53 - A DROPLEAF SALOON TABLE FROM THE RACING YACHT ENDEAVOUR, MADE FOR SIR THOMAS SOPWITH BY CAMPER & NICHOLSON, GOSPORT, 1934

A DROPLEAF SALOON TABLE FROM THE RACING YACHT ENDEAVOUR, MADE FOR SIR THOMAS SOPWITH BY CAMPER & NICHOLSON, GOSPORT, 1934 the tapering leaves with swivel supports secured to solid end pieces with metal braces, stretcher and deck securing holes, each end with silvered maker's plate inscribed MADE BY / CAMPER & NICHOLSONS LTD / OF GOSPORT, ENGLAND / FOR / 'ENDEAVOUR', R.Y.S. / OWNED BY T.M. SOPWITH, ESQ -- 28½ x 44 x 36-44½in. (72.5 x 112 x 91.5-113cm.) T.O.M. “Tommy” Sopwith built two successive yachts named Endeavour with which to mount challenges for the elusive America’s Cup. Both were J-class boats designed by Charles Nicholson and each was built in Camper & Nicholson’s yard at Gosport. The first Endeavour, displacing 143 tons and measuring 129½ feet in length with a 22-foot beam, carried 7,560 square feet of sail and was considered the best J-class boat of her day. During the America’s Cup series in September 1934, Endeavour was not only skippered by Sopwith himself but she also featured a double-clewed jib designed by her owner. A new rule stated that yachts had to be properly fitted out with crew accommodation and amenities below deck, but the US defender Rainbow was stripped bare below. When Sopwith saw this he protested and was allowed to strip out Endeavour below, possibly including the table in this lot. Defeated by Rainbow by only the narrowest of margins, Endeavour returned home to rightful acclaim and thereafter enjoyed a successful racing career in home waters. Still racing competitively, Endeavour is one of the only three surviving J-class yachts.