.gif)
Intrepid (yacht)
Encyclopedia
The Intrepid is a 12-metre class
yacht
which won the America's Cup
in 1967 and again in 1970.
, and was built of double-planked mahogany
on white oak
frames. She featured important innovations both above and below the waterline. The rudder
was separated from the keel
and a trim tab was added. This new general underbody type, with relatively minor refinements, was used on every subsequent Cup boat until the 12-metre Australia II
's winged keel of 1983. Above decks, Intrepid featured a very low boom, made possible by locating the winches below decks. The low boom caused an "end-plate effect", making the mainsail more efficient.
, and defeated Australia
n challenger Dame Pattie
. Redesigned in 1970 by Britton Chance Jr. and well captained by Bill Ficker that year, she defeated another Australian challenger, Gretel II
.
Intrepid remained competitive even against aluminum 12-metre yachts. Redesigned again, this time by her original designer Olin Stephens, the Intrepid was back again for a third time in 1974, captained by Gerry Driscoll
. Intrepid came within one race of becoming the only three time America's Cup defender in history, but lost the final race of the defender trials to the Courageous
, which would go on to win the Cup that year with Ted Hood at the helm. Ted Hood sold Courageous to Ted Turner who went on to win the 1977 America's Cup with her.
along with fellow America's Cup winners Freedom
and Weatherly.
12-metre class
The 12 Metre Class is a rating class for racing boats designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre Class was...
yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
which won the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
in 1967 and again in 1970.
Design
Intrepid was designed by Olin StephensOlin Stephens
Olin James Stephens II was an American yacht designer of the 20th century. Stephens was born in New York, but spent his summers with his brother Rod, learning to sail on the New England coast. He also attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a term.Stephens' name had a long history...
, and was built of double-planked mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
on white oak
White oak
Quercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
frames. She featured important innovations both above and below the waterline. The rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
was separated from the keel
Keel
In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...
and a trim tab was added. This new general underbody type, with relatively minor refinements, was used on every subsequent Cup boat until the 12-metre Australia II
Australia II
Australia II is the Australian 12-metre-class challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club...
's winged keel of 1983. Above decks, Intrepid featured a very low boom, made possible by locating the winches below decks. The low boom caused an "end-plate effect", making the mainsail more efficient.
America's Cup
In 1967 Intrepid was skippered by Emil "Bus" MosbacherEmil Mosbacher
Emil "Bus" Mosbacher, Jr. was a two-time America's Cup-winning yachtsman, the founding chairman of Operation Sail, and Chief of Protocol of the United States during the administration of President Richard Nixon.He was the brother of Robert Mosbacher Sr., also a champion yachstman, and U.S...
, and defeated Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n challenger Dame Pattie
Dame Pattie
Dame Pattie is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1967. She was designed by Warwick Hood and built by W.H. Barnett in New South Wales, Australia....
. Redesigned in 1970 by Britton Chance Jr. and well captained by Bill Ficker that year, she defeated another Australian challenger, Gretel II
Gretel
Gretel is a German shortening of the name Margarete. It may refer to:*Gretel, one of the main characters in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel...
.
Intrepid remained competitive even against aluminum 12-metre yachts. Redesigned again, this time by her original designer Olin Stephens, the Intrepid was back again for a third time in 1974, captained by Gerry Driscoll
John Gerald Driscoll III
John Gerald “Gerry” Driscoll III was an international yachting champion and businessman from San Diego, California. He competed in the defense portion of four America’s Cup races , and was part of the organizational effort for two others...
. Intrepid came within one race of becoming the only three time America's Cup defender in history, but lost the final race of the defender trials to the Courageous
Courageous (yacht)
Courageous is a 12-metre class yacht. It was the third boat to win the America's Cup twice, in 1974 and 1977, after Intrepid in 1967 and 1970, and Columbia in 1899 and 1901. All three of these boats won for the NYYC and thus the United States...
, which would go on to win the Cup that year with Ted Hood at the helm. Ted Hood sold Courageous to Ted Turner who went on to win the 1977 America's Cup with her.
Restoration
The Intrepid underwent a two-year structural restoration, the bustle area was reframed, the bottom replanked for several feet up from the keel, and the deck and deck beams were replaced. Today the Intrepid is available for charter out of Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
along with fellow America's Cup winners Freedom
Freedom (yacht)
The 12-metre class yacht Freedom won the America's Cup in 1980, defeating the challenging yacht Australia. The Freedom was designed with an alloy rather than a wood hull by Olin Stephens and Bill Langan, and constructed at Minneford Yacht Yard...
and Weatherly.