The IYRS Maritime Library has a collection of over 90 films and videos, ranging in date from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Approximately 70 of these films (shown above) are from the collection of George O’Day, donated to the Library by his family in 2024. In the 1960’s O’Day became a household name in sailing as the designer and owner of the O’Day Corporation, a prolific builder of popular recreational sailboats. His sailing credentials include multiple National and World Championships, an Olympic Gold Medal and two America’s cup wins. Learn more about George O’Day
Inducted to the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2014, George Dyer O’Day’s sailing credentials include numerous National and World Champion titles, an Olympic gold medal [5.5mR Class, Minotaur, Rome 1960] and two America’s Cup wins [1962, Weatherly (US-17) and 1967, Intrepid (US-22)]. Primarily a small-boat racer, he was new to the 12mR Class in 1962, when he’d been chosen as Easterner‘s (US-18) helmsman.
After US-18 was eliminated from the Defender Trails, Bus Mosbacher quickly recruited him to the Weatherly team where his expertise in all things sailing– technical, coaching and organization were a valuable asset to the team. George even served Weatherly’s spokesperson to shield Mosbacher from the ever-present and persistent dockside press core. In fact, he was the senior person onboard to receive the NYYC Selection Committee when they arrived with the news that Weatherly had been chosen as the 18th Defender of the America’s Cup.
As well as being a keen film maker himself, O’Day was also a collector of vintage films, so while the majority of this collection relates to his competitive sailing and business projects there are also some notable pre-war films in the group. These include: unique color footage of the Herreshoff catamaran Amaryllis II filmed in 1933; extensive color film of the 1937 America’s Cup races; and rare footage of Monitor, the first sailing hydrofoil boat, filmed circa 1955.
The collection also includes film of the launching and early cruises of the Sparkman and Stephens ketch Bolero as well as uncommon construction footage of a Bill Tripp-designed Block Island 40, all of these films commissioned by John Nicholas Brown.
In addition to the O’Day Collection, the Library also has amateur footage of cruising and racing in Buzzards Bay in the 1920s, and a collection of private films from the Gubelmann family that includes extensive footage from the late 1930s of the 168’ full-rigged ship Seven Seas.
The collection is currently in the process of being digitized, and as this takes place these films are being added to our IYRS Library Historic Film Playlist on YouTube. Subscribe to our E-Newsletter and YouTube channel (both found below)to receive news when additional films are ready for viewing!