Sailing Yacht Shamrock 1, 1899

Shamrock I

Type: Gaff Cutter                                                      Year of Launch: 1899

Builder: J. Thornycroft & Co., Chiswick               Designer: William Fife III

L.O.A.: 127ft 5in (38.86m)                                      Beam: 24ft 5in (7.46m)

Draft: 20ft 2in (6.15m)                                             Sail Area: 13,070 sq ft (1,214sq m)

Hull Material:  Metal planking over steel frames

Shamrock was the first of series of yachts owned by Sir Thomas Lipton, probably the most persistent challenger in the entire history of the America’s Cup. Convinced by the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, to launch a challenge on behalf of Great Britain, this rich merchant of tea and other spices – later dubbed the “King’s Grocer” – he turned to William Fife IIIfor the construction of the first of the boats with which he would make an assault on the Auld Mug. There would later be the second hull designed by the great Scottish designer in 1903: Shamrock III.

The name Shamrock (“clover” in Gaelic) recalled the origins of the owner, who was born in Scotland but had Irish roots, as well as the sailing club through which Lipton presented his challenge to the holders of the New York Yacht Club in 1898: the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. On June 24, 1899, Shamrock was launched at the J. Thornycroft & Co. shipyard. The yacht took part in some races in England, beating Britannia and then, as per the regulations required by the New York Yacht Club, crossed the Atlantic for the big event. The American yacht Columbia, with none other than Charlie Barr at the helm, stamped her authority on the regatta, but the allure of this great challenge had infected Lipton for life. Only death, in 1931, prevented Lipton from trying for the sixth time.

Shamrock measured just under 39 meters overall (127.5 feet); had a metal hull and deck in pine; the rig, like all of the time, was gaff-rigged yacht with a sail area of over 1,214 square meters. Following her Cup defeat, Shamrock was towed home across the Atlantic by the steamboat Erin, also owned by Lipton. The yacht was later used as a ‘trial horse’for the subsequent challenges by the tea magnate who, in 1902, was made a baronet by his friend Edward VII, who had ascended the throne a year earlier.

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