Coronet (yacht) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CORONET (Wooden Hull Schooner Yacht)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Coronet in race, 1893
Location in Rhode Island Show map of Rhode Island Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Newport, Rhode Island
Built	1885
Built by	C. & R. Poillon
Architect	William Townsend
NRHP reference No.	04000571
Added to NRHP	June 3, 2004

Coronet is a very old and large wooden sailing yacht, like a big, fancy sailboat. It was built in 1885 for a wealthy oil businessman named Rufus T. Bush. It's one of the few grand sailing yachts from the 1800s that is still around today. After many years and different owners, it started a huge project to fix it up at The International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island, starting in 2010.

History of the Coronet Yacht

The Coronet is a large schooner, about 131 feet (40 meters) long. It was designed by William Townsend and built for Rufus T. Bush in Brooklyn. Mr. Bush then made a big challenge. He offered $10,000 to any other yacht that could beat Coronet in a race across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Race and World Voyage

The front page of The New York Times, March 27, 1887, featuring the Coronet race.

In March 1887, Coronet raced against another yacht called Dauntless, owned by Caldwell Hart Colt. This ocean race was about 3,000 miles long! Coronet won the race and the $10,000 prize. This made Rufus Bush and his yacht very famous. In fact, The New York Times newspaper put the story of the race on its entire front page on March 28, 1887.

After winning the race, Rufus Bush decided to sell Coronet. But first, he and his son, Irving T. Bush, took the yacht on an amazing journey. They sailed Coronet all the way around the world in 1888! This is called circumnavigating the globe. Coronet was the first yacht ever to sail around Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) from east to west. After crossing the Pacific Ocean, they visited places like Hawaii, China, Calcutta, and Malta.

Later Adventures

Coronet was sold before Rufus Bush passed away in 1890. Over the next few years, the yacht had six different owners. It continued to travel the world many times. It was even used for a special trip with Japanese and American scientists to observe an eclipse!

In 1905, a religious group called The Kingdom bought the ship for $10,000. They used Coronet for prayer missions around the world, including trips to Palestine. The Kingdom owned the yacht until 1995, keeping it docked in places like Portland, Maine, and Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Bringing Coronet Back to Life

In 1995, The International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) in Newport, Rhode Island got the Coronet. They wanted to bring this historic yacht back to its former glory. This process is called restoration, which means carefully fixing and rebuilding something old.

To help protect its history, IYRS had Coronet added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. In 2006, the ownership of the boat was transferred to a group called Coronet Restoration Partners. They continued the restoration work on the IYRS campus in Rhode Island, with the main work starting in 2010.

Coronet Gallery

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  Coronet interior, showing original woodwork

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  Coronet interior, hallway. Note curvaceous woodwork and etched mirror to left.

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  Coronet interior, berth

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  Coronet under restoration.

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  building at IYRS housing the Coronet during 2008 restoration