Puritan, 1885
An Edward Burgess design
The Puritan was designed by Edward Burgess and built by George Lawley & Son, South Boston, Mass., in 1885 for a syndicate headed by General Charles J. Paine.
- Length overall, 93 feet 0 inches
- Waterline length, 81 feet 2 inches
- Beam, 22 feet 7 inches;
- Depth, 9 feet 0 inches
- Draft. 8 feet 5 inches
- Displacement, 105 tons
- Sail area, 7,982 square feet
Puritan was a compromise between the sloop and cutter type, with somewhat limited draft as she was a centre-boarder. She was designed under the length and sail area rule of the New York Yacht Club. Her lead keel weighed 27 tons. Her rig as well as the hull combined features of both British and American types.
The year that she was built, 1885, Puritan defeated the New York Yacht Club's Priscilla then went on to defend the America's Cup against the British yacht Genesta, a traditional cutter.
From the New York Times of 3 September 1885 : "The Puritan is manned for the cup races as follow: Captain Aubrey Crocker, formerly skipper of the Eastern yacht Shadow; pilot, Joe Ellsworth; mate, A. Howard; second mate, Mr. Martin, and 16 sailors before the mast, including three sailors of the schooner Grayling, and a number of men from the Priscilla. In addition to this crew, the following gentlemen will sail on the Puritan in the races: J. Malcom Forbes, Carroll J. Welch, Dr. John Bryant, Gen. Paine, George H. Richards, J. R. Busk, of the America's Cup Committee; Edward Burgess, and to represent the Genesta E. M. Padelford. Commodore Latham A. Fish, of the Atlantic Yacht Club, and the owner of the schooner Grayling, may also be aboard of her."
Puritan was finally broken up in 1925.