The Herreshoff Project 

The yachts of N. G “Nat” Herreshoff figure so highly in my work be it related to the great contests for the Americas Cup, the Classic Yacht Regattas I participate in, or the Charlie Barr project that I’ve felt compelled to begin a new project to depict many of these iconic yachts and collect them here on this page.

 Last summer on my visits to the New York Yacht Club and the Herreshoff Museum I spent many long hours studying models of Herreshoff’s iconic creations. Studying them I’d get lost in my imagination visualising what these iconic craft must have looked like with a man like Charlie Barr driving them through the seas to immortality. It was these daydreams that have inspired this new project.

 The paintings and sketches that will be part of this project will be collected on this page along with details and brief histories of the yachts.  The page is intended to celebrate the beauty and power of these history making yachts and hopefully share my passion for them.

 N G Herreshoff was born 18 March 1848. He studied Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT and eventually formed the Herreshoff Manufacturing company with his older brother John.

The early years of the company where focused on the design and production of steam and torpedo boats along with some small yachts. It was the arrival of the Fife 40-footer Minerva which proved unbeatable in the two seasons of 1889 and 1890 that would inspire the design of Gloriana and would change his and yacht designs future for ever. With Gloriana’s success Herreshoff quickly established himself as the preeminent yacht designer in America designing a succession of great yachts culminating in the selection off Vigilant as the defender for the Americas Cup in 1893. Vigilant was followed by Defender 1895, Columbia 1899, Reliance 1903 and Resolute 1920. All of which successfully defended the Americas Cup earning him the nick name the “Wizard of Bristol”.

Following on from the modification of his sloop Colonia to a schooner in 1895 Herreshoff went on to design the greatest series of racing schooners ever built. These included Ingomar, Queen, Westward, Elena, Mariette, Vagrant and Katoura. During this period the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company carried on designing steam yachts and other notable yachts of smaller classes including the NY70, NY50 and NY40 one designs and notable yachts in the M and P class. A visit to the Herreshoff Museum in Bristol Rhode Island gives you the sense of the great man’s productivity with many of his hand carved designs being on display in the museum and well worth a visit.

Nat Herreshoff died on June 2nd 1938.

Columbia 1899

Reliance 1903

Ingomar 1903

1910 The Schooner Westward

1911 The schooner Elena

Mariette 1915