The third of Nathaniel Herreshoffs' Americas Cup yachts, COLUMBIA, is in a head-to-head match with the racing schooner CORONA, owned by Commodore Lewis Cass Ledyard of the New York Yacht Club. Taking place off Beaver Tail Lighthouse in Narraganset Bay, the N.Y.Y.C. yachts had stopped in Newport just prior to the Astor Cup Race of July 29. They are escorted by Steam Yacht flying the N.Y.Y.C. burgee as the primary observer.Couch masterfully puts a present feeling on yesterday's greatest yacht races. He excels is his dynamic realism of the structure and function of the racing yachts, with everything in strict accordance to the actual yachts. Beautifully proportioned, these are not lifeless structures, but ships of fluid, moving souls set upon oceans that portray the element as fine as any artist ever has. Painstakingly researched, the event details come back to life on his painted canvas. The complete composition holds the eye and has everything to be desired. It is a rare artist who can blend the concrete and the ethereal in such a manner, to painting a sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing work of art. When combined with the portrayals of such great racing yachts, he rises above the crop of contemporary artists. American yacht racing reached its pinnacle in the late 19th Century, and if you weren't there, you can be now.
