Famous yacht visits Jersey

29 March 2010

A replica of T B Davis’ 160-ft schooner, Westward, will be visiting St Helier Harbour in July.

Davis was a great Jersey philanthropist whose gifts to the Island included Howard Davis Farm, Howard Davis Hall (at Victoria College) and Howard Davis Park (where the flagstaff is one of Westward’s spinnaker booms).

Westward was one of the fastest and most famous of the big class racing yachts. Davis successfully raced her at Cowes against King George’s Britannia and other big class yachts between 1925 and 1935, berthing her by St Helier Yacht Club each winter. Sadly, 5 years after Davis died, Westward was scuttled in the Hurd Deep off Alderney.

The ship's replica, Eleonora, will visit St Helier for the first time on 21 July at the invitation of the Port of Jersey. Built at the Van der Graaf Shipyard in the Netherlands, Eleonora was launched on 31 March 2000, exactly 90 years to the day after Westward was launched at the famous Herreshoff yard at Rhode Island.

The replica was the vision of a Dutch entrepreneur and connoisseur of classic vessels. With the assistance of the Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum, Eleonora’s designers and builders were able to pay close attention to the original Herreshoff drawings.

Eleonora has exactly the same lines as Westward and was constructed using the same materials. She will be visiting Jersey, subject to acceptable weather and tidal conditions, after competing in the Westward Cup, a week-long regatta in the Solent instigated by the ship's owner Zybnek Zak, to commemorate Westward’s centenary.

The Royal Yacht Squadron will be hosting an exhibition about Westward during the regatta and Jersey Heritage is currently in discussion with the world-famous yacht club about lending a number of items for this display.

Jersey Harbours’ Chief Executive and Harbourmaster, Capt Howard Le Cornu, said: "She is a beautiful yacht and it will be superb to see her gracing our waters."

Island boat-owners are being encouraged to gather off Noirmont to welcome Eleonora on the afternoon of 21 July when she arrives to take on a pilot and make her way into St Helier Harbour. Waiting at the harbour entrance to greet her will be the restored Howard D, Jersey’s first motorised lifeboat, which was presented to the Island by Davis in memory of his son who was killed in the First World War.

Although it will not be possible for Islanders to go on board Eleonora during her visit, she will be on view at the quayside on the Albert Pier on Thursday 22 July.