The
Scots Return
Herbert Thom enjoyed
three seasons with Westra, becoming class champion in 1934, 1935 and
1936. The main competition was coming from the Russell’s old boat Sanda,
now sailed by James Buchanan.
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| Westra, No 1 and Sanda, No 5 |
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| Westra leads my Stroma, No 4 to the finish |
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| The fleet |
Just when Herbert
Thom was looking for a new challenge he was approached jointly by Alexander
Robertson & son and David Boyd, who suggested that they produce a new six
metre for him. The result was Circe, which was Boyd’s first design for a
metre boat. By the end of 1937 Circe had won 24 flags including six firsts,
the largest number in any class, despite being dismasted on the first day of
Clyde Fortnight. The Glasgow Herald reported that her helmsman already
had 312 flags in 12 years, so was now up to 336.
When it was decided
that a team of British sixes would contest the British America Cup and the
Royal Northern yacht Club challenged for the Seawanhaka Cup, Circe had
to be involved.
The British America
Cup would go to the first team of four to win four races. Team racing requires
a different cultural approach, a profound knowledge of the rules and the confidence
to put boats at risk and get away with it. It’s best done on true one-design
boats, which six metres patently are not. I suspect that the British team would
have had little if any experience of this type of competition.
The British yachts
were Mr R M Teacher’s Erica, Herbert Thom’s Circe, Mr J H Maurice
Clark’s Vrana, all Scottish boats, and Solenta, owned by Eldon
and Kenneth Trimingham of Bermuda.
The American team consisted of Mr Briggs Cunningham’s Fun, Mr George
Nichols’ Goose, Mr Paul Shields’ Rebel and Mr Henry Morgan’s Djinn.
The Scottish yachts
were duly craned aboard the Anchor liner California, while Herbert Thom,
accompanied by his mother and son John travelled on the Donaldson Line’s Letitia.
The cost to each owner would have been about £1,500, a very substantial sum.
The races were a
disaster for the British team. In the first race, sailed in variable but mainly
light conditions, the Americans got first, second, fourth and seventh places,
with Circe last. In the second race, sailed in a nice breeze of 10 to 13
mph, the Americans forced Circe
and Vrana over the start line and they were recalled. The Americans
got first, second, third and seventh places, Solenta at fourth was the
best British boat and Circe came sixth.
The next day the wind
was very light. Djinn forced Solenta and Circe over the
start line at the expense of being over herself and all three got recalled. Later
on Djinn fouled Circe and Henry Morgan promptly withdrew. The
British boats were now generally doing rather well, when the race committee
decided that the time limit of four hours would not be met and cancelled the
race.
On day four Goose luffed
Solenta and collided with her, causing both to protest. The yachts had
been only five feet apart when Goose’s skipper put his helm down hard
and at the subsequent hearing she was disqualified. As this was a re-sail of the third race Djinn
remained disqualified for her skipper’s behaviour the day before. The
British skippers pleaded with the committee to waive this and allow Henry
Morgan to compete, but the rule was enforced, so the Americans had a serious handicap.
They got the first and second places, but still lost on points. Circe came
fourth.
In the fourth race,
day five of sailing, there was a good breeze. The Americans won with first,
second, fifth and eighth places and Circe came fourth again.
The Americans won
again on the final day with first, fourth, fifth and sixth places in very light
airs. Circe, considered to be a heavy weather boat, came seventh.
On the evening of the
last day the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club declared that Goose would
defend the Seawanhaka Cup and the Royal Northern nominated Circe to challenge for it.
It is unlikely that the challengers felt they had much of a chance, but by now
Herbert Thom had had time to learn about the local conditions. For the challenge he
had his pick of crew from all the British boats.
He selected William MacAusland
(the wee fellow in the picture) from Mr Teacher’s Erica and Sandy Baird
(on the left, later Harbourmaster at Bermuda) and Murray Maclehose (the tall chap on Thom’s
left, later to be the Governor of Hong Kong) from Maurice Clark’s Vrana to
sail with him and his son John (extreme right). He selected the best sails from all the British
boats too.
On the first day of
the series any American complacency was severely shaken. The Glasgow Herald reported,
“It was a nasty day
for sailing, judged by the standards of ladies afternoon sailing parties. There
was an easterly blowing up the sound, seventeen miles an hour at the start and
clear to twenty five at the finish. It was piling up a real sea, steep, rugged
navy, and out of the low grey clouds heavy cold rain squalls sluiced down now
and again. Maybe Circe thought she
was back at home in her own Firth O’ Clyde waters, for it was a dour day for
these parts. At any rate she went, and Goose, fastest all-around yacht
of the American sixmetre fleet, couldn't hold her under the conditions.”
The second race had a
triangular course, sailed in another blustery day. Herbert Thom gave Circe a
perfect start and Goose couldn’t catch her, finishing twenty four seconds behind.
The third race was
sailed in Goose’s weather, a light easterly with a windward/leeward
course again. Goose had by far the better start and covered Circe as
the latter tacked several times in quick succession. Suddenly the wind whipped round to the
southeast, giving a reach to the windward mark, at which Goose was two
minutes thirty-five seconds ahead. The return was now a reach in about seven miles
an hour of wind and Goose rounded the next mark just over five minutes
ahead. There was now a run to the original weather mark. Circe made up a
little and was four minutes ten seconds behind at the final turn.
The final leg was now
a beat. The wind died and both boats drifted along, Circe holding
inshore of Goose. Herbert Thom must have scented a land breeze, because
while Goose lay becalmed Circe silently eased sheets and started
moving very gently, gradually
overhauling her and steadily easing sheets again, picking up speed, while the
crew of Goose could only sit and watch. The wind eventually reached Goose,
but it was too late. At the very end she tried the expedient of setting her
spinnaker, but to no avail. Circe finished half a minute ahead and won
the Cup.
Aftermath
After their return
from the States the Russells stayed with six metres and commissioned a new
boat, Mara, from Alfred Mylne. Their yacht Kyla has enjoyed a
long retirement and now sails, fully restored, in France.
Herbert Thom
successfully defended the Cup against a Norwegian challenge on the Clyde in
late 1939. He then sold Circe and went back to the Islanders after the
War, commissioning a new
yacht Canna. He continued in his unbeatable ways, winning virtually
everything until by August 1963 he was exhausted and, perhaps mindful of his father’s
history of heart trouble, decided to retire. Over a racing career that lasted
60 years Herbert Thom had won 690 flags, including 453 first places. He died in
1986 at the age of 96.
Circe didn’t enjoy a happy
retirement. She was sold to the Russians who took her to Helsinki for the 1952 Olympic
Games, where they came a bad last. The story in Finland is that
afterwards they held a party and barbecue during which they burnt Circe.
Only her drawings remain, in the archives at Kilmory, Argyll.
Of the American boats
Bob Kat II is believed to be still around, possibly in Italy, while Goose
has been fully restored and is based in Puget Sound, Washington State.
