l2 US 11 Gleam

1937 Vintage 12 - Trial horse in 1958 & 1962 Cups

Year Built: 1937
Yacht Designer: Clinton Crane
Yacht Builder: Henry B. Nevins Yacht Yard, City Island, NY
Syndicate: N/A

Gleam was designed by the famous naval architect, Clinton Crane, as his private yacht. Built in 1937, of double planked mahogany, the vintage 12 meter Gleam was influential in the development of the longest running class of yachts used in the America’s Cup. The legendary lineup of helmsmen, Briggs Cunningham, Lee Loomis and Harold Vanderbilt, became so fond of Gleam that they built their own 12 Meters to join the class.

Gleam has a storied racing career that began with her 1937 Astor’s Cup win and carried through later decades when she was used as the trial horse for Vim & Sceptre for the 1958 America’s Cup and then for Gretel in the 1962 America’s Cup.

Gleam was brought to Newport, RI in 1975 by the late Robert Tiedemann who gave her a full restoration and offered her for charter. In 2020, she went through another extensive refit. She’s now back in New England waters and is available for charter through America’s Cup Charters.