Derwent Class
Early in 1927 a stalwart of Hobart racing Edwin H Webster suggested a new one design class to be an intermediate between the cadet dinghies, recently introduced for junior yachtsman, and the one design and newer, larger “A division” racing yachts that dominated first class racing in southern Tasmania at the time. He first proposed a half deck boat for four crew about 17 foot in length and costing about £75 to build fully fitted. However, it was soon decided that this type of craft was too small to make a boat that was of use for anything other than racing, so the concept was enlarged to a yacht intended to cost about £200 for a professional boat builder to construct, or about £120 pound for materials if home built by amateurs.
A national competition for a suitable design was advertised in the Australian Motorboat and Yachting monthly in May 1927 and ultimately drew 9 entries, the winner announced in the magazine September edition, being AC Barber of Sydney, with a design named Colleen. This design was however still not considered entirely suitable for Tasmanian conditions and was extensively reworked incorporating some elements from the second place winner proposed by Hobart yachtsman and amateur designer Percy C Douglas. The end result was an attractive little Bermudan rigged Sloop that looked above the water line at least, rather like a scaled down version of the old Alfred Blore one designs.
Webster evidently ordered construction of the prototype before the results of the competition were published. Named after his first large yacht Imp of nearly 50 years earlier. It was launched from Percy Coverdale's Battery Point yard on the 7th of December 1927. At the same time Webster aptly named the new class the Derwent class, although it was often known simply as the D class in keeping with the A and B class racing yachts and C Class cruising division that also raced on the Derwent. Orders for several more boats were duly placed with Percy Coverdale, with Websters intention that 6 Derwent class yachts be racing by the start of the 1928-29 yachting season. Copies of the Derwent class plans were made available from the Royal Yacht club of Tasmania at a cost of £1 pound with amateurs and professionals alike encouraged to build them. Webster next commissioned Percy Coverdale to build a second D class yacht in May 1928, however soon after construction began the project was sold to Arthur Coole of Cygnet. Named Pixie the vessel was launched in late September of that year. A third D class yacht Gnome (HV000804), built by Walter Taylor and E McCreary was launched from Percy Coverdale slip on the 16th of October 1928.
It was soon joined by two boats built by amateurs Clytie built by Albert Morris of New Town Tasmania, Sprite and was launched late in 1928 from Charlie Lucas 's Battery Point boat yard to Websters order bringing the total of Derwent class yachts to six. The D class boats were allocated a small number commencing with D that numerically place them more or less in the order of commencing active racing around greater Hobart, consequently the second D Pixie that spent its first few years on the Huon was allocated D6.
For more than five decades the Derwent class proved a popular and competitive addition to local and regional racing fixtures; helped in part by the low cost of the vessels. The addition of more boats to the class and the evenness of the races. Three more boats appeared in the late 1930s and after something of a hiatus caused by the Second World War despite which two more were completed during the hostilities, the fleet doubled with new builds in the latter 1940s and early 1950s most of these were amateur builds often of celery top pine presumably because Huon pine was difficult to source and expensive at the time.
D Class yachts helped sustain yachting in Tasmania during the early twentieth century, providing a pathway from dinghy and skiff sailing into the larger keel classes. With a large powerful rig, the Derwents made for exciting harbour racing. Generations of Hobart sailors from the 1930's right through to the 1980's honed their sailing on these fast and demanding yachts.
Completed with the assistance of Peter Higgs, ARHV Steering Committee member and ARHV Council member, and Graham Broxam and Nicole Mays, the D Class history drawn from - Those that Survive Tasmania’s Vintage and Veteran Recreational Vessels
Completed with the assistance of Peter Higgs, ARHV Steering Committee member and ARHV Council member, and Graham Broxam and Nicole Mays, the D Class history drawn from - Those that Survive Tasmania’s Vintage and Veteran Recreational Vessels
