Endeavour (Sailing yacht)

Type

Sloop

Period

20th Century

Nation

Great Britain

Overview: Endeavour is a J-class racing sloop built in 1934 by Camper and Nicholsons of Gosport for Sir Thomas Sopwith as Britain's challenger for the America's Cup. She is regarded by many as the most beautiful J-class ever built and is one of only three original J-class yachts still afloat today, alongside Velsheda and Shamrock V. Specifications: A steel-hulled, steel-masted single-masted sloop, she measures 129 ft 6 in (39.47 m) length overall on an 88 ft 2 in waterline, with a 22 ft beam and 14 ft 9 in draft. Displacement was 143 tons with a sail area of 7,651 sq ft (710.8 m2). Sopwith drew on his aviation-design background to apply lightweight, high-tech rig and winch engineering that made her the most advanced yacht of her day. Service History: Against Harold S Vanderbilt's Rainbow, Endeavour won the first two races and was considered to be the faster boat, but Rainbow then took wins in Races 3 and 4, and after Sopwith protested a contentious manoeuvre and lost, Rainbow went on to win 4-2. After the Cup she raced successfully in England but was partially wrecked in 1937 after breaking a tow, and since then she has had numerous owners, refits and repairs. For nearly 50 years Endeavour clung to a precarious existence, her lead keel removed, plans to convert her into a cruiser falling through, until she was discovered laid up at Calshot Spit by American classic yacht enthusiast Elizabeth Meyer. The restoration was carried out on site before relocating to the Royal Huisman shipyard in Holland, and in 1989 Meyer unveiled Endeavour restored to her original beauty. Notable Facts: Her design pioneered the Quadrilateral genoa, a twin-clewed headsail offering great sail area and consequent power, a design still in use on J-class yachts today. She sank in the 1970s in Cowes and nearly was scrapped again until two carpenters bought her for 10 British pounds. Since her 1980s restoration she has undergone further major refits (notably 2010-12 at Yachting Developments in New Zealand) and continues to race and cruise, winning the 2012 St Barths Bucket regatta.