The last three boats listed above were built by subscriptions from the four clubs to con rest the Forster
Cup . NSW fl was not selected .
The distribution of prizes in the 21-ft restricted class was so uneven in 1926-27 that in order to keep the class going and to encourage the inrerestin racing it became necessary to introduce a mild fonn of handicapping . Unfortunately the money element bad crept into the class and . with two boats winning all the time , other skippers lost interest and sold their boats to non-racing buyers . It is a similar situation today . Too often do we see a top helmsman destroy a class for exactly the same reason aod not realise why others are losing interest .
Today . all that is left of the 21 -footers is that occasionally an old boat will suuggle by , either with an engine putt-purring away , or a small sail set on a stump of a mast , aod the discerning eye will note with regret the graceful . speedy lines of the sweet little 2 I -ft restricted class hidden beneath a mass of paint , decking and tophamper .
Gum / eaf . one of the very first 2 I . ft restricted class , can be still seen on the Pittwater . Restored to her former glory , she is painted green and is a lovely sighL Her owner must be congratulated forgiving us a glimpse of what is truly a beautiful yacht .
Another class that was founded by the Royal
Prince Alfred Yacht Club in I 922 , and which is going as strongly today as ever before , is the 12-ft Cadet dinghy . The success of the 21-footers had made it difficult for members to find crews . One of those who suffered in this respect was James Alderton , the owner of Gumleaf , the 21-footer referred to earlier and the winner of the first Forster Cup sailed in Sydney in 1922 . Using as a model the 14-ftdinghy so popular in England and on the Continent , Mr Alderton evolved the idea of a 12-ft Cadet dinghy . It was thought that these boats ( which had a crew of three ) would introduce the sons and nephews of members to the art of sailing , and they would stay with the sport as they grew older . Such proves to be the case .
Early in 1922 the introduction of Cadet dinghies was raised at a meeting of members and it received immediate and enthusiastic support . Ii was resolved tha1 a sub-committee be appointed to consider the proposal . In August 1922 the sub-committee reported ' that plans agreed upon by them had been submitted to builders and prices for building promised '. Allhough nothing had been received in writing ii was understood that the prices would be lower than the £ 45 originally estimated . Eight members of the Royal Prince Alfred Y acbt Clul > -Frank Albert , S . M . Dempster , Andrew Wilson , Paul Ross , James
The NSW Cadet Dinghy Championship Cup Wft $ won by Monsoon in the 1925-26 season .
Andrew Wilson , Commodore 1923-24 .
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