Independence 12 US 28

Overview

Launched in 1976, Independence (US-28) was the second 12 Metre designed by Frederick E. “Ted” Hood, following his earlier Nefertiti (US-19). Built at Minneford Yacht Yard in City Island, New York, she represented Hood’s direct response to the success of Courageous, the 1974 America’s Cup winner that he had skippered.

With Olin Stephens unavailable, Hood designed his own challenger in-house, continuing the design rivalry that defined the mid-1970s America’s Cup era—when leading sailmakers and designers sought to outdo each other through both technology and innovation.

Design and Construction

Independence was constructed to the International Third Rule, representing the late evolution of the wooden-hull 12 Metre generation before the widespread adoption of aluminum. Her hull was built with high-grade timber and cold-molded reinforcement, optimized for upwind stiffness and light-air performance.

Compared to Courageous, Independence featured subtle changes in keel form and weight distribution, as Hood pursued a livelier, more responsive helm. She was also one of the first Hood designs to fully integrate his sail-making expertise into the design process, giving her an unusually coordinated rig-to-hull balance for her time.

Racing Career

Racing under the burgee of Kings Point Fund, Inc., with home port Kings Point, New York, Independence joined the active American 12 Metre circuit between 1976 and 1979. She quickly became a respected competitor within the New York Yacht Club’s regatta series.

In 1977, Independence shared the Lipton Memorial Trophy with Enterprise (US-27)—a highlight in her brief racing career. Although she did not enter the Defender Trials, she demonstrated consistent form in club and invitational events and was known as a well-balanced, smooth-handling yacht with an edge in moderate conditions.

Later Modifications and Transformation

By the end of the 1970s, ownership of Independence was deleted from the Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts. In 1980, the yacht was acquired by R. E. “Ted” Turner, who commissioned a full redesign and rebuild at Minneford as the 12 Metre Clipper (US-32).

Records from the 12 Metre archives and yacht registries confirm that significant structural elements—hull sections and fittings—were reused in the new build. Clipper thus inherited part of Independence’s fabric, though she became a substantially new yacht in form and measurement.

This conversion effectively ended Independence’s existence as a standalone vessel—making her one of the few Twelves to be reborn as another 12 Metre within the same design lineage.

Legacy

Although short-lived, Independence (US-28) remains notable as Ted Hood’s second and final 12 Metre design. She bridged the gap between Nefertiti and Courageous, representing Hood’s evolution from sailmaker and helmsman to full-fledged yacht designer.

Her integration of design and sail technology was ahead of its time, and her conversion into Clipper links her directly to the continuous experimentation that defined the American Cup scene of the 1970s.

Today, Independence endures not as a surviving hull but as part of the design DNA that carried forward into later Twelves—an essential step in the creative and competitive arc of Ted Hood’s 12 Metre legacy.