An exceptional silver sailing trophy, made as a scale model of a racing dinghy and mounted in a glazed display case. Please note that, due to the fragility of this product, it falls outside of our free worldwide shipping offer.
Presented to the Royal Albert Yacht Club in c.1955 by John W. Nicholson in memory of his father, Charles Ernest Nicholson O.B.E R.D.I. Features a plaque showing the names of the people who won the trophy and the year.
Beautifully detailed, with functional centreboard and rudder, it even has silver rigging and sails!
Dimensions of case:
58cm/ 22⅞ inches (height) x 46.5cm/ 18¼ inches (maximum width) x 27cm/ 10⅝ inches (maximum depth).
Dimensions of yacht:
49cm/ 19¼ inches (height) x 29cm/ 11½ inches (width) x 11cm/ 4¼ inches (depth).
About Charles Ernest Nicholson
Charles Ernest Nicholson (1868-1954) was a highly influential British yacht designer known for his significant contributions to the design and construction of sailing yachts during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Born in Rotherfield, East Sussex, England, in 1868, he was one of four sons and six daughters of Benjamin Nicholson (1828-1906), also a yacht designer and the original Nicholson of Camper and Nicholson. The firm has since become one of the most prominent yacht builders and brokers in the world.
Charles became a prominent yacht designer in the late 1800s, creating numerous sailing yachts that were considered groundbreaking in terms of both aesthetics and performance. His designs incorporated advanced construction techniques and were renowned for their speed, seaworthiness, and elegance.
One of his most famous creations was the yacht "Shamrock IV", which was built for Sir Thomas Lipton and raced in the 1920 America's Cup. Nicholson also designed “Endeavour” for Sir Thomas Sopwith, a J-Class yacht which became one of the most famous racing yachts in history.
Charles's work has had a lasting impact on yacht design and continues to influence modern yacht design principles. He passed away in 1954 and his legacy is celebrated by sailors, yacht enthusiasts, and designers around the world.
About the Royal Albert Yacht Club
The Albert Yacht Club was founded at Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1864 and given a Royal title the following year. Their first recorded regatta was in 1866, with the Club Cup won by 47-ton cutter Sphinx, and the club historically ran a full season of races and events from Portsmouth into the Solent.
It merged with the Royal Portsmouth Corinthian Yacht Club in 1946 and in 1971, sixteen years after our trophy was presented, merged with the Royal Naval Club (RNC) of Portsmouth (also founded in the 1860s).
The RNC premises stood within the old fortifications at one of the best sites in Old Portsmouth, overlooking the Governor’s Green. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it became a well known rendezvous for Kings and Princes alike, as well as a sanctuary for naval officers who were generally a long way from home.
Product Reference: 13471
