In 1851, the New York pilot schooner America sailed to England, beat the Brits at their own prestigious yacht race (which came to be known as the America’s Cup), and launched an evolution of the East Coast’s pilot craft into vessels that were the envy of the world. Their development was driven by direct competition to get their company’s pilots out to distant shipping lanes before any others while retaining the seakeeping capacity to stay out no matter what the weather.
In western Europe, the pilot cutter also had its season in the sun. From around 1850 until World War I, these craft, generally around 50 feet on deck, took off, outstripping their forebears in performance, seakeeping ability, and sheer good looks. England’s Bristol Channel produced some memorable craft (and I’ve owned a Bristol Channel pilot boat of similar vintage and sailed her across the North Atlantic to America via Greenland), but over in France, Le Havre had the final word with a 56-foot cutter named Jolie Brise. This workhorse-turned-racehorse went on to win yachting’s most coveted trophies and, in perhaps her greatest achievement, save 10 souls, becoming one of sailing’s most storied and significant vessels.
I’ve served as skipper aboard , and I can say unequivocally
