America which was modeled on the state-of-the-art pilot ships of New York astonished people from the moment she arrived in Europe. Her reversed bow, like a Clipper-ship, her tin plating, and her sails of vertical layers of cotton, laced to the masts, had never been seen before.

The racing yacht Defender was built in 1895 to meet the America’s Cup challenge of the much feared Valkyrie III. She carried the greatest spread of sail yet seen in American racing.

Fishermen have always been proud of the superiority of their craft. Since the middle of the 19^th century, owners of fishing schooners have engaged in keen rivalry to prove their mettle by racing for the Thomas Lipton trophy. Over the years this contest turned into Canadian-American rivalry. The Bluenose, of Halifax, carried a sailors nickname for men and boats hailing from Nova Scotia. She was the outstanding champion on the Canadian side. The schooner Bluenose was built in Nova Scotia in 1921 to fish the rough waters off the coast of Newfoundland. A salt banker type, she stayed out until Her holds were full of fish, using salt to preserve her catch. During prohibition, she was used as a rumrunner. The Bluenose was lost off Haiti in 1946.