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"The First Bermuda Race, May 26, 1906." | The first Bermuda race was started off Brooklyn on May 26, 1906. Three yachts started. They were Frank Maier's 38 foot yawl "Tamerlane", Richard D. Floyd's 40 foot yawl "Lila" and George Robinson's 28 foot sloop "Gauntlet". Sir Thomas Lipton, the America's Cup challenger, donated the Lipton Cup, an ornate trophy, for the race.
The painting depicts the race, not long after the start, with the three yachts beating into a fresh breeze through 'The Narrows'. "Tamerlane", in the foreground with sailing master Thomas Day (founder of the "Rudder" magazine and promoter/founder of the race) in peaked cap at her helm, is crossing just ahead of "Lila" with "Gauntlet" further in the background. A tug, with spectators aboard is just ahead of the yachts. "Lila" passed "Tamerlane" to take the lead but then her mainmast broke. "Tamerlane" tried to tow her back to Brooklyn but the towline parted. A tug then towed "Lila" back to the Brooklyn Yacht Club. "Tamerlane"set out after "Gauntlet", after a 65 hour delay arranging a new mainmast for "Lila". She sailed with a stiff North Westerly which turned into a South Westerly gale in the Gulf Stream. "Tamerlane" crossed the finish line at Bermuda after averaging nearly 5.5 knots. "Gauntlet" finished 25 hours later with crew member (and newly married wife of the owner) 20 year old Thora Robinson becoming the 'toast of Bermuda' as the first woman to undertake an ocean race in such a small yacht.
| | Dimensions | 24" x 32' | | Media | Oil on canvas |
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