Invicta (sailboat)
The Pearson Invicta is a sailboat designed for ocean racing. It has a fiberglass sloop with wood trim. Sailboats were once made solely of wood however, the Invicta was the first sailboat produced with a fiberglass hull to win a major ocean race (the 1964 Newport, Rhode Island to Bermuda), being placed second overall in the 1962 Newport to Bermuda Race. It was its first in its class and first overall. Thus permanently influencing the course of sailboat design. The Pearson Invicta was designed by noted naval architect William H. Tripp Jr and was produced by Pearson Yachts located in Bristol, Rhode Island. The Invictas design philosophy followed a line established earlier by the beamy keel centerboard yawl Finisterre which was designed by Sparkman and Stephens for noted yachtsman Carlton Mitchell. Mitchell won the Newport to Bermuda Race three times (1956, 1958, and 1960) in Finisterre. These yachts were designed under the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule. This rule was a handicapping system that resulted in dual purpose boats that could be used for safe family cruising as well as competitive handicap racing. These designs featured long overhangs at the bow and stern and curved "springy" sheer lines giving