Monday, September 7, 2015

LS.S.A 14-foot dinghy uncovered in upstate Vermont


Owner is putting a 1918 date on this one.

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Here is the comment I put up on the Woodenboat Facebook post.

"Technically the racing class was called the L.S.S.A. (Lake Skiff Sailing Association) 14 foot dinghy. An active class from 1900 to about the beginning of the 1950's, though superseded by the amalgamation of the R.Y.A 14 and the LS.S.A 14 into the International 14 rule after the 1933 Seawanhaka Team Races (which in actuality made the R.Y.A 14 into the International 14 foot dinghy). George Aykroyd built racing versions as well as a recreational Lake version; this one looks to be the recreational Lake version. When referring to an Aykroyd 14, this usually means the recreational Lake version. I'm not sure how many of of the racing versions have survived. (T.P. has listed some of the other designers, though Canadian Charles Bourke is probably the most famous designer of both the L.S.S.A. 14 foot dinghy and the International 14 foot dinghy.) The Aykroyd 14 (restored, as well as some new builds) races as a fleet at Stoney Lake, Ontario. These dinghies sport[ed] a large cat rig of 140 square feet with two crew.

L.S.S.A 14-footer Dinghies Pre-Start in Toronto Bay

A photo from the City of Toronto archives shows a fleet of L.S.S.A 14-footer dinghies milling about in the background with a large crowd of onlookers in the foreground. My best guess of time frame would be around WWI, perhaps slightly later. This may have been a photo of a 14-footer regatta held in conjunction with the Toronto Exhibition, an annual summer fair.