Description
Giclée reproduction of “Cutter Bloodhound” from the original oil painting by artist Scott Kennedy in 1998.
The story with this impressive cutter
I had seen a photo of the cutter Bloodhound taken by my friend Captain Larsen from high atop the rigging of his ship, the Lady Washington. At that time, I had not heard of the Bloodhound, yet the photo left a lasting impression on me.
A few years later, Christine Parker, a friend and curator of the Ventura County Maritime Museum (now Channel Islands Maritime Museum), asked me to join her and the docents of the museum aboard the Bloodhound.
The owner, Los Angeles architect, filmmaker and yachtsman Robert Gilbert, was taking her out for a courtesy sail.
Christine and I were the first to board the Bloodhound that morning. We took a seat on the ship’s deck furniture as we waited for the others to arrive. My curiosity for this gorgeous vessel overwhelmed me.
Soon afterwards, a large hairy head popped up through the hatchway. He had a handlebar mustache, pony tail and glinting eyes. He introduced himself as Bob, the owner, and then asked “Who are you?”
My name made him pause. He then asked “Kennedy… Culzean Castle Kennedy”? “Yes”, I said, and added “pronounced Kulayn”. He ordered me to be a permanent crew at that – and we became best of friends until his passing in 2015.
You see, when Bob attempted to build this replica of his dream vessel, he found that the plans – along with the original Bloodhound – had been destroyed by a fire at the Fife Shipyards in Fairlie, Scotland.
Bob went on to explain that he was finally able to track down a set of drawings and plans at the Kennedy family castle in Scotland. Bob brought the faded documents back west, had them modified by marine architect Mike Richardson, and completed this beautiful replica in 1994.
About the painting “Cutter Bloodhound”
The elegant 131-foot wooden schooner yacht in the background, Coronet, completes this portrait. At the time, I was working with Elizabeth Meyer, a founder of the International Yacht Restoration Society in Newport, Rhode Island, where the vessel was under full restoration.
The Coronet was originally built in Brooklyn for Rufus T. Bush in 1885. When completed, Bush challenged any yacht to race him across the Atlantic for a prize of $10,000. The challenge was met by Caldwell Hart Colt and his yacht Dauntless.
Coronet won, and when the carrier pigeon arrived back on the east coast from England, the story broke on the front page of the New York Times.
Living at the same moment in history, yet never meeting, the Bloodhound and Coronet were extraordinarily beautiful yachts that I had the fortune to know and portray in this 1998 oil painting.
Related artwork
See also the oil on canvas painting “Bloodhound and Altair” by Scott Kennedy.
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