Comments (0)

By Doug, July 13, 2009 04:29

Herreshoff Museum

Put on your captain’s cap and do your best impression of Thurston Howell III because today we’ll visit the Herreshoff Marine Museum / America’s Cup Hall of Fame. Yes, yachting is on our agenda so let’s shove off and hoist the mainsail; we’re headed for Bristol, Rhode Island!

Yacht racing is not something the average Joe enjoys on a typical summer weekend.  Even the Wikipedia entry on the America’s Cup sounds uppity:

The America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat design, sail design, fundraising, and management skills. The Cup originally named the Royal Yacht Squadron Cup was changed to the America’s Cup after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport. The skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand, was quoted as saying, “This puts yacht racing back on the map.”

The museum, as the name implies, is actually two museums in one. The Herreshoff museum displays a collection of some 60 boats including the largest boat to compete in the America’s Cup and Rhode Island’s oldest boat, SPRITE. The museum also houses 500 models that are themselves worth the price of admission.

The America’s Cup half of the museum looks at some of the people behind the race. Unless you are really into yachting, this half of the museum is a “must miss” even though the rest of the museum is worth a visit.

Related reading:

• The America’s Cup: 1851 To the Present Day
• The Louis Vuitton Cup: 25 Years of Yacht Racing in Pursuit of the America’s Cup
• Arbitration in the America’s Cup: 32nd America’s Cup Jury and Its Decisions
• America’s Cup: Trials and Triumphs