Mr. Jessop was the owner of the Molly, twenty rater, and Coquette, half rater. He consequently often required a helmswoman for the latter, which office he kindly offered me. Little Coquette was an extremely fast boat of Mr. Nicholson's design, and made one of the longest string of flags ever recorded. Wee Winn, fortunately for us, only started eleven times that season. In the same year (1893) the majority of boats and the largest prize winners were of a good wholesome type, but the three following seasons they went steadily down hill in this respect. Elf was considered an unsightly monster then, but there have been many like her since, not a whit uglier or less exaggerated, which have proved themselves also the fastest movers. Flat Fish was a case in point. She was most aptly named; indeed, I think the Flounder would have been a still more appropriate designation. She was put together with most wonderful despatch by Fay and Co., from Mr. Soper's design, for my sister, Mrs. Schenley. The first two races she came to pieces, owing to the hurry over her construction, and had to go back for repairs. To hear the flump of her bow on to the water, it was marvellous that anything could hold out; she was just the shape of a spoon forward, and when driven against a head sea she naturally made the splinters fly. Her nose was quite four inches higher in the air by the end of the season, in fact she presented the most cheeky appearance. A most powerful boat in a breeze, in all senses of the word except perhaps the individual frame, she also required a Goliath to steer her. My sister's and my united forces were unequal to the task, and it used to amuse us to watch for the signal of distress held out towards the end of a race by the boastful amateurs, whom we requisitioned to steer on hard windy days. They were never keen to repeat the experiment, and if they did, they were glad enough for us to take turns. Our chief antagonist was Fleur-de-Lys, built by Fife and owned by Major Montgomery, one of the few lucky yachtsmen who have not followed up their successes, although a dweller on the scene of action. Lady Sophia Montgomery occasionally accompanied her husband, and took a keen interest in the fray and kept a jealous eye on the records of the rival craft. Theirs was undoubtedly the better "all round" boat, as Flat Fish was no more good than a barge in light weather, although she was conscientiously sailed in all the races for which she was entered. In 1894 two new aspirants for yachting fame joined the ranks, namely, the Hon. Mrs. Oliphant and Miss Lord. I can hardly say which has proved herself the keenest sailor. Mrs. Oliphant was most fortunate in securing an excellent two-and-a-half rater from Sibbick, called Zivolo, which made a very good record, taking twenty-nine flags in thirty-six starts. Although the boat was her own property, she very wisely got others to steer at first, though she always accompanied the ship. Now she no longer needs assistance, and though not possessing a boat of her own this year, she has had several mounts on other peoples. The Rosemary, a formidable customer to steer was in her hands the latter part of this season, and though a slow boat Mrs. Oliphant often led the fleet in her, and won two or three prizes. Miss Lord has had a succession of one-raters since her début in 1895. She favoured Soper's design at first, but latterly has adopted Sibbick's. All her boats have been large prize winners.
West and Son. Southsea.
FLAT FISH.
In 1895, yacht-racing was distinctly the fashionable sport. Lord Dunraven was no doubt in a great measure responsible for this, he having persuaded several friends to join the twenty-rater class. Lord Lonsdale owned one of these, Lord Dudley another, Prince Batthyany Stratmann, a pretty boat painted blue, and the unfortunate Baron von Zedtwitz, who was subsequently drowned off his twenty-rater, the Isolde.
Even Royalty patronized the Solent classes. The Duke of York had a one-rater built at Sibbick's in less than a week, in which he took a great interest though he did not venture himself to join in the sport. The White Rose was, however, in good hands, being most ably sailed by his equerry, the Hon. Derek Keppel. She was not a success, however, and when Mr. Keppel, who was called away at the end of August, confided her to me, I made but a poor show with her, gaining only one first in tour starts. Miss Cox was well to the fore in the same class, also having got her craft from Sibbick. She made a string of twenty-five flags, eleven of which were firsts. My brother had bought an unsuccessful one-rater, he re-named Fusee, the year before. He and I sailed this little boat in several races, I steering and he doing the work. It was fun, and the boat was well suited to this game as she was only good for light water, directly it blew up at all she was passed in spite of all we could do. So when my brother went abroad at the end of June I got a boy to help, and sailed in the light wind races throughout the season. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and got ten prizes out of twenty starts, though poor little Fusee was invariably beaten on a reach except in the lightest air, and had to make up all her time on the "beats." That August was a busy month, for on looking back I find I raced every day, Sunday not excepted, as we used to have duels in Fusee and White Rose with amateur crews. The class to which these belonged (one-raters) was then and has remained the most popular of all classes on the Solent. Once at Yarmouth, fourteen of us started together over the line. It was grand fun and I was very proud of leading at the end of the first round in little Fusee, but unfortunately the wind dropped completely in the second round, and only a few of us managed to complete the course at all. I think Mr. Paget's Soper got in first, and Miss Cox's Mavis second.
1896 was also a great one-rater year, and Miss Cox had the honour of leading the whole fleet in almost every race she sailed. She had returned to her old ally, Arthur Payne, who designed her the Speedwell. No praise is too high for this little champion, for she still holds pride of place and has proved herself as seaworthy as she is fast. I never steered such a wonderful boat, to windward she positively edged along in the teeth of the wind and made all the others look foolish, as she outpointed them to such a ridiculous extent. I often sailed the old Meneen that year, and she also was dependent on her windward powers for her success, as being much shorter than the others she could not be expected to reach with them. This was well shown at some races at Seaview in August, when we headed the Florence (Sibbick's crack owned by the Marquise de Serramezzana) every time to windward, whereas she would pass us again on the reach. The Florence got two firsts and one second, and we secured two seconds and one first out of the three races. Mrs. Schenley had bought the Corolla, a success of the previous season. We did very well with her until about the end of July, when Tatters became too much for us, some slight alteration having given her the advantage over us. Florence then came out, and we left those two to fight it out to the bitter end. These boats, both of which were of Sibbick's design, were extremely fast, though they were not remarkably close-winded. Lord Albemarle built Valeria I. at Payne's, and I sailed in her many times but failed to score, there were certainly numerous and formidable rivals and Valeria came rather late to the fray. It must be an unlucky name I think, as Valeria II. has not proved any better, though she is a beautiful boat and great things were expected of her, being Payne's design. Tatters, with Miss Lord at the helm, won first prize in the Ladies' race (promoted by the Gentlewoman) on August 4th, Mrs. Oliphant who had a good mount in the Florence was second, Miss Bucknill being third in Meneen, I fourth in Valeria, my sister last in Mem Sahib. There was a fresh wind, and as the harbour was full of yachts, and the course was all amongst them, considerable skill was required in the handling. There were happily no casualties. Another ladies' race in one-raters, with a diminished crew of one amateur, was got up one evening at Cowes by Lord Harrington. There was a fine scrimmage getting on board, most of the women or their boats being late, the starting-gun—a 12-bore—was fired off in one of the bathing machines, regardless of the entreaties of the competitors for time. I was dragged on board the wrong boat at the last minute, my "mount" being late, and off we went after Speedwell, but she was already a speck in the distance, and we found we should never catch her again. My sister and I had a deadly encounter in Tartar and Bodagh, and after jostling each other round and round and tacking and filling in a remarkable manner only known to ourselves, I came out the best of it and she gained third honours.
Becken. Cowes.
COROLLA, STEERED BY MISS HUGHES.