Columbia 1958

Hand-crafted plank-on-frame wood hull with white topsides . Varnished stained wood hull.

Hull size: 60cm.

Board size: 75cm X 20cm

Starting with the lines of Vim, Olin J. Stephens II designed a new boat, which gradually took shape on Bill Maurogianni’s drawing board, after numerous comparison tests in tank. On completion of this work, Olin considered that Columbia would be slightly superior to Vim.

In the selection trials, there was a close struggle between Vim and Columbia.  Briggs Cunningham needed all of his strength and the two Stephens brothers, Rod and Olin, who were part of the crew, all of their vigilance to enable Columbia to snatch selection to defend the Cup.

Already Olin Stephens’ Twelve Meter science was half a second a mile ahead of Vim, and half a minute ahead of Sceptre, the challenger.

William Starling Burgess no doubt inherited his love of boats and sailing from his father as well as  his sharp analytical mind. He also acquired his precise and sensitive feeling for lines and forms from Nathanael Herreshoff, his “Uncle Nat”. But when the young Starling informed Herreshoff of his intention to become a naval architect, “the Wizard of Bristol” took umbrage.

When Mike Vanderbilt contacted him to build a new defender for the 1934 challenge, time was very short. No matter ! He started on the rough drafts of the plans at end of 1931 and Rainbow very nearly failed in the face of a faster challenger, Endeavour.

Starling Burgess came out of it quite well, Charles Nicholson even offering him the plans of his champion. His gesture was to prove quite unwise.