Classic Boat – August 2019

An American, a Scotsman and an Englishman Part 2

Our history continues, as Fife,

Herreshoff and Nicholson enter the

prime of their careers

WORDS NIGEL SHARP

H

erresho was born in the same year as Edward

Burgess, designer of three successful America’s

Cup defenders, the last of which was Volunteer

in 1887. However, following Burgess’s death at a

relatively young age four years later, two of the four

defence candidates for the next cup saw Herresho as his

natural successor. Not only did he produce the victorious

Vigilant for the 1893 Cup, he was subsequently responsible

for the next fi ve successful defences. Columbia won the

cup in 1899, and again in 1901 after she defeated a newer

Herresho boat, Constitution, in the defender trials. The

designer always believed that Constitution was faster, but

that the older boat, skippered by the legendary Charlie

Barr, was much better sailed.

By the very end of the 19th century Fife Jnr was

generally regarded as having succeeded GL Watson – who

had previously been responsible for three cup challengers

• as Britain’s best designer. Fife had accompanied Watson
  to America for the 1887 cup, which had allowed the
  younger designer to gain valuable experience and make
  important contacts. So Thomas Lipton chose Fife to
  produce the design for his fi rst challenger, Shamrock I, but