A short history of one of the most glamorous members of any America's Cup challenger afterguards
Phyllis Brodie Leslie Gordon Sopwith knew how to take a picture. She was regularly photographed at the helm of the America's Cup challengers ENDEAVOUR and ENDEAVOUR II, and always dressed for the occasion. Her official capacity onboard was timekeeper, which she performed when the yachts competed in the 1934 and 1937 America’s Cup races off Newport. The first ENDEAVOUR, a steel-hulled 130 foot yacht that introduced the quadrilateral genoa to J-class racing, came very close to winning the Cup in 1934 against the W. Starling Burgess designed RAINBOW (HMCo. #1233). Some questionable Vanderbilt sportsmanship prevented that victory, and led to the phrase "Britannia rules the waves and America waives the rules."ENDEAVOUR II was built for the 1937 America’s Cup. Phyllis Sopwith crewed both the races, and received extensive press coverage. She wasn’t the only female participant; Gertrude Vanderbilt was onboard RAINBOW for the same two races. But the many striking photographs of Phyllis Sopwith in action made her a more compelling and memorable presence in the public imagination over the course of both challenges.