Proprietor of the New York Herald, James Gordon Bennett Jr was famous for being eccentric, impetuous and wealthy, qualities that resulted in a $30,000 bet and the first transatlantic yacht race. With a cast of New York socialites, oddballs and adventurers, this book tells the story of the record-breaking race through the voyage of Bennett’s winning vessel, the Henrietta, which left New York in high winds in midwinter 1866.