Lot 170: DONALD DEMERS (AMERICAN, BORN 1956)

DONALD DEMERS (AMERICAN, BORN 1956)
The Schooner Yacht Atlantic, Racing Across the Atlantic, 1905
signed lower right: “Donald Demers, 2006”
oil on canvas
36 x 48 in. (91.4 x 122.9 cm.)


Provenance
-with Quester Gallery; Greenwich, CT
-with J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, Fairfield, CT
-the present owner.
The Atlantic was built in 1903 by Townsend and Downey shipyard,
and designed by William Gardner, for Wilson Marshall. In 1905,
Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany proposed a race across the North
Atlantic and put forward a solid gold cup to be presented to the
winner. Eleven boats including the Kaiser’s yacht Hamburg and
the schooner Atlantic skippered by Charlie Barr took part. The
competitors encountered strong winds and gales which ensured
a fast passage time and all eleven boats finished the race. Atlantic
won, breaking the existing record with a time of 12 days, 4 hours, 1
minute and 19 seconds. The record stood for 75 years until broken
by Eric Tabarly sailing the trimaran Paul Ricard. However, Atlantic’s
monohull record stood for nearly 100 years until was broken in 1997
by the yacht Nicorette completing the crossing in 11 days 13 hours
22 minutes. Atlantic deteriorated and sank at the dock in Norfolk,
Virginia. In 1982, the wreckage was removed for the installation of a
floating dry dock at Metro Machine Shipyard.