racing yacht.

John David became the sole owner in 2001 and shipped Cambria to Cowes where she was converted back to the Bermudan rig qualifying for the America’s Cup Jubilee. It was the first time she had raced back in Great Britain since the 1930’s. Mr David was very impressed with the classic yachting scene in Europe and decided to enter her in the Mediterranean Classic Yacht Circuit. She has been an active participant since that time and she was sold to continue a similar agenda in May of 2004. Under the new Ownership and responsible direction and supervision of the new captain and his crew Cambria has received a new mast of Spruce Pine and has undergone a careful refit in a specialized yard in Southampton. She has continued racing against the growing number of classic yachts, regularly outperforming her competitors in measured time, if not in terms of rating. Cambria crossing the finish line as the first boat with her challengers far behind has become a common picture in the Mediterranean contests. Her owner and his family enjoy Cambria, cruising the Mediterranean in between the busy racing schedule.

Known Restoration History:

2004 – Southampton – Refit and new mast of Spruce Pine 2001 – Spencer Rigging Limited – Converted back to the Bermudan rig qualifying for the America’s Cup Jubilee. 1994-1995 – Norman R. Wright & Son’s, Brisbane, Queensland – refit 1984 – New Zealand refit 1974 – New Mast – Mainmast 119 ‘8″ Mizzen 75’. Spencer rigging re-rigged to ketch

Provenance (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):

Owner/Guardian: (1928–1934) – Sir William Berry Owner/Guardian: (1934–1936) – Robert McAlpine Owner/Guardian: (1936–1962) – Harold Giraud – Port of Chios, Turkey Owner/Guardian: (1962–1964) – Belgian Consulate, Andre’ J.M. Verbeke Owner/Guardian: (1964–1973) – Georges Plouvier – Home port Pireaus Owner/Guardian: (1973–1986) – Michael Sears – American Owner/Guardian: (1986–1995) – Charlie Whitcombe – New Zealander Owner/Guardian: (1995–2001) – Denis O’Neil and John David Owner/Guardian: (2001–2004 ) – John David Owner/Guardian: (2004) – Cambria Yachts Limited

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Endeavour – j class america’s cup 1934 – 1:35.

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Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934 Model Ship Kit – Amati (AM1700/82)

The Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934 Model Ship Kit is manufactured by Amati ship model kits. Amati Model Ship Kits are faithful interpretations of the original vessel. All materials are of the finest available and plans and instructions are always excellent and easily followed. Amati has integrated computer design and the latest materials to produce high quality ship model kits.

History of the Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934

The Schooner Endeavour staked a claim on the America’s Cup, winning the first two races. The third regatta was bound to be the most exciting. Fate played an unkind trick to Sir Thomas Sopwith, who failed and thus couldn’t win the America’s Cup. Model Kit includes plank-on-bulkhead construction; laser cutted wooden deck and planking; brass and wooden fittings; photo etched brass details; cloth sails; plans and detailed instructions.

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Lynch Yacht Sinking Off Sicily Proves as Baffling as It Is Tragic

As bodies were recovered, the authorities and experts wondered how a $40 million, stable and secure vessel could have sunk so quickly.

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By Emma Bubola and Michael J. de la Merced

Emma Bubola reported from Porticello, Italy, and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

Two months after being cleared in a bruising legal battle over fraud charges, the British tech mogul Mike Lynch celebrated his freedom with a cruise. He invited his family, friends and part of his legal team on board his luxury sailing yacht, a majestic 180-foot vessel named Bayesian after the mathematical theorem around which he had built his empire.

On Sunday night, after a tour of the Gulf of Naples, including Capri, and volcanic islands in the Eolian archipelago, the boat anchored half a mile off the Sicilian coast in Porticello, Italy. It chose a stretch of water favored by the Phoenicians thousands of years ago for its protection from the mistral wind and, in more recent times, by the yachts of tech billionaires. The boat was lit “like a Christmas tree,” local residents said, standing out against the full moon.

But about 4 a.m., calamity unfolded. A violent and fast storm hit the area with some of the strongest winds locals said they had ever felt. Fabio Cefalù, a fisherman, said he saw a flare pierce the darkness shortly after 4.

Minutes later, the yacht was underwater. Only dozens of cushions from the boat’s deck and a gigantic radar from its mast floated on the surface of the sea, fishermen said.

In all, 22 people were on board, 15 of whom were rescued. Six bodies — five passengers and the ship’s cook — had been recovered by Thursday afternoon, including that of Mr. Lynch, an Italian government official said, adding that the search was continuing for his daughter.

It was a tragic and mystifying turn of events for Mr. Lynch, 59, who had spent years seeking to clear his name and was finally inaugurating a new chapter in his life. Experts wondered how a $40 million yacht, so robust and stable could have been sunk by a storm near a port within minutes.

“It drives me insane,” said Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company, Perini, that made the Bayesian. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

The aura of misfortune only deepened when it emerged that Stephen Chamberlain, 52, a former vice president of finance for Mr. Lynch’s former company and a co-defendant in the fraud case, was killed two days earlier, when he was hit by a car while jogging near his house in England.

Since June, the two men had been in a jubilant mood. A jury in San Francisco had acquitted both on fraud charges that could have sent them to prison for two decades. There were hugs and tears, and they and their legal teams went for a celebratory dinner party at a restaurant in the city, said Gary S. Lincenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Chamberlain.

The sea excursion was meant as a thank-you by Mr. Lynch to those who had helped him in his legal travails. Among the guests was Christopher J. Morvillo, 59, a scion of a prominent New York family of lawyers who had represented Mr. Lynch for 12 years. He and his wife, Neda, 57, were among the missing.

So, too, was Jonathan Bloomer, 70, a veteran British insurance executive who chaired Morgan Stanley International and the insurer Hiscox.

The body of the ship’s cook, Recaldo Thomas, was recovered. All the other crew members survived. Among them was Leo Eppel, 19, of South Africa, who was on his first yacht voyage working as a deck steward, said a friend, who asked not to be identified.

Since the sinking, the recovery effort and investigation have turned the tiny port town of Porticello, a quiet enclave where older men sit bare-chested on balconies, into what feels like the set of a movie.

Helicopters have flown overhead. Ambulances have sped by with the sirens blaring. The Coast Guard has patrolled the waters off shore, within sight of a cordoned-off dock that had been turned into an emergency headquarters.

On Wednesday afternoon, a church bell tolled after the first body bag was loaded into an ambulance, a crowd watching in silence.

The survivors were sheltering in a sprawling resort near Porticello, with a view of the shipwreck spot, and had so far declined to comment.

Attilio Di Diodato, director of the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, said that the yacht had most likely been hit by a fierce “down burst” — when air generated within a thunderstorm descends rapidly — or by a waterspout , similar to a tornado over water.

He added that his agency had put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about storms and strong winds. Locals said the winds “felt like an earthquake.”

Mr. Costantino, the boat executive, said the yacht had been specifically designed for having a tall mast — the second-tallest aluminum mast in the world. He said the Bayesian was an extremely safe and secure boat that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing.

But he said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, is to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

The New York Times attempted to reach the captain, James Cutfield, who had survived, for comment through social media, his brother and the management company of the yacht (which did not hire the crew), but did not make contact.

So far none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened that night.

Fabio Genco, the director of Palermo’s emergency services, who treated some of the survivors, said that the victims had recounted feeling as if the boat was being lifted, then suddenly dropped, with objects from the cabins falling on them.

The Italian Coast Guard said it had deployed a remotely operated vehicle that can prowl underwater for up to seven hours at a depth of more than 980 feet and record videos and images that they hoped would help them reconstruct the dynamics of the sinking. Such devices were used during the search and rescue operations of the Titan vessel that is believed to have imploded last summer near the wreckage of the Titanic.

After rescuers broke inside the yacht, they struggled to navigate the ropes and many pieces of furniture cluttering the vessel, said Luca Cari, a spokesman for Italy’s national firefighter corps.

Finally, as of Thursday morning, they had managed to retrieve all but one of the missing bodies, and hopes of finding the missing person alive were thin. “Can a human being be underwater for two days?” Mr. Cari asked.

What was certain was that Mr. Lynch’s death was yet another cruel twist of fate for a man who had spent years seeking to clear his name.

He earned a fortune in technology and was nicknamed Britain’s Bill Gates. But for more than a decade, he had been treated as anything but a respected tech leader.

He was accused by Hewlett-Packard, the American technological pioneer that had bought his software company, Autonomy, for $11 billion, of misleading it about his company’s worth. (Hewlett-Packard wrote down the value of the transaction by about $8.8 billion, and critics called it one of the worst deals of all time .) He had been increasingly shunned by the British establishment that he sought to break into after growing up working-class outside London.

He was extradited to San Francisco to face criminal charges, and confined to house arrest and 24-hour surveillance on his dime. In a townhouse in the Pacific Heights neighborhood — with security people he jokingly told associates were his “roommates” — he spent his mornings talking with researchers whom he funded personally on new applications for artificial intelligence. Afterward, he devoted hours to discussing legal strategy with his team.

Despite his persistent claims of innocence, even those close to Mr. Lynch had believed his odds of victory were slim. Autonomy’s chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, was convicted in 2018 of similar fraud charges and spent five years in prison.

During Mr. Lynch’s house arrest, his brother and mother died. His wife, Angela Bacares, frequently flew over from England, and she became a constant presence in the San Francisco courtroom during the trial.

After he was finally acquitted, Mr. Lynch had his eye on the future. “I am looking forward to returning to the U.K. and getting back to what I love most: my family and innovating in my field,” he said.

Elisabetta Povoledo contributed reporting from Pallanza, Italy.

Emma Bubola is a Times reporter based in Rome. More about Emma Bubola

Michael J. de la Merced has covered global business and finance news for The Times since 2006. More about Michael J. de la Merced

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Boat bursts into flames at Wildwood, NJ marina

WILDWOOD, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A boat caught fire at a Wildwood marina Thursday afternoon, sinking and damaging the dock.

Officials say no one was injured.

Viewer video sent to Action News shows the 42-foot boat burning at the Schooner Island Marina.

The plume of smoke could be seen for miles. Witnesses say they heard an explosion.

"The whole sky was nothing but black. The sun was blocked and everything," said Mark Demberger of North Wildwood.

Officials say the boat was at the end of the fuel dock when it burst into flames around 12:40 p.m.

Two people who were on the boat at the time escaped without injury. Four Marina employees were evaluated at the scene but refused transport to the hospital.

"They were in the immediate area of the fire as well as other employees who were trying to assist with getting fire extinguishers initially before they realized the fire was too extensive," said Wildwood Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Dunn.

The location of the boat - at the end of the dock - made for a challenging job.

With the help of other nearby companies, the fire was under control in about an hour. A portion of the dock was damaged.

Now what's left of the boat is underwater.

"Once the boat sank, the burning fuel rose to the surface of the water and started to spread towards other docks. So they had to form a foam blanket around that burning fuel to prevent extension to any other docks or boats," said Dunn.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Cape May County Fire Marshal's Office and the New Jersey State Police.

Officials say next they're going to work with Seatow and the marina to pull the wreckage out. That will help in determining a cause.

Related Topics

• CAPE MAY COUNTY
• JERSEY SHORE

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