Victor Tchetchet (June 19, 1891 – April 26, 1974) was a pioneering early modern multihull sailboat designer from Ukraine (at his birth part of the Russian Empire) who is thought to have coined the term 'trimaran',[1] though Éric de Bisschop built a trimaran in France earlier.[citation needed] He was also a landscape and portrait painter.[2][3][4]
Born in Kyiv, Victor was inspired by South Pacific outriggers to connect two 18 ft (5.5 m) canoes to make a catamaran and enter the Kyiv Imperial Yacht Club's local races. After winning, he was disqualified.[1]
In 1923 Tchetchet emigrated to New York City and further experimented with catamarans and trimarans.[1] In 1945 he launched his first trimaran, of 24 ft (7.3 m) length.[1]
Tchetchet entered the Marblehead Race Week in 1946. Despite a poor performance, his participation helped to overcome the local prejudice against multihulls after Nathanael Herreshoff's 1876 win with the catamaran Amaryllis at the New York Yacht Club's Centennial Regatta.[1] In the same year, he established the International Multihull Boat Racing Association.[1]
- ^ a b c d e f "Victor Tchetchet". Multihull Maven.
- ^ "Brunettes are Durable". The Brockway Record. Brockway, PA. April 28, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved June 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cleopatra". The Beatrice News. Beatrice, NB. February 9, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved June 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "From a Circus Performer to a Throne". Jackson County Banner. Brownstopwn, IN. March 7, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved June 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
