Lot Essay
The following two lots, which originally comprised a set of four, were almost certainly commissioned by Mr. James Ashbury, the owner of Cambria, after her triumphant season in 1868
Historical Background
At the half-way point of the nineteenth century, the fastest commercial sailing ships in the world were the new breed of American clippers; by comparison, the sport of sailing - where speed and the thrill of winning were rewarded solely by honour and pleasure - was completely dominated by Great Britain, and most particularly by the Royal Yacht Squadron and its members. It was perhaps inevitable therefore that American yachtsmen would, sooner or later, want to challenge this status quo, and thus it was that the extraordinary events of 1851 unfolded in the waters around the Isle of Wight. America's win that summer was the stuff of legend and when Commodore Stevens, representing the syndicate which owned her, returned home in the autumn, he carried with him the splendid Hundred Guinea Cup which the Royal Yacht Squadron had put up for the memorable race. Ultimately deposited with the New York Yacht Club, it was this trophy which, as the years passed, not only acquired the enviable status of the world's premier yachting prize, but also subtly changed its name to become known as 'The America's Cup'.
A few American yachts came to Cowes in the years after 1851 but none was able to emulate America's triumph. In the summer of 1868, however, the brand new schooner Sappho arrived off Cowes determined to repeat America's success and, as the largest yacht built in the United States up until that date, great things were expected of her. Designed and built by C. & R. Poillon of Brooklyn for Colonel W.P. Douglas, Sappho displaced 310 tons and measured 135 feet overall, with a 27 1/3 foot beam. In her first race around the Isle of Wight she was soundly beatn by Cambria, an equally new British yacht owned by Mr. James Ashbury, a member of the Royal Thames Club and a wealthy enthusiast who had made his fortune with an innovatory railway carriage. Cambria, designed and built by Michael Ratsey, displaced 228 tons and measured 108 feet overall, with a 21 foot beam. In fact, Sappho was hardly at her best since she was still in her ocean rig after the North Atlantic crossing and was also carrying several tons of stone ballast from the trip; nevertheless it was a resounding victory for Cambria. Other wins followed making the 1868 season a brilliant one for her and, by the late summer, Mr. Ashbury had convinced himself that Cambria could beat anything afloat. Seizing his chance to restore the supremacy of British yachting, and thereby immeasureably improve his own rather poor social status, he decided to challenge the New York Yacht Club to a series of matches, one of which was to be for the so-called 'America's Cup' of 1851.
Initially the New York Yacht Club declined to accept the challenge on the basis that they could only do so from a Club rather than an individual. A protracted correspondence then ensued between the protagonists which eventually resulted in the first official challenge for the trophy in 1870. In the event, the New York Yacht Club was less than fair to Ashbury and forced him to race alone against twenty-three of their boats. Not surprisingly Cambria was beaten, but Ashbury was undeterred and mounted a second challenge, also unsuccessful, the next year with his new Livonia. After 1871 other challenges followed on a regular basis; all of them however were rooted in Cambria's celebrated defeat of Sappho in 1868 when Mr. Ashbury became the first of many Englishmen to become obsessed with winning back the 'America's Cup'.
Historical Background
At the half-way point of the nineteenth century, the fastest commercial sailing ships in the world were the new breed of American clippers; by comparison, the sport of sailing - where speed and the thrill of winning were rewarded solely by honour and pleasure - was completely dominated by Great Britain, and most particularly by the Royal Yacht Squadron and its members. It was perhaps inevitable therefore that American yachtsmen would, sooner or later, want to challenge this status quo, and thus it was that the extraordinary events of 1851 unfolded in the waters around the Isle of Wight. America's win that summer was the stuff of legend and when Commodore Stevens, representing the syndicate which owned her, returned home in the autumn, he carried with him the splendid Hundred Guinea Cup which the Royal Yacht Squadron had put up for the memorable race. Ultimately deposited with the New York Yacht Club, it was this trophy which, as the years passed, not only acquired the enviable status of the world's premier yachting prize, but also subtly changed its name to become known as 'The America's Cup'.
A few American yachts came to Cowes in the years after 1851 but none was able to emulate America's triumph. In the summer of 1868, however, the brand new schooner Sappho arrived off Cowes determined to repeat America's success and, as the largest yacht built in the United States up until that date, great things were expected of her. Designed and built by C. & R. Poillon of Brooklyn for Colonel W.P. Douglas, Sappho displaced 310 tons and measured 135 feet overall, with a 27 1/3 foot beam. In her first race around the Isle of Wight she was soundly beatn by Cambria, an equally new British yacht owned by Mr. James Ashbury, a member of the Royal Thames Club and a wealthy enthusiast who had made his fortune with an innovatory railway carriage. Cambria, designed and built by Michael Ratsey, displaced 228 tons and measured 108 feet overall, with a 21 foot beam. In fact, Sappho was hardly at her best since she was still in her ocean rig after the North Atlantic crossing and was also carrying several tons of stone ballast from the trip; nevertheless it was a resounding victory for Cambria. Other wins followed making the 1868 season a brilliant one for her and, by the late summer, Mr. Ashbury had convinced himself that Cambria could beat anything afloat. Seizing his chance to restore the supremacy of British yachting, and thereby immeasureably improve his own rather poor social status, he decided to challenge the New York Yacht Club to a series of matches, one of which was to be for the so-called 'America's Cup' of 1851.
Initially the New York Yacht Club declined to accept the challenge on the basis that they could only do so from a Club rather than an individual. A protracted correspondence then ensued between the protagonists which eventually resulted in the first official challenge for the trophy in 1870. In the event, the New York Yacht Club was less than fair to Ashbury and forced him to race alone against twenty-three of their boats. Not surprisingly Cambria was beaten, but Ashbury was undeterred and mounted a second challenge, also unsuccessful, the next year with his new Livonia. After 1871 other challenges followed on a regular basis; all of them however were rooted in Cambria's celebrated defeat of Sappho in 1868 when Mr. Ashbury became the first of many Englishmen to become obsessed with winning back the 'America's Cup'.