Sailing Schooner America Model
The America was a 19th century racing yacht, designed by George Steers for Commodore John Cox Stevens and is also a syndicate from the New York Yacht Club. On August 22, 1851, this schooner became infamous after winning by 8 minutes over the Royal Yacht Squadron’s “One Hundred Guinea Cup.” In honor of this victory, the international sailing trophy for this 53 mile regatta around the Isle of Wight became the America’s Cup.
George Steers designed the America. Steers was a revolutionary designer whose ships repeatedly set record and won races because of his practice of giving ships a knife-like bow widening aft, as opposed to the popular practice of the time which was to give ships a blunt bow and a sharp stern.
A personal friend of Steer’s, Richard Brown, a member of the Sandy Hook Pilots captained the ship. A skilled yacht racer whom chose Nelson Comstock as his first mate, which was a novice to racing.
Setting aside the famous races, the America passed through various hands of ownership such as, John de Blaquiere in 1851, who then sold her to Henry Montagu in 1856. The ship over time was not maintained and was raised and repaired by the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. The ship served as a training ship in the U.S. Naval Accademy after serving the war on the Union side of the blockade.
As history repeated itself, the ship was never maintained and by 1940, she had become severely decayed. On March 29, 1942, the shed where the America was stored collapsed during a heavy snowstorm. In 1945, the remains of the shed and the America were finally scrapped and burned]]>
Californian was built in 1984 as a replica of the revenue service cutter C.W. Lawrence which operated off the Californian coast in the 1850s. She is known as the “Official Tall ship Ambassador for the State of California”,
A precursor to today’s Coast Guard, the Revenue Cutter Service was responsible for securing the tax revenue and to relieve distressed merchant vessels, much as the United States Coast Guard operates today.
Originally commissioned by the Nautical Heritage Society, she’s flown the Californian flag up and down the Californian coast and in ports ranging from Hawaii, Mexico, and the East Coast.
Recently acquired by the Maritime Museum of San Diego, she underwent a complete overhaul and has now returned to providing sail training and sea educational programs up and down the Californian coast