The Endeavour, Angus MacLeod and the America's Cup

Endeavour I racing in the America’s Cup, The New York Times, Sunday 23 September 1934.

In the mid 1800s, the yachting world centred around the British Isles. In terms of racing vessels and skilled crew, they were regarded as the best. Across the Atlantic, however, the scene was rather different. In the waters off New York there was no governing Pilot’s Commission, no means of forcing pilot boats to take their turn. There was no second prize, the fastest boat won the job and cash to pilot merchant ships into harbour.

While British yacht racing had been developed on the basis of sporting chivalry, the American’s sailing skills had been honed out of necessity not nicety. This drive mothered invention after invention with the American pilot boat designs becoming ever more radical in their need for speed, with this knowledge thus translated into their racing yachts.

America winner of the first 1851 sailing yacht challenge, Cowes, Isle of Wight.

While British yacht racing had been developed on the basis of sporting chivalry, the Americans sailing skills had been honed out of necessity not nicety. This drive mothered invention after invention with the American pilot boats design becoming more and more radical in their need for speed and this knowledge was then translated into their racing yachts.

One such racing yacht was the America that was built in 1851 by a syndicate of New York Yacht Club members headed up by their Commodore John Cox Stevens. She was designed along the lines of the fastest pilot boats with the twofold purpose of: showing off US shipbuilding skills and to make money through competing in yachting regattas.

The America left New York on June 21st 1851 and arrived on the Solent, Isle of Wight, England on 31st July following dry docking and repainting in Le Havre. America began taking on British yachts under any and all conditions and ‘whipping them soundly’. These defeats rankled the British yachts men most profoundly particularly due to the humble station of the victorious pilot boat compared with their own racing yachts. The America then entered the International Regatta sponsored by the Royal Yacht Squadron and proceeded to run rings around her opposition wining fair and square. ‘The Yankee pilot’ had defeated the best Britain had to put against her and the America’s cup was born.

To this day it is the oldest international sporting event with match races held between two sailing yachts one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (the defender) and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup (the challenger). However, since its advent Britain has never won the cup back, maybe hence why it is still called the America’s Cup.

However, in 1934 Thomas Sopwith took up the challenge. Sopwith was an English aviation pioneer, business executive and yachtsman who had made his fortune through various aviation enterprises. Sopwith commissioned Charles E Nicholson to design a challenger for the 1934 America’s Cup series resulting in the J-class racing yacht Endeavour.

Endeavour I the ‘challenger’ for the 1934 America’s Cup.

The America’s Cup was scheduled for September 1934, however, in July many of Endeavour‘s professional crew, mostly seamen from England’s East coast, went on strike for more pay. Instead of acceding to their demands, Sopwith decided to recruit an amateur crew instead, to supplement the ten professional yachtsmen who remained. The majority of these amateurs were from the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club based in Cowes. However, two crew members were from the Outer Hebrides: the Vita‘s captain, Donald MacKillop, and also from the Vita, able seaman Angus MacLeod from Berneray. (The Vita was Sopwith’s motor yacht that escorted the Endeavour across the Atlantic to New York and acted as mother-ship during the racing off Rhode island). All crew were dressed in blue caps and jerseys embroidered with Endeavour and on the voyage to the US the crew slept in luxurious quarters and dined in the blue and white carpeted saloon on meals prepared by the Sopwith’s high-priced chef.

Even in the 1930s, the America’s Cup was a millionaires game with overall racing budget costing approximately $1,000,000 per hour.

Phyliis Sopwith at the helm of Endeavour the first woman to compete in the America’s Cup – doesn’t she look great!!

Sopwith himself was to skipper Endeavour, with his wife Phyllis as timekeeper, the first woman ever to compete in the America’s Cup.

She is quoted in the Sport (Monday 13th August 1934) in reference to her role as time keeper – ” If our teamwork is perfect we should hit the line at full speed just as the gun flashes … Yes, you may be sure I won’t be wearing trousers … I watch for the flash to start my watches as it takes several seconds for the sound to reach us. I’m so busy watching for the flash that I never see anything of the actual start.”

The seven race series began on September 15th 1934. The defender for America was the Rainbow, owned and skippered by Harold Vanderbilt. In contrast with Sopwith’s ‘amateur’ crew Vanderbilt’s men were “husky, agile Norwegians, … trained to the minute … and had only one thought in mind: to win a race.”

The Rainbow defender of the 1934 America’s Cup.

The first race had to be abandoned due to light winds. Two days later, the challenger Endeavour won the opening race by 2 minutes 9 seconds, and the following day won again, setting a record for the 30 mile triangular course. Endeavour now had a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Rainbow won the third race, but it was the fourth race that was to prove controversial. The British had objections to Rainbow’s tactics at the start of the race, but only flew their red protest flag towards the end of the race. The appeal was disallowed. New York Yacht Club rules, under which the series took place, differed from Royal Yacht Club rules. Protest flags had to be waved at the time of the incident rather than later. Sopwith was furious. The score now was 2-2.

The Rainbow, with its fully professional crew, went on to win the next two races, winning the series by 4-2.

Endeavour II built by Sopwith for the 1937 America’s Cup.

Having come so close in the 1934 America’s Cup, Sopwith commissioned a new yacht for the 1937 series. The Endeavour II was launched on 8th June 1936.

Both the Endeavour and Endeavour II crossed the Atlantic to Newport in May 1937, again accompanied by the Vita. Once again, Angus MacLeod was part of the crew on the British challenger.

Unfortunately, the series was not to be as closely contested as in 1934. On 31st July, the Ranger won the first race by 17 minutes, and went on to win the next three races, sealing the victory for the Americans.

Endeavour II sailing in company with Endeavour I, Rhode Island, New York, 1937.

From top left & right: Endeavour II in her rig for crossing the Atlantic.

Bottom right: Inside the fo’c’sle of Endeavour the crew at lunch.

Bottom left: Endeavour II

Centre: Mr and Mrs Sopwith.

Able Seaman, Angus MacLeod was born on the Isle of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides in 1898 at 16 Ruisgarry (Brusda), just over the hill from our croft at Sunhill. His sailing skills would have been passed onto him through generations of fishermen who would have tackled the Atlantic waters on a daily basis just off the west coast of Berneray. It was these skills that Angus put to work on yachts, initially as part of the crew of Sopwith’s motor yacht the Vita and subsequently in the America’s Cup on the Endeavour I (1934) and Endeavour II (1937).

Angus MacLeod aboard one of the Endeavours either in 1934 or 1937. During racing standard attire was white boiler suits with strong belts.

It is quite remarkable to think of the contrast between the simple crofting and fishing life that Angus would have led on the Isle of Berneray when compared with the rich, luxurious and fast track lifestyle of the America’s Cup culture. Yet I am sure he held his own and contributed well otherwise he would not have been invited back.

Angus MacLeod aboard one of the Endeavours either in 1934 or 1937. During racing standard attire was white boiler suits with strong belts.

It is quite remarkable to think of the contrast between the simple crofting and fishing life that Angus would have led on the Isle of Berneray when compared with the rich, luxurious and fast track lifestyle of the America’s Cup culture. Yet I am sure he held his own and contributed well otherwise he would not have been invited back.