1910 Burnham Regatta
British Motor-Boat Club [1]
The annual Burnham regatta of the British Motor-Boat Club opened yesterday on the Crouch in fine weather, the fixture being favoured with bright sunshine and an almost perfectly smooth sea. The programme consisted of six events for which there were 43 entries, and nearly all the boats put in an appearance. The prize list was a most generous one, seven cups and handsome money prizes being offered. A number of challenge trophies were competed for, including the Bestic, the "A. J. Wilson," and the Motoring Illustrated trophies. Details:--
Race for motor boats, cylinder capacity not to exceed 800 cubic inches. Prize for first boat in, the Bestic challenge cup and miniature; prize for first boat under M.M.A. allowance, the commodore’s cup; prize for second fastest boat, silver medal. Distance about 30 sea miles. Hydroplanes and skimmers not eligible. The entries were:--
| Name | Owner | Horse-power | Time Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice | Mr. L. M. Waterhouse | 10 | 50:25 |
| Lucinha | Mr. T. A. Comber | 26 | Scratch |
| Tidla | Mr. W. H. Smith | 15 | 26:51 |
| Tyreless | Mr. D. Hepworth | 28 | 3:09 |
| Maple Leaf | Mr. E. Mackay Edgar | 35 | 31:12 |
| Tabasco | Mr. H. Norfolk | 16 | 25:39 |
Start at 11 a.m. Maple Leaf was the only boat that did not start. Vice was first away, closely followed by Tidla, Tyreless and Tabasco, with Lucinha nearly a minute late. Vice won on corrected time by 1min. 40sec. from Tabasco, Lucinha being third nearly 20min. further astern. The finishing times were:-- Vice (winner), 1:01:35; Tabasco (second), 1:47:29; Lucinha (third), 12:32:33; Tyreless, 12:50:21; Tidla, 1:07:08. Lucinha being the first boat to finish, took the Bestic Challenge Cup.
Race for motor-boats not exceeding 40ft. over all. M.M.A. rating and time allowance. First prize, Motoring Illustrated challenge cup and miniature; second prize, ₤5; third prize, ₤2. Distance about 15 sea miles. Hydroplanes and skimmers not eligible. The entries were:--
| Name | Owner | H.P. | T.A. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice | Mr. L. M. Waterhouse | 10 | 36:19 |
| Lucinha | Mr. T. A. Comber | 26 | 11:12 |
| Etukishook | Mr. E. Atkinson-Smith | 10 | 44:22 |
| Doonie | Mr. S. D. Begbie | ||
| Elf V | Mr. G. Tipping | 3 | 82:55 |
| Baby V | Mr. Mawdsley-Brooke | 100 | Scratch |
| Tidla | Mr. W. H. Smith | 15 | 24:37 |
| Takumono | Mr. W. Miall-Green | 15 | 41:43 |
| Tyreless | Mr. D. Hepworth | 28 | 12:46 |
| Maple Leaf | Mr. E. Mackay Edgar | 35 | 26:48 |
| Tabasco | Mr. H. Norfolk | 16 | 58:31 |
| Mineric | Mr. W. J. Masser Horniman | 46:48 |
Doonie and Maple Leaf did not start. Baby V and Lucinha were over the line too soon, the latter losing a minute in recrossing while Elf was over 3 min. late. Vice beat Tabasco by 1 sec. for first place, with Etukishook third, less than a minute later on corrected time. The finishing times were:-- Elf (winner), 1:39:49; Tabasco (second), 12:22:45; Etukishook (third), 12:14:19; Baby V, 11:38:14, Lucinha, 11:46:17; Tyreless, 11:56:21; Vice (winner), 12:00:32; Tidla, 12:02:36; Mineric, 12:28:28; Takumono, 12:38:57.
The second prize is subject to a protest by Takumono against Vice for finishing the wrong side of the mark-boat.
Handicap for motor-boats esceeding 12 knots. First prize, British Motor-Boat Club silver sup of the value of ₤10; second prize, ₤5; third prize, silver medal. A silver cup of the value of ₤10 for the fastest boat; no boat to take more than one prize. Distance about 15 sea miles.
| Vice | Mr. L. M. Waterhouse | 10 | 29:30 |
| Lucinha | Mr. T. A. Comber | 26 | 15:00 |
| Pierette | Lord Howard de Walden | 60 | 3:10 |
| Columbine | Mrts. Edgar Thornton | 60 | Scratch |
| Ixia | Mr. J. H. Bell | 100 | |
| Etukishook | Mr. E. Atkinson Smith | 10 | 36:30 |
| Tyreless II | Mr. E. Gordon Pratt | 100 | 6:45 |
| Doonie | Mr. S. D. Begbie | :45 | |
| Bluff | Mr. H. G. Hepworth | 20 | 27:30 |
| Baby V | Mr. Mawdsley Brooke | 100 | :06 |
| Tidla | Mr. W. H. Smith | 15 | 33:15 |
| Tyreless | Mr. D. Hepworth | 28 | 21:30 |
| Maple Leaf | Mr. E. Mackay Edgar | 35 |
Ixia and Maple Leaf did not start. The hydroplane Columbine, which did the fastest time in the race, traveled well up to her reputation, doing the course at a speed of over 31 knots. She was placed second on corrected time, being beaten by Lucinha by 32sec., but she took the cup for the fastest boat. The handicap worked out very well, a little over a minute covering the first four placed boats. The finishing times were:-- Columbine (cup for fastest time), 2:41:15; Lucinha (winner), 2:58:43; Bluff (second prize); 3:12:16; Tyreless II (third prize), 2:54:32; Pierette, 2:48:33; Baby V, 2:52:03; Vice, 3:15:14; Tidla, 3:35:17; Etukishook, 3:35:17; Doonie, 3:39:05. Tyreless gave up.
Race for motor-boats exceeding 25ft. and not exceeding 35ft. over all, M.M.A. rating and time scale. First prize the "A. J. Wilson" challenge cup and miniature; second prize, ₤6; third prize a silver medal. Distance about 10 sea miles. Hydroplanes and skimmers not eligible. The entries were:--
| Lucinha | Mr. T. A. Comber | 26 | 7:28 |
| Baby V | Mr. Mawdsley Brooke | 100 | Scratch |
| Tyreless | Mr. D. Hepworth | 28 | 8:31 |
| Mineric | Mr. W. J. Masser Horniman | 31:12 |
The start was at 4 p.m. Baby V carried away her rudder on the first round and gave up. Lucinha, running well, won by 5½min. from Tyreless. The finishing times were:--Lucinha (winner), 4:29:19; Tyreless (second), 4:35:55; Mineric, 5:00:52.
Race for British Motor-Boat Club 21ft. class; first prize, British Motor-Boat Club silver cup; second prize, ₤2; third prize, ₤1.
| Etukishook | Mr. E. Atkinson Smith | 10 | Scratch |
| Vice | Mr. L. M. Waterhouse | 10 | :50 |
| Babs II | Mr. Mawdesley Brooke | 15 | 2:30 |
Start at 4.15 p.m. Vice finished over 12½min. ahead of the scratch boat and won by 3m. 15s. from Babs II. The finishing times were:-- Vice (winner), 4:55:10; Babs II, 5:00:05; Etukishook, 5:07:52.
[Excerpts transcribed from the Times of London, Sep. 23, 1910, p. 17.]
(Thanks to Greg Calkins for help in preparing this page. — LF)