Yachts I Have Known.

Progress, Volume VI, Issue 6, 1 April 1911, Page 606

Yachts I Have Known.

(Robt. J. Scott.) Boats of Green, of Dunedin. Beautiful workmanship, double-planked hulls which thirty years after launching still appeared as if cut from the solid V sections, low freeboard and shallow bodies, of from 4 1 /. to 5 beams in length, were the characteristics of the yachts built by Green during the late seventies. Though tender, owing to lack of beam and absence of outside ballast, the hulls were beautifully modelled and showed extreme speed oil a reach in strong, and on any point of sailing, in light Aveather; whilst deficiency in stability on a wind in a breeze was compensated for by the practice of thos? days of shifting ballast to windward. The "Spray," a shorter and deeper vessel than most of Green's boats, Avas owned and sailed, with wonderful success, by Captain Gibbs, and a few years ago was still in commission in Auckland harbour. She had normal cutter rig, but the two long, lean and low vessels most characteristic of Green's work— "Ripple" and the "Zephyr"were both rigged Avith modified sliding gunter, the mast having a great rake and being fitted with cross-trees at the cap, over which the stays of the guntermast passed. The luff of the sail, when fully

a good boat, but the difficulties of taking in or increasing sail with the gunter rig were very great; Mr. Baker consequently converted her into a cutter of equal sail area, the raking mast being still retained. Though a ton of lead had been placed on her keel, the alteration of rig proved a dismal failure, the vessel being quite unable to stand to her canvas in even a moderate breeze, so that when subsequently she passed into the writer's hands, he again changed the rig to a, leg-of-mutton mainsail for cruising, and " a batswing sail for racing. A light pole mast was used with a rail on the after side, made of a %th batten with a steel strip, on which brass hanks attached to the luff, of the sail slid; a flexible wire halliard and watch tackle purchase was used for hoisting the mainsail. All dead woods were cut away, the ballast reduced to about two tons, the whole of which was placed in a fin on the keel, and a hanging rudder was. fitted. As modified, the sheer plan of the vsesel was very much that of the Payne Solent 2% raters, of the "Payneand Pleasure" era. These alterations were very successful. The little vessel in her lightened trim, proved a wonderfully good and dry sea-boat, making the voyage from Lyttelton to Dunedin twice, and encountering some heavy Aveather. She won many races, including the championship of New Zealand, and a purse of £IOO, which was sailed for at Lyttelton in 1896, when she defeated the "Waitangi," "Mascotte" and

"Pastime" and decant several pigs of lead into the sea; whilst on another occasion the "Little Wonder," after sailing splendidly on a wind, refused to remain in an upright position when running, lying down indifferently on either side, this being due to the whole of her ballast being placed on skids high up in the vessel. These incidents, coupled with the virtual capsizing of the "Ficetwing" herself, when finishing a race at Akaroa, through being caught by the lee when crossing the line, brought about the desired complete prohibition of shifting ballast, and its general disuse. But it was when cruising in the "Fleetwing" that the writer had one of his most trying experiences. The vessel was bound to Akaroa Regatta and left Lyttelton (followed some hours later by the "Coquette", of about five tons) in a stiff north-wester, which changed suddenly to a southerly gale. Fair progress was, however, made under close-reefed canvas, until East head was rounded and the full force of wind and sea met. A couple of seas were shipped in succession, and things looked very bad until the peak was being lowered, the vessel righted, cleared her decks of water, and was got before the wind for the run back to Le Bon's Bay, where after a very stiff beat in she was anchored near the wharf. On this run back the "Coquette" was sighted also making for shelter. The gale increased to hurricane force, the wind blowing out and sea making into the bay. The road and a portion

set, was over 40 feet in height, whilst the foot was 84 feet long, giving a sail area which it would have been impossible for those vessels to have carried with other than a triangular mainsail. Both boats were, approximately, 33 feet on the water-line, 36 feet over all, 7 feet beam, and 3 feet 6 inches in draught. Their minimum freeboard was under 12 inches. They were half-decked. The "Ripple" was sold to Akaroa, and on arrival there, was hastily ballasted with a fevv stones and taken out for a trial spin across the harbour. When off Tikau point, a fresh puff striking her, she careened over fill and sank. Of her creAV of-four, Westeura and Sims reached the rocks, from which they were rescued by a Avhalc boat, whilst Nalder and Sale were drowned. The "Ripple" was subsequently raised, built upon, and re-rigged. The "Zephyr" was taken to Melbourne by. i believe, Captain Gibbs, and raced in the Exhibition Regatta there. The day was dead light, and she won the second-class yacht race with ease, but, subsequently, in a breeze of Avind at Hobart, was completely outclassed by the Watson-designed "Madge,'' She was afterwards bought by the late T. S. Baker, a wellknown all-round athlete (who had on four occasions rowed in the Oxford boat) and at Akaroa for many years carried his dark blue burgee. If suitably canvassed, she Avas always

"Pastime" in a fresh breeze of wind. She is ill afloat, and sound, but her propelling power is no longer derived from wind, but from a "pushing petrol puffer." The "Pleetwine- ~ of Lvttelton ine leetwin ot lyttelton. The "Fleetwing" was a beamy, straightstemmed ten-tonner, built by the elder Bailey in the late sixties or early seventies. Like all the Auckland yachts of that period, she was heavily canvassed and ballasted; when she came into the writer's hands, he reduced the ballast from about five to three tons, and re-canvassed her on a reduced, though still liberal scale. Racing her in the early eighties against lighter boats proved somewhat uphill work, especially as nothing would convince the sailing men of those day that shifting ballast Avas unfair and unsportsmanlike. This Avas met by getting the Regatta Committeos to sanction the use of such ballast, and two tons of sand bags, handled by three brawny sailmakers from the Aldington Workshops, made their appearance in the old ship, with the result that she completely outdistanced the more modern and narrower boats. Report, had it that the ballast was shifted by mechanical means, and such means were attempted on tAvo of the Lyttelton yachts. We were greatly astonished one day to see a trolley suddenly make its appearance through the lee side of the

of the wharf were washed away, whilst the "P'ectwing," lying stern and broadside to sea. was, though riding to a hawser passed coinplotely round the boat, straining and leaking badly. rphe <« Mawhera ,, (Tms> Co _, s) came iuto the bay for shelter, and rode there for a few hours, but after carrying away one of her cables, she slipped the other anchor and left for Lyttelton, where, as we afterwards heard, she arrived after a very rough trip in time to stop the tug (which had been dispatched to search for the "Coquette" and ourselves) going out. Two days later, Avhen the gale had nearly blown itself out, the tug "Lyttelton" came into the bay to find out if we needed help, and was seen to be towing behind her one-half (longitudinal) of the ill-fated "Coquette." It appeared that her crew of three boys were unable to face the wind out of Okain's Bay, and brought up under the South Head, where, on the sea making round, they were seen by the watchers on shore, sitting along her weather side, with their tiny ensign flying half-mast high, a boiling surf around them, until a bigger sea than those before it coming along, the "Coquette" was completely overwhelmed. Two days later the tug picked up the half of her hull, this being all that was ever found of boat or crew.