A 1922 image of MISCHIEF dressed with flags for a regatta event. The raised deck and classic sh…

Images(4)

MISCHIEF in 2005, still showing the elegant counter stern that was a feature of Reeks designs.

A view of the underbody of MISCHIEF while on the slips in 2005.

Mischief

Vessel numberHV000087

Builder W Holmes Boat Builder

Designer Walter Reeks (1861-1925)

Date1907

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 10.97 m x 12.19 m x 10.06 m x 2.74 m x 1.68 m, 8.86 tonnes (36 ft x 40 ft x 33 ft x 9 ft x 5.5 ft, 9 tons)

DescriptionArthur Milson was the commodore of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, and Walter Reeks was also a senior member. Milson's father was James Milson (Jnr) who had owned a number of vessels in the mid 1880s, while his brother Alfred had also been a significant yacht owner and had commissioned the big yacht ERA from Reeks in 1887. Their father had previously owned champions yachts called MISCHIEF and ERA, so both sons were maintaining a strong link to the family past with their yachts.

MISCHIEF is almost 11 metres long and has the typical hull profile seen on many previous yacht designs by Reeks, with a short rounded bow profile, a longer overhanging counter stern and no distinct knuckle in the stern chock. It is planked in kauri on spotted gum frames. The original sail plan was for a gaff rigged ketch.

The raised deck on MISCHIEF is also an early example of this configuration which has been a popular arrangement on many Australian craft. It provides a more open and spacious interior. However later owners wanted more headroom, so a shallow trunk cabin has been added.

Australian Motor Boat and Yachting Monthly said the following about MISCHIEF in an obituary article for Arthur Milson, in June 1926, entitled "Gone Aloft".

'He built the cutter Mischief, named after his father's old yacht. She was a most comfortable cruiser, and many a pleasant day was spent by Mr Milson, in association with the late Walter Reeks and Messrs. E. (Ned) Hungerford, T.H.F. Mackenzie and T Butler.'

MISCHIEF has always been used as a cruising yacht, and Arthur Milson used the yacht in his official capacity at club functions and regattas. In 2006 it remains in good condition as it enters its 100th year, a mark of the quality of its construction.
SignificanceMISCHIEF is a wooden yacht built in Sydney in 1907. The raised-deck cruising yacht MISCHIEF is a design by Walter Reeks that was built by William Holmes for a member of the Milson family who were prominent sailors in Sydney over three geenrations. It was one of the early sailing yachts from the 1900s designed and built with an auxiliary motor.