The ''Enchantress'' was a 19th-century racing

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

, winner of several national and international

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including the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to we ...

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

around the

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, and the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

's regatta from Owl's Head Point to Sandy Hook Lightship. She was designed by Robert Fish for

George L. Lorillard George Lyndes Lorillard (March 26, 1843 – February 3, 1886) was an American tobacco manufacturer, yachtsman, and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner. Early life He was born in Westchester, New York, the son of Pierre Lorillard III (1796-1 ...

''Enchantress's'' origins

In 1871, the ''Enchantress'' was modeled, in New York, by Captain Robert Fish (1812-1883) for

. She has had several owners (see subsequent owners below). The ''Enchantress'' was built by shipbuilder Samuel H. Pine of

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brooklyn� ...

. She was berthed at the New York Yacht Club and sailed by Captain Reuben King. Fish designed hundreds of vessels of all sizes, including the ''Truant'', ''Challenge'', ''Eva'', and the ''Meteor''. Her model resides at the New York Yacht Club.

Captain

The ''Enchantress'' was captained by Reuben King, the first mate, William Dand, and the

Sandy Hook Pilot Sandy Hook Pilots are licensed maritime pilots that are members of the Sandy Hook Pilots Association for the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Hudson River, and Long Island Sound. Sandy Hook pilots guide oceangoing vessels, passenger liners, ...

, Peter W. Roff. There were 18 crew members. Joseph F. Loubat, of the New York Yacht Club, wrote about the ''Enchantress'' and Robert Fish in a yachting memoir, ''A Yachtsman’s Scrap Book, or the Ups and Downs of Yacht Racing''.

Cape May challenge cup ocean race

On October 9, 1873, the ''Enchantress'' was one of the boats that participated in the New York Yacht Club ocean regatta, which was a

yacht race Yacht racing is a Sailing (sport), sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marke ...

from Owl's Head Point around to

Cape May Lighthouse The Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the U.S. state of New Jersey at the tip of Cape May, in Lower Township's Cape May Point State Park. It was built in 1859 under the supervision of U.S. Army engineer William F. Raynolds, was autom ...

in New Jersey, and back to the Sandy hook Lightship. Both yachts and

pilot boat A pilot boat is a type of boat used to transport maritime pilots between land and the inbound or outbound ships that they are piloting. Pilot boats were once sailing boats that had to be fast because the first pilot to reach the incoming ship ...

s were entered in the race. The ''Enchantress'' was the winning yacht for the Bennett Cup, valued at $1,000. The pilot-boat '' Thomas S. Negus'' won second place and ''James W. Elwell'' which came in third place. The name "Bennett Cup" came from James Gordon Bennett who was the

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of the New York Yacht Club. At this time, Joseph F. Loubat was the owner, Captain Robert Fish (designer), Reuben King (master), and Sandy Hook Pilot Peter W. Roff were on board the ''Enchantress'' in the race.

International English yacht race

Anchored off

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, the ''Enchantress'' was overhauled with new rigging,

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and sails to prepare her for the trip across the Atlantic to England. On December 1, 1873, the ''Enchantress'' arrived at

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

, England from New York. On February 15, 1874, Fish left on the steamer ''Herman'' to Cowes where he took command of the ''Enchantress''. On July 25, 1874, the ''Enchantress'' won the Royal Yacht Squadron's regatta around the Le Havre to Southampton and brought home the Cape May Cup. The Enchantress was commanded by Captain Poland.

Prince of Wales's challenge cup yacht race

On August 8, 1874, the ''Enchantress'' entered the Prince of Wales cup race from Cowes around the Shambles Lightship, and back around the Nab, passing the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

to Cowes. The race was for American and English schooners and

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

s of 100 tons or more. The Enchantress was listed as 320 tons and the owner was Joseph F. Loubat. After a series of mishaps, the ''Enchantress'' returned to Cowes.

Other races

* Loubat Ocean Cup Race - October, 1876: from Owl's Head Point back to the Sandy hook Lightship * Cup May Race - September, 1877: to Cape May Lighthouse and return to Sandy Hook

Out of service

On February 22, 1922, the yacht ''Enchantress'' was not commissioned during the financial year 1922-23 and was decommissioned in

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Harbour.

Subsequent owners

# In 1871, Loubat sold the ''Enchantress'' to George L. Lorillard. # In 1873, Loubat bought back the ''Enchantress'' from George L. Lorillard. # On October 6, 1877, Loubat sold the ''Enchantress'' to Major Owen Williams. # In 1879, the ''Enchantress'' was sold in England.Brentano's Aquatic Monthly, New York, April 1879, The Schooner-Yacht Enchantress

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

New York Yacht Club

Royal Yacht Squadron
1871 ships Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Yachts of New York Yacht Club members