The ''Fleetwing'' was a 19th-century wooden

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made 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 ...

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, built in 1865 by Joseph D. Van Deusen and owned by yachtsman George Archer Osgood. She was one of the fastest yachts in the squadron. The ''Fleetwing'' was in the famous 1886 transatlantic ocean race for 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. ...

. She came in 12th in an unsuccessful America’s Cup defense in 1870.

Construction and service

The ''Fleetwing'' was built in 1865 by Joseph D. Van Deusen and owned by yachtsman George Archer Osgood brother of

Franklin Osgood Franklin Osgood (December 24, 1828January 13, 1888) was a 19th-century businessman and yachtsman. He was an experienced yachtsman having sailed for more than 23 years. He was owner and manager of the racing yachts Widgeon (pilot boat), ''Widgeon ...

. George was a son-in-law of Commodore

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

. She was 112 tons burden, keel boat, and 106 length on deck; 24-foot beam and 10-feet depth of hold. In September 1865, the ''Fleetwing'' was in a race with James G. Bennett's yacht ''Henrietta''. The course was from Sandy Hook around Cape May Lightship and back. The ''Fleetwing'' won by 1 hour and 19 minutes. In October 1865, ''Fleetwing'' was defeated by the ''Vesta'' over the same course. In May 1866, ''Fleetwing'' underwent a complete overhaul to get ready for an ocean yacht race for a purse of $90,000. She got a new set of sails to prepare for the upcoming ocean regatta. She was one of the fastest yachts in the squadron.

The great ocean yacht race

On Tuesday, December 11, 1866, in what was billed as the "Great Ocean Yacht Race", three wealthy American men, all members of the New York Yacht Club, took their yachts on a mid-winter transatlantic race across the Atlantic. The three yachts were the ''Vesta'' owned by Pierre Lorillard, Jr., the ''Fleetwing'' owned by George Osgood and the ''Henrietta'' owned and sailed by the 21-year-old yachtsman James Gordon Bennett Jr. Each yachtsman put up $30,000 in the winner-take-all wager. They started from the

Sandy Hook Light __NOTOC__ The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by ...

, during high westerly winds and raced to

The Needles The Needles are a row of three stacks of chalk that rise about out of the sea off the western extremity of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, United Kingdom, close to Alum Bay and Scratchell's Bay, and part of Totland, the weste ...

, the furthest westerly point of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, before reaching the seaport

Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, 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 b ...

on the Isle of Wight. On December 26, Bennett's ''Henrietta'' won with a time of 13 days, 21 hours, 55 minutes, with Captain Samuel S. Samuels as the skipper. The ''Fleetwing'' came in second and ''Vesta'' came in third, both boats took over 14 days to reach Cowes. The Fleetwing, with Captain Thomas in command, had eight of her twenty-two crew washed overboard in a westerly gale on December 20. Six of them drowned.

1870 America's cup

On August 8, 1870, the international

1870 America's Cup The 1870 America's Cup was the first America's Cup competition to be hosted in the United States, and the first "America's Cup" due to the trophy being renamed from the 100 Guineas Cup of 1851. It was the first competition after the founding of t ...

(also called the Queen's Cup) was the first America's Cup to be hosted in the United States at

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

. George A. Osgood with his American schooner ''Fleetwing'' and his brother

's with his yacht ''Magic,'' were in the competition. The course started from the

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

N.Y.Y.C anchorage down through the

Narrows A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap. A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilte ...

to the S.W. Split

buoy A buoy (; ) is a buoyancy, floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. History The ultimate origin of buoys is unknown, but by 1295 a seaman's manual referred to navig ...

, across to the Sandy Hook lightship and return to Staten Island. The race was won by the Franklin Osgood's ''Magic'' with the ''Fleetwing'' finishing in 12th place. Franklin Osgood's yacht ''Magic'' beat 16 competitors from the

, including

James Lloyd Ashbury James Lloyd Ashbury (1834 – 3 September 1895) was a British people, British yachtsman and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician. Early life The son of John Ashbury, founder of the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Ltd ...

's English yacht ''Cambria'' that sailed to New York on behalf of the

Royal Thames Yacht Club The Royal Thames Yacht Club (RTYC) is the oldest continuously operating yacht club in the world, and the oldest yacht club in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are located at 60 Knightsbridge, London, England, overlooking Hyde Park. The clu ...

and the yachts ''Dauntless,'' ''Idler,'' ''Fleetwing,'' ''Phantom,'' ''America'' and others. In 1884, The schooner yacht ''Fleetwing'' was owned by Robert Elliot, who rebuilt and lengthened her at

Port Jefferson, New York Port Jefferson, also known as Port Jeff, is an incorporated village in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 7,962 at the time of the 2020 census. Port J ...

. She was lengthened to 117 feet long. In 1903, the ''Fleetwing'' was owned by E. O. Mapes, of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

who sailed her to the West Indies. They left the yacht at

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 178,368 in 2022. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

End of service

In 1905, the ''Fleetwing'' adventures ended when she was laid up in Erie Basin in Brooklyn. She was then bought by the American Baptist Home Mission Society and fitted as a gospel ship for religious work among the sailors.

References

External links

America's Cup

THE RACE OF THE FIRST CHALLENGE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fleetwing Schooners of the United States Individual sailing vessels Ships built in New York City Yachts of New York Yacht Club members 1865 ships America's Cup challengers America's Cup regattas 1870 in American sports 1870 in sailing