¶ Intuition: RBF Sailing Yacht “Intuition” (2)
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Index Entry
Intuition: RBF Sailing Yacht “Intuition”:
"I came to name her ‘Intuition’ in the following way. The great yacht designer Starling Burgess was my partner in the early 30’s. We frequently thought and spoke to each other about what we called the ‘intuitive kinetic sense,’ and sometimes ‘intuitive dynamic sense,’ particularly in relation to developing hull forms. Starling told me that old blind John Herreshoff could feel the lines of a towing tank model with his hands and could sense in advance the tank test performance within five percent accuracy.
“I saw ‘Intuition’s’ hull form when she was being developed in Florida. A lifelong experience with boats–my intuition–flashed that she would be not only swift but a fine sea boat–the finest I had ever seen thus far. This intuition has proven to be correct. She surfs with the best but has much better rudder control off wind than have those with skeg and spade rudders separated from their keels. She was a stock hull, yet only a few were molded to her class. I have consistently walked away from her sister craft in the annual New York Yacht Club cruise races though these other M-41’s had done well in the Southern Racing Circuit.”
¶ Citations
- RBF Ltr. to Mrs. Peggy Rockefeller, 15 May’73
