1909 Whitsuntide-Lowescroft Regatta
Marine Motoring [1]
Motor Yacht Club
Beautiful weather favoured The Motor Yacht Club's first day of their Whitsuntide regatta on Saturday. The results of the various events were as follows:--
First race, 6 1/2 to 8 metre class, Gyrinus VI, (Captain Field Richards and Mr. Bernard Redwood) walked over.
Second race, a handicap for motor-boats under 15 knots. Handicap at start. Terra Nova (Captain Burke Davis), started 3 15 p.m., finished 3hrs. 6min. 50sec., first; Kip (Mr. E. R. Webb), started 3hrs. 28min. 16sec., finished 4hrs. 10min. 30sec., second; Ogotna (Mr. E. J. Caldbeck), started 3hrs. 16min. 40sec., finished 4hrs. 17min. 18sec.; Solace (Mr. F. P. Armstrong) and Hova (Baron von Erstig) did not start.
Third race, a handicap for motor-boats over 15 knots. Handicap at start. The times of finishing were:-- Squirt III (Mr. A. WE. Nicholson) 4hrs. 14min. 45sec., first; Gyrinus II (Capt. Field Richards and Mr. B. Redwood) 4hrs. 16min. 16sec., second; Lotus (Mr. H. W. Hutchinson) 4hrs. 16min. 16 2-5sec., third; Euphrates (Mr. T. Lupwith) gave up.
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British Motor Boat Club
Beautiful weather favoured the British Motor Boat Club's programme at Lowescroft on Saturday, when three races were decided. The sea was quite smooth.
A feature of the day's programme was a race for hydroplanes of the British Motor Boat 4in. class. This, the first race of its kind in England brought out a couple of these boats--namely, Mr. Mawdsley Brooke's Baby Hydro and Dollydo II, owned by Messsers. J. J. Dawson Paul, jun., and G. E. Fiske. They were sent two rounds of just over five sea miles. Both had two-cylinder engines, but Baby Hydro had greater power than her rival and finished the first round 5min. 3sec. ahead. The pace was all but kept up in the second round in spite of the strengthening ebb tide. Baby Hydro took the winning gun at 4hrs. 55min. 24sec., the other being timed at 5hrs. 6min. 51sec. Mr. Selwyn Humphrey, who steered Baby Hydro, thus had the distinction of winning the first hydroplane race in England.
A race for boats exceeding 12 knots under M.M.A. rating and time score, brought out Secret (Mr. L. M. Waterhouse), 26-h.p., Defender II (Mr. F. May), 7-h.p., and Tyreless (Mr. F. Gordon Pratt), 40-h.p. Tyreless was scratch; Secret was allowed 8min. 10sec.; and Defender II 24min. 46sec. The course marked out was compassed five times for 13 sea miles. The finish was:--
| H M S | |
|---|---|
| Tyreless | 3 27 40 |
| Secret | 3 34 6 |
| Defender II | 3 45 4 |
Defender II thus took the first prize on time allowance. The speed of Tyreless worked out at 18.4 knots, of Secret 15.9 knots, and of Defender II 13 knots.
A sweepstake for boats not exceeding 12 knots was contested for by Mr. W. H. Smith's Gipsy Girl, a 6-h.p. boat, and Mr. Mawdsley Brooke's Babs of 4-h.p.. The three rounds of the course gave just under eight miles. Gipsy Girl finished at 4hrs. 16min. 10sec., with Babs coming in at 4hrs. 20min. 41sec.. Babs received 5min. 15sec. start, and was the winner on time allowance. The starting and timing were carried out from the south pier.
(Transcribed from the Times of London, May 31, 1909, p. 13. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page — LF]