On September 5th, 1901, the new Herreshoff boat Constitution supposed to beat the ‘old’ Columbia (also a Herreshoff model) and go on to defend the America’s Cup against Sir Thomas Lipton's second challenger Shamrock II. But Constitution had just been pushed aside by the selection committee of the NYYC. It would be Columbia that was given the honour of defending the 1901 Cup, for the second consecutive time, following its successful run in 1899. This had never happened before. Indeed, after its first victory in the Cup, one would have been forgiven for thinking that the story of Columbia would end there, as had been the case for each of its predecessors since 1870. Logically, it would have been used as a as a trial horse for its successor, and then be broken up for scrap. But skipper Charlie Barr had other ideas…
Part Two: 1901- The historic Columbia is successful in defending the America’s Cup twice, in 1899 and 1901.
“They have selected the slower boat!“ That is what the reporter of the New York World was told by the taciturn Nat Herreshoff, who promptly hung up, without saying more.
In 1901, the New York defence got organised at first around a unique syndicate, led by August Belmont and supervised by W. Butler Duncan. Their champion, Constitution, was an new Herreshoff design and it was given to the American-born skipper, Captain Uriah Rhodes.
As well, Bostonian Thomas W. Lawson launched, at great expense, Independence, an extravagant development of the fin-keel and of the scow type of design. Drawn by the young naval architect Bowdoin B. Crowninshield she proved extremely fast but unfortunately was also too fragile and never proved to be a threat.
So, in an effort to spice up the competition of the selection trials, J. Pierpont Morgan and Edwin D. Morgan refitted Columbia and proposed to Charlie Barr that he retain the helm of the boat which he had steered to victory two years earlier.
From the first confrontations between the defender candidates, the observers who expected to see Constitution dominating the game were surprised by the strong performance of Columbia. A columnist in the New York Tribune described the first confrontation between the boats in an article on July 2nd, 1901: “Barr was crouching over his wheel and sailing Columbia fine – some said too fine – but Barr knows his boat and he was now steering for his future and his reputation.”
It is important to add that he was in perfect symbiosis with his Scandinavian crew. The sail trim was always perfect, the spinnaker was hoisted in less time than the others, and the boat slipped around the marks“as if she were a catboat!”
Fascinated by Charlie Barr’s talent, the famous American historian W.P. Stephens wrote that the ex-Scotsman “handled Columbiaas a man would a bicycle.” Certainly, he had the slower sailboat, but he made life hard for Rhodes and as Thomas F. Day observed, “Barr simply made a monkey of the other man…forcing him to do whatever he wished.”
Barr made it a rule to always place his boat to windward of his opponent and thus always be sailing from this favourable position. The rumours quickly started; would not it be sensible to replace the American crew of Constitution and its skipper Uriah Rhodes with Charlie Barr and his team? In the event this idea never came to pass, because doubts began to increase about the potential of the new Herreshoff boat – such was Barr’s dominance.
In the final, Barr succeeded in having Columbia selected for the second time in two years as the America’s Cup defender. Then, the Irish challenger of Sir Thomas Lipton Shamrock II, drawn by George L. Watson, chased the defender around the race course for three consecutive races – the closest being the final contest that Columbia won by less than minute on corrected time.
Thus, in 1901, the real winner of the America’s Cu was Charlie Barr. Only two defender yachts would go on to share the achievement of twice defending the Cup: Intrepid, winner in 1967 and 1970 and Courageous, in 1974 and in 1977. Both were designed by Olin J. Stephens.
Columbia was refitted in 1903 and gave a weak challenge to the future defender, the fabulous Reliance. The following year, some hucksters attempted to transform the old defender into a floating restaurant anchored on the North River, but the narrow boat proved unsuitable and the business was never profitable.
In 1913, Columbia was broken up at Hawkins yards in City Island, a very sad end for a double winner of the America’s Cup.
Jacques Taglang / pr
COLUMBIA 11th America’s Cup - victorious defender of the 1901 America’s Cup, defeating the Irish challenger, Shamrock II, Sir Thomas Lipton's yacht. 1901 USA
Yacht Club: New York Yacht Club, New York, USA Victorious defender of the eleventh 1899 America’s Cup; winner over Shamrock II
Owners: J. Pierpont Morgan & Edwin D. Morgan.
Fin keel sloop Length and sail area rule Rating: 102.355
Designer: Nathanael Greene Herreshoff
Builder: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA Sailmaker: Ratsey (City Island)
Year of building: winter 1898 - 1899 Launched: June 10th, 1899
Skipper: Charlie Barr Captain: ‘Lem’ Miller Afterguard: James Parker & Herbert C. Leeds.
Data:
Construction –
Construction: Metal Frames: Nickel steel Hull: Tobin bronze Ballast: Lead Mast: Steel, then Oregon pine
Dimensions –
L.O.A.: 40.15 m L.W.L.: 27.25 m Beam: 7.39 m Draft: 5.97 m Displacement: 148.7 tons Ballast: 90 tons Tonnage: 102 tons Sail area: 1189 m2 Mast: 30.10 m Boom: 32.61 m Bowsprit: 8.15 m Topmast: 12.03 m
Observations –
If Columbia remained the third defender designed and built by Herreshoff, it was indeed in spite of the Bristol magician who had, once more, put all his talent in his new candidate for the defence, Constitution. But the NYYC Committee made a mistake: it pushed aside the victorious skipper of 1899 Cup, Charlie Barr, because of the Scottish origins. It proved a fatal error, because Charlie Barr would burst out and win the selections for the America’s Cup defence with the ‘old’ Columbia, pushing aside Constitution, to the shame of designer Herreshoff.
The selections for the defence were merciless. Independence, the astonishing scow of the Bostonian Thomas W. Lawson proved too fragile and was never in the race. At the beginning of the yachting season, Columbia and Constitution sailed on 18 occasions and Columbia never stopped progressing.
The eliminating trials took place between the 10th and the 25th of August 1901 and Columbia with the imperial Charlie Barr at the helm gave Constitution and her skipper Uriah Rhodes no opportunity. Columbia was selected to defend the 1901 Cup against Shamrock II.
America’s Cup races: September 28 to October 4, 1901 – USA – New York – Best three out of five races. Columbia vs. Shamrock II
Three different courses: the first one, 15 miles to leeward and return from Sandy Hook Lightship; the second one, equilateral triangle, 30 miles; the third one, 20 miles to leeward and return from Sandy Hook Lightship.
Races: three sailed.
Results:
Columbia beat Shamrock II by three wins to nil.
- September 28, 1st race, 30 miles, Windward-Leeward Course: Columbia beat Shamrock II by 01 minute 20 sec in corrected time. - October 3, 2nd race, 30 miles, Triangular Course: Columbia beat Shamrock I by 03 minutes 45 sec in corrected time. - October 4, 3rd race, 40 miles, Windward-Leeward Course: Columbia beat Shamrock II by 41 seconds in corrected time (Shamrock II had beaten Columbia by 2 seconds, elapsed time).
Columbia became a legend as it was the first boat to win two America’s Cup Matches in succession. Only two other boats would equal this record: Intrepid in 1967 and 1970 and Courageous in 1974 and 1977.
The ‘old’ Columbia beat the brand new Shamrock II in spite of the latter’s more modern and scientific design by George Lennox Watson. The talent of Barr made the difference, because the performance of the Irish boat was nevertheless excellent.
Sir Thomas Lipton would conclude: “We have been beaten by a better boat.” He should had said, “by a better skipper.” For Nathanael Herreshoff, Constitution was still the fastest boat and the Columbia victory was a bitter one for him…
1902 Columbia was put on holds in Robert Jacob's yard at City Island.
1903 Columbia was refitted by Edwin D. Morgan and skippered by Captain ‘Lem’ Miller, Charlie Barr’s mate during the 1899 and 1901 Cup campaigns, in order to sail the elimination trials for the 1903 America’s Cup defence. It was crushed by the fantastic Reliance…
1904 Businessmen thought of converting it to a restaurant to be moored on the North River, but the project did not succeed.
1913 The double America’s Cup winner was transferred to the Hawkins yard at City Island and reduced to scrap…
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