1937-06-14 — Page 19

THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 14, 1937.

BRITANNIA'S YACHTING HISTORY

BRILLIANT RACING

RECORD

BIG PART IN REVIVAL

OF SPORT

KING GEORGE V'S SUPPORT

(By Major B. Heckstall-Smith)

London, May 19.

CMDR. IRVING'S book, "The Kings' Britannia," the story of a great ship, is a history of the career of the famous racing yacht. She was built in 1893 by D. and W. Henderson on the Clyde from the design by George L. Watson.

RÄNGER'S “BOARD OF

· STRATEGY”

Crew Composed Of Amateurs New To "Cup” Racing

Newport, Rhode Island, May 2. The only veterans on board Mr. Harold Vanderbilt's Ranger, when she takes part in the trial races to find a defender for the America's Cup will be Mr. Vanderbilt himself, as skipper, and Mr. Gene Bliss, as navigator.

The rest of the crew will be made up of amateur yachtsmen who have never taken part in a Cup race. Mr. Vanderbilt's "board of strategy" for Ranger will be Mr. Olin J. Stephens, who colla- borated in designing the yacht, his brother, Mr. Roderick Stephens, and Mr. Arthur Knapp, of Long Island, a yachtsman of great ability.-Reuter.

[4611641]Æ#23]JA132LERIE.

in

FIFTEEN OPEN PAIRS GAMES FOR TO-DAY

Two Encounters Should Be Close

The decision of the sub-committee of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls As- sociation to have all postponed games in the Second Round of the Open Pairs Championship played off as soon as possible, has result- ed in no less than 15 games being down for decision this afternoon.

The most interesting games are the continuation of the game be- tween J. V. Ramsey and J. McKel- vie, and A. MacFarlane and J. Rus- sell, and the encounter between J. S. Landolt and B. W. Bradbury and H. F. Stoneham and C. B. Hosking.-

The following is to-day's pro- gramme:-

BRITANNIA HAD A LIFE OF 43 YEARS AND WAS EVEN- TUALLY SCUTTLED ON JULY 9, 1936, FINDING HER LAST class boat for racing, they go RESTING PLACE OFF THE BACK OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT IN for a cruiser classed Al at Lloyd's THE DEPTHS OF THE CHANNEL. SHE SAILED IN 625 of no particular size or rating. RACES AND WON 360 PRIZES, AND FOR THIS REASON Very often they lose by this, be- ALONE, IF FOR NO OTHER, SHE WAS THE MOST WONDER-cause if they want to sell the boat Groves and W. Green (Recreio). FUL AND SUCCESSFUL YACHT EVER BUILT.

she does not fit any class and is uot everybody's money."

-

INTRODUCED IN 1906

Cmdr. Irving tells the story of her career, much of which perhaps has been told before, but her history is of great interest,

The legislation that all racing and he explains fully how she came to be built for Edward VII, yachts must be classed at Lloyd's when he was Prince of Wales, and sailed by him as a first-class

was introduced in 1906, by which racer from 1893 to 1897 for five seasons, with John Carter as her time most of the expert yachtsmen skipper and Mr. William Jameson in charge.

In 1897 she was said to be outclassed, and was soon after- wards sold. After various changes of ownership she became the property of King Edward VII. again, and finally, belonged to King George V. In 1913-14,

J. Revie and J. C. Brown v. A. J.

G. Perkins and F. Cullen v C. M. S. Alves and H. A. Botelho. (Kowloon Cricket Club).

E. Lines and W. Russell v F. X. Del- gado and V. N. Atienza (Civil Service C.C.).

S. A. Bright and J. E. Henson v W. vice C.C.). Howard and E. Zimmern (Civil Ser-

and designers had become convine- A. Macfarlane and J. Russell v J. V. ed of the necessity for such restric- Ramsey and J. McKelvie (Civil Service

C.C.). tions to prevent the hulls of rac-

G. E. Stephens and P. C. Morgan v ing yachts being of bandbox con-J. S. Logan and J. G. Meyer (Kowloon struction.

C.C.).

that

The plain fact: Britannia was for five years from 1893 to 1897, inclusive, she raced with much success under the Y.R.A. Rating Rule for which she was built.

of

and from 1920 until the death of any proposal to remedy it. the King, she had her second

The fact is precisely to the con-

In her second career from 1913 career as a racing yacht, and the trary. Before 1904 George Watson

to 1935 she again raced with suc- volume describes many of her was totally opposed to placing any cess either upon the system successes when she was splendid-limitations whatever upon the con- "handicapping by merits and per- ly sailed by Sir Philip Hunloke, struction of racing yachts; he reformances," or by a system which and her skippers were. Charlie garded any limitations upon the Leavett and Albert Turner.

WIDE OF MARK

I cannot go so far as to agree with Cmdr. Irving when he says of Britannia, "During the 43 years of

scantlings of racers as a retrograde step and an unjust restriction upon the best naval architects.

CONDITIONS UNIMPORTANT He said that, no matter what the

allowed a yacht of her shape some "special concessions."

A. K. Minu and A. Bakar v B. Parks and M. Ferguson (Kowloon C.C.).

・W. Mulcahy and J. W. Brown v E. Kirman and J. Pengelly,

P. E. Knight and J. Hollidge v H. Gittins and J. Houghton.

S. Eccleshall and A. W. Grimmitt v F. P. Anslow and W. Kershaw.

P. W. Knight and J. Hollidge v N. B. Fraser and J. S. Riddell (Craigen- gower Cricket Club)..

Silkstone and F. Goodwin.

J. Forrest and A. E. Carey v A. E.

E. M. Hanlon and J. C. Gill v J. S. Rodger and J. A. R. Selby.

H. F. Stoneham and C. B. Hosking v J. S. Landolt and B. W. Bradbury.

J. A. da Luz and R. F. da Luz v J.

and Hoosen

A. R. Minu (Kowloon Docks).

ROUND OF EVENT

BEST EVER BUILT The remarkable aspect of her whole career from 1893 to 1935 was that she was such

器 thoroughly her life the ceaseless battle which conditions were, could design a sound yacht of all-round quality, and is waged between skilled yacht de-strong but light racing yacht which so well sailed and run by the Prince signers and the makers of yacht would hold together and not leak, of Wales, King George, Willie Jame- rating rules eddied about her," and and there were others of his collea-son and Sir Philip Hunloke, from R. O. READ'S RINK that "her life story is also the his-gues who could do the same.

first to last, with her famous skip-IN SECOND- tory of British yachting, and the I had the greatest difficulty in pers Carter, Leavett and Turner, history of the Yacht Racing Associa-persuading Watson to support me that by common consent she was re- tion," because I regard such a state-in my proposal that the light con- garded as the best cutter ever built. ment as being very wide of the struction of the hulls of racing While Commander Irving in his mark.

yachts should be stopped by Y.R.A. book, "The. Kings' Britannia" does Possibly, too, some readers may law. I had been using what in-emphasise this, he often obscures the ham, S. A. Bright and J. Beach) find the Commander's repeated ad-fluence I possessed to bring about fact by repeatedly "abusing the verse criticism of the Y.R.A. as such legislation for more than 10 Y.R.A. and all its works," and hold-Watson and V, Petherick) by 24 shots to 18 in the Colony Lawn governing body of the sport rather years before I could get George ing forth upon the subject of “rat- tiresome. Indeed, to

Bowls Open Rinks Competition at abuse the Watson to agree to the hulls of ing rules," a matter upon which,.

Taikoo yesterday. Council of the Y.R.A. for not hav-racing yachts being surveyed and to say the least of it, his know- ing foreseen in 1896 what innova-built to Lloyd's Rules for the Classi-ledge seems distinctly elementary. tions in yacht architecture the de-fication of Yachts. signers of racing yachts would in- vent in succeeding years seems ra- ther childish.

CAUSE OF DECLINE

R. O. Read's rink (H. F. Stone-

beat J. Cook's rink (A. Warr, J.

Read's quartette will now meet J. Meyer's four in the Second Round of the event.

It is an undoubted fact that had not King George persisted in rac-. CLASSED AT LLOYD'S

ing the old Britannia after the war Finally, when he agreed, he ex-with such gallant and seamanlike pressed himself to me in the words spirit, the splendid sport of big The author, when writing of the Cmdr. Irving has extracted from a yacht racing would never have re- of the sport does not merit adverse decline of British yacht racing in book I wrote a good many years vived. The revival of the whole in-criticism of the governing body.

year ago-"The man who knows," Wat-dustry and pastime was the larger yachts about the

due to In short, while the story here told 1904, rightly attributes the cause son said, "can get a good drink out the King himself from 1920 to by the author is most interesting of. the decline-or the partial cause of a bottle without a label, but most 1935.

history, the lay reader will become of it to the absence of all restric-fellows want to see the label.

tired of his theme that for nearly tion upon lightness of construction of “It is so with yacht owners. They But this revival was only made half a century the Y.R.A. has con- racing yachts. But he is very great want. "Lloyd's Al' on the label. A possible by the conditions under tinuously made a complete mess of ly in error as a historian when he racing yacht has no Lloyd's label, which the governing body of the the sport of first-class yacht rac- permits the reader to infer that so owners, who do not know, fight sport directed it should then be held ing and has done little or nothing G. L. Watson, some years before shy. Fife or myself could give them firstly, “handicapping by merits," to encourage it. 1904 had been aware of this cause as good a boat if they would leave and, secondly, as new yachts were Had the author not been obsessed of the decline, and that the eminent it to us to do so, but they have an added to the fleet, by "concessions with this pet theory he might have designer of the Britannia was him-idea that we should cut the scanti- to the old yachts," which allowed written a better book about the self the instigator and originator of jings, and so, instead of building a Britannia to continue. The result Britannia herself.

HANDICAPPING BY MERIT