victura sailboat

Book Review: Victura: The Kennedys, A Sailboat, and the Sea

The lives of President John F. Kennedy and his storied family have been dissected, one would have thought, from every angle possible. But now comes the story of their enchantment with sailboats. As an avid sailor, this approach piqued my interest as none of the other myriad of tell-all stories of American’s “Camelot” had ever done. Author and Kennedy family friend James W. Graham focuses his tale on the Wianno Senior a 25-foot (7.6 m) gaff-rigged sloop that seems to be raced only on Nantucket Sound by four Cape Cod yacht clubs. JFK was, according to the tale, given a Senior at age 15 and it was named Victura, which means “about to live” or “about to conquer.”

The book starts out, as many Kennedy biographies do, with the last days of the doomed president. But it focuses on a doodle the president made on the stationary of the Rice Hotel in Houston, where he and his wife Jacqueline stayed the night before his assassination in Dallas. On a piece of paper found later by the cleaning staff was a little sketch of a sailboat.

The Kennedys love of sailing

It’s a novel way to approach the story of the Kennedy family, and I was anxious to see how the story of their love for the sea wound through the historic highs and lows of the Kennedy epic. We learn a number of things about the family and their relationship to the sea, mostly about their family compound at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. We’re reminded the Kennedys were ambitious, competitive and hated to lose at anything, especially sailing. This was something they learned from the patriarch of the family, Joseph P. Kennedy, who would chide his children, or just plain not talk to them, after a loss in a sailing race. We learned that, to the Kennedys, sailing was a ritual to prove their place in the family, and fight for a place in the pecking order. Sailboats were a place for courting and building an image as America’s first family of a new generation of politicians in the tumultuous middle of the last century.

Many of the iconic stories and images of the Kennedys concern boats and water. The most powerful, of course, is the story of JFK surviving the sinking of the PT109 in the South Pacific during World War II; another is the picture of JFK and Jacqueline on Victura during their courtship (pictured above, on the cover of the book). This tale is at its best when it sticks to the boats and the lives of the Kennedys when they return to Hyannis Port to sail together as a way to celebrate or mourn, which they did in spades.

The book drags a bit when it wanders too far from the sea, trying to weave in the major issues and crises of JFK’s presidency, like the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, and other historical and political challenges faced by JFK and his brothers. It’s clear that returning to Hyannis Port to sail was one way the Kennedys decompressed from their extraordinary public lives. The sections on the presidency don’t add to what is already known, and make the real core of the story — a family’s love for the sea — seem small and, except to a sailor, slightly inconsequential in perspective.

This book confirms much of what we have come to know about the Kennedy family: they live lives not like the rest of us. But it also showed that they shared something core to most sailors: the knowledge that roiling tides, battering winds and the challenges of flapping sails and flying sheets are both a salve for despair and a powerful way to feel the joys of victory. Whether you are a sailor or fan of John F. Kennedy, you might enjoy the book Victura: The Kennedys, a Sailboat and the Sea by author James W. Graham.

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Victura: The Kennedys, A Sailboat, and the Sea

This is a guest post written by Spencer A. Sherman. Spencer last wrote about Houseboating on Lake Oroville .

3 thoughts on “Book Review: Victura: The Kennedys, A Sailboat, and the Sea”

Interesting details… hm, it seems to be a good book.

This past December we visited the JFK Memorial Museum in Dallas and in January we visited the LBJ Texas White House – two lives definitely connected. Fascinating stories, both of them. I think there is so much that is only known to insiders. Looks to be an interesting book about an infamous family.

@Patti I lived in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1983 and was keenly aware that the Kennedy family had a large presence in Boston. With tragedy and triumph, this family has made its mark on history in the United States.

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Victura: The Kennedys, a Sailboat, and the Sea Hardcover – April 1, 2014

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• Print length 265 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Foredge
• Publication date April 1, 2014
• Dimensions 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 1611684110
• ISBN-13 978-1611684117
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About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Foredge; Complete Numbers Starting with 1, 1st Ed edition (April 1, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 265 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611684110
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611684117
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
• #1,845 in Sailing (Books)
• #12,645 in Political Leader Biographies
• #21,052 in United States Biographies

About the author

James w. graham.

James W. Graham worked for some of Illinois' highest-ranking elected officials, including former Governor Jim Edgar, and also has been a public affairs consultant to major corporations and industry associations. History and sailing are passionate interests that came together in the writing of Victura: the Kennedys, a Sailboat, and the Sea.

He has sailed and raced small sailboats on Lake Michigan for 20 years, the last five on the 24-foot sloop Venturous.

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Public Campaign Launched to Preserve Beloved Piece of Kennedy History

March 15, 2017 Press Contact: Darcie Fisher 774-281-3506  [email protected]

Public Campaign Launched to Preserve Beloved Piece of Kennedy History  

Boston, MA — The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation today announced a public campaign to support the preservation of John F. Kennedy’s iconic wooden sailboat, the  Victura . Purchased by the Kennedy family when JFK was 15 years old,  Victura  was a beloved family treasure and features prominently in historic photographs, film footage, and even documents on which JFK doodled pictures of the boat during some of the most trying times of his presidency.

Since 1980,  Victura  has been displayed on the lawn of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum each year from May through November for all to bear witness its history. After several months’ exposure to the elements, in the offseason, the antique boat must undergo meticulous preservation. In order to support this work, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation has launched a  GoFundMe  campaign called “Preserve  Victura  at the JFK Library” with a goal of raising $25,000 by April 19 th .

“President Kennedy loved the sea,” said Steven Rothstein, Executive Director of the Kennedy Library Foundation. “From summers spent on the waters off the Cape, to his Navy service, and even to the Oval Office where he drew sailboats during meetings, the President’s love for the sea can be seen in every stage of his life. And that connection was centered around one very special sailboat, the  Victura . It is an honor to have this historic artifact in our care, and to be able to display it outside each year. We hope that as we celebrate the Centennial of President Kennedy’s birth, others will find it meaningful to join us in our effort to continue to preserve this iconic piece of presidential history for the next 100 years.”

The  Victura  was designed and built by Crosby Yacht Yard on Cape Cod, MA and is one of only about 200 Wianno Seniors ever built. JFK named the boat  Victura , which means “she who is about to conquer” in Latin, a subject he struggled with in school. While in use,  Victura  had at least two known brushes with disaster: in 1936 it was struck by lightning; then in 1944, it was saved from a hurricane only when JFK himself dragged it ashore during the storm.

Victura  sits on the JFK Library’s lawn from May to November, pointing out to the Boston Harbor and the Atlantic beyond. Since it is displayed outdoors in all weather throughout the summer and fall months, the  Victura  is vulnerable to the variable New England weather, from scorching sunlight to driving rain. Each winter, the  Victura  is sent to Crosby Yacht Yard, where it was built, for protection from the harsh elements. While there, a skilled team of conservators works to make sure that any damage is reversed before it can cause long-term harm to the boat.

On average,  Victura  requires between 100 and 125 hours of preservation work each year. Such work can include everything from sanding and touching up paint to redoing the protective varnish coating. The work is critical to ensure that  Victura  will remain in its current well-preserved state for years to come to be enjoyed by the thousands of people, young and old, who visit the Kennedy Library each year or walk by the boat in its perch alongside Boston’s Harborwalk.

The “Preserve the Victura” campaign is part of the Foundation’s year-long celebration of the 100 th anniversary of President Kennedy’s birth. Gifts starting at $10.00 will receive special keepsakes or experiences. A video kicking off the Go Fund Me campaign is available  HERE  and contains video and still photographs of JFK and the Kennedy Family sailing  Victura .

The historic  Crosby Yacht Yard  in Barnstable built, repairs, and provides winter shelter for the  Victura.

About the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is one of 14 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. It is supported, in part, by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. The Kennedy Presidential Library and the Kennedy Library Foundation seek to promote, through educational and community programs, a greater appreciation and understanding of American politics, history, and culture, the process of governing and the importance of public service.

Victura, The Kennedys, a Sailboat, and the Sea

An Interview with The Immigrant Magazine & Author, James W. Graham

The author, left, aboard Glide with Ethel,, Ted Jr., Max, Sheila, Kiki and Chris Kennedy, and a family friend. Photo by crewman. August 6, 2012.

Victura, the beloved sailboat that taught the Kennedys about life, family, leadership and winning


The Immigrant Experience , Book Review

James W. Graham’s new book —  Victura: the Kennedys, a Sailboat, and the Sea  — offers new insights into the dynamics and magic of the Kennedy family and their intense relationship with sailing and the sea. Many families sail together, but the Kennedys’ relationship with  Victura , the 25-foot sloop purchased in 1932 shortly after the family’s move to Hyannis Port, stands apart.

In an interview with The Immigrant Magazine, Author, James W. Graham shares his amazing relationship with the Kennedys and explores how their lives were not always centered on politics alone but equally how a simple family tradition of sailing would pave the way for a rich family heritage spanning generations.

The Daily Boston Globe’s caption: “Bob advises his brother John how to bend the jib of the Victura.” Photo courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library, July 1934.

• Who is James W. Graham and what is your immigrant heritage?

Professionally I help people, politicians, businesses and others communicate more effectively and form closer, friendlier relationships. In short it is public relations, but I hope it is more than that. I’m dedicated full-time now to a major-brand retailer and health care provider, and it is a wonderful company. In my down time I cruise around near-shore on Lake Michigan on our family sailboat Venturous out of Wilmette Harbor, north of Chicago.

My great-grandfather on my father’s side came over from Ireland in a 19th Century year unknown. My great-great-grandparents on my mother’s side came over from England in 1836. During the 19th Century, my parent’s forbearers all eventually settled in Joliet, Illinois, the city of my baby-boomer birth. An exception to this narrative is my grandmother on my mother’s side who came to America from England in the 1600s, so unless you are a Native American, her story doesn’t contribute much to the more modern story of America as a nation of immigrants.

• Do you have an immigrant culture and how do you think your heritage shapes the way you perceive and relate with immigrants today?

Robert F. Kennedy steers Victura with plenty of helpers. No youngster was turned away, no matter the boat’s crew capacity. AP Photo/Bob Schutz, July 30, 1961.

I grew up always thinking of myself as having Irish roots, though that was wrong since it pays no homage to my mother’s English heritage. I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten to grade 12 and my classmates all were a wonderful mix of Irish, Italian, Polish and other European origins.

At a very young age of about five one of my best friends was a neighbor who did not attend my Catholic School. His name was Jeffrey Nichols and I remembered having a tortured conversation with him in which I held that Santa Claus was real and he argued otherwise. Years later it occurred to me he must have been Jewish.

• What prompted you to write this book?

I visited the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum some 20 years ago and saw the sailboat  Victura  displayed, as it still is today from May to November, on the lawn outside. I loved that boat and wished I could have one like it.

In 2009, Ted Kennedy died and I happened to take the time to listen to several of the eulogies given, from President Obama on down to old friends and relatives. I was struck that no fewer than four of the eulogists chose to capture the essence of the man by telling of their personal experiences sailing with him on the  Victura . I realized then there was a story to be told about a simple, small sailboat that meant something deep and meaningful to an entire epic family over multiple generations.

As I looked further, I was delighted to find a rich story that offered a unique lens on one of America’s greatest families, one never previously focused in quite my way. It started with their challenges as Irish Catholics in Boston, where they struggled to gain social acceptance, and continued to today where acceptance is more than established and sailing boats just like  Victura  is still a passionate interest.

Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt steadied himself on Victura’s bow to capture 8-year-old Ted (forward) and, from left, Jean, Rose, Joe, Bobby, Patricia and Euncice. Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images, 1940.

•  What was the Kennedy fascination with sailing and how did this tie into their family dynamic?

The family bought a house on the south shore of Cape Cod in the mid-1920s and the children of Joe and Rose Kennedy quickly took to sailing because so many families did at that time and place. Competitiveness was in their DNA and taught by their parents. There was no coming in second in their father’s view, and they adored their father. That shared experience of the sons and daughters of Joe and Rose, all that time spent together racing or just cruising, formed bonds that were never severed.

In 1963, when the three brothers were President, Attorney General and U. S. Senator, three of their sisters decided that what their brothers really wanted for Christmas was paintings of themselves and their wives sailing the  Victura . They commissioned an artist to make three such paintings. That’s how much that little boat meant.

• Why the title,  Victura ?

John F. Kennedy at age 15 was given the opportunity to name the boat. Latin was not his best subject in school, where he studied it. But he chose an excellent name because  Victura  means, in Latin, “about to conquer.” What a great name for a racing boat.

• The history of the Kennedy sailing repertoire goes as far back as their migration to the USA from Ireland. Do you think this makes them relatable to the average migrant experience?

Victura  was a boat made for “one-design” racing, where competitors all sail the same boat with the same shape, specifications and sails. One-design racing started in Ireland about 50 years before the Kennedys acquired  Victura . Ireland being an island, a love of sailing and the sea is something surely handed down from generations before.

Chris Kennedy, a son of Robert and Ethel, was sailing once with his children and he leaned next to one of them and pointed to a lighthouse. He said if you draw a line from here to that lighthouse, then continue that line in the same direction, you’ll get to Ireland. What immigrant family does not seek to create connections like that?

• This book dwells on an aspect of the lifestyle of one of the most politically prominent and beloved families in American history that many are not familiar with, do you think this adds anything or influences in any way the legacy of the Kennedys?

I hope this story of the Kennedys and their shared experiences by the sea and as sailors helps us understand better how they became such a strong family. The children of Joe and Rose collectively accomplished amazing things, and not just the boys. Think how Eunice successfully dedicated her life to redefining how we think about and embrace in society people with disabilities. She claimed she was the best sailor of all the boys and girls of that generation. So somehow the seaside and sailing lifestyle must have helped yield something magical and exceptional.

• What is your relationship with the Kennedy family and have they read the book? What has been the reception?

After I started the book I asked Chris Kennedy if I could interview him. He not only agreed and shared wonderful stories, he introduced me to members of his family and invited me to sail on a boat just like  Victura  out at Hyannis Port. I had a wonderful opportunity to also sail on another boat with other members of the family, including his extraordinary mother Ethel.

I don’t know about every member of the Kennedy family, but Chris read it and recently came to one of my book-signings, where he and I spoke about the book before a small audience. He was most complimentary and I’m deeply appreciative of that.

• Sailing seemed to be a spark of the competitive yet generous spirit that they shared as a family. Where does sailing rank with the new generation of Kennedys today?

I vividly remember showing up at a Kennedy household at Hyannis Port and seeing first-hand how the great-grandchildren of Joe and Rose Kennedy are being introduced to sailing and taking to it with enthusiasm. I saw a Kennedy girl of about 10 learning how to properly fold a sail. I met another one of about 18 or 19 who had recently skippered a Wianno-Senior-class sailboat like  Victura  all the way to Nantucket, an island you can’t even see from Hyannis Port, 35 miles away.

An important message of my book is the role of shared experiences like sailing in the strengthening of families.

• In sailing with them what was your perception of them as a family and what this meant to them?

They sail together every day if they can, during their times at Hyannis Port. It is so much a part of their shared experience and a thing they know nurtures their relationships and strengthens their family. They clearly love their time together and the opportunity to converse without interruption about things. I think I saw one member of the family walk forward to take a call on his cellphone but no one else did.

They love passing on skills as sailors to siblings and children. They know it is one thing that keeps them “grounded,” if you can use that word about a boat.

President Kennedy had a plaque on his oval office desk that said, “Oh God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.” For all of them, sailing puts so much of life into proper perspective.

The book might appear to be about a little sailboat, but it is really a book about family, and I hope it helps us all better understand how we might make our own families stronger. I hope it changes our perception of the Kennedys by making us understand better how they became such a strong family, still to this day supporting one another through triumph and tragedy, historic achievement and personal shortcoming. They are a close family with all the challenges any family faces. We can all benefit from finding shared experience – whether it is sailing or fly fishing or checkers – to bind ourselves to one another. We as families should all find our own  Victura.

Victura  is available in hardcover and as an ebook from all major booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.   Also, your local independent bookseller will be happy to order the book if they do not have it in stock.

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