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

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 ...

and

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

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 ...

, built in 1855 by James R. & George Steers for Daniel Edgar of 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. ...

and designed by

George Steers George Steers (August 15, 1819 – September 25, 1856) was a designer of yachts best known for the famous racing yacht ''America''. He founded a shipyard with his brother, George Steers and Co, and died in an accident just as he was landing a maj ...

. She came in 17th in an unsuccessful

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. ''Widgeon'' was sold in 1871 to a group of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

pilots to replace the ''John D. Jones,'' which sank in a collision with the steamer ''City of Washington''. New York pilots condemned the ''Widgeon'' as unseaworthy in 1879, which sparked a fight for steam pilot-boat service. In 1883 a decision was affirmed by the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

and the Board of Commissioners of Pilots that pilot boats could be "propelled" by steam.

Construction and service

Yacht Widgeon

The New York two-masted

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 ...

''Widgeon,'' was built in 1855, as a

for owner Daniel Edgar,

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

of the

. ''Widgeon'' was designed by ship designer

. Edgar wanted Steers to build the ''Widgeon'' to beat the fast sloop ''Julia''. On January 1, 1856, the ''Widgeon'' was launched from the James R. & George Steers

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 ...

. She was listed as the yacht ''Widgeon'', 110 tons, for Daniel Edgar. On August 8, 1856, the

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

''Widgeon'' was in the 1st Class of entries with Daniel M. Edgar in the New York Yacht Club Regatta at

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

. In this race, she competed with the sloop ''Julia'' and other boats in her class. On April 4, 1863, the ''New York Daily Herald'' carried an advertisement for the sale of the ''Widgeon''. The ad read: “For Sale-The Schooner Widgeon: Built by the late George Steers; is 82 feet in length, 20 feet beam and 9 feet draught of water, and 101 tons Custom House measurement." In 1865, the owner of the ''Widgeon'' was

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

of the

. On April 28, 1867, Lloyd Phoenix, Rear Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, purchased the yacht ''Widgeon'' from Franklin Osgood. In June 1867, Phoenix entered the ''Widgeon'' in the annual June

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 ''Dauntless'', ''Magic'', ''Phantom'', ''Vesta'', and other schooners and sloops. The course was from Owl's Head to 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 Isa ...

and back.

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 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 the "America ...

(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 ...

. 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 ''Widgeon'' finishing in 17th place.

Pilot Boat Widgeon

On April 30, 1871, the yacht ''Widgeon'' was sold to a group of New York pilots that owned the pilot-boat ''John D. Jones,'' which sank in a collision with the steamer ''City of Washington''. The boat number "10" was painted as a large number on her

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...

, that identified the boat as belonging to the New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Association. On October 9, 1873, the pilot-boat ''Widgeon, No. 10,'' was one of the boats that participated in the Ocean

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 ...

, which was a race 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. Captain Peter R. Baillie sailed the ''Widgeon'' in the race. Of the pilot-boats, the '' Thomas S. Negus'' took first place and the ''Widgeon'' second, the ''Mary E. Fish'' third, the ''James W. Elwell'' fourth, and the ''Edmund Blunt'' last. The ''Widgeon'' was registered with the ''Record of American and Foreign Shipping'', from 1876 to 1884. From 1876 to 1882 her

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 Captain Peter R. Baillie and the New York Pilots were the owners. From 1883 to 1884, Jas. Robertson was the owner and ship master. She was listed as weighing 106 tons (old), 50 tons (new), being 80 feet long under water, 19 feet wide, and 7 feet deep. On January 9, 1875. the SS ''City Of Vera Cruz'' left New York on her maiden voyage with pilot boat ''Widgeon,'' No. 10.

End of service

In November 1879, pilot Ralph Nobles introduced a new steam pilot-boat into the service. He and Gideon L. Mapes, George S. Cisco, W. H. Anderson, and Peter H. Bailey, from the pilot-boat ''Widgeon,'' bought the steam

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

''Hercules'' and converted her into a pilot-boat. They placed the number "10" on her smokestack. They condemned the ''Widgeon'' as unseaworthy. In June 1881, several pilots wanted the pilot-boat ''Widgeon'' recommissioned. Other pilots that wanted a steam pilot service tried to prevent this because they preferred the

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

over the

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

. In June 1883, the decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court and the Board of Commissioners of Pilots, that pilot-boats could be "propelled" in whole or in part by steam.

External links

Mariners Museum, WIDGEON (SLOOP YACHT: 1855–1881)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Widgeon Individual sailing vessels Schooners of the United States Service vessels of the United States 1856 ships Pilot boats America's Cup challengers America's Cup regattas 1870 in American sports 1870 in sailing Ships built in New York (state)