endeavour j class yacht for sale

Endeavour Sailing Yacht Charter

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Sailing yacht ‘Endeavour’ is a 130 foot J Class classic sailing sloop which was launched in 1934 and embodies one of the most formidable and famous sailing yachts in the world. Following her 2011 refit, she is in an ‘as new’ condition and is ready and waiting to give you the exhilaration of the powerful sailing of yesteryear. Her high sailing performance is matched only by her truly elegant interior accommodations and extremely high standard of craftsmanship, catering, service and facilities.

Sailing yacht Endeavour has now been almost entirely rebuilt in such a way that her quality of workmanship and sleek lines are entirely consistent with her original condition. She does, however, boast the recent technology and increased performance of a modern yacht. She has a powerful engine and generators as well as bow thrusters, an aluminium mast and boom, hydraulic winches and a water-maker and all the latest electronic entertainment and navigation and equipment one could desire.

Endeavour's saloon and dining area is an amazingly memorable space for charter guests to relax and entertain. Her interior joinery is American Cherry wood raised panels, nickel plated fixtures and locust sole.

The crew of classic charter yacht Endeavour are professional and amongst the best in the business. They include the captain, first mate, engineer, chef, steward, stewardess, as well as three deckhands. The fantastic friendly crew will pamper you with first-class service and absolutely fabulous cuisine during your yacht charter. As a lady who has been brought into the contemporary world, Endeavour provides all the modern electrical entertainment systems and yacht water toys. Have you ever helmed just a famous, powerful and impressive classic yacht? It will be no problem if you wish to spend most of your day helming the greatest yacht in the world, the mighty Endeavor under full sail!

Endeavour Specifications

Sailing yacht Endeavour has been awarded the best Refitted yacht at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards and her extensive 18month refit, which concluded in October 2011, included the replacement of the complete weather deck, new deck equipment, relocation of steel deck framing, reconfiguration of the accommodation forward and new interior.  The main engine, electrical system, electronics, air conditioning, hydraulics bow thruster and winches were all replaced.  A new carbon fibre mast was built by Southern Spars and the new interior was built in house by Yachting Developments tradesmen.  Dykstra & Partners, Naval Architects, have been instrumental in the design of the new sail plan, deck layout, and structural engineering. The interior was collaborated by John Munford and Adam Lay Design Studios to ensure the originality of the boat was maintained.  Care was taken throughout the refit to preserve as much of the vessel as practical, yet still enhance performance and improve functionality.  

Yacht Accommodation

Classic Sailing yacht Endeavour is remarkably comfortable with accommodation for up to eight guests in four staterooms - two with queen berths, one with a king berth and one with twin berths. The staterooms adjoin their own baths with lovely heated towel bars and nickel plated shower enclosures. Endeavour’s master bathroom also features an over-sized bath tub.

Amenities and Extras

Luxury classic sailing yacht Endeavour offers the following amenities for your yacht charter vacation: a Zodiac Mark 2 tender with a 25 h.p. out-board engine, two wind-surfers, a dive compressor and a water maker. In the yacht’s Saloon is a 25 inch TV with VCR and an N.A.D. music system with a CD player and there are both indoor and outdoor speakers, a large library of CDs movies etc. Her Master stateroom also provides a Hi Fi music system with a CD player. Sailing yacht Endeavour is fully air conditioned throughout the interior in all of her staterooms. The yacht has up to date modern communication and navigation electronic equipment.

Endeavour Disclaimer:

The luxury yacht Endeavour displayed on this page is merely informational and she is not necessarily available for yacht charter or for sale, nor is she represented or marketed in anyway by CharterWorld. This web page and the superyacht information contained herein is not contractual. All yacht specifications and informations are displayed in good faith but CharterWorld does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the current accuracy, completeness, validity, or usefulness of any superyacht information and/or images displayed. All boat information is subject to change without prior notice and may not be current.

Quick Enquiry

Camper & Nicholsons became known for its fast, wooden racing sailing yachts, which included the famed J-Class sloops that competed in the America’s Cup Races of the early 20th century, including two J-Class boats commissioned by Sir Thomas Sopwith, Endeavour and Endeavour II.

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New full-length J-Class yacht ENDEAVOUR video

As part of a 16-page J Class special in the March issue of Yachting World, an exclusive video of ENDEAVOUR has been released.

Filmed off Cascais, Portugal, ENDEAVOUR can be seen in all her glory, running under full sail at an effortless 12 knots. Yachting World Technical Editor, Toby Hodges, described the experience of sailing ENDEAVOUR as a “dream come true”, and her performance as “sensational”.

Offered for sale exclusively through Edmiston, ENDEAVOUR is widely seen as the yacht that reignited interest in both the America’s Cup and J Class design.

Steeped in history but also offering an incredible opportunity for her future owner, ENDEAVOUR is one of only three original J’s still on the water. Having been rescued and completely restored by famous yachtswoman Elizabeth Mayer in 1989, her current owner embarked on a major refit in 2012, installing the latest sailing technology and rigging, not only creating a supreme performer but also a majestic cruiser.

You can read the full J Class and ENDEAVOUR article in the March issue of Yachting World, on sale now, or  click here  to see the online feature.

02 February 2021

Written by:

Caroline Munier

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Iconic yachts: Endeavour

The most evocative of the great British racing yachts of the pre-war era, Endeavour , the ‘Darling Jade’, is uniquely beautiful and one of the greatest yachts of all time.

Commissioned by aeroplane magnate Thomas Sopwith, Endeavour was drawn by Britain’s leading yacht designer, C E Nicholson, but Sopwith, consistent with his hands-on role as helmsman and his access to state-of-the-art aerodynamics, contributed substantially to her technical prowess. If the hull was Nicholson’s work, the rod rigging, wind speed and direction indicators and other firsts were those of Sopwith’s right-hand man, Frank Murdoch.

Endeavour ’s performance ahead of the 1934 America’s Cup was superb. British attempts to regain the Cup had long been thwarted but here at last was a worthy challenger. Then, as if destined to heroic failure, mismanagement set a course that would doom the yacht to defeat.

With some justification,  Endeavour ’s professional crew asked for extra money for the extended season they would serve but Sopwith refused. A brilliant amateur crew was formed instead and the challenge was back on course. The racing against Vanderbilt’s  Rainbow  was keen, but just as  Endeavour  developed a leading position Sopwith threw away the race series through poor tactics. Seemingly all difficulties had been overcome only for defeat to be snatched from the jaws of victory.

The aftermath was perhaps even worse for British yachting. Murdoch’s technical developments were too visible to be kept secret, and Nicholson, perhaps determined to save his personal prestige, gave a copy of Endeavour’s lines to the designer of  Rainbow , W Starling Burgess. With all the advantages so painstakingly developed now thrown away, the result of the 1937 Cup was in effect settled in the days that followed the defeat of  Endeavour .

The yacht raced for only four more years, with the last of them seeing her back in US waters acting as trial horse for Sopwith’s doomed  Endeavour II  challenge. However, while there she scored a win over the American Super J and 1937 Cup defender  Ranger  – an achievement no other J had ever managed.

For nearly 50 years  Endeavour  clung to a precarious existence. She and her younger sister were sold off by Sopwith and their lead keels were removed. Plans to  convert  Endeavour  into a cruising yacht fell through, as did a number of rescue attempts while she was laid up at various locations on the South Coast of England. The last of these saw her moved to Calshot Spit, and it was there that Elizabeth Meyer discovered her. She had not come seeking to  buy  Endeavour , just to see the supreme leviathan, but the yacht had found her saviour – and a hands-on one, too. The steelwork was carried out in situ before the project was relocated to the Royal Huisman shipyard, and in 1989 Meyer unveiled her achievement to an astonished world. She had succeeded against all the odds, and  Endeavour  was back, her original beauty fully revealed.

One of the original J Class trio, Endeavour like fellow yachts Shamrock V and Velsheda , is in continual development. The 77 year-old yacht was relaunched on 10 October 2011 having just undergone a major 18-month refit at New Zealand yard Yachting Developments, which included work to the yacht’s interior, deck strengthening, a new winch package, a new mast and sails.

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In total nine J Class yachts are currently active, including three original surviving Js - Velsheda, Shamrock and Endeavour - and six replicas that have been built since 2003; Ranger, Rainbow, Hanuman, Lionheart, Topaz and Svea.

Endeavour, JK4

Velsheda, JK7

Rainbow, JKZ1

Shamrock V, JK3

Hanuman JK6

Lionheart, JH1

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6 Feet Very Large America's Cup Yacht... 6 Feet Very Large America's Cup Yacht...

Dimensions: L: 60 W: 10.8 H: 72 Inches Dimensions: L: 60 W: 10.8 H: 72 Inches

America's Cup Endeavour Sailboat Model America's Cup Endeavour Sailboat Model

Dimension: 20" L x 4" W x 27" H (1:78 scale) Dimension: 20" L x 4" W x 27" H (1:78...

Endeavour I 1934 Endeavour I 1934

Endeavour I 1934 Half Hull Model with Wooden Frame     100% hand crafted using “plank on bulkhead” construction method   Endeavour I 1934 Half Hull Model with...

1934 Endeavour I With Display Case  10" Lengh x 12" Hight  ( display case ) 1934 Endeavour I With Display Case...

Endeavour Wooden Sailboat Model Decoration... Endeavour Wooden Sailboat Model Decoration...

Dimension: 24"Lx 4"W x 35"H Dimension: 24"Lx 4"W x 35"H

The J-class yachts are beloved symbols of extravagance from a bygone age, each designed and financed by a unique personality to compete in The America’s Cup. Looking back, we are left to wonder at the priorities of the people involved; how could they justify to themselves the expenditure required for a boat race during the height of the Great Depressionω Not to mention, these millionaires would rarely even leave themselves with a souvenir of this ultimate luxury; most J-class yachts were sold for scrap following the race. Today, we are left to marvel at the extraordinary series of events that was The America’s Cup from 1930-’37.

After the suspension of racing during World War II, its resumption in ‘58 featured smaller yachts, undoubtedly more affordable to field. This makes any surviving J-class yacht to be a rare, valuable historical artifact - exactly what the Endeavor is.

When it was constructed, The Endeavor was extraordinary for its design and technological innovation, and it remains so for being one of the only America’s Cup J-class yachts still intact.

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Endeavour w/ Tools - Wooden Hull (Amati, 1:80)

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Endeavour J Class with Tools - Amati Wooden Kit

Part #AM1700/10

Scale 1:80 - Total length cm. 48 (18.9") - Height cm. 70 (27.6")

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Combo Set #1 - Endeavour - Wooden Hull

Endeavour J Class with Tools - Amati AM1700/10

The yacht Endeavour staked a claim on the America's Cup, winning the first two races. The third regatta was bound to be the most exciting. Fate played an unkind trick to Sir Thoms Sopwith, who failed and thus couldn't win the America's Cup.

Wooden model ship kit features plank-on-frame construction with laser cut keel, frames and deck; double planking in basswood and mahogany; metal and wooden fittings; cloth sails; wooden detailed mast; brass photoetched parts; plans and detailed instructions

Also includes a selection of model building tools.

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Endeavour Yacht 60cm – J Class

$ 319.00 $ 299.00

While the America’s Cup has long been dominated by the Americans themselves, Britain has run them close on more than a few occasions. The closest they have come to winning it, though, was with the beautiful Endeavour. Known for her speed and power on the waves, this boat was one of the most impressive British entries into one of the most prestigious events in nautical sport.

This recreation yacht model of Endeavour sailing boat is a classic addition for all nautical fans and lovers of the sport. This is recreated to help give you as close to the real thing as you can, with this scale model sailing boat giving you a fine item to store, hang or display in any way you choose.

Key features of the 60cm Endeavour Model Sailing Ship: 

• Dimensions: 60cm Length x 12cm Width x 77cm Height with stand.
• A richly detailed, intricate take on the Endeavour, hand-built using individual wooden planks.
• Each plank of wood comes with a visible wood grain that adds an extra layer of depth.
• Made according to scale, plans and imagery of the real Endeavour yacht.
• Details on the deck, including the helm wheel, rope coils and cleats.
• Sails are made of fabric for an authentic finish.
• Pre-assembled, masts are put down for damage-free shipping and just need small assembly with provided instructions.
• The model attached onto a wooden base with nameplate for perfect display.

About the Endeavour Yacht

It’s not often that a ship’s name feels so appropriate, but the Endeavour feels like a perfect name for this piece of British history. She might not have won the America’s Cup , but she came closer than anyone else. This 130ft J-Class yacht was built for the 1934 edition of the America’s Cup, put together by Camper and Nicholson in Gosport, England, for Thomas Sopwith. With his expertise of the seas, Sopwith – who had been owner of the Shamrock V beforehand – completed this advanced take on the J-Class era yachts . With a steel hull and mast, she rewrote the rules for British entries into this prestigious cup. It’s interesting design, with a displacement of 143 tons, a quadrilateral genoa and also a twin-clewed headsail, she was a very powerful ship.

She entered many tournaments prior to the America’s Cup, and won with ease. With impressive wins against other J-Class ships such as the Velsheda and the Shamrock, she gained enough valour to get an entry into the America’s Cup. Sailing off to take on the infamous New York Yacht Club and their sturdy Rainbow , the campaign was the most exciting in years. However, she nearly never started: the crew of Sopwith went on strike prior to heading to the America. Therefore, Sopwith had to improvise and brought together a team of impressive and robust amateurs to help him try to win the Cup. As one might expect, though, that lack of experience brought unfortunate failure for the Endeavour. She lost 4-2 in the end to the Rainbow. However, she was a contentious win – despite the staff issue – and was remarked in a famous headline as “Britannia rules the waves, and America waives the rules.”

Heading back home in defeat, she managed to dominate the British sailing seasons for years to come. Sadly, disaster struck in 1937 – being towed back to Britain, she broke loose from the tow. She was therefore feared to have been lost. The hull was eventually located, and brought back home so that she could be laid up. At this point, she went through more than her fair share of owners. In 1947, her end was near: she was set to be sold for scrap, prior to being demolished. Come the 1970s, though, she did meet her end: she sunk in the River Medina, before the remainder of she was purchased for the princely sum of ten pounds. She sat ashore at Calshot Spit, an old seaplane base in southern England, and came into a terrible state.

In 1984, though, a rejuvenation project as underway by Elizabeth Meyer. Five years passed, and the old Endeavour was restored. A new rig engine, generator and mechanical system were included to help ensure she could once again sail to the richest, highest of standards. Meyer, though, admitted in 2014 that the task was nearly beyond her – at least financially. She had to sell real estate to fund the restoration, sailing once again in 1989 for the first time in over 50 years. In September 1989, she took on the Shamrock V, a classic duel, at Newport, Rhode Island. With 90 sailing staff – many unable to be paid – needed, the showpiece event went on as many wished to be involved with such a famous J-class ship. The work and effort, though, was worth it: in 1999, she took part in the Antigue Classics Regatta alongside the Shamrock V and the Velsheda (also rebuilt).

In 2000, she was sold to Dennis Kozlowsi for a fee of $15m. she was then sold on to Cassio Antunes in 2006 to the Hawaiian. Undergoing an 18-month refit in New Zealand in 2011, she was restored to incredible condition once again being modernised. At the time of writing, the ship is supposedly up for sale – with a price of just under $20m for anyone with a few dollars down the back of their couch! While she might not have achieved the greatness intended, the legacy and history of the Endeavour left an incredible mark on British and world sailing.

• Reviews (6)

6 reviews for Endeavour Yacht 60cm – J Class

Minerva Siasat – 17/03/2018

Model yacht arrived well packaged & exactly as described. Highly recommend.

Jan Jason – 14/09/2018

Hello I purchased Endeavour yacht model for a birthday gift. So happy with it. The detail is very good and the finish well done. It looks amazing in my partners study and visitors are impressed. It’s a real talking point. You kindly provided the history on the yacht which makes the gift more meaningful as my partner is a history buff. We recently went to a maritime museum in Townsville and saw many models which he loved, this was the inspiration for my gift. Your scale detail, timber selection and paint finish is excellent. Thanks for an interesting and quality product.

Brian Maccan – 24/03/2021

Incredible craftsmanship. Well worth the price.

Kristen Dockyard – 11/04/2021

We love it, perfect in our living room!

Anna Fuller – 17/10/2021

This was a gift for my husband and he loves it. Beautiful workmanship, very happy.

Julie Robinson – 28/07/2022

Item arrived quickly & was packaged very well. Beautiful gift appreciated by recipient. Would definitely recommend

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J Class: the enduring appeal of the world’s most majestic yachts

• October 9, 2023

Only ten J Class yachts were built before the Second World War stopped the movement in its tracks, but in the last 20 years these magnificent sloops have made an incredible comeback. Why has the J Class remained irresistable? David Glenn explains.

One of the most awe-inspiring sights in modern yachting is the Spirit of Tradition fleet blasting off the start line at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta. It happens every year at the end of April. Chances are it will include at least two J Class yachts, hitting the line on the gun at full tilt, exploding through the cobalt blue Caribbean rollers at anything up to 12 knots as they charge upwind.

Watching Velsheda , Ranger , Shamrock V and Endeavour will bring a lump to your throat, such is the emotion generated by these beautifully proportioned 130ft racing machines with their carbon rigs driving 170 tonnes of steel, aluminium and teak towards the weather mark. It’s heady stuff.

Watching them is one thing; racing quite another matter. In 1999 I was aboard the rebuilt Velsheda , taking part in the Antigua Classic Regatta. I had a single task as part of a four-man team – to tend the forward starboard runner. Nothing else. “Let that go once we’ve tacked and the whole rig comes down,” warned skipper Simon Bolt, as another wall of water thundered down the leeward deck and tried to rip me from the winch.

Dressed in authentic off-white, one-piece cotton boiler-suits, which had to be worn with a stout belt “so there’s something to grab if you go overboard”, they were tough, adrenaline-filled days out. God knows what it was like up forward as massive spinnakers were peeled and headsails weighing a quarter of a tonne were wrestled to the  needle-sharp foredeck as the bow buried itself into the back of yet another wave. Sometimes you daren’t look.

But with the race won or lost, back on the dock the feeling of elation, fuelled by being part of the 36-strong crew aboard one of these extraordinary yachts, triggered a high like no other. You knew you were playing a role, no matter how small, in a legendary story that began in 1930, was halted by World War II and then defied the pundits by opening another chapter 20 years ago. Today with five Js in commission, all in racing trim, and at least two more new examples about to be launched, the J Class phenomenon is back.

Why is the J Class so popular?

Why does a yacht with an arguably unexciting performance – they go upwind at 12 knots and downwind at 12 knots – costing £20 million to build and demanding eye-watering running costs, seem to be burgeoning during the worst recession since the class was born?

There is no single answer, but you only have to look back to the 1930s and the characters that owned and raced the Js on both sides of the Atlantic, sometimes for the America’s Cup , to understand why the class occupies a special place in yachting history. Underlying everything is the look of the J Class. It seems to transcend any change in yachting vogue, displaying a timeless line with outrageous overhangs and a proportion of hull to rig that is hard to better.

They possess true elegance. There is no doubt that captains of industry who want to flex their sporting muscle have been drawn to a class which only the very rich can afford and there are distinct parallels between J owners in the 1930s and those of the past 20 years. The difference is that in the 1930s owners liked to shout about their achievements and hogged the pages of national newspapers. Today, they are as quiet as mice.

Origins of the J Class

The J Class emerged in 1930 and marked a quantum leap in yachting technology, but comprised a hotchpotch of design altered over many years.

The J Class – so named because it was the letter allocated to its particular size by the Universal Rule to which the yachts were built (K and M Class yachts were, for example, shorter on the waterline) – emerged in 1930 and marked a quantum leap in yachting technology.

The so-called Big Class, which flourished in the UK in the 1920s, was impressive, but comprised a hotchpotch of design altered over many years. Yachts like King George V’s Britannia , built in 1893 as a gaff-rigged cutter but converted in the 1920s to Bermudan rig to rate as a J, Candida , Cambria , White Heather and schooners like Westward were even larger and more expensive to run. But as the greater efficiency of the Marconi or Bermudan rig became apparent their days were numbered.

One catalyst for the J Class itself was legendary grocer Sir Thomas Lipton’s final crack at challenging for the America’s Cup in 1931. He did so under the Universal Rule with the composite, wooden-planked, Charles E. Nicholson-design Shamrock V .

It was the 14th challenge since 1851 and the Americans, despite the withering effects of the Great Depression, reacted in dramatic fashion, organising their defence with four syndicates, each bulging with millionaires, putting forward separate Js: Enterprise , Whirlwind , Weetamoe and Yankee , which apart from Enterprise had already been launched.

Key to the American effort was the remarkable Harold Vanderbilt of the New York Yacht Club, who had inherited fabulous wealth from the family’s railroad companies, making him one of the country’s richest men.

Brought up on the family’s Idle Hour estate on Long Island Sound, he was a keen and accomplished sailor, and he used American technology and teamwork to build a far superior J in Enterprise. The defence completely overwhelmed Lipton’s effort. The British press castigated Lipton’s lack of preparedness and old-fashioned attitude. Vanderbilt, who among other things is credited with inventing contract bridge, left no stone unturned. “Mr. Harold Vanderbilt does not exactly go boat-sailing because summer is the closed season for fox-hunting,” stated an acerbic critic in the British yachting press.

Later when Shamrock was owned by aircraft builder Sir Richard Fairey and was being used to train crew for another Cup challenge, Beecher Moore, a skilful dinghy sailor who was draughted aboard the J to try to sort her out, reported in Yachts and Yachting many years later: “We found that when we got on board it was very much like a well-run country house, in that the gentleman does not go into the kitchen and on a well-run J Class the owner does not go forward of the mast.”

J Class tactics: Britain vs USA

A look at the huge gap between the British and American J Class tactics and designs in the early years of the America’s Cup.

In the early days there was a yawning gap between the way the Americans and British approached the Cup and, for that matter, how they ran a yacht. Revolutionary metal masts, Park Avenue booms to improve sail shape (the British copied this American design with their ‘North Circular’ version), bronze hulls that needed no painting, superior sails, and campaigns that cost £100,000 even in those days, blew away the Brits. Lipton had spent just £30,000 to build and equip Shamrock .

In the second Cup challenge in Js, in 1934, Sir T. O. M. Sopwith’s first Endeavour , also designed by Nicholson and equipped with wind instruments designed by her aircraft industrialist owner, nearly won the Cup, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory after leading the series 0-2. Sopwith was also up against Vanderbilt, who this time sailed Rainbow , which many considered to be the slower boat. But the British campaign was hobbled by a pay dispute – Endeavour ’s crew got £5 a week but they wanted a raise for ‘going foreign’ – and the campaign approach was again brought into question when the first thing to be stripped off the yacht when they won a dispute over reducing weight was the bath!

Back in Britain, the 1935 season proved to be the zenith of J Class and Big Class racing, although by the end of it the Js were under the cosh for their tendency to lose masts. Five went over the side that year and Endeavour II , launched with en eye on the next Cup challenge, lost hers twice.

There was added spice in the competition off the shores of the UK with the arrival of the American J Yankee , now owned by millionaire and Listerine businessman Gerard Lambert, who enjoyed sparring with the Brits. But even Yankee lost her mast and the press rounded on the class for being dangerous and wasteful! That wasn’t enough to stop Sopwith, whose tail had been extracted from between his legs following the last defeat in Newport: Endeavour II was towed across the Atlantic in a veritable armada that included  the first Endeavour. The British yachts found themselves up against the most advanced sailing machine the world had ever seen – Ranger , dubbed ‘the Super J’.

Vanderbilt was the man to beat again. Not only had he bankrolled the entire defence as American business remained beset by a struggling economy, but he used highly scientific means to perfect design. The brilliant naval architect Starling Burgess, who had designed for Vanderbilt throughout the 1930s, was now aided by the equally brilliant but considerably more youthful Olin Stephens. Between them they finally selected ‘model 77-C’ from six tank tested.

The yacht was considered ugly by some and not a natural to look at, but Vanderbilt’s team trusted the science (still the difference between the Americans and the Brits) and Ranger with her bluff or barrel bow and ‘low slung’ counter was the result. She proved to be dynamite on the race course and Endeavour II didn’t stand a chance. She was beaten in five straight races by large margins. The Americans and Vanderbilt had done it again. War then brought an end to an extraordinary era in yachting.

Only ten J Class yachts were built to the Universal rule and not a single American yacht survived. Most were scrapped for the war effort. In any case, the American way was to discard the machine once it has served its purpose. In Britain they faired a little better, and some Js were mud-berthed on the East and South Coasts. Two survived in the UK: Velsheda , originally built by the businessman who ran Woolworths in the UK (W. L. Stevenson named her after his daughters Velma, Sheila and Daphne), but which never challenged for the America’s Cup; and Endeavour , saved by becoming a houseboat on the Hamble. Shamrock ended up in Italy and survived the war hidden in a hay barn.

J Class resurgence

Seemingly resigned to the history books, the J Class made a triumphant return in the 1980s.

In his seminal book about the J Class, Enterprise to Endeavour, yachting historian Ian Dear predicted in the first edition in 1977 that the likes of the Js would never be seen again. By the time the fourth edition was published in 1999 he was quite happily eating his words!

The American Elizabeth Meyer was, without doubt, instrumental in bringing the class back to life when in the 1980s she extracted what was left of Endeavour from a  amble mud-berth, began rebuilding her in Calshot, and then moved her to Royal Huisman in Holland, who completed the restoration superbly. With the transom of the original Ranger mounted on a bulkhead in her saloon, Endeavour is still regarded as one of the best-looking and potentially fastest Js.

She was owned briefly by Dennis Kozlowski, the disgraced tycoon who ran Tyco, who famously said: “No one really owns Endeavour, she’s part of yachting history. I’m delighted to be the current caretaker.” Unfortunately he ended up in prison and the State of New York became Endeavour’s ‘caretaker’ before they sold her to her current owner, who has kept the yacht in the Pacific. She’s currently being refitted in New Zealand.

Ronald de Waal is a Dutchman who until recently was chairman of the Saks Group in the USA and has made a fortune in clothing. He has dedicated a lot of time to improving Velsheda over the years since he had her rebuilt by Southampton Yacht Services to a reconfigured design by Dutch naval architect Gerry Dykstra. Ronald de Waal steers the yacht himself to great effect and has had some legendary tussles with Ranger, the new Super J built in Denmark for American realestate magnate John Williams.

The rivalry between the two is fierce and even led to a collision between the yachts in Antigua last year. But Velsheda would have been lost had it not been for British scrap-metal merchant Terry Brabant who saved her from a muddy grave on  the Hamble and famously sold his Rolls-Royce to cast a new lead keel for the yacht. With very little modern equipment he sailed her hard in the Solent, chartering her and crossing the Atlantic for a Caribbean season, all without an engine! Without Brabant’s initiative Ronald de Waal wouldn’t have what he has today.

Shamrock V is owned by a Brazilian telecommunications businessman Marcos de Moraes who had the yacht rebuilt at Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth in 2001. He tends to keep away from the race course but with a number of events being planned in the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics he might be tempted back. The latest new J to launch, Hanuman, a modern interpretation of Endeavour II, has recently entered the racing fray. She was commissioned by serial yacht owner Jim Clark (Hyperion and Athena), the American who brought us Netscape and Silicon Graphics, and who remains a colossus in Silicon Valley.

Hanuman, named after a Hindu deity, built by Royal Huisman and designed by Gerry Dykstra, has had no expense spared when it comes to rig and sail wardrobe. Last year she beat Ranger in the Newport Bucket but in March this year she lost out 2-1 to the same boat at the St Barths Bucket. They were due to meet again with Velsheda at the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta in April. Another Dutchman, property developer Chris Gongriep, who has owned a number of yachts including Sapphire and Windrose of Amsterdam, has given the go-ahead for a new  version of Rainbow, which is well advanced in Holland at Freddie Bloesma’s aluminium hull fabrication yard. The yacht, reconfigured by Gerry Dykstra, will be in the water in 2011 with a full-on race programme.

About to be launched is Lionheart, the biggest J so far, redesigned by Andre Hoek and built in Holland by Claasen Jachtbouw, after an extensive research programme.  Unfortunately, her owner’s business commitments mean that he won’t be able to enjoy the fruits of this project – she’s for sale with Yachting Partners International and Hoek Brokerage. What an opportunity to join a class with such a remarkable history and one which looks destined to run and run!

First published on SuperYachtWorld.com on Aug 4, 2010

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Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934 Model Ship Kit – Amati (AM1700/82)

The Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934 Model Ship Kit is manufactured by Amati ship model kits. Amati Model Ship Kits are faithful interpretations of the original vessel. All materials are of the finest available and plans and instructions are always excellent and easily followed. Amati has integrated computer design and the latest materials to produce high quality ship model kits.

History of the Endeavour J Class Yacht America’s Cup 1934

The Schooner Endeavour staked a claim on the America’s Cup, winning the first two races. The third regatta was bound to be the most exciting. Fate played an unkind trick to Sir Thomas Sopwith, who failed and thus couldn’t win the America’s Cup. Model Kit includes plank-on-bulkhead construction; laser cutted wooden deck and planking; brass and wooden fittings; photo etched brass details; cloth sails; plans and detailed instructions.

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