1908 Essex Motor Boat Club Regatta
Marine Motoring
Essex Motor Boat Club
The motor-boat racing season was brought to a close on Saturday, when a very successful; regatta was carried out by the Essex Motor Boat Club off Southend. Five events, for which the entries numbered 31, were on the programme, and with three exceptions all the boats put in an appearance. All the races were run on handicap terms, and in that for boats exceeding 10 knots an hour, 1min. 25sec. covered the whole of the five competitors on corrected time--the best handicap of the season. The racing attracted a good deal of attention, the attendance on the pier, from which a good view of the whole course could be obtained, being excellent./ The weather conditions were ideal, and, owing to the completeness of the arrangements made by Mr. A. H. Phillips, the honorary secretary and treasurer of the club, the regatta proved a great success in every way, and is likely to be repeated on a rather larger scale and at a more convenient date next season. Details:--
Handicap for Cabin Cruisers.--First prize, "Hayward" Challenge Cup (value 18 guineas) and miniature; second prize, E.M.B.C. silver cup; third prize, E.M.B.C. silver medal. Course, from imaginary line between Southend pier head and mark boat off same, to and around North lightship, thence to and around mark off Chapman lighthouse, back to and around Nore lightship and return to starting line. Once around. All marks to the left on starboard hand. Distance, 24 sea miles.
They were started at 10:30 a.m., Halcyon being the only absentee. Flonora was on the scratch mark, allowing Melita 2min., Scintilla II 7min. 30sec., Napier Major 8min. 25sec., and Lethe 30min. Something went wrong with Melita's steering gear at the start, and she fouled Napier Major, but no damage was done. Scintilla II early gave up with a heated bearing, and Lethe, which had been very generously dealt with in the handicapping, proved an easy winner from Napier Major, with Flonora a good third. Entries and times:--
| Name of Boat | Owner | H.P. | Finish | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flonora (third) | Mr. H. Brown | 25 | 1 43 40 | 1 43 40 |
| Melita | Mr. H. J. Hayward | 20 | 2 9 30 | 2 7 30 |
| Halcyon | Mr. D. G. E. Davies | 24 | DNS | |
| Napier Major (second) | Mr. S. F. Edge | 21 | 1 49 47 | 1 41 22 |
| Lethe (winner) | Mr. E. H. White | 25 | 1 57 14 | 1 27 14 |
| Scintilla H | Messrs. T. and A. T. Kerr | --- | DNF |
Handicap for Motor Boats Exceeding 15 Knots.--First prize, Daily Telegraph Challenge Cup, (value 20 guineas) and E.M.B.C. gold medal or miniature (at winner's option); second prize, E.M.B.C. silver medal, third prize, E.M.B.C. bronze medal. Course, from imaginary line between Southend pier head and mark boat off same, thence to and around mark boat east of pier, thence to and around Middle River Buoy and Leigh Buoy, returning at starting line. Twice round. All marks to be left on starboard hand. Distance 10 sea miles.
Irish Adamate was scratch, Allowing Fleurette II 35sec. and Spitfire 14min. The last-named was entered on the chance that she might come within 10 per cent of the speed stipulated--namely, 15 knots; but, steering a very erratic course, she never looked like doing this, and the contest resolved itself into a duel between the scratch boat and Fleurette II, which was steered by Mr. R. R. Robinson, secretary of the British Motor Boat Club. The starting gun was given at 2:30 p.m., and, lying well for the first mark, Fleurette II dashed off with the flash of the gun, slightly ahead of Irish Adamate. She took the mark much closer than the scratch boat, and began to open out a lead, which she increased slightly at each mark, leading at the end of the first round by 23sec., ultimately finishing 38sec. ahead of Mr. Scott-Hayward, who was steering his own boat. The entries and official times were:--
| Name of Boat | Owner | H.P, | 1 st Round | Finish | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleurette ll (winner) | Mr. 0. B. Colls | 35 | 2 48 46 | 3 7 17 | 3 6 42 |
| Irish Adamate | Mr. W. Scott-Hayward | 45 | 2 49 9 | 3 7 55 | 3 7 55 |
| Spitfire | Mr. W. Schmahl | 24 | 2 54 47 | 3 20 0 | 3 20 0 |
Handicap Sweepstakes for Boats Exceeding 15 Knots.--First prize, five-eighths; second prize, one-quarter; third prize, one-eighth of entry fees, with silver and bronze medals added to first and second prizes. Course, the same as in second race, but only once around. Distance, five sea miles
Irish Adamate was scratch, and was called on to allow Fleurette II 15sec., Camilla 3min., Ravissante 7min., Spitfire 7min. 10sec., and Blake Q 8min. 25sec. Ravissante did not start. They were sent away at 3:30 p.m. to a capital start, Fleurette II again leading Irish Adamate across the line, Blake Q being third, Spitfire fourth, and Camilla last to cross. This proved the best race of the day, Fleurette II taking the marks well and giving Irish Adamate her wash all the way round the course. From the Leigh Buoy back to the finishing line they races al together, almost level, and until the gun went it was doubtful which would finish ahead. In the end, the scratch boat was beaten by a fraction of a second. Spitfire, however, with her allowance of 7min. 10sec., proved the winner of an excellent handicap. The entries and official figures were:--
| Name of Boat | Owner | H.P. | Finish | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fleurette II (second) | 3 50 35 | 3 50 20 | ||
| Spitfire (winner) | 3 56 37 | 3 49 27 | ||
| Irish Adamate | 3 50 36 | 3 50 36 | ||
| Ravissante | Mr. L. M. Waterhouse | 24 | DNS | |
| Blake Q | Mr. F. C. Blake | 6 | 3 59 17 | 3 50 52 |
| Camilla (third) | Mr. R. N. Fairbanks | 20 | 3 53 22 | 3 50 22 |
Handicap for Boats over Eight and not Exceeding 15 Knots.--First prize, E.M.B.C. silver cup; second prize, E.M.B.C. silver medal; third prize, E.M.B.C. bronze medal. Course, the same as second race, twice round. Distance, 10 sea miles.
Camilla was scratch, allowing Spitfire 8min. 10sec., Ravissante 6min. 40sec., Blake Q 10min. 20sec., Dorine 17min, and Melita 32min. All went except Ravissante. Melita led across the line at 4:15 p.m., followed by Spitfire, Blake Q, Camilla and Dorine in the order named. The scratch boat soon took the lead, and was 3min. 4sec. ahead of Spitfire at the end of the first round, increasing her advantage to 6min. 56sec. at the finish, and failing by 1min. 14sec. to allow Mr. Schmahl's boat her handicap. Blake Q was a fairly good third. Entries and times:--
| Name of Boat | Owner | H.P. | 1st Round | Finish | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camilla (second) | 4 36 25 | 4 57 0 | 4 57 0 | ||
| Spitfire (winner) | 4 39 29 | 5 3 56 | 4 55 46 | ||
| Melita | 4 58 28 | 5 41 39 | 5 9 39 | ||
| Ravissante | DNS | ||||
| Dorine | Mr. B. P. Pudney | 4 56 6 | 5 36 5 | 5 19 5 | |
| Blake Q (third) | 4 43 13 | 5 19 39 | 5 0 9 |
Handicap for Boats Under Eight Knots.--First prize, E.M.B.C., silver cup; second prize, E.M.B.C. silver medal; third prize, E.M.B.C. bronze medal. Course, same as second race, once around. Distance, five sea miles.
All went at 4:45, except Dorothy. Entries and official times:--
| Name of Boat | Owner | Allowance | Finish | Corrected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iffit | Messrs. G. Gilson and F. Locking | 29m. | 6 2 31 | 5 33 31 |
| Lethe | scratch | 5 34 43 | 5 34 43 | |
| Cheripika (second) | Mr. W. H. McLean | 23m. | 5 45 19 | 5 22 19 |
| Advance | Messrs. W. V. and H. J. Sharp | 12m. | 5 40 9 | 5 28 9 |
| Rana | Mr. J. Dring | 17m. | 5 41 19 | 5 24 19 |
| Peggy (third) | Mr. A. H. Phillips | 19m. 30s. | 5 42 32 | 5 23 2 |
| Luluette (winner) | Mr. G. L. Bradley | 26m. 30s. | 5 45 18 | 5 18 48 |
| Mikado | Mr. F. Drury | 14m. 30s. | 5 44 0 | 5 29 30 |
| Dorothy | Mr. F. May | — | DNS | |
| Flash | Mr. F. J. Peters | 9m. | 5 37 58 | 5 28 58 |
(Excerpts transcribed from the Times of London, Sep. 21, 1908, p. 13. )
[Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page — LF]