This is what the records state and it is claimed to be the measurement used by the Royal Thames Yacht Club . This is confusing as Thames Measurement was introduced in 1854 and remained in force until
1882 when , for ratings , it was replaced by the Sail
Area rule whlch produced a rating ( see page 17 ). The Thames Measurement fonuula was , however , re . cained for tonnage calculations and is so used today .
Thames Measurement is :
L ยท Bx Bx l / 2B 94
= Tonnage
The racing numbers , names of owners and rigs of the yachts on the club ' s first register in 1870 were :
Sail No . |
I
2
3
4
|
Reserved , probably for the Governor ( as today )
Aus1ralian
J . B . Graham & L . A . Windeyer
Gitana
J . R . Walters
Ix / on
T . M . Brown
|
Cutter
..
..
|
|
5
6
7
|
/ no
Scud
Spray
|
W . Langley
W King w . King
|
tt
..
..
|
8 |
Gala1ea |
|
|
9 |
Roya / Oak |
|
|
10 |
Uly |
|
|
I I |
Enchantress |
12 |
lre11e |
14 |
Emma |
15 |
Daisy |
16 |
Captain Cook |
17 |
Bronzewing |
18 |
Challenge |
19 |
Blue Bell |
F . W . Gray & W . R . Hill
..
W . Creed T . Beatty
..
W . H . Cooper M . McTaggart W . Farmer F . Biddulph Captain T . Watson H . W oolnough W . Andrews R . C . Close
Schooner Cutter
,.
A definition of yachts eligible to join the club was introduced in I 872 , when it was laid down that the minimum size boat was to be 22 ft LWL and 7 ft 4 in beam with a proviso that no boat with tanned sails should fly the club ' s colours . The club ' s boats were divided inm . three classes : First class- 35 ft and over LWL . Second class-under 35 ft and over 25 ft LWL . TI1ird class-under 25 ft L WL .
In 1872 the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club was formed and it took care of boats under 22 ft L WL .
Two handicaps were given to each boat for every race , one for leading and the other for working to windward , and each owner handicapped every boat in the race except bis own . This proved very satisfactory in those days and is often spoken of in the club today as a preferred system of handicapping .
During J 872 theaffairsof theclub seemed to drift along happily enough . The members raced about once a month , or sometimes less frequently , usually from Snails Bay to Manly and return , or ( mm Snails Bay around the Sow & Pigs , thence to Fort Denison or Shark lsland . In winter time , according to the records , there was absolutely no acti vity in the club at all . The mernbe . rs apparently went into winter hibernation with their yachts .
Racing techniques were improving gradually and by I 886 flags were used to start yachts under way , instead of the old method of starting a tleet from an anchored position . And in this year the English measuring system was adopted , bringing racing on Port Jackson in line with 1he Yacht Racing Associ- ation of Great B ri t .~ in . This would have been the Sail
Area rating .
Match racing was still extremely popular and was
10 be responsible for the mos ! famous trophy , the Sayonara Cup . In a match race the owner of one yacht issues a chaUenge to the owner of another yacht . that his yacht is the faster of the two , or makes a general proclamation that be is ' cock-o-the-walk ' and can beat aU comers .
The F . J . Jackson Cup , presented in 1874 . Mr Jackson was still sailing his successful yacht Violet late in the nineteenth century .
J7