Unlike many yachts of the Gilded Age which were built on a grand scale to luxurious standards (like SY Liberty, owned by Hearst's soon-to-be rival Joseph Pulitzer), Vamoose was designed for performance.

[1] In order to satisfy these requirements, lead engineer Nathaniel Herreshoff based the yacht on his earlier design for the U.S. Navy torpedo boat USS Cushing.

[6] Shortly beforehand, Hearst's San Francisco Examiner had reportedly published a poor review of his daughter Amélie Rives' book, and the refusal was interpreted as an act of retaliation.

[5] After losing an initial bout in unfavorable conditions, Vamoose would earn revenge a week later while she hosted Hearst and a number of guest journalists for a cruise around New York Harbor.

After paying a visit to the White Squadron at anchor nearby, the crew spotted Mary Powell departing her berth at 22nd Street (now Chelsea Piers) laden with passengers—many of whom had booked passage just to see the rumored rematch.

[7] An initial date was set for October 3, 1891 and advertised in newspapers by the Iron Steamboat Company and Sandy Hook Line, who each sold spectator tickets to watch the event from their steamers.

[12] In September 1893, Munro purchased Vamoose from Hearst for $10,000 (equivalent to $339,111 in 2023) and vowed to race them against each other in order to "satisfy public curiosity,"[13] but his death in February 1894 apparently prevented that from happening.

[16] In 1896 she was engaged by The New York Journal and repositioned to Key West, Florida, where the paper intended to use her on frequent trips to Havana to gather correspondence from its sources in Cuba.

As a fast, privately-owned yacht, she would be free from interference by Spanish authorities, and could make the 87-mile (140 km) journey back to Key West in around four hours (whereafter breaking news could reach the paper's offices instantly by telegram).