75561: Endeavour

The J class yacht Endeavour was designed by Charles E. Nicholson as Challenger for the 15th America's Cup. Commissioned by the aviation pioneer Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch TOM Sopwith of the Royal Yacht Squadron and designed, built by Camper & Nicholsons, Gosport, England. The Endeavour included airplane navigating instruments and a Sopwith-designed wind gauge.

Dimensions –

Length.: 39.53 m. (129'6")
L.W.L.: 25.60 m. (83'6")
Beam: 6.70 m. (21'6")
Draft: 4.57 m. (15')
Displacement: 143.1 tons & 80 tons lead ballast.
Sail Area: 721 m2. (7561 sq ft)
Mast height: 46.47 m.
Boom: 18.95 m.

In an interview for Time magazine in 1934, Phyllis said,

"If our teamwork is perfect we should hit the starting line at full speed just as the gun flashes. . . I watch for the flash to start my watches as it takes several seconds for the sound to reach us. I'm so busy watching for the flash that I never see anything of the actual start."

The seven race series began on September 15th 1934. The Defender for America was the Rainbow, owned by Harold Vanderbilt.

The first race had to be abandoned due to light winds. Two days later, in a 16 knot breeze, the challenger Endeavour won the opening race by 2 minutes 9 seconds, and the following day won again, setting a record for the 30 mile triangular course. Endeavour now had a 2-0 lead in the series.

Halfway through race 3, the Endeavour had a 6 minute lead, but Rainbow's helmsman, Sherman Hoyt anticipated Sopwith's tactics and sailed past to victory. The pressure on Sopwith's amateur crew intensified. In race 4 the British attempted to protest at Rainbow's tactics, but NYYC rules differed from RYC rules, and the appeal was disallowed – protest flags had to be waved at the time of the incident rather than later. Sopwith was furious. The score now was 2-2.

The Rainbow, with its fully professional crew, went on to win the next two races, winning the series by 4-2.