| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Brilliant |
| Owner: | Mystic Seaport |
| Builder: | Henry B. Nevins |
| Yard number: | City Island, Bronx |
| Completed: | 1932 |
| Status: | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 30 |
| Length: | 61 ft 6 in (18.75 m) |
| Beam: | 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) |
| Height: | 81 ft (25 m) |
| Draft: | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Installed power: | Sail, Diesel Engine |
| Propulsion: | Detroit Diesel 353 |
| Sail plan: | Schooner |
| Capacity: | 12 |
Brilliant is a schooner located at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut, United States. The Brilliant was built in 1932 on City Island, Bronx, by Henry B. Nevins to a design by Sparkman & Stephens for Walter Barnum. The Brilliant was built as an ocean racing yacht, and on its maiden voyage crossed the Atlantic Ocean in just over 15 days, a record for a sailing yacht of her size.
During World War II, the schooner was acquired by the U.S. Coast Guard and used to patrol the New England coast for enemy submarines. During this time, two machine guns were mounted on Brilliant's deck.
After the war, Brilliant was purchased by the accomplished sailor Briggs Cunningham, who attempted to increase her speed by outfitting her with a larger rig. The new rig consisted of taller masts, a self-tacking forestaysail, and a Bermuda-mainsail, replacing the original gaff main. During this time, Cunningham also invented the cunningham, a tie-down for the tack (the lower, forward corner of the mainsail) which allows the sail to maintain a more efficient shape. This makes Brilliant the first boat to have the device, now standard on racing boats of all sizes. Despite his modifications, Cunningham was unable to significantly improve the speed of Brilliant and he donated her to Mystic Seaport in 1957.
Mystic Seaport now uses the vessel as an offshore classroom and features it as part of their collection of watercraft.[1]