The 1969 CDA and International Team Races: The Transition Regattas

The 1969 International Team Races and the 1969 CDA, both held in Kingston, Ontario Canada, was a watermark event in the International 14 class.

The International 14 class came late to the trapeze. For the post-WWII years, through the 1950's and 1960's, the 14 was a two man hiking boat even though most of the other crewed performance dinghies of that era; the Flying Dutchman, the 505, the Fireball, had already quickly adopted the trapeze. In 1969, the single trapeze was allowed on a trial basis at the Canadian National Championships (CDA), held at the CORK regatta. It obviously made an impression as during the CDA regatta, the International 14 World Council approved the single trapeze, beginning with the 1970 season forward. This set up a very rare situation. The International Team Races, ran the week before CDA had remained a hiking only competition. The 1969 Team Races and the 1969 CDA were to be the old and the new; a transition compressed over two weeks.

I have some grainy photos of the old; the International Team Races held before the CDA, the hiking only event. These feature the U.S. East Coast team taking on Canada. I can identify the U.S. numbers but unfortunately not all the Canadian ones, KC 349, KC 353, and KC 334. I do know at least three of the Canadian skippers; Graeme Hayward, Harry Jemmet, and Andre Julian

US-851 is Sinjin Martin (KIII)

Graeme Hayward KC-354. One thing that is noticeable is the sideways bend of masts for the hiking International 14's. This would go away with the addition of the trapeze.

Frank and Judy Lawson in US-802 leading Graeme Hayward, KC 354.

Stuart Walker and Lev Huntington in US-848 (Kirby IV) covering Graeme Hayward.

US-802 Frank and Judy Lawson (Souter-Casson)

Stuart Walker and Lev Huntington using "Ladies Aids" for extra power upwind.

Bob Reeves and Ted Spivey; US855 (Kirby IV)

A stern shot of US855 going upwind

The trapeze finally arrives on the International 14

The English would dominate the International Team Races, winning all the races. Jeremy Pudney, the English maestro, would win the CDA, the first 14 regatta with a trapeze.

1969 was also a transition year for some of the old guard. 1969 would be the last International event for Stuart Walker. He would win the International 14 U.S. Nationals that year at Saratoga Lake but he was already taking up racing the Soling, a class he would remain in for the rest of his life. Bruce Kirby, who had released his iconic International 14 designs, the KIV and KV, the previous two years, borrowed Stuart Walker's International 14 for the CDA. He was working in Chicago as a sailing journalist and would pop into 14 regattas occasionally in the 1970's.

Peter Scott Painting of the 1934 Toronto Team Races

Cambridge University Cruising Club Collection

I found this Peter Scott painting over at the Cambridge University Cruising Club website (their history section is a very good read). It is a painting of one of the 1934 Team Races in Toronto with the English team featured prominently in the foreground, and the racers seemingly caught out in one of those Lake Ontario line squalls. The 1934 Team Races would mark the beginning of U.S International 14 class. George Ford from Rochester would try to buy the Uffa Fox R.I.P. from Stewart Morris in Toronto. For some reason the deal could not be completed in Toronto and R.I.P was shipped back to England. George Ford and a syndicate from Rochester were able to complete a deal in the fall/winter of 1934 and R.I.P was shipped again, over the Atlantic, to Rochester N.Y..

I reprint the text accompanying the Peter Scott painting from the Cambridge University Cruisng Club website:

"This is a photograph of an 80 X 50cm painting of "dinghies racing on Lake Ontario" according to the CUCrC Annual Report of the time, which records Peter Scott's gift of the painting in the Club's year of 1935/36. In 1934 a team of 4 UK International 14ft dinghies and sailors (including Peter Scott), from the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk YC, went to Toronto to sail against a team from the Royal Canadian YC and a US team from Rochester YC, New York. The UK beat the US 3-0 and Canada 3-1 to take home the trophy, and Canada beat the US 2-0 (one race being abandoned due to the time limit expiring). There was also an open race for the Wilton Morse trophy which was won by Peter Scott in Eastlight. The series, which had started in 1933, went on to become an international biennial event, interrupted from 1940 to 1958 by WW II.

"The picture was painted in the year after the event - presumably from memory, notes and sketches made at the time, and possibly a photograph - because Peter is shown in the race. The scene is a start (a Preparatory Signal is flying), but only 6 boats are included. The three UK boats are K290 (Lightening - John Winter); K267 (R.I.P. - Stewart Morris); and K318 (Eastlight - Peter Scott). A fourth UK boat, K322 (Canute - David Beale, not a CUCrC member), and an opposing boat are missing from the scene - possibly a deliberate omission because Scott intended the painting for the CUCrC and wished to celebrate the achievement of the CUCrC members on the team. Of the team, three helmsmen and two crews were CUCrC members, one crew was a Cambridge Rugby Blue, and one was an Oxford University YC member. Further details are given in a document accompanying the painting, also available from the Alumni Administrator, and in the Club's archives at the University Library - along with printouts of the articles mentioned below.

"The origins and development of the series are a fascinating part of dinghy sailing lore, well recorded in the history section of the International 14 Class website...; pages 70-74 of 'Uffa Fox's Second Book' (which gives the results of the 1934 races when Uffa was Team Manager); and two articles on Canadian 14 history by Rob Mazza in the Royal Canadian YC 'KWASIND' bulletins of August and September 2013. '14' dinghies evolved in parallel in the UK (where the International Rule was formulated), the US, and Canada. The Canada and America's Cup events of 1930 initiated some animated discussion, between leading sailing figures of the time, as to the relative merits of the UK, US, and Canadian 14 dinghies. The outcome was that Sir John Beale, Commodore of RN&SYC, undertook to organise what became the 1933 international team racing event at Seawanhaka Corinthian YC, Oyster Bay, New York, and then accepted the invitation for the UK to attend the 1934 event at the Royal Canadian YC, Toronto.

From the Louise Ann Ford collection is this 1934 news clipping showing R.I.P (destined to be U.S. 1) sitting on a dock in Toronto with the spinnaker drying.

Louise Ann Ford Collection

Charlie Bourke's Riptide on Toronto Docks

From the Toronto newspaper, The Mail and Empire, a photo of Charlie Bourke's Riptide sitting on the docks during the 1934 Team Races with the English and Americans. The photo definitely shows that Riptide was still a LSSA 14-footer though, probably at this point, sailing with a sloop rig instead of a cat rig.

1971 Canadian Team at Annapolis

Former C&C designer, Rob Mazza, sends along a photo of the Canadian team at the 1971 Team Races in Annapolis. This was the first year an American Team won; the West Coast team taking the Team Race Championship - 6 wins to 3 losses. (Note the funnelator, a water-filled-balloon launcher popular for amusement at regattas, both on and off the water in those years - until someone suffered eye damage.)

Standing, L to R, Graeme Hayward (RSt.L.YC), Arthur Earl, Peter Jones (crew for Harry Jemmett).
Kneeling, L to R, John Robertson (RHYC), Ewan Swan (crew for Graham Hayward), George Overend (crew for John Robertson), Harry Jemmett (KYC), Rob Mazza (crew for Arthur Earl).

1981 Team Race Party

This blog is, I admit it, all about nostalgia. Indulge the blogger on this one as he posts a video of the party for the 1981 International 14 Team Races. The party was held at the Robert Crown Sailing Center, US Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland and features the sailors from the English, Canadian and the U.S East and West Coasts.

1981 Team Races and World Championship

I haven't posted too much about my own International 14 experiences. I expect to do more of that in the future but, in the meantine, I've posted about my racing in the 1981 Annapolis International Team Races and World Championships over here at the Earwigoagin blog.