Reliance (yacht)

Design

The design took advantage of a loophole in the Seawanhaka "90-foot" rating rule, to produce a racing yacht with long overhangs at each end, so that when heeled over, her waterline length increased dramatically. Because a boat's hull speed is a function of its waterline length, Reliance's top speed therefore was dramatically higher.

To save weight, she was completely unfinished below deck, with exposed frames. Reliance was the first racing boat to be fitted with winches below decks, in an era when her competitors relied on sheer man-power. Despite this a crew of 64 was required for racing due to the large sail plan.

From the tip of her bowsprit to the end of her 108 ft boom, Reliance measured 201 ft, and the tip of her mast was 199 ft above the water (the height of a 20-story building). Everything else was to an equally gargantuan scale; her spinnaker pole was 84 ft long, and her total sail area of 1501 m2 was the equivalent of eight 12 meter class yachts.{{cite web |access-date=2012-04-19 |archive-date=2013-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930232546/http://www.herreshoff.org/achof/nathanael_g_herreshoff.html |url-status=dead

Reliance was built for one purpose: to successfully defend the America's Cup. |archive-date=22 September 2021 |access-date=12 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922121245/https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19070930.2.57 |url-status=live

|File:Reliance-1903-IMG 5961-white.jpg|The extreme design of the hull |File:Yacht Reliance in Drydock.jpg|Reliance in drydock}}

Career

Her racing career was extraordinarily brief – and undefeated. She bested her America's Cup challenger, Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock III, designed by William Fife, in all three races, with Shamrock III losing by such a margin in the third that she was forced to retire. Reliances designer, Nathanael Herreshoff, immediately proposed the Universal rating rule to avoid such extreme, dangerous and expensive vessels, which made Reliance an inadequate contestant in subsequent races. There was much speculation as to whether Reliances victory was due to the design of the yacht or the skill of Charlie Barr in sailing her. Lipton himself proposed to allow the two boats to swap crew after the race to decide the matter, but the offer was refused by the owners of Reliance. |access-date=2012-04-19

|File:Crew of Yacht Reliance.jpg|Crew of Reliance |File:YachtReliance.jpg|Reliance passing the Brenton Reef light ship at high speed, 1903. Photograph by Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins. |File:Sloop_Reliance-6.jpg|Reliance America's Cup defender Reliance at the start, August 25th, 1903. |File:(Side view of the yacht Reliance, winner of 1903 America's Cup, from end of unidentified sailboat) (LOC).jpg|Side view from unidentified sailboat

References

References

1. Jacques Taglang. (2005-04-01). "Where are they now: 1903 - ''Reliance''". americascup.com.
2. "The Beginning (1851-1920)".