The Weetamoe was a J-Class yacht that was built in 1930 for the purpose of racing in the America’s Cup. It only saw 7 years of existence, as it was scrapped in 1937.

The Weetamoe was designed by Clinton Crane, and built by Herreshoff Mfg. Co. It was one of the lighter boats that are able to fall into league with J-Class boats. In 1929, the boat narrowly failed to win the final selection for the defense of the Cup.

The designer, Clinton Crane, had an unusual background. He was originally an American naval architect. He then went to establish a yacht designing firm, which he held as a job for a solid 12 years in a row. However, at the end of these 12 years, he left his profession to help with his family’s mining business. A full 10 years later, he came back to his passion of yacht design. He designed boats of many kinds- small to big, motorized to sails. He designed both Universal Rule and International Rule boats, all for about 50 straight years. During his designing, he worked hard to bring yachting authorities around the world together.

Crane was a Harvard engineer, and left the University of Glasgow in 1898. He met the French naval architect Jacques Normand, who introduced him to high speed torpedo boats. He tested his designs, and made a record in 1900 for the fastest Atlantic crossing- coming in at almost two weeks. Although this record was beaten soon after, it gave Clinton Crane great experience in designing the Weetamoe.

The Weetamoe was a combination of all of Crane’s talents. His passion for design was shown after he unveiled his creation, and hoped that his J-Class yacht would defend the cup. Sadly, his dreams were cut short when he very narrowly failed to secure the position with his design. He again tried his luck with a new boat, in which he wanted to make selections for the Cup in 1958. Sadly, he died right before, and did not get to see the final selection process.

Crane was a fabulous engineer and designer, and it would have been great to see whether or not he would finally make it in selection rounds. His time away from his passion hurt his chances greatly- it would be a great treat to see what could have been had he not been pulled away to work with his family’s mine. His memory lives on in his works, but his boat was scrapped in the World War II era.

The Weetamoe might not have seen action, but it was still a rather grand boat. It would have made a fine addition to any collector’s selection of yachts. The Weetamoe joined most J-Class boats because of the shortage of supplies during the war. Only three J-Class boats managed to survive. The Weetamoe didn’t have much of a chance to be saved among the likes of the Shamrock V or Velsheda- but this J-Class boat still lives on in the form of models and toys.