The Sayonara Cup-A 1955 viewpoint
In the second of our stories from the “Port of Melbourne Quarterly” we reproduce an article from 1955 on The Sayonara Cup.
The inaugural event that created the Sayonara Cup was an Interstate Challenge off Sydney Heads in 1904 between the 60ft gaff-rigged cutters SAYONARA from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and BONA, representing the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. Nowadays the Cup has lost its prestige, it’s most recent iteration being a challenge between RSYS and RYCT in one design 29ft International Dragons.
However many of the Yachts mentioned in the article are still extant.
The Story of the Sayonara Cup
by S.R.Parker
On the waters of Port Phillip Bay, where Melbourne's 1956 Olympic Games races will be contested by the yachting nations of the world, a triangular contest has just been completed for a silver cup. Old and even dented in places, but priceless to Australian yachtsman, the Sayonara Cup.
For more than half a century it has been the background of rivalry and competition that all started through a friendly challenge.
Regarded by Australian yachtsman, as the foremost trophy in their sport, it symbolises mastery in the national eight-meters challenge series for yachts up to 50ft load waterline.
Challenge
In January last the urge to win the cup for both New South Wales and Tasmania brought challenges to the holder, the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, which nominated FRANCES owned and skippered by Mr. Ernest O. Digby of Williamstown.
In private life, he is an Observer of Shipwrights at the Melbourne Harbour Trusts Williamstown workshop and slipways.
Challenger for the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron was SASKIA Mr. W. Northam’s sloop and for the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Mr. E. T. Domeney’s ERICA J.
The challengers eagerly want to win, and were prepared to give of their utmost- a feeling that has shadowed the dramatic series from the first time in 1904, when a friendly Challenge Match started it all.
Original Contest
The Sayonara Cup originally called the Interstate Yacht Race Cup, was in 1904, given by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, and the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, as a trophy for an interstate contest.
It arose out of a friendly challenge by the Sydney clubs to race their best yachts against the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria's representative, Mr. Alfred Gollin’s, slick 54 ft William Fife designed, Adelaide built SAYONARA
As it was to be proved later, Mr. Gollin had appropriately named his boat SAYONARA, (meaning goodbye in Japanese). Alfred Gollin and his crew sailed up from Melbourne and anchored off Circular Quay. At Adam’s Marble Bar in Pitt Street they opened their purses of golden sovereigns and announced they could beat anything under sail in Australia.
The challenge was quickly accepted and Mr. M. T Binnie’s 50ft BONA was nominated by New South Wales in a bid to beat the southerners.
Good Bye
To the Victorians delight SAYONARA proved she was true to her name. She said goodbye to the BONA in the race and the jubilant skipper and his happy crew sailed with the cup back home to Melbourne. There, Mr. Gollin invited New South Wales to challenge with any boat they liked. One of the conditions was that the challenging yacht must sail on her own bottom from her home waters to the place of the contest.
Challenge Accepted
NSW quickly took up the challenge and RAWHITI owned by Mr. D J. Brockhoff tried without success in 1907. Mr. Charles Lloyd Jones's THELMA then attempted to win for New South Wales in 1909, but was out-sailed and the Cup stayed in Melbourne. Protesting that her boats were smaller than SAYONARA, New South Wales requested a time allowance as granted under International Sailing rules to even the score.
Officials in Victoria confident that SAYONARA could be anything granted the concession and in 1910, New South Wales nominated Mr. J. Dixon's CULWULLA III to try to upset their prediction
Time Allowance
SAYONARA won the first heat easily, but CULWULLA III, evened the score in the second. In the decider, SAYONARA was first across the line but CULWULLA III, followed close behind and claimed the race on time allowance. Details were sent to England for a decision. And finally, the coveted trophy, now renamed the Sayonara Cup went to CULWULLA III.
The Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron held the Cup for 17 triumphant years.
ACROSPIRE III
But a challenge from Victoria came in 1928 where Mr. Joe White sailed ACROSPIRE III to Sydney. Nominated by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron to defend the cup. Mr. Alex Albert's NORN proved too good for ACROSPIRE III. Next year, Mr. Lance Randerson tried again on behalf of Victoria. EU-NA-MARA formally CULWULLA III, which had been bought in Sydney and secretly sailed to Melbourne was nominated.
However, New South Wales had a counter in Mr. Percy Arnotts VANESSA, which succeeded in three straight heats. Mr. Joe White tried again in 1930 and 1931. this time with ACROSPIRE IV. VANESSA again prove too good. Not to be outmatched Victorian interests bought VANESSA in 1932 and challenged with her amid a storm of protests from New South Wales, whose yachtsman said it was hitting below the belt. However, the race went on and VANESSA won for Victoria.
In 1932, Arthur Stephens skippered NORN for New South Wales to four wins in five heats but on the handicaps, NORN lost the contest to VANESSA and the Victorians both won the cup, and got their own back on New South Wales for introducing the handicapping system. A lapse of 21 years followed with Victoria triumphantly holding the Cup.
ERICA J
In 1951, when the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania was invited to take part Mr. Ernest O. Digby, a keen yachtsman from boyhood, slipped into the waters of Port Phillip Bay, spanking new boat called FRANCES, which he had designed and built himself in Williamstown. He had built FRANCES in 15 months to his own plans and specifications.
The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania named Mr. E T. Domeney’s ERICA J as challenger ERICA J designed by Norwegian B J. Aas was built and launched in Hobart in 1949. The owner Mr. Domeney, had started his yacht racing career after his army discharge in 19i8. Since his first interest he had owned ZONIA, CONOBIE SIREEN, MAVIS and now ERICA J, each boat being an improvement on the former.
Perseverance
But try as he might with Domeney’s ERICA J, her skipper H N Batt was no match for Ern Digby in 1951 and 1952, but perseverance brought its reward in 1953 when ERICA J was sailed splendidly to victory
With a twinkle in his eye Ern Digby reversed the result in 1953, when he won three out of the four heats in Storm Bay, Tasmania, and then raced FRANCES back to Melbourne in three days with a 50 year old trophy.
First Triangular Contest
For the first time in history, the feud for the cup developed into a triangular contest this year, FRANCES sailed by her own Skipper was nominated to defend the Cup against New South Wales and Tasmania and challengers, ERICA J and SASKIA. No yachting challenge had ever created so much attention in Melbourne.
SASKIA’s owner-skipper, tall, good natured Bill Northam, a Sydney company director, brought from Sydney a crack New South Wales crew to sail with him.
SASKIA, former champion British eight metre class yacht, designed and built in Scotland in 1931 had a long list of overseas successes to her credit to backup his confidence. she had won the Sewanacker Cup in America, and was placed in the eight meters class at the Olympic Games in Kiel, in 1936.
Already, she had proved herself in Australia by winning the Duke of Gloucester Cup on Sydney Harbour. 65 feet long, SASKIA was the only yacht in Australia fitted with a duralium mast and all stainless steel rod rigging.
There was much excitement before the race. In sailing to Melbourne to qualify for the contest, SASKIA was battered by a series of sudden gales. Fears for her safety and that of her crew were voiced after she was five days overdue.
But finally she sailed into Port Phillip, and a team of riggers got to work to fit her for the challenge.
Finest Spinnaker Seen on the Bay
Setting one of the finest Spinnaker has ever seen on Port Phillip Bay, SASKIA went on to an easy win in the first heat. SASKIA last away at the start showed she was the boat best suited to the light conditions prevailing on the day. Clever sailing by SASKIA gave Skipper Northam his second win in the second heat and strong grip on the series from ERICA J And FRANCES.
Needing only to win another heat, he had the cup in his grip on the third day, but in the heat, the shrewd tactics of Ern Digby caused an upset when he went on to an easy win from ERICA J with SASKIA last.
Victory
In the fourth heat, SASKIA revelling in the freshening breeze forged ahead of her rivals on the final leg to windward to win and earn the cup for New South Wales for the first time in 23 years. It was a magnificent and well deserved victory.
But now, the feud is on again, despite the cost of challenging for the old silver bowl- SASKIA’s trip is said to have cost 2000 pounds-both owners Digby and Domeney have declared with a will to win, that they will be available to sail to Sydney next year for another challenge series. And so the fight goes on for the Sayonara Cup, classic of Australian yachting.