Westward vs Elena
Newport 1911
Oil on Panel 12x18
Westward vs Elena 1911
The painting depicts the Historic meeting
of the great Herreshoff schooners Westward and Elena in 1911
Westward had been built in 1910 For Alexander Smith Cochran of New York. She
was built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing company of Bristol Rhode Island to the design of Nat
Herreshoff. She was the third and largest of his great schooner designs to that
date.
In her maiden season Cochran appointed
the famous Americas Cup winning skipper
Charlie Barr as captain. With a had picked crew of 31 Barr tuned Westward up
before sailing across the Atlantic to race in the English and European regattas
of 1910.
Her first European races where at Kiel on
June 25,27,29 and 30th where she raced the great German schooners
Meteor iv, Germania, Hamburg(ex Rainbow) and Nordstern. Taking 3 1sts and 1 4th.
During Cowes week she raced Germania and
Meteor iv again as well as Cicely and Susanne , winning all 3 races.
In 1911 Westward returned home ( sadly
without Charlie Barr who had died in Southampton on January 24th
1911)to the US to race Morton F Plants new schooner Elena, The two yachts where
almost identical except for Elena having a centerboard in her keel unlike
Westward.
Although Westward won the Astor Cup that
year she shared honors with Elena , Enchantress and Irolita(ex Queen) due to
the prevailing light winds that year favored by Elena. She racing again in
American waters in 1912 before being sold that Autumn.
In 1913Westward renamed as Hamburg ii and
now owned by the German Kaiser and painted black raced again at Kiel against
the other German schooners and the new Nicholson schooner Margherita(owned by
Major Cecil Whitaker). Margherita swept the board resulting in the Kaiser
laying Hamburg ii up.
In 1920 Westward under the ownership of Mr
Clarence Hatry reappeared in the Solent under a reduced rig(13,455 sq feet.)
This season saw her racing for the first time her long term rival Britannia
owned by King George V. as well as Susanne, White Heather, Nyria and
Terpischore amongst others.
In 1924 Westward passed into her final and
most famous owner T B Davis a self made Chanel Islander. Davis in his years of
ownership skippered her himself and had a crew of had picked channel islanders
who spent the off season repairing and maintaining her in the Channel Islands.
Davis and his crew kept Westward in top condition and kept her competitive by
doing various modifications to her rig over the ensuing years. Though out the
20s and the 30s she racing in the Golden Age of Solent “ Big Class Yachting” racing
such famous yachts as Britannia, Velsheda, Candida, Astra, Shamrock V Endeavour
and Yankee. In 1934 she even raced Blue
Nose in a race to commemorate the Kings Silver Jubilee.
1935 saw Westward and Britannia race for
the last time, now outmatched by the lighter Js
Samrock V, Endeavour and Velsheda. 1936 saw Britannia scuttled on the death
of King George V . Westward was now converted for cruising and a had an engine
fitted.
After
the Death of Davis in 1942
Westward was scuttled according to his will in July 15th 1947
in 94 fathoms of water 5 miles off Casquets Light.
Elena Westwards near sister continued to
have a great racing career herself, winning the Astor Cup in 1912, 1913 and
1916 and also the Kings Cup and Cape May Cup. In 1928 she won the large class
in the Trans Atlantic race to Santander.
Specifications
Steel Schooner 323 tons
LOA 135ft
LWL 96ft 1inch
Breadth 27ft 1 inch
Draft 16ft 9inch
Sail Area 12,000
A great reference for Westward is " The Racing Schooner Westard by Hamilton Adams, published by Stanford Maritime press 1976.
