Velsheda

by Mark Woollacott

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Dimensions

30.000 x 20.000 x 0.500 inches

Title

Velsheda

Artist

Mark Woollacott

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

A stunningly realistic print of Velsheda, milling around in very light winds shortly before the start of the first race of the day, during the J Class Regatta, at Falmouth, Cornwall, June 2015. The race was delayed for a brief time while the official race organizer waited for the wind to increase by a few knots. Velsheda was joined by two others from the J-Class fleet: Ranger and Lionheart. This painting captures Velsheda on one of the race days (Thursday 25th June) when two races were held in the bay. The Overall Results of the regatta were as follows: 1st position: Lionheart (with 10 points); 2nd position: Velsheda (with 11 points); 3rd position: Ranger (with 12 points).

Velsheda, one of the original and most famous of the J Class yachts, was designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholsons in 1933 (at Gosport) for Mr W.L. Stephenson, who was managing director of the Woolworth retail shops. Velsheda was named after Stephenson's three daughters, Velma, Sheila and Daphne. Velsheda embodies the grace and power of 1930's America's Cup racing. She raced with the greatest names in classic yachting including Endeavour, Britannia and Shamrock V between 1933 and 1936. Velsheda has a length of 39.4 m; her beam is 6.6. m, and her draught is 4.57 m.

By 1937 Velsheda was sadly laid up in a mud berth on the Hamble and over time became derelict. She was rescued in 1984 by Terry Brabant, who refitted her for charter work with a new steel mast and basic interior. She sailed regularly along the UK South Coast, on Charter Work, and occasionally visited the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. Occasionally Velsheda raced in the Round the Island Race, Isle of Wight. In 1995/6 she was laid up and moored at Gosport. Velsheda was purchased in 1996, as a bare hull, and was taken to Southampton Yacht Services, on the River Itchen where a two year rebuild was undertaken in order to bring her into tip-top racing condition.

Velsheda was fitted with the tallest one piece carbon mast in the world and a comprehensive suit of racing sails were produced, developed from wind tunnel testing at Southampton University. She was re-launched in November 1997. Dykstra & Partners (Holland) were Naval Architects for the refit. In 1998 she won the Antigua Classic Regatta; in 2010 she won her class in the Round the Island race, Isle of Wight, and in 2012 she won the J Class Solent Regatta. Velsheda was also the winner of the 2015 J Class Falmouth Regatta's premier trophy of the week, the Kings Hundred Guineas Cup.

Uploaded

May 6th, 2016

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