Dorade
The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht
by Douglas D. Adkins
David R. Godine, 2012
Comments: When I first saw this book I was immediately drawn to its beautiful photography of historic sailboats. I didn't buy it at at first, mainly due to the price, but after encountering it a second time I gave in. Although I bought it primarily for the photography, I was quickly engaged by the story. As the name suggests, it's basically a history of the sailboat Dorade, a well-known and highly regarded racing yawl that was dominant in ocean racing during the 20th century.
For anyone interested in sailing, this is a fascinating history. Dorade is a 52-foot, Bermuda rigged yawl built at a City Island, New York boatyard in 1930, just after the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. She had a revolutionary high-performance design and quickly became recognized internationally after achieving much competitive success. Early on she sailed in the top races on the East Coast of the U.S., transatlantic races, and prominent European races, consistently either winning or placing very favorably. In the 1930s she was sold to a new owner on the West Coast and began to race in the Pacific, again competing at the highest level and further securing her winning reputation. Subsequently, she went through a series of owners that took her to the Pacific Northwest for a few decades, then Italy for several years, and ultimately back to the U.S. in 2006, where she remains today.
The sport of sailboat racing has nowhere near the popular following today that it did early in the last century, so it's hard to imagine how famous Dorade was in her prime, but she was as well-known then as any superstar athlete of today. Beyond all her racing success and distinction, she's also a very sleek and beautiful boat to look at. Consequently, there's a remarkable amount of great photography of Dorade from throughout her career, and those images add much to her history. This is both a beautiful book to study and a wonderful story to read. Dorade has had a long and extraordinary life. Anyone who loves the feel of spray on their face would enjoy this book.
Dorade's Website
Copy Notes: Hardback, first edition, photography and illustrations
The History of an Ocean Racing Yacht
by Douglas D. Adkins
David R. Godine, 2012
Comments: When I first saw this book I was immediately drawn to its beautiful photography of historic sailboats. I didn't buy it at at first, mainly due to the price, but after encountering it a second time I gave in. Although I bought it primarily for the photography, I was quickly engaged by the story. As the name suggests, it's basically a history of the sailboat Dorade, a well-known and highly regarded racing yawl that was dominant in ocean racing during the 20th century.
For anyone interested in sailing, this is a fascinating history. Dorade is a 52-foot, Bermuda rigged yawl built at a City Island, New York boatyard in 1930, just after the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929. She had a revolutionary high-performance design and quickly became recognized internationally after achieving much competitive success. Early on she sailed in the top races on the East Coast of the U.S., transatlantic races, and prominent European races, consistently either winning or placing very favorably. In the 1930s she was sold to a new owner on the West Coast and began to race in the Pacific, again competing at the highest level and further securing her winning reputation. Subsequently, she went through a series of owners that took her to the Pacific Northwest for a few decades, then Italy for several years, and ultimately back to the U.S. in 2006, where she remains today.
The sport of sailboat racing has nowhere near the popular following today that it did early in the last century, so it's hard to imagine how famous Dorade was in her prime, but she was as well-known then as any superstar athlete of today. Beyond all her racing success and distinction, she's also a very sleek and beautiful boat to look at. Consequently, there's a remarkable amount of great photography of Dorade from throughout her career, and those images add much to her history. This is both a beautiful book to study and a wonderful story to read. Dorade has had a long and extraordinary life. Anyone who loves the feel of spray on their face would enjoy this book.
Dorade's Website
Copy Notes: Hardback, first edition, photography and illustrations
