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America’s Cup Pieces on Display

Those who have been reading this blog for awhile now may remember that about two years ago we received a very exciting donation of materials from Oracle Team USA, the winners of the America’s Cup Regatta. This donation included the J-foil daggerboard, T-foil rudder, bow replacement piece, and various crew gear. I’m happy to say that several of these pieces are now on display in our International Small Craft Center!

J-foil daggerboard, T-foil rudder, bow replacement piece & Slingsby’s jersey on display; photograph courtesy of museum photographer, Brock Switzer

The difficult part was getting the pieces, especially the J-foil into their mounts and into Small Craft. As the picture shows, the J-foil is very tall and also heavy, weighing about 750lbs. Thankfully we have a very skilled exhibit team.

The piece was first lifted high enough to set it in its mount. All this had to be done outside as there was not enough space to work in our Small Craft Center. Luckily we had a beautiful day to work outside.

The J-foil was then gently lifted into a standing position with the forklift. It was strapped to the forklift to make sure it was secure.

Although seemingly rather simple, my favorite part is the wheels that slide into the bottom of the mount, making it much easier to move the piece. They then slide right out so as not to detract from the exhibition. Our wonderful Facilities team helped Exhibit Design roll the piece into its designated location in the Small Craft Center for all to enjoy.

As a bonus, our exhibit team just finished creating this exciting display for a collection of surfboards, also in the Small Craft Center. Just in time for summer! So stop on by and visit our new displays!

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