J-class sail question

horatio_nelson

horatio_nelson

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My grandfather was a crewman on Endeavour in the 1934 America's Cup, numerous related heirlooms have been passed down the family, one of which is this picture (apologies for the poor quality of the image) - I'm not sure exactly which boat it shows but my query is about the huge poled-out headsail - is there a particular name for this type of sail / set up? Any other thoughts?

All info / suggestions / waffle etc appreciated, cheers :)

_20151027_184037.jpg
 
That's what a "spinnaker" originally was, before they mutated into the symmetrical bag further forward that we're more familiar with.

Pete
 
I believe it was termed a 'balloon jib'.

IIRC without digging out my 25 year old copy of 'Enterprise to Endeavour' the photo is of Velsheda, with Shamrock V in the background (a stubby little bowsprit was retrofitted to following a change to the rules on fore triangle size, and she was also painted white after Sir Thomas Lipton's death ). Velsheda was the only white hulled British J, and Shamrock never returned to the US following her disastrous Challenge in 1930.
 
Excellent, thanks all. I like the "Leg of Mutton". It's an interesting sail.

I'll do a better copy of the print, it's a beautiful picture. Have got some others too which are worth seeing (Endeavour)

Saw the Js racing in the solent a few months back, such an amazing sight.
 
horatio,

I presume you know the photographer Beken of Cowes took loads of pics of the J Class boats and has an archive, might well have an anotated copy of your print ?

I'm a photog myself and am sure that pic is Beken's style.

His descendant is still at it photographing boats around the Solent etc, and they still have a shop in West Cowes which would seem a good point of contact.

Yes I thought that sail was known as the original ' balloon spinnaker ' too.
 
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AndrewfromFal said:
I believe it was termed a 'balloon jib'.
Click to expand...

I don't believe so - a balloon jib was set in roughly the same way as a normal jib, though it might well be set at the extremities of the rig (luff from cranse iron to topmast head, and sheeted to the quarter) which an ordinary jib of the time would not. Whereas a spinnaker, as we can see in this picture, has one corner at the end of a long boom and the other (I'm not sure which was considered the tack and which the clew, or if they were both clews like a squaresail!) sheeted to the deck a little way ahead of the mast. They originated in racing gaff-rig, and the idea was to have a downwind rig in which the mainsail and topsail out on one side was matched (roughly) by an equivalent sail on the other.

Pete
 
horatio_nelson said:
My grandfather was a crewman on Endeavour in the 1934 America's Cup, numerous related heirlooms have been passed down the family, one of which is this picture (apologies for the poor quality of the image) - I'm not sure exactly which boat it shows but my query is about the huge poled-out headsail - is there a particular name for this type of sail / set up? Any other thoughts?

I've got it on my living room wall and am looking at it now. It's Velsheda, taken by Beken in 1934.

All info / suggestions / waffle etc appreciated, cheers :)

View attachment 54313
Click to expand...

I have this picture on my living room wall, and am looking at it now. It was Velsheda, taken by Beken in 1934.
 
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horatio_nelson said:
Yeah you got me bang to rights there, what was I thinking?

Have another image of Endeavour, the one my grandfather sailed on, to admire.

Endeavour crossing the finish line of the first race in the '34 AC. By Norman Wilkinson.

View attachment 54321
Click to expand...

When was that painted? Looks very much like the artist used a picture of Endeavour post her 80's Elizabeth Meyer rebuild as a reference.
 
Nice painting; - have you ever seen the Tim Thompson painting of the luffing match that wasn't (in race 2 I believe)?

Also I have a question, given the crew strike just prior to Endeavour's departure for America, would I be correct in assuming your Grandfather was one of the people taken on just before she set sail? Was he a general hand or did he have a specific role? (sorry that's 2, I know)
 
>he OP only asked the question so he could boast about his dad sailing on a J-Class

Err, I've sailed on Velsheda but it's nothing to boast about it's just another famous racing boat of which there are many. He was just asking an interesting question.
 
To the OP, do you mind me asking your grandfather's name please? Reason being I have a mounted half-hull model of Endeavour. The attached plaque reads, "Endeavour. To Roy Mitchell, a member of her crew. Americas Cup Races 1934. From C E Nicholson."
 
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