From Fireflies to Ocean Racers and from Hobie 16s to America’s Cup winning 12mR yachts, Jimmy Gubelmann has sailed them all. His yacht racing accomplishments began while sailing with his 3-year undefeated Varsity team at St. George’s School and grew throughout the next 4 decades while racking up line honors and firsts in numerous offshore races crewing onboard four famed ocean-racing yachts– two named Windigo (71.5′ and 73′) and two named Tempest (68′ and 80′)– skippered by Eric Ridder, Stilly Taylor, Bob Bavier, Briggs Cunningham and Jimmy’s godfather, Carlton Mitchell.

Meanwhile, Jimmy served as alternate crew on the 1964 America’s Cup winning 12mR Constellation (US-20) where his life-long passion for the 12mR Class started. In 2001, he organized a campaign to sail Columbia (US-16) at the America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes (UK) then raced her throughout Med starting from Sardinia and on to Monaco Classics Week and Les Voiles de St. Tropez collecting multiple European trophies along the way. From 2004-2007, his Courageous (US-26) syndicate dominated the Americas 12mR fleet at the NYYC Annual, NYYC Race Week, Edgartown YC and 12mR North American Championship regattas with first place at each for 4 seasons running—book-ended by their 2005 and 2007 12mR World Championship wins! As Commodore of the 12mR Yacht Club from 2013-2019, Jimmy was instrumental in the realization of the tremendously successful 2019 12mR World Championship held in Newport, where 22 teams from 6 countries enjoyed three weeks of international competition and camaraderie.

THE GUBELMANN FAMILY COLLECTION

In addition to these most notable yachts, the family has owned numerous others of varying description over the years beginning c. 1924.

The Gubelmann Maritime Collection contains a variety of documents related to the purchase, sale, ownership, and upkeep on various yachts as well as cruises and races. Archived by three generations of Gubelmann family yachtsmen, the extensive collection includes books, blueprints, catalogs, correspondence, logs, magazines, photographs, postcards, film and videos related to specific vessels as well as to general sailing. Cruises covered (by logs, photos, or other documentation) include the Mediterranean, Greek Islands, Dalmation (Croatia), the Caribbean, Central American, and Newfoundland to Alaska.

Highlights include:

• 1930’s films of the cruises of Seven Seas
• Constellation (US-20), 1964 America’s Cup files that include every detail of the campaign from blueprints to sail plans, from financial records to press clippings. Viewed together they document the full scope of the 1964 America’s Cup Defender program.
• Ocean Racer Windigo photo albums, log books and more