The continuing restoration of the Mylne-designed Dublin Bay 21 class of 1902-1908 origins, undertaken by Steve Morris of Kilrush Boatyard for Hal Sisk and Fionan de Barra, has deservedly won several awards, including recognition for the project’s use of modern techniques and materials to re-create different parts of the original detail designs.
A particular case in point is the rudders, where the plain wooden stock of the original design was simply topped by a bronze rudderhead which incorporated the tiller fitting. But in the new version, the stocks are epoxy-laminated iroko, topped by a greenheart button or cap above the Marine Grade 316 stainless steel sleeve about a foot long, and running very smoothly on a Delrin bearing just under the deck.
The new rudderhead on Naneen incorporated the use of epoxy, top-grade stainless steel, and a Delrin bearing.
Thus the original rudderheads are now surplus to utilitarian requirements. Yet they’re eminently collectable. Not all had been accounted for as the fleet and its equipment were itemised before the move westward for restoration to Kilrush, and this now explains how an Afloat.ie reader recently came upon Naneen’s original rudderhead, apparently long-stored on a dusty shelf in a renowned Dublin salvage yard
Naneen’s original rudderhead as discovered this month in a Dublin salvage yard, and here scaled by a pint
However, an original rudderhead which did make it to Kilrush is the only one with which I have had any direct personal contact, and that is the white boat Geraldine’s original piece of tiller-controlling kit. Steve Morris has sent along a photo, as Geraldine is currently undergoing re-creation in Kilrush, and it all brings back memories of 1963 when the DB21s were making what was their last stand under their original rather demanding jackyard-toting gaff cutter rig, for the remorseless process of changing to Bermudan rig was about to begin.
Geraldine’s original rudderhead, first personally studied in detail in 1963, and seen here this week in Kilrush. Photo: Steve Morris
Back in 1963, there was a long weekend of universities team racing under way in Dun Laoghaire, and sailing magazine editor Hugh Somerville was also in town. So the DB21 class deployed their generous hospitality and entire fleet of seven boats on the Friday night to give all the sailing student teams and the lone journo what looked like being a last chance to race the DB21s as originally conceived.
At the time I was much involved with the Queens University Belfast SC team, a group of which it might be said that while a whiff of Asperger’s was not mandatory, it was regarded as normal. Notwithstanding this, our very tolerant host-owner Paul Johnston gave us the free run of Geraldine – the white boat - and we managed to finish second, close astern of Hugh Somerville.
Tactician (left) and helmsman of the QUBSC 1963 DB21 Campaign Crew. While a whiff of Asperger’s wasn’t mandatory, it certainly helped. Photo: Russell O’Neill
This meant we became Old Original Dublin Bay 21 Intervarsity World Champions for Life, and while it was not enough to inspire us in preventing UCD from becoming the Irish Intervarsities Team Racing Champions next day, it seemed to do something for us in Sunday morning’s two very special back-to-back team races in Fireflies against TCD.
This was for the Elwood Salver, donated back in the 1920s for TCD-v-QUB sailing competition by a distinguished Belfast sailing family, the Elwoods, whose links with TCD went back several generations. Despite its lengthy history, the Elwood Salver – which has probably long since disappeared into a cupboard of traded antiques – had never ever been won by QUB.
Until 1963, that is. Which explains why, for all that Naneen is the only DB21 actually built in Dun Laoghaire, as far as the QUBSC Class of ’63 is concerned, it is Geraldine – built by Hollweys of Ringsend – that is The Special One, for she is the most tangible reminder of one of the most extraordinary weekends that our little club ever experienced.
