Continuing G. L. Watson & Co.’s long association with the America’s Cup, company directors Antony Harrison and William Collier attended the final of the 37th Cup in Barcelona. Today’s Britannia is a far cry from Watson’s 1893 masterpiece of the same name, but the ethos of technological research and new materials is one that would have been familiar to Watson. His four challengers, Thistle, Valkyrie II and III and Shamrock II revealed incredible development in hull form and rigs. For the 1901 challenge Watson first introduced tank testing for sailing yachts, a technological leap forward that would be lost after his death until reinvented by Olin Stephens and Starling Burgess in the design of the J Class Ranger in 1937.
The America’s Cup Hall of Fame honours those who have made major contributions to the Cup. G. L. Watson was inducted in 1995 and William Collier has long served as a selection committee member for the Hall of Fame bringing his historical perspective to the deliberations. This year’s inductees were celebrated at a fabulous ceremony held in the presence of the Cup itself.
