''Valkyrie II'', officially named ''Valkyrie'', was a British racing yacht that was the unsuccessful challenger of the 1893 America's Cup race against American defender ''Vigilant''.

Design

''Valkyrie II'' was a

gaff-rigged Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shap ...

cutter. She was designed by

George Lennox Watson George Lennox Watson (30 October 1851 – 12 November 1904) was a Scottish naval architect. Born in Glasgow, son of Thomas Lennox Watson, a doctor at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and grandson of Sir Timothy Burstall, engineer and entrant at the ...

and built alongside '' HMY ''Britannia'''' at the D&W Henderson shipyard, Meadowside,

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...

on the River Clyde, Scotland in 1893 for owner Lord Dunraven 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 w ...

. ''Valkyrie II'' had a steel frame, a wooden hull, and a pine deck.

Career

''Valkyrie II'' was launched on April 29, 1893, a week after ''Britannia'', and sailed to the U.S. that October to compete in the eighth America's Cup where she faced ''Vigilant'' in a best three out of five races format sailed on alternating courses. The races were sailed October 7, 9, and 13, 1893 off

Sandy Hook, NJ 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 ...

just south of New York. The first and third races were 15 miles to windward off Scotland Lightship and return to leeward, the second race was a 30-mile equilateral triangle. In the first race on October 7, ''Valkyrie II'' won the 11:25 am start by 15 seconds and one boat length. At the first mark, ''Vigilant'' held a nine-minute lead. ''Vigilant'' crossed the finish line 7 minutes ahead of ''Valkyrie II''8 minutes 48 seconds in corrected time. In the second race on October 9, ''Vigilant'' won the 11:25 am start by 5 seconds, but ''Valkyrie II'' worked out to an early lead of 5 boat lengths in a building breeze. By the first mark, ''Vigilant'' held a five-minute lead and worked out to a 9-minute lead at the second mark. At the finish ''Vigilant'' beat ''Valkyrie II'' by 12 minutes 30 seconds10 minutes 35 seconds in corrected time. In the third race on October 13, 1893, he ''Valkyrie II'' led the windward leg, but lost a spinnaker at the two-thirds point of the downwind run. At the finish, ''Vigilant'' beat ''Valkyrie II'' by 40 seconds in corrected time to successfully defend the cup. The World reported it as the fastest race ever sailed, over a course of 15 miles to windward and return under reefed sail and a gale. ''Valkyrie II'' existed for barely a single year. On July 5, 1894 this Cup contender was struck amidships by A. D. Clarke’s cutter yacht '' Satanita'' at the start of the Mud Hook Regatta on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

. Lord Dunraven and all his crew and guests were rescued, though one crewman was severely injured and subsequently died. ''Valkyrie II'' broke up and sank nine minutes later. Dunraven successfully sued Clarke for breach of contract under the rules of the Yacht Racing Association (now the

Royal Yachting Association The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is a United Kingdom national governing body for sailing, dinghy sailing, yacht and motor cruising, sail racing, RIBs and sportsboats, windsurfing and personal watercraft and a leading representative for i ...

) and Clarke was held liable for damages.Clarke v Dunraven (The Satanita)
Australian Contract Law, updated 2 September 2018, accessed 31 August 2021

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Design

Career

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