YACHTING DURING THE PAST 257 



it may be mentioned that she grew from about fourteen to 

 twenty tons between the years 1861 and 1883. In 1888 she 

 was broken up and the materials sold. 



Without doubt the Red Rover was accountable for the 

 increased tonnage amongst local yachts, to prove which may 

 be called to mind the Argonaut, eighteen tons ; the Alabama 

 (afterwards renamed the Water Lily) fourteen tons, owned 

 by Mr F. Green ; the Little Yankee, fourteen tons, which was 

 built at Cowes; the Emerald, a schooner of eighteen tons 

 belonging to Sir Thomas Beauchamp, Bart. ; the Kitten^ 

 twelve tons, which was built by Harvey of Wivenhoe, was a 

 great success at sea but a total failure on inland waterways, 

 and was owned by Mr Clabburn of Norwich; the Eva Mary, 

 eighteen tons, belonging to Sir Harry Bullard ; Waveney 

 Queen, a yawl of twenty-four tons, owned by Major H. JVI. 

 Leathes ; Marguerite, five tons, owned by Mr Ket Thompson ; 

 Zephyr, fifteen tons, belonging to Mr T. M. Read ; Rover 

 sixteen tons (Mr T. H. Palmer); Vampire, ten tons, 

 (Mr W. S. Everitt) ; Amateur, six tons, built by Etteridge of 

 Thorpe (Mr F. Brown) ; Wanderer I. (Mr W. Jecks) ; Vixen*, 

 nine tons, and the Atalanta (Colonel Wilson) ; Sphinx, five 

 tons (Mr W. H. Scott) ; the Myth, nine tons, a half decker 

 (Mr R. J. H. Harvey, afterwards Sir Robert Harvey, Bart.) ; 

 and the Glance, eleven tons (Mr P. E. Hansel). 



These yachts soon proved to be too big for river racing, 

 and their size began to diminish in favour of ten-tonners, 

 whilst the larger yachts degenerated into cruisers. 



In 1861 Mr Ket Thompson introduced an American " centre- 

 board " yacht as a new class of racing craft in the five-ton 

 Marguerite; she was Una-rigged, under-canvassed and alto- 

 gether too small to compete successfully with other boats of 

 her time. A considerable local outcry was also raised against 

 the fairness of this innovation. Soon after her appearance the 

 centre board was removed in favour of a deep lead keel, a long 

 counter was added, and her name changed to the Fleur de Lys, 

 under which she won many races until the year 1870. In 

 1862 another attempt to introduce the centre board was 



R * 



