Motor yachtCayman Islands flagIMO 9930765

Enterprise

Under way using engine in Miami.

Signal 4 min ago 25.79617°N, 80.14624°W Destination Miami

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Length38 m

Beam9.0 m

Draught2.3 m

FlagCayman Islands

Scale: 20 mIndicative profile

This is Enterprise

Enterprise was a 1930 yacht of the J Class and successful defender of the 1930 America's Cup for the New York Yacht Club.

Design and development

When the New York Yacht Club accepted Sir Thomas Lipton's challenge for the America's cup, they decided to form two syndicates to build one yacht each for the defense of the cup, and also to welcome other syndicates who might want to offer a defender. The two NYYC syndicates were to be led by Vice-Commodore Winthrop Aldrich and Rear-Commodore Junius Morgan. The syndicate named Harold S. Vanderbilt as their captain and engaged Starling Burgess to design their yacht and Herreshoff Manufacturing Company to build it. Vanderbilt proposed that Burgess base his design on an enlarged version of the M-class sloop Prestige that Burgess had previously designed for Vanderbilt.

Testing

Enterprise sailed for the first time on April 19, 1930, with her full crew and a number of guests. From then until May 9, she was taken out almost daily, and on increasingly long and demanding sails. Beginning on May 10, Walter Clark had arranged for his yacht Resolute to race against Enterprise to better evaluate the new yacht's characteristics and provide training for her crew. Before the first of these races, a Mrs Churchman of Philadelphia, a friend of Clark's, presented the crew of Enterprise with a hamsa that became the boat's mascot and was fixed to the side of the navigator's cockpit. Three days later, Enterprise began to practice against Vanitie as well.

The Long Island Sound series

On June 9, Enterprise returned to Glen Cove for a series of races planned in Long Island Sound by the local clubs. Here she first raced against the three other yachts built as contenders to defend the America's Cup: Weetamoe, Whirlwind, and Yankee. They were joined by Resolute and Vanitie. During this series, Enterprise raced with her light wooden mast. Of the series, Weetamoe won three out of four races, with the other going to Enterprise. Yankee arrived too late to compete in any but the fourth and last race. This series convinced Burgess, and later Vanderbilt, that Whirlwind and Yankee were not a serious threat to Enterprise due to their longer waterline lengths.