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Lot Essay
This superb composition by the modern master J. Steven Dews portrays the legendary Britannia neck-and-neck with her celebrated American cousin Vigilant as the two giants battle it out on the Clyde in July 1894. Britannia, anxious to repeat her hugely successful maiden season the year before, found herself matched against a worthy opponent in Vigilant, the latter fresh from her triumphant retention of the America's Cup the previous October [1893]. Expectations were high and the spectators were not to be disappointed; on 5th July [1894] the two antagonists met for the first time at the Mudhook Yacht Club's race at Hunter's Quay, during the so-called "Clyde Fortnight", where Britannia won the hard-fought challenge by 36 seconds. Two days later, on Saturday 7th July, the two adversaries were joined by the much older Marjorie "to make the third" in the race for the Queen's Cup of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club. It proved a perfect day, with a light but true southerly wind, and the three yachts were on the line for 10.30am. After a good start, the two big cutters soon romped ahead leaving Marjorie far astern and, as the breeze freshened, the rival pair fairly rattled along in what was to prove one of the greatest races in nineteenth century yachting history. Even after forty miles of dashing round the course several times, they were still virtually neck-and-neck and by the time Vigilant crossed the finishing line at 4.17pm., a mere 45 seconds ahead of Britannia, the two boats had sailed fifty miles in all and provided one of the finest spectacles of the year. In the event, Britannia was declared the winner as she had a slight time advantage although Vigilant still retained the honour of being first home.
Britannia, built for King Edward VII when Prince of Wales in 1893, was undoubtedly the most famous racing cutter of them all. Hugely successful during her long life, she won 33 firsts out of 39 starts in her maiden season and competed against all the fastest yachts of the day. Sold in 1897 - although bought back for cruising in 1901 by which time the Prince of Wales had succeeded to the throne - her second racing career really came into its own when King George V had her refitted for big class competitions in 1921. Under the King's enthusiastic ownership, Britannia went from strength to strength. Despite being re-rigged seven times in all, her hull shape was so efficient that she remained competitive almost to the end and was only finally outclassed by the big J-class boats introduced in the mid-1930s. King George V died in 1936 and under the terms of his will, Britannia was stripped of her salvageable gear and scuttled off the southern tip of the Isle of Wight.
Vigilant was designed and built for a wealthy American syndicate headed by C. Oliver Iselin. Ordered in response to Lord Dunraven's 1892 British challenge for the America's Cup, Vigilant won all three of the races in October 1893 to retain the trophy in one of the closest finishes in the Cup's history. After this triumph, she crossed the Atlantic for the 1894 season in British waters and there encountered Britannia in a thrilling series of seventeen races all around the British Isles during a memorable summer's sport.
Marjorie was designed, like Britannia, by the great G.L. Watson and built by Robert Steele at Greenock in 1883. Owned by Mr. James Coates, Jnr., the heir to a cotton thread fortune, she was a successful boat in her early years but was completely outclassed by the much bigger cutters of the 1890s.
For a rather similar albeit 1895 Clyde Regatta work by this artist, see Louise A. Felstead's Maritime Paintings by J. Steven Dews, Shrewsbury, England, 2001, p. 33 (illustrated).
Britannia, built for King Edward VII when Prince of Wales in 1893, was undoubtedly the most famous racing cutter of them all. Hugely successful during her long life, she won 33 firsts out of 39 starts in her maiden season and competed against all the fastest yachts of the day. Sold in 1897 - although bought back for cruising in 1901 by which time the Prince of Wales had succeeded to the throne - her second racing career really came into its own when King George V had her refitted for big class competitions in 1921. Under the King's enthusiastic ownership, Britannia went from strength to strength. Despite being re-rigged seven times in all, her hull shape was so efficient that she remained competitive almost to the end and was only finally outclassed by the big J-class boats introduced in the mid-1930s. King George V died in 1936 and under the terms of his will, Britannia was stripped of her salvageable gear and scuttled off the southern tip of the Isle of Wight.
Vigilant was designed and built for a wealthy American syndicate headed by C. Oliver Iselin. Ordered in response to Lord Dunraven's 1892 British challenge for the America's Cup, Vigilant won all three of the races in October 1893 to retain the trophy in one of the closest finishes in the Cup's history. After this triumph, she crossed the Atlantic for the 1894 season in British waters and there encountered Britannia in a thrilling series of seventeen races all around the British Isles during a memorable summer's sport.
Marjorie was designed, like Britannia, by the great G.L. Watson and built by Robert Steele at Greenock in 1883. Owned by Mr. James Coates, Jnr., the heir to a cotton thread fortune, she was a successful boat in her early years but was completely outclassed by the much bigger cutters of the 1890s.
For a rather similar albeit 1895 Clyde Regatta work by this artist, see Louise A. Felstead's Maritime Paintings by J. Steven Dews, Shrewsbury, England, 2001, p. 33 (illustrated).