Schooner Gitana (1892)
Eastern Yacht Club Commodore William F. Weld´s schooner Gitana - one of the fastest of her time - photographed (prob.) in 1892. My colorization of an image in the Library of Congress archive (Detroit Publishing Co. collection).
Gitana was a keel schooner designed and built by D. J. Lawlor of Boston for William F. Weld II in 1882. LOA 114-6ft. LWL 97-4ft. (Lengthened forward and alterations made to her spars by W. B. Smith of Boston in 1886.)
Weld, the grandson of the famous Massachusetts shipowner and industrialist William F. Weld I, was not allowed to use his beautiful yacht for very long after this photograph was taken. Already on January 11, 1893 the Harvard Crimson wrote in its obituary:
"Commodore William F. Weld, '76 died, at his home in Brookline on Sunday evening at 8 o'clock. Mr. Weld died of heart failure, the direct result of a severe attack of diphtheria. He contracted a severe cold while skating, and it developed into diphtheria. It was confidently expected that he would recover but Sunday night he had a relapse from which he was unable to rally.
Mr. Weld received the title of Commodore from the Eastern Yacht Club. He was intensely interested in yachting owning the famous schooner yacht Gitana.Mr. Weld was a member of the Country Club, and also a member of leading social clubs in Boston, including the Algonquin, Union, Somerset, St. Botolph and Tavern clubs. He was also a member of prominent clubs in New York and Philadelphia.Mr.
Weld was 37 years old. He was born in Boston in 1856, and graduated from Harvard in 1876."
Schooner Gitana (1892)
Eastern Yacht Club Commodore William F. Weld´s schooner Gitana - one of the fastest of her time - photographed (prob.) in 1892. My colorization of an image in the Library of Congress archive (Detroit Publishing Co. collection).
Gitana was a keel schooner designed and built by D. J. Lawlor of Boston for William F. Weld II in 1882. LOA 114-6ft. LWL 97-4ft. (Lengthened forward and alterations made to her spars by W. B. Smith of Boston in 1886.)
Weld, the grandson of the famous Massachusetts shipowner and industrialist William F. Weld I, was not allowed to use his beautiful yacht for very long after this photograph was taken. Already on January 11, 1893 the Harvard Crimson wrote in its obituary:
"Commodore William F. Weld, '76 died, at his home in Brookline on Sunday evening at 8 o'clock. Mr. Weld died of heart failure, the direct result of a severe attack of diphtheria. He contracted a severe cold while skating, and it developed into diphtheria. It was confidently expected that he would recover but Sunday night he had a relapse from which he was unable to rally.
Mr. Weld received the title of Commodore from the Eastern Yacht Club. He was intensely interested in yachting owning the famous schooner yacht Gitana.Mr. Weld was a member of the Country Club, and also a member of leading social clubs in Boston, including the Algonquin, Union, Somerset, St. Botolph and Tavern clubs. He was also a member of prominent clubs in New York and Philadelphia.Mr.
Weld was 37 years old. He was born in Boston in 1856, and graduated from Harvard in 1876."