''Genesta'' was the unsuccessful English challenger in the fifth
America's Cup
The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
in 1885 against the American defender ''
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
''.
Design
The cutter ''Genesta'' was designed by
John Beavor-Webb and built by the
D&W Henderson shipyard on the
River Clyde
The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...
in 1884, for owner Sir Richard Sutton, 5th Baronet, of 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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, England. She was built of oak planking on a steel frame. ''Genesta'' was skippered by John Carter. She was measured , weighing 80 tons.
Career
After a strong showing in the British yacht races in 1884, Sutton crossed the Atlantic Ocean to New York during the summer 1885 aboard ''Genesta''. Upon arrival, designer Beavor-Webb refused to let anyone see his yacht before the America's Cup race, beginning the tradition of secrecy which was over ruled for the 2017 event by the organisers..
After the Cup races, Sutton and ''Genesta'' won the
Brenton Reef Cup, the
Cape May Challenge Cup, and, upon returning to Britain, the first
Round Britain Race
Round or rounds may refer to:
Mathematics and science
* The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere
* Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...
in 1887, covering the course in 12 days, 16 hours, and 59 minutes. ''Genesta'' was sold and converted to a yawl by the 1890s, and broken up in 1900.
References and external links
America's Cup's Ac-clopaediaThe 19th-Century Yacht Photography of J.S. Johnston
America's Cup challengers
Vessels of the Royal Yacht Squadron
Individual sailing vessels
1885 in sports
Cutters
Yawls
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