The ''Idler'' was a 19th-century

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

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 ...

built in 1864 by

Samuel Hartt Pook Samuel Hartt Pook (January 17, 1827 – March 30, 1901) was a Boston-based American naval architect and son of Samuel Moore Pook (1804-1878), the noted clipper ship naval architect. Clipper ships Pook designed several very fast clippers, ...

from Fairhaven,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and owned by yachtsman

Thomas C. Durant Thomas Clark Durant (February 6, 1820 – October 5, 1885) was an American physician, businessman, and financier. He was vice-president of the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1869 when it met with the Central Pacific railroad at Promontory Sum ...

. She was one of the fastest yachts in the New York squadron. ''Idler'' came in 2nd place in the

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 fr ...

defense in 1870. She was sold as a racing yacht several times before she capsized and sank in 1900.

Construction and service

The ''Idler'' was a luxury

built in the summer of 1864 by the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

in Fairhaven,

. She was owned by yachtsman

and part of the New York Yacht Squadron. The ''Idler,'' was registered as a yacht schooner with the ‘’Record of American and Foreign Shipping,’’ from 1886 to 1900. Her ship

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

was Edward Colby; her owners were Samuel J. Colgate; built in 1865 at Fairhaven, Connecticut; and her hailing port was the Port of New York. Her dimensions were 95.7 ft. in length; 22.6 ft. breadth of beam; 11 ft. depth of hold; and 85-tons Tonnage.

New York Yacht Club races

In August 1868, Thomas C. Durant, of the schooner ''Idler,'' fired the starting gun and gave two prizes 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. ...

schooner and sloop race in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. The race included the yachts ''Dauntless,''

Gracie Gracie may refer to: Names * Gracie (name), a given name and a family name (includes a list of people with that name) * Gracie family, a Brazilian family known for their practice and development of martial arts * Hurricane Gracie, a 1959 Atlantic ...

, ''Magic,'' ''Widgeon'', ''Phantom,'' ''Fleetwing'' and other schooners and sloops. The course was from the northeast point of

Block Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...

, rounding it from the north west, and returning to the same point. In June 1869, the schooner ''Idler'' was in the annual June New York Yacht Club

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 ...

. She raced against the ''Phantom,'' ''Alarm,'' ''Palmer,'' ''Slivie'' and other schooners and sloops. The course was from Owl's Head to the S.W. Split, then across to the Sandy Hook Lightship and back. The ''Idler'' came in 1st place at 4hr. 24min, and 30 secs.

1870 America's cup

On August 8, 1870, the international 1870 America's Cup (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 at the mouth of the Hudson River where it empties into New York Bay near the East River tidal estuary, and then into the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the United States. It is one of the largest natural harbors in t ...

. Thomas C. Durant with his American schooner ''Idler'' was in the competition. The course started from the

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

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 tilted ...

to the S.W. Split

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

, across to the Sandy Hook lightship and return to Staten Island. The race was won by the Franklin Osgood's ''Magic'' with the ''Idler'' finishing in 2nd 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 yachtsman and Conservative Party politician. Early life The son of John Ashbury, founder of the Ashbury Railway Carriage and Iron Company Ltd of Manchester, James trained as an engine ...

'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 club ...

and the yachts ''Dauntless,'' ''Idler,'' ''Fleetwing,'' ''Phantom,'' ''America'' and others. In March 1873, Durant sold the schooner yacht ''Idler'' to Samuel J. Colgate of the N.Y.Y.C. He rebuilt her at the

Henry Steers Henry Steers (1779 in Dartmouth, England – 1850 in New York, USA) was a prominent nineteenth-century American shipbuilder of English descent, and the ancestor of a line of important businessmen in various boatbuilding and maritime construction ...

shipyard in

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 lengthened eight feet and her topmasts were increased to carry more sail. In August 1874, the ''Idler'' was in the New York Yacht Club annual cruise of the New York Yacht Squadron. The race was for a set of colors for each class. The course was from off Brenton's Reef lightship and finish at Oak Bluffs. She competed against the ''Dauntless'', ''Idler'', ''Alarm'', and ''Josephine'' yachts. After racing for over twenty-five years, in 1890 A. J. Fisher sold the ''Idler'' to John Cudahay, a millionaire owner of the Cudahay Packing Company. After the 1893 panic, Cudahay lost his fortune and sold the yacht to W. D. Boyce in 1896. He refurbished the ''Idler'' and raced her. In the fall of 1899, James C. Corrigan bought the ''Idler'' as a pleasure yacht. He refurbished her at a cost of $8,000 and moved her to

Fairport Harbor, Ohio Fairport Harbor is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River. The population was 3,109 at the 2010 census. Fairport Harbor is home to two lighthouses: the Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Li ...

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

End of service

On July 7, 1900, the ''Idler'' capsized in a

squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...

on Lake Erie off

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

killing six members of the family of John A. and James Corrigan, the owners of the vessel. John A. and James C. Corrigan left the boat early to attend other matters. The only survivors were Captain Charles Joseph Holmes, master of the schooner, Mrs. John Corrigan and six crewmen. The yacht was raised on July 15th. Captain Charles J. Holmes was arrested and accused of criminal negligence. The trial never occurred as Holmes was bailed out of jail and the case was dropped.

References

External links

America's Cup

THE RACE OF THE FIRST CHALLENGE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Idler Schooners of the United States Individual sailing vessels Ships built in New York City Yachts of New York Yacht Club members 1864 ships America's Cup challengers America's Cup regattas 1870 in American sports 1870 in sailing