27 July 1920

The culmination of the Herreshoff Period of the America's Cup came when Resolute fought back from a 0-2 scoreline to defeat Shamrock IV 3-2 and keep the Auld Mug at the New York Yacht Club.

The 14th edition of the America's Cup Match saw the challenger come within a whisker of winning the Cup, but instead Nathanael Greene HERRESHOFF's (USA) sixth Defender design, Resolute lived up to her name to record a come-from-behind victory.

Following the 1903 edition of the Cup, a long break ensued, at first due to the introduction of the new Universal Rule, and then because of the outbreak of the First World War. Responding to a need to make the competing boats less expensive and less complicated, and the racing more competitive (the challenger had not even won a single race in the ten editions since 1871), HERRESHOFF came up with the Universal Rule, which incorporated Sir Thomas LIPTON's (GBR) proposal to limit the boats to a waterline length of 75 foot.

LIPTON was renowned more for his sense of sportsmanship and his ability to promote the sales of his tea than for his knowledge of sailing. Given that his team had failed to win a single race in their previous three challenges, and that the 'Wizard of Bristol' HERRESHOFFF - who had designed all five of the previous successful Defenders - was the man behind the design of Resolute, the odds seemed stacked in the favour of the Defenders. A significant error in Charles NICHOLSON's design of the 33.6 metre (110 ft 4 in) Shamrock IV also meant she had to carry more sail than the 32.4 metre (106 ft 4 in) Resolute, and therefore give away 7 minutes and 1 second, 7 minutes and 15 seconds or 6 minutes and 40 seconds, depending on her rig configuration.

However Shamrock IV, skippered by William BURTON, won the opening race on 15 July when Resolute was forced to retire after breaking her mainsail halyard after an error of sail handling. Five days later, the second race also went to the Brits by 2 minutes and 26 seconds on corrected time and suddenly the Defenders from the New York Yacht Club were staring the ignominy of defeat in the face.

With the third, and potentially final, race scheduled for the following day, HERRESHOFF, aged 72, was rushed to New York overnight on a naval destroyer to save the Cup for the Americans. He and skipper Charles Francis ADAMS (USA) worked to make adjustments to Resolute and her rig which were to unlock the potential in HERRESHOFF's design.

Following 19 tacks on the windward-leeward course for race 3, Resolute held the lead. Shamrock IV fought back and the race finished in a dead heat, giving Resolute victory by 7 minutes and 1 second on corrected time and turning the tide in the favour of the Defenders.

The victory margins increased in race 4 and 5, with Resolute proving herself the faster boat and sealing a 3-2 victory with a massive 19 minute and 45 second corrected time win on 27 July. The Cup would stay in America, and remain there for a further 63 years. For HERRESHOFF, 1920 marked the end of a 37-year winning streak where his innovative and graceful designs had kept the Auld Mug safe in its New York Yacht Club home.

Where Are They Now

Following on from his fourth defeat, Sir Thomas LIPTON challenged again for the Cup in 1930 at the age of 80. Competing in equal boats without time allowances for the first time, Shamrock V lost 4-0 to the well prepared American Defender Enterprise. LIPTON died a year later.

As one of the sports' most revered designers, Nathanael Greene HERRESHOFF left a lasting legacy in sailing. In more than 2,000 designs, HERRESHOFF introduced waves of new devices to yachting and his name echoes through the ages of sailboat racing. Added to his six Cup-winning designs, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, started by HERRESHOFF and his brother, built the successful 1930 and 1934 Defenders. HERRESHOFF died on 2 June 1938, aged 90.

ISAF In 1920

1920 marked a watershed year for the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU). Following on from the Antwerp 1920 Olympic Games. the International Olympic Committee (IOC) put the IYRU in control of the Olympic sailing events. After racing in Belgium had taken place in 14 different classes, some with just a single entry, the process of reform got underway immediately. The events were limited to just three, the 8 Metre, 6 Metre and Olympic Class Monotype.

The introduction of the Monotype single-hander, with a provision that the hosts would supply equipment, made an immediate impact at the Paris 1924 Games, where a record 17 nations competed in the event.