GALATEA yacht 1885

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aukepalmhof
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GALATEA yacht 1885

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:23 pm

She was built as a keel cutter yacht by J. Reed & Son at Glasgow for Lieutenant William Henn (1842-1894).
An all metal steel hulled yacht, with a teak deck, she was designed by John Beavor-Webb.
01 May 1885 launched as the GALATEA. She was named after a ship in the Royal Navy on which he had served in the Royal Navy.
Displacement 158 tons, dim. 31.22 x 4.57 x 4.16m. (draught), length on the waterline 26.45m.

During 1885 she raced 15th times in Great Britain waters without winning one. She was dismasted on time. Also her lead keel was leaking.
After a new mast was placed and some alternations carried out, she raced an other three races in Great Britain in which she two times finished as second.
Henn and his wife lived on board the yacht, and the yacht was fitted out to life in with all kinds of furniture.

01 July 1886 she left for the U.S.A. with Mr. and Mrs Henn on board, arriving on 01 August 1886 at Marblehead after a leisure voyage of around 30 days. She was the first steel cutter who crossed the North Atlantic.
On arrival Mrs Henn was the perfect hostess in her sumptuous main saloon, which was tastefully furnished, wall-drapes, leopard-skin rugs, decorated with potted plants and precious objects, even cats and dogs and a monkey were on board.

She was the challenger in the sixth American’s Cup Challenge against the MAYFLOWER which was sailed off New York.
09 September1886 was the first race on an Inside Course of 32.6 miles, she sailed under Skipper JohnBeavor-Webb. The race was won by the MAYFLOWER by 12 minutes 02 seconds in corrected time.
11 September was the 2nd race on the Outside Course of 40 miles; again she was beaten by the MAYFLOWER by 29 minutes and 9 seconds in corrected time. The Cup stayed again in the U.S.A.

1887 Lieutenant William Henn challenged General Paine for a private match sailed in the spring of 1887 off New York.
At the day of the race there was a strong breeze, but the MAYFLOWER defeated the GALATEA.
Soon after this race she sailed back to the United Kingdom.

Between 1888 and 1894 Mr. and Mrs. Henn lived on board the GALATEA sailing in the waters around Great Britain or the Mediterranean.
When Lieutenant William Henn died in 1894, his wife Susan Henn (1853-1911) stayed aboard the GALATEA till she died in 1911.

January 1912 the GALATEA was sold for scrap and broken up the same month.

Grenadines of Grenada 1987 45c sg 860, scott863.

Source: Wikipedia. The Story of the America’s Cup 1851-2003 by Thompson and Rayner.
http://32nd.americascup.com/en/acclopae ... &idRubr=74
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