Rainbow
 Commissioned by C. L. Orr-Ewing MP in 1897,
Rainbow
was the first modern schooner built in Britain. Orr-Ewing set out to build the fastest
schooner afloat and a yacht that would be equally
suited to both racing and cruising; the result was
destined to become one of G. L. Watson's greatest
masterpieces.
With the rating rules in disarray Watson
was given free hand to produce an ideal yacht. With
time at a premium, over 200 men swarmed over the beautiful hull as it took shape in
the D&W Henderson's yard. To skipper her, Orr-Ewing recruited
Captain John Carter and his crew from the royal cutter
Britannia but Carter's ill health led to his
replacement by Captain Tom Jay, poached from the first
class cutter Ailsa. After completion at the Henderson
yard, Orr-Ewing ordered Rainbow to Southampton.
Her
maiden passage from the Clyde, accomplished in just 50
hours, set the tone for the reputation for speed she
was to develop. Her racing career began at Kiel where
she dominated the schooner class. Sweeping all before
her, Rainbow raced only 26 times prior to Orr-Ewing's
death in 1902. Her enduring record is for pure speed.
Her record for the fastest timed speed attained by any
displacement yacht was achieved in the channel when in
a period of 4 hours she sailed 60 miles. Her log
peaked at 16 ½ knots and the Duke of Leeds, then
Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, who was on
board at the time recorded that when "Rainbow was
sailing at her fastest, heeled over to a moderate but
not great angle, there was not the slightest motion of
any kind, the vessel being absolutely steady."
 In 1903
Rainbow was acquired by a German syndicate,
the Norddeutcher Regatta Verein. Re-named Hamburg, the
great schooner joined the elite fleet of the Meteors,
Iduna and Clara. Hamburg's presence in the German
fleet may have prompted the Kaiser's sponsoring of the
1905 Atlantic Challenge. Hamburg was reckoned by many
to be the finest schooner afloat capable of sustained
speed offshore. Initially ahead of Atlantic, Hamburg
suffered some damage and hove to for repairs. In the full Atlantic storm that
followed her master opted to run before the wind for 2
days allowing himself to be blown too far north. In the subsequent light winds Hamburg
made good some of her lost time and gained a
creditable second place. Ultimately the
Hamburg syndicate were beaten
by Charlie Barr's incredible performance at the helm
of Atlantic.
Like many of the large Victorian
schooners Rainbow was sold out of yachting.
Her buyer, a Hong Kong-based ship owner, operated her as a trading schooner in the Indian
Ocean. In September 1927, the career of one of
greatest sailing yachts of all time ended in a Bombay
scrap yard.
Her suitability for inshore and ocean
racing as well as cruising has been proven by her
track record. Her hull shape allows space to install
modern systems the weight of which need not compromise
performance. The interior volume lends itself to truly
spacious accommodation for both guests and crew.
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