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a es ey _. Radio Control’« -*, > it MODEL MAKER) THE 1959 10-RATER CHAMPIONSHIP. Photographed and reported by D. DEWHURST Right: Skipper Knott and mate Collins and the winning yacht Ashrah, seen below racing the winner of two reves championships, rocco HE Whitsun meeting for the M.Y.A. a National 10-Rater champion ship was this year held weekend the mercury rose and by mid-afternoon conditi ons were tropical. At five o’clock a heavy thunder storm broke. Bravo, however, to the stalwart souls who, clad in oilskins and sou’westers, battled through the squalls and torrential rain to complete the resails. After the tea interval an at Fleetwood, on June 4/5/6th. For those readers who have not visited Fleetwoo d, the sailing water is a salt water pool, specially con- structed for model yachting, being 270 yards long and 70 yards wide. An impression of the winds sometime s experienced on this pool may be gathered from the fact that a Fleetwood competitor, G. Barlow, was equipped attempt at racing was made and one heat was completed, but more rain and a flat calm put paid to any further racing. with all sails right down to fifth suit, and a complete set of Marblehead sails down to fourth suit, just in case! This in contrast to many less knowledgable persons who only had top suit. Fortunately for them, only top suits At the start of the third and final day, the faces of the Birkenhead contingent were wreathed in smiles, for the brisk westerly breeze, blowing uninterrupted from the sea, was giving perfect beat and run conditio ns. With at least a dozen boats in a challenging position it was were required. Racing opened on the Saturday afternoon with thirty still anybody’s race. In the second heat of the morning, Suroni (Clapha m) ditions which tended towards a reach at times. On the second day of racing the wind was more coming adrift, she slewed across the pond into the path of Cicero, M.Y.S.A.’s “Flying Chopper’. The impact split Suroni’s bread and butter hull right down a buttock line from amidships forward to the stem. This unlucky incident meant of course that skipper L. Nason had to retire, with a corresponding upset of the score sheet. But even he found it hard to be miserabl e, for the sight of Daddy Long Legs running to leeward for over an eighth-of-a-mile was quite a spectacle. When eventually a halt was called, it was announc ed that the new 1960 Champion was Ashrah of Clapham skippered by T. Knott and ably assisted by ‘‘Peg-leg Pete’ Collins. Thief (Bournemouth), sailing from lee-berth, won the sail-off from Harrier (Bradfor d) to take second place, while Cordelia, Zephyru s and Mermaid also had to sail-off to decide sixth place. Daddy Long Legs, the 1959 Champion, and which this starters, including three previous champions. Brilliant sunshine and an easterly wind gave beat and run con- was well and truly axed, when with spinnak er suddenly southerly, giving quartering winds and often a broad reach. Racing, however, was extremely keen and points were seldom “in the bag”. During the course of the day year came fifth, was designed and built by the skipper R. Redhead. The overall length of this sharpie is in the region of 7 ft. with a beam of approxi mately 8 in. Mr. Redhead’s object was to design a boat with the finest possible entry, the narrowest beam compatible with carrying the required sail, and the flattest possible after-section. The present boat was develop ed through three models: a 36-in., a Marblehead, and a ten-Rater. The “ten” in its original form appeared in 1946, was a complete failure, and was locked away. Several years later it was taken out again, dusted, and modifica tions were made. These included the removal of 2 in. of free- board, a reduced keel, and a reduced sailplan. It was then 432 SEPTEMBER, 1960 Right: ped sails from the lee berth i Harrier in the sail-off for against second place. Below: the twin-keeler Moonstone shows promise; further developments should be interesting. Below: right, also unorthodox and equally startling in a different way is Daddy Long Legs, complete with seventh successive fin registered in 1954 and performed well. Since then minor “mods” have been made. The present keel is reputed to be the seventh to be fitted. The other sharpie in the race was Cicero, designed, built and skippered by F. G. Ivory of M.Y.S.A. It was built primarily as a joke from scraps of 3 mm. ply, but trials revealed it was far from such. Vital statistics are: L.O.A. 60in.; L.W.L. 53}in. increasing considerably when heeled; Beam, 1lin.; Rating 9.38; Weight 273lb. O0.0.D., Mr. F. A. Boardman of Liverpool, commented on_ the complete absence of any major disputes, and the excellent standard of sailing. Skipper T. Knott Yacht rah Thief Harrier … Scarab… ae Cordelia a Mermaid… Sirocco Francis … Catalina … Judith Flora Seeker Zena awe Suky . Atkinson . W. Wright … . M. Fitzgerald cA Russell … Oe Connor Jones . A. Stagg . G. Ivory 25= 27 28 29 C-Halk … Pamela I Volante … 3 … 3 Scarpa Jed IT On 3 … p Saumarez Moonstone Comet | … Undine Sylvie Jessie eae . Ward Mata Hari Cicero : . C. Redfern… . H. Taylor . A. Quigley … a Zephyrus AO moO” SHH eum Qomo} ans Daddy Long Legs Ce D. G. T. Lippett 23s L. Maskell E. Butterworth R. Redhead P. Mustil REO In view of its formidable bows it “Flying the nicknamed was Chopper” by M.Y.S.A. members. The most unorthodox boat was K. Jones’s Moonstone, a twin keel design by J. Lewis. By having two high aspect ratio keels with total wetted area equal to that of a normal single keel, it was hoped to reduce drag. The potentialities of this arrangement are being investigated further in Herald, a new design by Mr. Lewis, In Herald the angle of the keels is such that when the boat is well heeled, one keel rides clear of the water. Results achieved so far are very promising, particularly in windward work. The highlight of the week-end’s racing was the outstanding sportsmanship of the competitors. The ‘) G.B. Oliver… Club Clapham … Bournville… Bradford … Forest Gate MAY S.A. 3. Birkenhead Birkenhead Fleetwood Birkenhead Bradford … Bury gee Bury Birkenhead aa Littlejohn Sleuth Lewis 1-off Lewis Halcyon* Redhead Mustil Lewis No. 19 Priest Flora Lewis 1-off ewis— Lewis 1-off Lewis Halcyon Priest M.Y.S.A Birkenhead Bolton Birkenhead Birkenhead Birkenhead M.Y:.S.A. … Clapham … Clapham … Clapham … Clapham … Sheffield … Fleetwood Bournville… Newcastle Note:—Suroni of Clapham retired with damaged b oat. *Modified or developed from the name design. Design Andrews Veloce* Littlejohn Lewis Sirocco O’Connor Lewis 1-off Ivory Tucker Io Il Lewis No:19 Littlejoha Alexander SEPTEMBER, 1960 FINE WEATHER but hardly any wind again caused mixed the at feelings Thames Shiplovers’ tenth annual rally held on July 3rd at the Round Pond. Entries were fewer this year, though the standard was high and there were quite a number of new models. The Thames barges dominated with the meeting seven fine entries; the race for these craft was won by P. Ford’s Mirosa. Among the other models that caught those were and our eyeraphed Top left shown here. photogwinner for Thames Trophy of is the all-routhe the 36-in. nd model, the best Ibex by M. T. Davey. m trawler Brixha Plymouthandstone is the 28-in. right Top the, A. Brewer by ., Flora May barge Scott Francis by C. medal 18}-insilver lugger Vera, and a earned which commended respectively. Below,a highly Barnet Gring, 30-in. 4M top row,er Helen by R. J. Dennys, in company schoon THE TENTH ANNUAL SAILING SHIP RALLY ae eee Mm) : : : : , : : by of Avenel Ladyschoon ine 2M brigant 24-in.r and withButche er Spray 31-in. is the delight G. ful by A. F. Pegg. Centre Discovery by G. Butcher; R.R.S. lifeboatinof length, fitted. detail was 19-in. is the largestevery , a Greek modelbypresent Right A. Pagoula, tos, in lengthwinner. caique r92-in. the Bottom silverS.medal anothe belonging 35-in., Elmes,and er ichA.S.M.S., 3Mtheschoon brigant the to Greenw ned. Centre is A. ine D. mentio previously gs’ 294-in. Hutchin barquentine Stanley A. Foot. the famous America, by G.winner s were Hudson and, lastly, a 30-in. schooner yacht, ‘Pfanerof the barge race, Mirosa. Other silver medal F, May Queen and the OOEL MAKER) THE HISTORY OF THE ‘A’ CLASS PART TWO After the war in by H. B. Tucker 1947 the British Championship was sailed at Fleetwood, but even in the following year (1948), the M.Y.A. did not feel that we were yet ready to stage an International Race for the “Y.M.” Cup. One reason was that British model yachtsmen were in a transitional stage between the old Braine gear and the new self-tacking Vane steering. So in 1948 an “All Nations” Regatta was staged at Gosport; and the British Championship thrown open to all comers. These included boats from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Portugal and the U.S.A., as well as England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The winner was Ranger (F.L. Pigeon, Boston M.Y.C.) representing the U.S.A. with Revanche (Kai Ipsen, Danish M.Y.C.) second, and the English Tinker Bell (R.A. Jurd, Gosport M.Y.C.) third. The 1949 A class regatta was held at Fleetwood. The winner of the British Championship was Scamp (L. K. Corrooin, Fleetwood M.Y.C.) and in the first post-war contest for the “Y.M.” Cup, she ————Ee met challengers from Belgium, Denmark, France and the U.S.A. The result of the race was a well-de- served win for the American Ranger which thus succeeded in taking the coveted Y.M. Challenge Cup to America. In the five years, 1950-1954 inclusive, in order to follow the history of the A class, we must deal separately with the British Championship and the Y.M. Cup races. As regards the British Championship, in 1950 this was sailed at Gosport, and in response to requests from European countries, thrown open to foreign competitors, like the “All Nations” event of 1948, as we had no International event to offer. It was won ‘by a British boat, but the following year, 1951 Kai Ipsen’s Revanche of Denmark won what was now known as the British “Open Championship”. The 1952 and 1953 British Open Championships were won by English yachts, but in 1954 we were again defeated by the Danish Revanche. Now let us turn to the history of the “Y.M.” Cup during 1950-1954. The Cup was taken to the States in 1949, but it was not until 1951 that the M.Y.A. was able to issue a return challenge and the race was sailed on the Storrow Lagoon, Boston, Mass. The British representative, chosen by a specially appointed Committee, was Shalimar, built by her owner, Mr. W. Jones (Birkenhead M.Y.C.) a pre-war design by the late J. G. Feltwell. As it turned out, the British boat proved no match for the American defender in the light winds prevalent at Boston, and was roundly trounced, scoring only 60 points to the American’s 92, In 1953 the Canadian M.Y.A. issued a challenge to the States, but this also was easily defeated. The following year (1954) with a devalued pound, shortage of dollar exchange and general financial stringency, there seemed no prospect of Britain being able to issue a further challenge to America for the “Y.M.” Cup within a measurable time. So with, great generosity the American M.Y.R.A. decided to repatriate the trophy and send it back to the M.Y.A. It should be added that since its return the conditions governing the Cup have been altered, and all races for it must now be sailed in England. The 19551959 events were duly held at Fleetwood and Gosport alternately, and were all won by English yachts. Unfortunately, these A-Class Regattas do not seem to attract the crowds of spectators or evoke the same public interest as they used to, and it seems desirable to try to ascertain the reasons for this loss of popularity. JI have heard this ascribed variously to the television craze, the attraction of the cheap “kit” dinghy, and the novelty of R/C model yacht racing. Yet I wonder if the real reason does not lie in changes we have made in our manner of running these regattas? At all events this possibility appears worth examination, The primary object of the first A-Class Championships was to select the British representative for the International event which followed. The British race Above: Scamp, 1949 winner, runs with Moonraker, 1955 champion. Left: Tinker Bell, winner in 1948, in light airs with 1953 champion Arabesque 452 was originally known as the “Selection Race”, and started with an Elimination Round in which every competitor sailed each of her rivals in rotation on the tournament system. The elimination round took three or four days, and at the end of it, the leading eight boats had a final two rounds, taking another day, scores gained during the final being added to those made in the Elimination round. Not only was this system absolutely fair since every finalist had the same possible, but was a really searching test, that ensured our having the best boat in the flotilla as British representative. Moreover, in the Finals, there was no need to have more than a single pair of yachts on the water at a time. Thus onlookers could easily follow their progress from end to end of the lake, and keep an exact tally on the scores of every boat. In fact, these Finals were Homeric contests, in which the eight best yachts and skippers strove for mastery, and provided a thrilling day’s sport for spectators to watch. As a result, the Finals drew the biggest crowds I have ever seen at a model yacht race, who followed the racing keenly, applauding every board as it was sailed. This method worked admirably with not more than about thirty entrants, but when the number increased beyond this point, was found too cumbersome and heats lasted too long. Divisional sailing was accordingly resorted to, the fleet being divided into two divisions. Four boats from each division then sailed a two-round eight-boat final. Naturally, scores from the divisional sailing could not be brought forward into the finals, though as far as the top three or four boats were concerned the results were sufficiently conclusive. Further, this system also had the advantage of providing a wonderful day’s racing for spectators to enjoy, and the finals still drew crowds of onlookers, and were a wonderful advertisement for the sport. However, there has always been a strong prejudice against divisional sailing, though it is recognised that under certain conditions this may be necessary. Yet it is hard to understand why this prejudice should also cover the system which embraces a final (also on the tournament system) as well as a full tournament. In consequence, it was decided at the 1953 Annual General Meeting of the M.Y.A. that in future the race should be sailed without a final if possible. Hence subsequent A-Class Regattas have been robbed of their most spectacular feature, and only attract a mere handful of onlookers. Since in these big tournaments it is necessary to have two, three and even four pairs of boats on the water simultaneously, racing becomes a rather boring procession of yachts instead of a series of exciting duels. When one so often hears an official have to ask a competitor “Whom are you sailing against?”, what interest can the proceedings have for onlookers? In earlier A-Class regattas, the “Y.M.” Cup International Races also attracted much public attention, especially when the British boat had to face four or five foreign rivals. In 1950 during the period the trophy was in America, we turned the British Championship into an “Open” event and _ permitted foreigners to enter it. But when the “Y.M.” Cup was again competed for in England, we still maintained our own Championship as an “Open” event. Since foreign competitors not only meet our boats but also each other in the Championship, this renders the International race an anticlimax, futile and without interest. It would, therefore, appear that as soon as we were once more able to stage the “Y.M.” Cup races, we should have closed our own Championship to foreign entries. In this connection, it should not be forgotten that first Scotland, and now Northern Ireland, have claimed separate national status, so there should be no lack of international competitors in the future. In passing let me make it clear that I can see no possible objection to foreign competitors entering our races in classes where we have no separate international event. But in the A-Class I can see no reason to sabotage our International Race by admitting foreign entries into what is in reality the selection race for finding our own representative in this very International Race itself! _ It may be more coincidence but the loss of public interest in these A-Class Regattas, and the sport generally, seems to have commenced when we made the above-noted alterations in our methods of running them. Above: Shalimar, 1951 challenger for the Y.M. Cup. Left: the redoubtable Revanche, one of the most successful full-keelers ever. (All photos MODEL MAKER) 453
