I must not forget to mention that lively little club at Bembridge, situated on a remote corner of the Wight, near to which is the double attraction of a superior golf-links. The Bembridge Sailing Club, or "B and S" Club, as it is irreverently called, was started in 1889 by Colonel Moreton and Major du Boulay. Some of the rules were nothing if not eccentric, and I am told the favourite hour for match sailing was about midnight. The women were duly considered in this club, and most ably did they acquit themselves in the one design class.
Miss Sutton was tempted out to the more easterly regattas, when she had a half-rater called Wee-Winn, of which more later on. Miss Moreton, Miss Hallows, and Mrs. Dudley Ward and her daughters, were among the other Bembridge sailoresses, though of course many more came down in August to this cheerful little resort.
The next year, 1892, both our family boats were beaten by a new talent, young Mr. C. Nicholson. It was a great thing bringing a new brain to bear on the matter, as for the previous five years Arthur Payne had held the whole sway, and prior to that Mr. Clayton. These boats went quite fast enough to make a good race of it amongst themselves, and though they assuredly were hard to beat yet they were beaten by the Dacia in the five-rater, and the Gareth in the two-and-a-half-rater class. The latter was the property of Mr. Henderson, who was indeed fortunate, as he was a complete novice, to own the champion of three seasons. Lord Dudley bought Dacia from Mr. Langrishe in the middle of the season for a fabulous price, nevertheless the latter was generally to be seen at the helm. Lord Dunraven's Cyane, from Mr. Payne's design, was at the old game of shovelling the first prizes into her locker, until Dacia came out and put a stop to it. The pace of this flyer soon spread dismay in the class, which was not very well filled even at first, and soon no one could be got to start against her, until she went down to Torbay to show a boastful Scotch antagonist the way round the course. The rivalry between North and South is always exceedingly bitter, but latterly the Scotchmen have not thought it infra dig. to come to the South for their best designs in the small classes. It would be more patriotic, to say the least of it, if the best Clyde amateurs were to challenge us in their home manufactures, otherwise their triumphs are but reflected glories after all.
West and Son. Southsea.
MORWENA, STEERED BY MISS SUTTON.
A little stranger from over the water appeared this year (1892), to the order of Miss Winnie Sutton. Wee Winn, however, did not belie her somewhat ambitious appellation, as is often the case. On the contrary, she amply fulfilled it, and the tiny Yankee did her country great credit, and that in what we flattered ourselves to be a very formidable class. She had nine competitors from four different designers, and yet fairly walked round the lot. Her performances were the signal for further Yankee inroads, and 1893 saw two American boats, namely Meneen and Morwena, added to the list. So now there was an American in all three classes from two-and-a-half downwards, and to our shame be it said each one headed her class. It was not till the year 1897 either, that Meneen may fairly be said to have been outclassed, her construction also was a masterpiece of lightness and durability. Her record was forty prizes in forty-nine starts, and this with seven rivals, one of Mr. Nicholson's design and one of Mr. Payne's included. Mrs. Hardie Jackson constantly accompanied her husband in Meneen, and was as at home on the water as she is known to be in the saddle. This was not a propitious year for South coast designers, as Fife held the laurels in the five and likewise in the twenty class. The twenties were a new institution promoted by Lord Dunraven, and they flourished for four years as Solent classes, but last season (1897) no new ones came to the line except towards the end of July.
In 1893 the race programmes were almost too well stocked, the scrimmage on the line to get the start being a sight to behold, especially in the one-rater class. There were considerably over a dozen of these, and almost as many half raters, all determined to get the start of the others over the line, and that sometimes a very narrow one as in the Hamble river. The Morwena, champion of her class, was owned by one of the sisters of Miss Winnie Sutton, and though her success did not cause such a stir as Wee Winn's, she made almost as good a record. Miss Cox's luck again failed her in Kismet, a two-and-a-half rater built by Payne. I believe she also was a very hard boat to steer, in fact worse than Fiera. My brother sailed the majority of races that year in Gareth, whose performance was a good one but not so good as the Meneen's. Gareth started five times more than Meneen and won two more prizes, but Meneen's figure of merit came out the highest. These two consequently pretty well monopolised the prizes, but a few being left for the other six, of which Kismet picked up two firsts and six seconds.