Tales from the Archives - Club Stunts

Published 07:47 on 6 May 2020

Interesting stories and facts from 100 years of Emsworth Sailing Club's history

The Fleet Stunts

Anyone standing on East Head on the afternoon of Sunday 12 September 1948 would have been surprised to see a fleet of 21 sailing boats, more or less in formation, round up into the wind and make for the beach. This was the finale of the Emsworth Sailing Club Fleet Stunt.

The boats had assembled near Sweare Deep buoy in three columns of line astern, each headed by an Admiral. Admiral Curtis (Commodore) headed the middle column in his boat Emerald, Admiral Murray (Vice Commodore) the starboard column and Admiral Wheeler (Rear Commodore) the port. The centre column was eight vessels long and the two outer ones six vessels, each headed by four Emsworth One Designs. These were Club boats, mostly built in 1923, 16 ft long with sliding gunter rigs, small bowsprits and furling jibs and immense, unhandy mainsails. You were not expected to capsize them, as the crews did not wear lifejackets, there were no rescue boats and the boats sank if they became waterlogged. [A new generation of seven One Designs, to a design based on a private boat which used to race with the originals, was built in the early 1950s and one of them, Makeway, sailed byDavid and Sylvie Townsend, can usually be found moored in Baker's Lake].

The fleet had sailed in formation, tacking in unison and trimming sails to keep in a correct position relative to each other. This proved very difficult as it was extremely windy, but the fleet wheeled together at SW Pilsey buoy, arrived in good order at East Head and executed a brilliant turn before heading for the beach. The few onlookers were duly impressed.

The second stunt

Fast forward forty years. Roger Bleasby, then Rear Commodore (Sailing), thought it would be a good idea to have a repeat exercise, and Stunt No. 2 was born. As there were no admirals available, the appointed fleet leader was Strahan Soames, who had sailed in Stunt No. 1, in his distinguished Albacore Alchemy. Two columns were formed instead of the original three, the port led by Roger Bleasby and the starboard by Peter Forster. The weather was much more favourable than in 1948 and formation was well kept down to Fishery, when they turned in column and made for East Head. But the ebb tide down the Chichester Channel had an adverse effect on the ability of the fleet to maintain its station, and it was a rather more ragged collection of boats which came to beach at East Head.

A picnic followed interspersed with swimming, volleyball and rounders. Such was the state of exhaustion by mid-afternoon that there were few takers for the informal pursuit race back to Emsworth.

Two memorable Club events. Perhaps we should think about a repeat performance when the time comes to celebrate the ending of the lockdown.

A summary by the Historical Records Group, April 2020

Sources: The Story of Emsworth Sailing Club, by Patrick Millen, 1979

The Story of Emsworth Sailing Club - Update 1994 by Hugh Robinson

Article in Hampshire magazine, October 1986 - Admirals all led Fleet Stunt No. 1 by Strahan Soames

Historic Records Group