£ 29.00
J Class Yachts were built to contest the Americas Cup. Typically with hulls made of Tobin bronze these boats were fabulously expensive to build. It is said the the british designer and builder of Thomas Lipton's Shamrock V, Tommy Sopwith's Endeavour and W.L. Stephenson's Velsheda insisted there was no budget for the cost of the build.
The 1934 Americas Cup was contested by Harold Vanderbilt's Rainbow and Tommy Sopwith's steel hulled Endeavour. (Tommy Sopwith, engineering and Sir Thomas Lipton, tea and groceries, were the consistent British Americas Cup challengers) In 1934 thanks to a rule change Vanderbilt was given the series for the Americans 4 races to 2. The headline in the New York Times read Britannia Rules the Waves America Waives the Rules; one of sport's most celebrated headlines.
Only ten of these yachts were built and only three, all British built and owned and designed by Charles Ernest Nicholson: Shamrock V, Endeavour I and Velsheda, survived. One of the ten, Britannia, owned and raced by King George V, was sunk by HMS Winchester off the Isle of Wight in accordance with the King's will. Shame.
A key consideration in J class design seemed to be how they looked. Without a doubt they looked gorgeous, defining for many how a racing yacht should look. They certainly deserve their t shirt.
Our t-shirts are unique for being wholly made with CoolMax freshFX. CoolMax is a patented fibre designed to wick perspiration and accelerate moisture evaporation, keeping wearers cooler and drier. This wicking feature of the fabric is made possible by micro channels engineered into the profile of and surface of the fibre. These channels are cleverly dimensioned to exploit the surface tension and capillary action of water. Being physical properties of the fibre, these channels endure and do not significantly diminish with wear or washing.
Antimicrobial (freshFX) treatment stops the propagation of odour producing bacteria. This is achieved by embedding silver salt crystals into the structure of the fibre. FreshFX treatment like the wicking is permanent and does not leach out with everyday use. These characteristics ensure the shirts remain cool, dry and odour free regardless of what you might do in them. Performance of the fabric is guaranteed through a certified and monitored manufacturing process.
