Yacht Sybarita, 1900
The first part of these notes are largely inspired by two articles (14 and 28 June 1900) "from the Man at the Wheel" (editor) of the British journal "The Yachtsman".
We are enabled this week to reproduce a photograph of Mr. Whitaker Wright’s [Note 1] new first-class racing yawl, Sybarita [Note 2]. The length of the counter will at once be remarked, showing the shallowness of the midship body. The forward overhang is not excessive, but the photo shows a decidedly different type to that of Meteor – more, as we said last week, resembling Valkyrie III.
That vessel had her good points, and if Mr. Watson has succeeded in retaining these and eliminating her undoubted faults, a fine racer will be the result. At the same time, it is interesting to remember that Columbia is far more like Meteor than Sybarita.
Our Clyde correspondent in sending the photo remarks upon the growing tendency to straightness of sheer in racing boats, and this is very striking when one looks at older vessels such as Creole, Maid Marion and Comet. The absence of sheer curve is an objectionable feature, so far as looks are concerned, but there is no doubt that a pretty sheer is only valuable as enhancing the appearance of a ship. Theoretically, the custom of hollowing the deck sheer amidships is wrong, because that is the broadest part of the vessel and should not therefore have the least freeboard. Modern vessels with their spoon bows do not require to have their stems raised high out of the water as was the case in the old straight-stem days if one wanted a dry seaboat.
The form of the modern bow, too, presents a very pronounced ‘back-sail’ when the vessel is close-hauled in a fresh breeze. The weather bow is then practically up and down, and the wind is blowing straight against it. Therefore, as a high bow is not required for dryness, it is a distinct disadvantage. Freeboard is, however, just as much necessary now as formerly, and so it comes about that we are getting rather flat-looking racing boats. As appearance must not be allowed to stand in the way of speed, it is a question whether the highest part of the boat should not be amidships and the deck rounded off at the bow in a sort of turtle back. This would be hideous, of course, but it would probably pay, not only in the way we have suggested, but by saving a little top-weight.
We are told by our correspondent that an expert has, threatened that time will bring this – "at any rate, the side is likely to be raised at the mast," are his words. We could give the names of several celebrated boats, the sides of which are raised at the mast, but that is not from design, but bad construction. Mr. Mylne, it may be interesting to mention, has hit upon a scheme to prevent this uncontemplated hogging. In the new Psyche designed by him, he leads the shrouds down through the covering board and sets them up with screws made fast to the step of the mast. The tendency of these heavily-rigged 23-footers has been to shove their masts through the bottom, which is eminently undesirable. There is obviously a great future still before yachting, and strange things will surely be seen on the face of the deep. But there! we began by speaking of Sybarita.
The meeting of Mr. Whitaker Wright’s new first-class racing yawl with Meteor [Note 3], at Kiel, would in any season be regarded with great interest, and inasmuch as she has only the doings of the elderly Penitent and Senga to distract attention, it may be said that the Kiel matches this year form the culmination of all the interest taken in the open racing. Meteor cannot be said to be a well-tried boat, for as a cutter she had only older boats to dispose of, and it is quite certain that she was never at her best in that rig. The easy way in which Bona used to save her time in true winds, blow high, blow low, very clearly indicated that something was wrong. But the very complete manner in which Meteor altered all that when she was converted into a yawl, proved that in her old rig the best speed was never got out of her. In fact, that she was merely a light weather craft, although she carried her enormous spars well. We have often thought that this obvious improvement in Meteor’s sailing under the 'inferior rig,' goes to show that big spars do not pay in these large vessels, though they may carry them well enough. At all events Meteor’s improvement led us to believe that Mr. Watson had no easy task before him when he set out to beat her with a somewhat shorter boat.
Even granting an improved model, it is by no means sure that this result would be obtained. We believe that far more depends upon the sailing master and his mate in a first-class racer than a trifling difference of design, and. a comparatively antiquated craft can often be made to figure well with a clever skipper on board. This most certainly was the case with the yachts that ‘Billy’ O'Neill commanded: for’ Mr. John Jameson. Iverna was a very poor affair indeed until he had things his own fashion, and the same may be said of both Samena and Ivex. Of course, a poor skipper will spoil the chances of any size of racing yacht, but we think that the larger his command the greater is the tax on his smartness and intelligence.
In the first match Sybarita unfortunately lost her top-mast soon after the start. In the second she was beaten by Meteor by a couple of minutes; but the course gave no windward work, and the only time when they had sheets aboard the new boat made a palpable gain. : Detailed reports of Tuesday’s match are not to hand, but Sybarita headed the Emperor’s yawl by 10 minutes at the finish. From what we can gather it seems-pretty clear that Mr. Whitaker Wrights’s new boat is a pronounced success, and we shall not be surprised to see her beat Meteor by the end of the season as easily as the latter used to dispose of Britannia. Sybarita was hurried to Kiel long before she could be in proper racing form, and a rapid improvement may be expected now that racing has started.
Newspapers:
THE TIMES - 23 June 1900 - “THE KIEL REGATTA. KIEL, June 22. - In to-days race in Kiel Bay Mr. Whitaker Wright’s Sybarita, of Ryde, which started in the first class for the Emperor’s extra prize, had to give up soon after the start owing to the breaking of her topmast. The Sybarita has returned to harbour.”
THE TIMES - 27 June 1900 - “THE KIEL REGATTA. ECKENFÖRDE, June 26.- In to-days racing for Prince Henry’s Cup, the course being from Kiel to Eckenförde, a distance of 51 nautical miles, Mr.Wright’s Sybarita passed the winning line at 4.16 and the Imperial yacht Meteor at 4.26.”
THE TIMES - 28 June 1900 - “THE KIEL REGATTA. KIEL, June 27. - The official result of yesterday’s race over the Kiel-Eckernförde course is as follows:- First prize, Mr. Wright’s Sybarita. Time, 8hrs. 11min. 25sec. Second prize, the Emperor’s yacht Meteor. Time, 8hrs. 21min. 38sec. The wind was easterly, with a velocity of under five miles. To-day there is a handicap race from Eckernförde to Kiel. The race is not yet concluded, but up to the present the Sybarita is some 200 metres ahead of the Meteor.”
THE TIMES - 2 July 1900 - “KIEL REGATTA. TRAVEMUNDE, June 30.- The yacht race from Kiel to Travemunde was sailed yesterday in a north-westerly wind blowing 3.2 knots an hour. Mr. Whitaker Wright’s Sybarita reached here at 10.19 p.m., having taken 14hrs. 14min. 19sec. to sail the distance. The German Emperor’s Meteor arrived at 10.31 p.m., having completed the course in 14hrs. 26min. 13sec. The Sybarita wins the first prize (the German Emperor’s Cup), and the Meteor the second prize.”
Notes:
[ Back ] Note 1: Whitaker Wright was a wealthy businessman and crook whose suicide at the Royal Courts of Justice following his conviction for fraud in 1904 provoked a panic on the London Stock Exchange.
[ Back ] Note 2: Sybarita Designed By G L Watson 1900. LWL 89'-6" x Beam 23'-0" Draught 17'-0" ; Sybarita was built at Glasgow in 1900 and her registry was closed in 1904.
[ Back ] Note 3: Meteor: built as Thistle as an America's Cup contender, however, after her failure to win the Cup in 1887, Commodore Bell's (Royal Clyde Yacht Club) syndicate commissioned G.L Watson to design a new yacht similarly named as "Thistle", and they put the "old" one up for sale. Many historians note that she was sold to Kaiser Wilhelm in 1891. Whatever the legal confirmation of transfer of ownership to Kaiser Wilhem II, the British press (in general, including The Times, The Evening Standard, etc, and specialized in yachting including The Yachtsman) referred to this boat as "Imperial yacht Meteor", "The Kaiser's yacht Meteor", owned by His imperial Majesty "H.I.M. The German Emperor", and this from 1890 onwards. It must therefore be assumed that Wilhelm was the effective owner well before 1891.
Note that in 1890, the extracts from The Times (above), show clearly that Meteor had left the UK for Germany (Kiel) well before the the generally accepted date of 1891.