Let the Best Boat Win

Constance Buel Burnett, Let the Bet Boat Win: The Story of America’s greatest yacht designer Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1957)


Burnett - Let the Best Boat Win
I picked up this book through a used book vendor and I’m glad I decided to give it a read.

You don’t have to be an ultra-wealthy yacht owner or even a fan of the America’s Cup race to enjoy the story of the remarkable Herreshoff family. It is a story of genius, to be sure, but it is also a story of the love of parents and their refusal to give up on their children in the face of disability. The Herreshoff family raised four children who were blind to become more than just productive members of society. Each was, in his or her own way a leader. It is a story of great courage and triumph over the odds.

Nathaniel Herreschoff was not one of the blind children, but his partnership with his blind broth John was key to his achieving such fame in the design of both power boats and racing sailboats. The Herreshoff yards produced some of the finest ships of any type ever produced in the United States and set the stage for the remarkable run of victories that have resulted in the America’s Cup remaining in this country for so many of the years of its history.

If you love boats, if you are interested in the triumphs of people living with disabilities, or if you just love a good story. This book is a fun read. The book be dates, but the story is timeless.