Engineering:Columbia (1958 yacht)

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Columbia
Columbia-Aquidneck-2011.jpg
Columbia (right) in 2011
Nation United States
Class12-metre
Sail noUS–16
Designer(s)Olin Stephens
BuilderNevins, City Island, Bronx
Owner(s)Henry Sears syndicate
Racing career
SkippersBriggs Cunningham
Notable victories1958 America's Cup
America's Cup1958
Specifications
TypeMonohull

Columbia (US-16) was the successful defender of the 1958 America's Cup for the New York Yacht Club, besting the British challenger Sceptre.

Career

Columbia was designed by Olin Stephens and built by Nevins. Built to compete for the right to defend the '58 America's Cup, she was owned by a syndicate headed by New York Yacht Club members Henry Sears, Gerard B. Lambert, Briggs Cunningham, Vincent Astor, James A. Farrell, A. Howard Fuller, and William T. Moore.

Columbia was helmed by Cunningham, the inventor of the cunningham downhaul, with syndicate head Sears as navigator. After defeating Sceptre in the Cup challenge, she went on to a long career competing in the Defender trials for the 1962, 1964, and 1967 America's Cup competitions.

References

External links