Sailing Yacht Shamrock 4, August 1914

Shamrock IV

Type: Gaff Cutter                                                  Year of Launch: 1914

Builder: Camper & Nicholson, Gosport                Designer: Charles E. Nicholson

L.O.A.: 110ft (33.53m)                                          Beam: 20ft 8in (6.35m)

Draft: 13ft 8in (3.65m)                                          Sail Area: 9,870 sq ft (917sq m)

Hull Material:  Cedar, spruce and mahogany planking over laminated wood and metal frames

Nicknamed ‘The Ugly Duckling’, Shamrock IV was launched May 26, 1914, to challenge the New York Yacht Club for the Auld Mug. Since the rules of Measuring tonnage changed after 1903, this boat was smaller, shorter and had about 30% less sail area than Shamrock III. The maximum beam – located forward of the mast – was less than the width of the boat, due to a very unusual design; from the midpoint of the freeboard and upward, in fact, the hull was sharply indented. Even at the stern, the yacht had a radical alternative to the standard design of the day, with a flat transom plate rather than a traditional rounded section.

On August 7th, 1914, during a layover in the Azores on the way to America, the crew received news of the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. Although the United States was not yet at war, the challenge was postponed until better times. Forced to wait until 1920, nearly two years after the end of the Great War, the Cup finally took place. The six years spent languishing in a shipyard in Brooklyn did not prove that harmful to Shamrock IV, which still proved herself to be bang up to date, and well designed by Charles E. Nicholson.

Shamrock IV won the first race thanks to a breakdown on board the defender Resolute, while victory in the second race was fully deserved. Subsequent races didn’t go so well however. Even though just one more point would have been sufficient to win the Cup, the Americans clinched the next three races, aided by the race committee which was careful not to allow racing to take place in strong winds, the conditions most favoured by Lipton’s yacht.

The boat was demolished in 1932, the year following the death of the legendary ‘King’s Grocer’ and should not be confused with another Shamrock built in 1908 for the America’s Cup. That challenge was not accepted by the Americans, and so Lipton used his boat, a 23-Meter International Rule, to race against the famous Big Five.

Text by Bruno Cianci – (Legendary Sailboats, Beken of Cowes)