Mischief (yacht)

The Mischief as pictured in 1891

The yacht Mischief was the victorious American defender of the fourth America's Cup race in 1881 against Canadian challenger Atalanta.

Design

The centerboard compromise sloop Mischief was designed by Archibald Cary Smith and built by Harlan & Hollingsworth of Wilmington, Delaware in 1879 for English owner Joseph Richard Busk of the New York Yacht Club. She was built of iron construction, the second all-metal yacht to be built in the United States.

Career

Nicknamed "The Iron Pot", the Mischief was the victorious defender of the fourth America's Cup challenge in 1881. She was skippered by Nathanael 'Than' Clock during the race.

The Mischief was seized in 1904 for suspected smuggling between the United States and Canada, and stripped of its yacht registration. She was bought in 1906 by the Mayflower Oil Company and used as a barge. In 1929 she was towed offshore and sunk.

Specifications

• Overall length: 20.57 m
• Length at water line: 18.59 m
• Beam (width): 6.00 m
• Draft: 1.62 m
• Displacement: 79.2 tons
• Sail area: 487m²

References and external links

• America's Cup's Ac-clopaedia
• The 19th Century Yacht Photography of J.S. Johnston