A little background to the schooner Elena.
Elena 1911
Named after Queen
Helena of Italy , Elena was launched on April 24th 1911 at Bristol
RI. Elena was built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing company for Mortan F Plant.
Elena was the first large centerboard craft to be built since Vigilant in 1893.
Of all steel construction she a near sister to Westward built in 1910. Her
principal dimensions where
Specifications
Length over all 135ft
Legth on the
waterline 96 feet
Beam 27ft 6 inches
Draught 17 feet
Racing Career
Her maiden season saw
her victorious in the Eastern Yacht Regatta and New York Yacht Club cruise over
the schooners Irolita and Enchantress. On the New York Yacht Cruise she met and
defeated her near sister Westward which had just returned after a successful
campaign in Europe in 1910. During the year she won both The Puritan Cup, the
EYC Gold Cup.
In the 1911 season
she defeated Westward 5 times out of 8 meeting. Though only 40 seconds over 231
miles separated them in the final two weeks of racing. She defeated Itolita 14
out of 17 meetings and Enchantress 8 out of 9 contests.
During 1912 and 1913
her successful racing career continued with many defeats over her rival
schooners in bothe The Eastern Yacht Club and New York Yacht Club Cruises. She
won 3 cups at the Atlantic Yacht Clubs regatta in 1913., Astor Cups in 1912 and 1913. And the Puritan
Cup in 1913
In 1916 the refurbished
Elena wins both the Astor and Kings Cup and races for both the Cape May and
Brenton Reef Cups against the big Herreshoff schooner Katoura, winning the Cape
May Cup.
Before his death in
1918 Mr Plant sold Elena to Col Vanderbilt during the winter of 1916/17.
In 1928 Elena gained
her most famous victory winning the Trans Atlantic.
In 2009 A Replica was
launched named Elena she can be seen most years in the Mediterranean.
