Lot 115: Richard M. Firth (British, b. 1971)

Richard M. Firth (British, b. 1971)
Vigilant and Valkyrie II, America's Cup 1893
signed 'Richard M Firth' (lower right)
oil on canvas
18 x 27 in. (46 x 68.5 cm.)

Regular challenges for the America's Cup [first won in 1851] began in 1870 and, by 1890, seven British yachts had attempted to bring it home without success. On 25 November 1892, the Royal Yacht Squadron issued a fresh challenge on behalf of the Earl of Dunraven, a passionate yachtsman determined to wrestle the cup away from American ownership before the end of the century, which immediately sparked intense public interest. The Earl commissioned George L. Watson to design him a winner and the boat, christened ValkyrieII, was built by D. & W. Henderson at Partick alongside the legendary Britannia then under construction for the Prince of Wales. Displacing 95 tons and measuring 117 feet in length overall, Valkyrie II proved a powerful boat and was treated with due respect by the Americans who regarded her as a dangerous adversary.

To defend the Cup, a syndicate headed by Oliver Iselin had commissioned the great Nat Herreshoff to design and build them Vigilant which, whilst her dimensions matched Valkyrie's extremely closely, had the initial advantage of carrying 11,272 square feet of sail against the challenger's 10,042 square feet. Valkyrie II made the Atlantic crossing in September 1893 and the first race took place on 7 October. Vigilant won by 5 minutes 48 seconds and took the second race by 10minutes 35 seconds on the 9th. The third and final race, scheduled for Friday 13th, was destined to become one of the most hotly contested in the history of the America's Cup and was won by Vigilant with the narrowest of margins, a lead of only 40 seconds. The New York Times called it 'probably the greatest battle of sails that was ever fought' and the closeness of the finish determined Dunraven to try again in 1895, a decision he would later regret given the acrimony that was to surround his second challenge.