Wilson
Prescott Wilson · 1895–1958 Documentary in progress

New York City · Newport, Rhode Island

Prescott
Wilson

June 7, 1895 — May 16, 1958

16
J-Class Sails — 1937 Season Of 23 J-Class sails used that summer, 16 came from Wilson's loft at 2 South Street.
60
Staff at Peak 50 in New York. 10 stationed in Newport during America's Cup season.
18k
sq ft — Largest Sail in Yachting History Laid out at the 71st Regiment Armory, NYC, in the middle of the night.

The sailmaker behind Ranger, Rainbow & Yankee.

He built the winning sails for the 1937 America's Cup — all three American J-Class contenders, simultaneously, in secret.

History forgot to write his name down.

The New Yorker · July 3, 1937  ·  National Archives  ·  America-Scoop
Star Class J-Class America's Cup 1937 12-Metre WWII Prescott Wilson Inc. 2 South Street NYC
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Address 2 South Street, New York City
Cable "Winners"
Telephone BOWling Green 9-9062
Read the evidence ↓

Primary Sources

What the
record
shows

Assembled from The New Yorker, the National Archives, Star Class records, America-Scoop J-Class documentation, the Ratsey & Lapthorn Collection at Mystic Seaport, and family testimony.

1929
Star Class Technical Committee
Wilson served alongside Ernest Ratsey and Francis Sweisguth. His name appears first. He tested the new Marconi rig on his own Star boat — still the standard today.
Source: Starlights · Starclass.org
1937
Ranger · America's Cup
16 of 23 J-Class sails from Wilson's loft. His rayon quadrilateral jib — secretly tested in Narragansett Bay — was used in all four Cup races. Ranger won 4–0.
Source: America-Scoop · Steel Museum
18k
Largest Sail in History
An 18,000 sq ft parachute spinnaker, laid out at the 71st Regiment Armory in the dead of night. "It made Mr. Wilson very proud indeed."
Source: The New Yorker · July 3, 1937
WWII
Military Canvas Supplier
Prescott Wilson Inc. listed as a U.S. Army medical equipment supplier — fire-resistant hospital ward canvas systems. The parachute expertise built at sea, now deployed on land.
Source: WWII Medical Equipment Suppliers

A Life in Chronology

1895
Born in Rhode Island
Prescott Comstock Wilson, son of Harry and Caroline Comstock Wilson. Newport would become his second home — and his final resting place.
1919
Enters Geo. Burrows Inc.
After WWI, Wilson joins the sail loft of George Burrows — an Oxford Latin teacher turned New York sailmaker — at 2 South Street, Manhattan. His engineering background sets him apart.
1929
Star Class Technical Committee
Wilson leads the transition from gaff rig to Marconi rig — still used today in Star Class racing worldwide. His name appears before Ernest Ratsey's in the committee listing.
1930s
Prescott Wilson Inc. — "Winners"
Upon Burrows' death, Wilson renames the firm. Cable address: "Winners." 60 staff at peak. He becomes the principal American challenger to Ratsey & Lapthorn.
1937
The America's Cup — Ranger
Wilson works simultaneously on Ranger, Rainbow, and Yankee. His rayon quadrilateral jib — tested secretly in the far reaches of Narragansett Bay — is used in all four Cup races. Ranger wins 4–0. 16 of 23 J-Class sails carry his mark.
1941
World War II
Prescott Wilson Inc. pivots to military production — fire-resistant hospital canvas for the U.S. Army. The parachute expertise built on racing grounds now serves the war effort.
1958
May 16, 1958 · Newport, Rhode Island
Prescott Comstock Wilson dies aged 62. Buried at Island Cemetery, Newport — the same harbor where he won America's greatest sailing trophy twenty-one years earlier. No obituary in the sailing press. No Wikipedia page. One archived New Yorker profile. A documentary in progress.