CYCA Commodore John and Kaye Brooks
Sydney Harbour, Circa Jan 2010
Margaret Rintoul - AUS 353N
This site will attempt to tell the story of this beautiful Philip Rhodes designed yawl. Some of the pieces of the story are missing or poorly documented and we hope that by publishing the known history of this famous yawl we will encourage others who may have sailed on her or against her over the last 57 years to help us fill in the gaps.
This is a work in progress and the site will be updated whenever we have compiled and edited new information. Much of the information comes from the work of others, published and unpublished and there are copyright issues to consider. While we will endeavour to always attribute any piece subject to copyright we believe looking at the mixed trove of information to hand this may not always be possible. To those owners of such copyright as we may fail to attribute properly, we apologise in advance.
THE BEGINNING...
A friend persuaded
Austin.W.Edwards that if he was to commission a yacht to compete for a place in the Sydney to Hobart ocean race that he should engage a tried and proven architect. So it was that Margaret Rintoul was designed by
Philip L. Rhodes of New York. He based his design on a previous commission for Henery Babson and Joseph Moeller of New York, NY for an auxiliary yawl
Tahuna, built by Palmer Johnson in 1941. Rhodes design #459 - 44' x 31' x 10'11'' x 6' 10'' yawl. More on this later when we'll share some of the correspondence between Austin Edwards and Phillip Rhodes as the commission was negotiated.
The plans arrived in early 1948 and in May of that year,
Ted Haddock a shipwright from England recently retired from the Royal Navy was engaged to build the yacht at a yard in Cresent Street, Glebe. Sydney
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Bruce with Margaret Rintoul and Pasha in background
April 2011 Pittwater |
The plan was to launch in early August However, delays caused by internal fit-out and cabinetry as well as other construction issues determined that the launch was delayed until December 18th, 1948 at Blackwattle Bay.
THE DETAILS...
The dimensions of the yawl are:
L.O.A. 44ft. 3in.,
L.W.L.31ft.,
Beam 11ft. 3in.,
Draft 6ft. 6in.,
Planking is 1and 1/4in. Fijian Kauri,
Garboards are Spotted Gum,
Stringers are also Spotted Gum in sizes 2 X 2 and 2 and 1/2in.
The deck is 3/4in. marine plywood and painted canvas.
The keel comprised 5and !/2 tons of lead with the addition of 5 cwt, of internal trimming ballast.
The mainmast rises 56ft from the step with a main boom of 19ft., while the mizzenmast is 30ft from the step. All the spars are hollow, of the box type glued using the latest plastic beetle glues.
The mainsail slides in a Gibbons type aluminium channel track with a separate parallel track for the storm trysail.
The bowsprit is 5ft. outboard
and fitted with a Monel bobstay fitted with a tubular Dolphin-striker with side loads carried by stainless steel wire whiskers. Mounted on the sprit at the stern head is a Highfield lever which sets up the inner forestay. This can be released easily so the stay can be carried back in the rigging when the Genoa is set from the forestay.
The working sails are from Hayward's No 625 quality Egyptian Cotton Yacht Duck and the mainsail was entirely handsewn by sailmaker Joe Pearce, of Sydney. The sail wardrobe was large by local standards, see table below. As Margaret Rintoul will compete under the local R.O.R.C and not the current American rule, the sail list is different than would apply in the United States.
Aft is a roomy self-draining cockpit with both Wheel and Tiller steering.
(Note we have not been able to confirm how this setup worked as early descriptions refer to "alternate wheel and tiller steering, the wheel being mounted on the doghouse bulkhead" Certainly the tiller was removable and could be stowed below if and when the wheel was in use. However, it's not clear if the wheel disconnected when the tiller was in use. Or at least that appears to have been the designers' intention. Contemporary photographs do not show any evidence of a wheel and the location described above, "the doghouse bulkhead", usually housed a Life Ring while at sea.)
"There are four sheet winches within easy reach of the cockpit and a mainsheet winch on top of the doghouse. Wire capture reel winches are mast mounted to manage the halyards."
It's likely that this description of the cockpit and deck layout (taken from an article in the Jan-Feb 1949 issue of Sailing, Boating and Fishing), is not completely accurate. These details may have been taken from Rhodes' specifications. Photographs of the yacht taken at the start of the 1951 Hobart show only two sheet winches and the fall from the mainsheet terminating aft of the helmsman, aft of the rudder and tiller connection. The article referred to was accompanied by several photographs, however, none of these shows the completed yacht and shows only the early stages of her build. It is likely that the article relied on the designer's specifications rather than describe the yacht "as-built".
THE EQUIPMENT...
The yawl was equipped with a radio transceiver, hoop aerial direction finder, four-cylinder Universal marine engine and a Stuart Turner 12 volt charging plant.
Sail wardrobe:
P L. Rhodes, Sail Plan - Modified for Australian Racing Rules 1948
Sail
|
Luff
|
Foot
|
Leech
|
Area Sq. Ft.
|
Mainsail
|
46’ 11”
|
20’ 3”
|
50’ 0”
|
475
|
Mizzen
|
23’ 6”
|
8’ 6”
|
24’ 6”
|
100
|
Boom Staysail
|
32’ 0”
|
12’ 9”
|
27’ 8”
|
176
|
Loose Footed Staysail
|
32’ 0”
|
13’ 6”
|
27’ 8”
|
185
|
Genoa Staysail
|
29’ 0”
|
22’ 11”
|
29’ 5”
|
307
|
No 1 Jib
|
51’ 0”
|
25’ 0”
|
38’ 6”
|
462
|
No 2 Jib
|
45’ 0”
|
21’ 6”
|
32’ 0”
|
314
|
Genoa
|
49’ 6”
|
32’ 3”
|
47’ 3”
|
732
|
Small Genoa
|
41’ 9”
|
27’ 0”
|
39’ 2”
|
512
|
Drifter
|
50’ 10”
|
27’ 5”
|
46’ 6”
|
631
|
Mizzen Staysail
|
30’ 6”
|
25’ 0”
|
25’ 9”
|
309
|
Storm Staysail
|
23’ 0”
|
10’ 0”
|
18’ 8”
|
95
|
Storm Trysail
|
21’ 0”
|
14’ 0”
|
27’ 6”
|
122
|
Note the dimensions for the Mainsail are given from the top of the Black Band to the top of the sheave. The Mizzen is given from the top of the boom to the Black Band. Jibs are to the bolt ropes.
For more information see the Australian Maritime Museum entry for Margaret Rintoul here
