Subtitled The Story of a Great Yacht and of an Unsung Herreshoff Hero in the Golden Age of Yachting Vencedor, a 63-foot cutter, was built in Wisconsin by the Racine Boat Manufacturing Company, which had hired Poekel away from the renowned Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol, Rhode Island, where he had been chief draftsman.In this account of an era of heated competition lies subtext of a question the author (Thorvald Poekel’s great-grandson) has long wondered about.During his tenure with Herreshoff, the company made some of the fastest and most famous yachts in the world. Although Herreshoff signed almost all plans, the name of T. S. Poekel appears on several. The Chicago Tribune and newspapers in Racine reported that Mr. Poekel had been the real designer of Defender, Niagara, and Vigilant. As you might imagine, that claim did not go unchallengedVencedor examines the question: Did he or didn’t he? Hardcover, 288 pp., Trim: 6½ x 9½ by Charles Axel Poekel, Jr. Cover art from a Patrick O'Brien painting And, for those of you who keep track of such things, this book has been published by a revived label, note nautical publishing house called Sheridan House. No doubt Sheridan House founder Lothar Simon is smiling down upon his imprint's revival.
