Minerva, 1888
A William Fife Jr. design
The Minerva was designed and built in 1888 by William Fife, Jr., Fairlie, Scotland, for Charles H. Tweed.
- Length overall, 54 feet 0 inches
- Waterline length, 40 feet 0 inches
- Beam, 10 feet 6 inches;
- Depth, 7 feet 5 inches
- Draft. 9 feet 0 inches
- Sail area, 2,724 square feet
Minerva was designed for the 40-foot waterline class, under the Seawanhaka Rule, which had been in 1883 :
L x √SA
2
2
but the old fetish, limited length and untaxed sail, was still worshipped, therefore under pressure from the New York Yacht Club, followed by the Eastern Yacht Club, the Seawanhaka Rule had by now become :
2L x √SA
3
3
Her model was similar to that of yachts designed in Great Britain under the Y. R. A. length and sail area rule of 1886.
She had the smallest sail area in an American fleet of thirteen yachts in the 40-foot class. Liris, the most powerful of the class, carried 3,600 square feet as compared with 2,724 square feet on the Minerva.