 Manitou in the 2012 "Les Régates de Nice" | |
| Sail no | 62 |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Sparkman & Stephens |
| Builder | M. M. Davis & Son |
| Launched | 1937[1] |
| Owner(s) |
|
| Racing career | |
| Notable victories | Chicago-Mackinac Cup - 1938[3] |
| Specifications | |
| Type | Marconi-riggedyawl |
| Displacement | 60,000 lb (27.2 tonnes)[4] |
| Length | [4] |
| Beam | 13.8 ft (4.2 m)[1] |
| Draft | 8.6 ft (2.6 m)[1] |
| Mast height | 81 ft (25 m)[6] |
| Sail area | 1,778 sq ft (165 m2)[4] |
| Crew | 5-6[5] |
| Notes | |
| |
Manitou is a 62-foot-long (18.9 m) performance cruising yacht designed and built for racing on theGreat Lakes[2][6] and specifically to win theChicago-Mackinac Race.[7] It notably served as apresidential yacht for United States presidentJohn F. Kennedy[8][9] and was known as the "Floating White House."[10]Manitou was built in 1937 at theM. M. Davis & Son shipyard inSolomons Island,Maryland. It was Design No. 99 of naval architectsSparkman & Stephens,[7] who built manyAmerica's Cup racing yachts.
Manitou was originally commissioned and privately owned by race car driver James Lowe. She was launched in 1937 and promptly won the 1938 Chicago-Mackinac Race in the cruising division (on corrected time), beating all previous records. She came a close second the next year. In 1940 and 1941,Manitou won thePort Huron to Mackinac Boat Race.[11] After these successes, Lowe sold her, and in 1955 she was donated to theUS Coast Guard to be used as a training vessel at theUnited States Coast Guard Academy inNew London, Connecticut.[12]
President Kennedy usedManitou while he was in office.Manitou was returned to private ownership in 1968 when she became a training vessel for theHarry Lundeberg School of Seamanship in Maryland. The boat took on the nickname: "Floating White House".[13]
In 1999Manitou was sold to Laura Kilbourne, granddaughter of James R. Lowe, the original owner.Manitou was then given a comprehensive refit at Deagle's Marine Railway inDeltaville, Virginia.
In late 2010 she was sold to four joint owners and underwent an extensive refit in early 2011. She was then shipped to the Mediterranean where she was raced extensively[4] and made available for charter out of ports on theFrench Riviera.
Media related toManitou (ship, 1937) at Wikimedia Commons
