by Charlie Salter

Part One

Albert Park Yacht Club

For a sporting club to survive 150 years it probably needs a simple charter and an ability to adapt to ever changing interests. With sailing clubs, government interference or lease demands are never far away, as they usually occupy public or Crown land. Long periods of financial hardship are quite common and often the result of poor decisions by ambitious or unqualified committees. Many have watched their assets deteriorate as the spirit of DIY members that once fixed things, is now limited by cost and compliance. Some clubs have been forced to amalgamate or even abandon race.

Albert Park Yacht Club has reached its sesquicentennial year in 2022, making it one of the oldest yacht clubs in Australia. This is a testament to sound stewardship, a long commitment to welcoming and nurturing junior sailors and dinghy sailing as a sport and recreation. Only Port Phillip YC was founded earlier in 1853 becoming Victoria Yacht Club in the 1870’s and RYCV from 1885.

To celebrate, the Club has just published ‘APYC 150 Years on the Lake’ by Chris Davey. This engaging book has built on previous APYC histories and benefits from the author’s academic background and experience as Past Commodore. It is far more than a story of club activities and events. From the 1870’s growth of a gold rush city, the uncertainty of land and water politics and renewal after two wars, the Club history parallels the progress and development of Melbourne itself.

The pictures and layout have been edited by Mark Ashkanasy, an APYC member and professional photographer. Mark has built a pictorial essay, editing variable quality prints, photos and slides from collections and archives then adding his own superb photos of the lake. Mark had experience of ‘the long hard beat’ of book production after working with Bert Ferris, shaping his second sailing history, ‘RMYS 140 Years on Port Phillip’ published in 2017.

While the APYC book is chronological it is not long narrative. The structure is a series of short stories so the author can add or shuffle material as it turns up. Unlike many histories, you don’t need an association with the Club to enjoy this book. With a curiosity about Melbourne and a love of sailing you can open it anywhere and read a terrific piece about the history, people and boats on the lake.

SWS has been given generous access to this material. In Part 1 of The Lake, we look at the Club foundation in 1872, then the 1910’s with the 25 footers and the early junior 8 foot dinghies. In Part 2 we will look at Olive, the Moth designed by Len Norris, the 1960’s dinghy revolution and the restoration of Joe White’s ACROSPIRE II, the flagship of APYC.

Recreation At the Lagoon

Development of Albert Park Lagoon follows similar trends in England and America during the 19C. As a reaction to dirty industrial cities, a wellbeing movement was underway promoting the importance of nature, outdoor recreation and fresh air. Benevolent planners like Frederick Olmstead in America and city governments in England were setting aside green spaces. In the 1850’s, Governor Latrobe gazetted Victorian public reserves in towns across the state, understanding the need for parklands like Albert Park Lagoon, the Domain and Botanic Gardens. (Click on image to enlarge)

William Buckhurst

Exerpts from his obituary in The Age (16/04/1906) note, William Buckhurst emigrated from England via the Californian goldfields arriving in Melbourne in 1857. He set up in South Melbourne as Buckhurst & Buxton, auctioneers and estate agents (Buxton still survives). He took a keen interest in public affairs and the advancement of South Melbourne ….and originated the idea of developing the South Melbourne lagoon into Albert Park Lake ....’turning a stinking nuisance and disgusting swamp into a safe and agreeable place for aquatic amusement’. In 1870 he ordered a shallow draft boat from James (Jem) Edwards, a shipwright at Princes Bridge and launched PIONEER on the lagoon in 1871. Several other boats were soon built and the first race was held in April. Some twenty-seven boats on the water that year, ensured regular racing on Saturday afternoons. Good rains in the following summer allowed sailing to continue into 1872.

Meet me in the Pub

Like many things solved with a drink, a meeting to form APYC was held in September 1872 in a local pub – Taylor’s Clarendon Hotel, Emerald Hill. Fifty members were enrolled with John Cosgrave elected President and W. P. Buckhurst joining the Management Committee. This gave a voice to all the lake users to lobby government for funding and improvements.

Cosgrave an Irishman and wealthy publican, was also a founding member of Port Phillip YC. He had sailed on the bay since the 1850’s in his 9.5ton PADDY from CORK and later another Jem Edwards built boat called SCUD. The Club met at the pub until 1876 when it moved to Smith’s boathouse on the lake. APYC’s own clubhouse was completed in 1879. (Click on images to enlarge)

Land & Water

The politics of land and water that interfered with the development of Albert Park 150 years ago, was similarly charged like the contest for water from the Murray Darling or Mekong today. Buckhurst’s efforts at lobbying for genuine improvement of the lagoon benefitted both himself and the wider community. He was likely selling land in the new subdivisions in St Kilda Road and Emerald Hill, so removal of the sewerage stench by delivery of reliable fresh water was necessary to support land values.

The construction of banks and deepening of the lagoon to create Albert Park Lake in the mid-1870’s led to not unfamiliar mismanagement of both government contract and funding. For savings, the fresh water pump system from the Yarra River was removed from the works. APYC succeeded in getting a steam-driven pump installed on the river near Princes Bridge that was mostly unreliable by 1880. The problem was exacerbated with removal of Queen’s Bridge rock falls in 1883 allowing the Yarra to become tidal and brackish further upstream.

We might guess that two Williams, Buckhurst and Guilfoyle became colleagues in common cause to guarantee fresh water from the Yarra. Buckhurst needed water for land sales and sailing, while Guilfoyle as superintendent of Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens, a few miles north-east from the lagoon, needed water for his large garden and to fill the new ornamental ponds.

In 1891 a pump above Dight’s Falls was finally commissioned to lift Yarra water to a reservoir in Studley Park, then fed by gravitation to the Botanic Gardens and Albert Park Lake. The system lasted until the 1960’s.

Women Take the Helm

In 1882, the Medical YC and Albert Park YC sponsored a regatta for all kinds of boats and sailors. The most entries were received for the Ladies Bracelet Race that also attracted three thousand spectators. Lady helms had the boats normal crew and a friend for advice.

Katie Cosgrave who often sailed her father’s boat, won the Bracelet race in WOLLOMAI (prev. SCUD) a 3.5ton gaff cutter, with Mrs Titheradge second in LITTLE EVE. Gracious ladies sailing in Victorian dress didn’t shirk competition, when second protested first alleging a mark was missed. Further, it was put around that a ‘professional’ sailor, Dick Banner previously a regular crew on WOLLOMAI, had been seen ‘to have his hand on the tiller’. Normally only amateurs could sail in these events. The issues grew beyond missing a mark and the press got involved. The matter was settled when the protest was upheld and Mrs Titheradge of the Medical YC was declared the winner. The Bracelet Race is still sailed today.

25 Foot Unrestricted Class

By the 1910’s, 25 footers were the premier racing yachts on the Lake. Today we call this a development class. The rules were; LOA not more than 25 feet, LWL not more than 20 feet, beam not more than 8 feet, sail area not more than 66 sq yards and minimum freeboard of 14 inches for square bilged boats.

Annual interclub regattas were held on Albert Park, Wendouree and Colac Lakes. The boats would be packed to travel. At a Colac regatta in 1912, a new boat from Ballarat YC appeared, winning most races by a wide margin. This was Joe White’s ACROSPIRE II designed and built by Charlie Peel in Port Melbourne. Gossip was put around that she didn’t quite measure. When he moved to Melbourne from Ballarat in 1914, JW joined APYC. The Club holds a copy of the Victorian Racing Association – Certificate of Rating showing compliance and signed by Joe White. Could we doubt the honesty of a very competitive sailor and wealthy maltster to get things ‘just right’? More on the restoration of this famous boat in The Lake Part 2.

Local landmarks. The main photo of PARANA (above) shows her sailing into a SW breeze at the southern end of the lake. Behind her is St. Kilda Hill, half a mile away directly up Princes Street. The tower of the Victorian pile Liverpool, St Kilda Presbyterian Church (Cnr of Barkly St.) and the parapet of Berkeley Hall are visible. The first gallery photo (below) shows the fleet sailing up the eastern shore with Government House (1876) on the horizon. PARANA A7 shows rig style of the time, running the spinnaker sheet inside the forestay. This view is obscured today by office and apartment towers along Queen’s and St Kilda Roads. (Click on images to enlarge)

Footy & Boathouses

I really like these two winter photos from the book. The aerial shot from the 1930’s reveals much about Melbourne and sport. It’s probably Saturday afternoon with the mound behind the goals at South Melbourne Football Ground, full of supporters. Albert Park Golf Club built a private 9 hole course in 1897 across the lake. Part remained a livestock paddock. The course was extended to 18 holes in 1931 about the time of the photo (see new fairway aligned tree planting) and became a public course in 1947. Grand mansions are filling St Kilda and Queens Roads beyond.

There’s no wind so no sailing. A stroll under the 1890’s elm trees in front of the boathouses to the popular tennis courts and Chalet Geneve tea-room on Aughtie Drive was an alternative. The Prahran Telegraph described the situation at the opening in 1911;

‘The tea-room, run by Madame Savary, was artistically decorated, the prevailing tints being green, from the green carpet on the floor to the green plush fringe curtains. A stairway leads to a large tea-room above, open on three sides, from which extensive views may be had of the surrounding country, with glimpses of sea water (across Middle Park) and the lake in front, with its white-winged craft (the 25 footers), rising to the hills of the Botanical Gardens and Domain, crowned by Government House’.

The second photo is from 1962. The elms that host the foreshore and make this a special place are now 70 years old. One of my favourite yachts, an OK Dinghy is heading out on the left. You probably had to settle for a Chiko Roll and Fanta from the kiosk at the Jolly Roger boathouse rather than tea at the Chalet.

Albert Park Dinghy Club

The shallow lake has limited the size of boats. This is perhaps the key to APYC’s longevity. Unlike some keelboat clubs that ignore their ‘off-the beach’ sailors, APYC has always focused on bringing in juniors and teaching them to sail. They tend to remain at the club graduating to faster boats while also sailing at other clubs on Port Phillip.

This started in 1910 when APYC Commodore McRitchie noticed a group of boys sailing model boats on the lake. He took an interest in them and formed the Albert Park Model Dinghy Club. The Commodore saw them growing and suggested they start sailing. He organised the design and building of a small one-design 8ft yacht. Soon NELLIE was launched and the Albert Park (Boys?) Dinghy Club had its opening day in 1911. The dinghies were 8 ft long, 4 ft beam, with a sail area of 72sq feet. They had a steel centre-plate and gaff (cat) rigged sail made of japara, a durable cotton impregnated with paraffin-based wax. Each boat had a prominent emblem on the sail, connected to the boat name, and the boys wore white jumpers with the same emblem. The APDC was active for thirty years. (Click on images to enlarge)

For more on this unique 8 dinghy see BAIL, SAIL or SWIM, SWS 24 June 2021.