“Shamrock IV“

Kukri

Kukri

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Challenging for the ‘America’s Cup, 1920
Owner: Sir Thomas Lipton Royal Ulster YC
Helmsman: Sir William Burton, RHYC
Skipper: Albert Turner, Wivenhoe
Designer : Charles Nicholson
Builders: Camper and Nicholson.

A very clever light displacement design, triple planked on aluminium frames with a plywood deck.

First challenger with an amateur helmsman - Albert Turner when not working for Tommy Lipton was the professional skipper of Burton’s 12 metre.

Didn’t win.

There’s a lot going on in this picture. She is mighty close winded. The lee runners are still set up and the lee preventer is eased but not brought forward. The jackyard topsail is mitre cut. The topping lifts have a 2:1 purchase at the upper end. Not sure the jib topsail is really helping.
 
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I was early for a flight in Athens airport. A photo exhibition was running. Old Greek sailing. After watching for an hour slide show I came to think that in the old days wind was of a different magnitude compared with now. I did not see one picture of windy days, all was big canvas to move in the trickle winds.

I guess the old sailors like Valkyrie III would never be able to put all that canvas up nowadays.

Climate change ?
 
She had a crew of forty one to get that lot hoisted and sheeted. I read somewhere that the mainsail of a Big Class cutter weighed well over a ton. Passages, even round the coast of Britain to the next regatta, were made under the gaff trysail and staysail. On the other hand Uffa Fox records that Britannia once won a race to Cherbourg and back in a full gale, close reefed, housing her topmast on passage, which suggests that she was pretty capable (and that her crew were outstanding seamen!).
 
It’s interesting that Shamrock IV in the first picture “has a bone in her teeth” and must be travelling at some speed, although there are no breaking crests in the photograph, and she is making a pretty fair speed in the film clip that you kindly posted. I suspect that these huge boats drew the apparent wind ahead just as our modern racers do.
 
XDC said:
Thomas Lipton.

Trade.

⚫⚫⚫

:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

“My uncle going boating with his grocer...”

(Kaiser Wilhelm II)

The uncle and the grocer are both in this rather rare picture. Shamrock II was taking part in a tuning up race against Shamrock 1 on May 22nd 1901 and King Edward VII was on board for the day when the bobstay bolt failed and the mast came down. The King asked if anyone had been hurt - luckily nobody was - and lit another cigar.



“What club is that? Where is its club house?”

Sir Thomas Lipton, on being told that he had (finally) been elected a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Here he is with Commodore Vanderbilt, after losing as usual, doing his bit for British- American relations, very much unlike earlier challengers. And if you buy tea in the States today the packet will probably have a picture of Tommy Lipton, wearing a reefer jacket and a yachting cap, on it,



1577737099187.png
 
Poking around on the Interthing I found the only clip I have ever seen of Sir Thomas speaking on film. He died in 1931 so “talkies” were new and experimental and the quality of this clip, which must date from the end of his last challenge, with Shamrock V, in 1930, is dire, but at least we can get an idea of the man and how he spoke. He was given a special cup, paid for by public subscription, for good sportsmanship, on that occasion. But anyway judge for yourselves:

 
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