VANITY after restoration and rebuilding in 2009 at Brisbane

Images(3)

Vanity

Vessel numberHV000388

Official Number133486

Sail Number4

Previous owner WF Darling, GS Crisp and Dr EJ Ireland

Designer Alfred Blore

Designer William Hand Jnr

Previous owner Cumming and Harris

Previous owner Harris and Flynn

Previous owner Harris and Cooper

Previous owner Harris,Cooper and Gibson

Date1911

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 12 m x 10.4 m x 2.8 m x 1.65 m, 6 tonnes (39.37 ft x 34.12 ft x 9.19 ft x 5.41 ft, 5.9 tons)

DescriptionCharles Lucas built VANITY at his Battery Point yard in Hobart for a syndicate of three yachtsmen, Darling, Fisher and Ireland. Seven of the type were built to race in Hobart in the first successful attempt to build a series of similar one-design yachts - an idea promoted for many years by well-known yachting figure EH Webster. Lucas built six of these almost identical yachts. VANITY is thought to be the fifth to join the fleet, and was the fourth one built by Lucas. It is carvel planked in Huon pine and when launched measured about 10 metres overall. It had a gaff rig and the design for the yacht came from William Hand Jnr in the USA, with modifications suggested by Hobart designer Alfred Blore.

VANITY had a reasonably successful racing career in a variety of events. It won the TAMAR regatta in 1912 after having been transported there by train, and scored a number of second places in the Bruny Island race. VANITY was still competitive in the 1920s when the one-designs became part of the A Class fleet and raced against similar but larger yachts.

By the end of the 1920s the one-designs were being out-classed by newer and larger yachts and some left racing to become cruising yachts. To remain competitive VANITY was lengthened by Lucas in 1930 to almost 12 metres or 40 feet for its owners Francis Harris and Claude Cooper. In the early 1930s it won the Dewar Shield Challenge on four occasions.

After the 1930s, VANITY's racing career is not well documented. It continued to sail in Hobart until the mid 1980s when it was sold to owners in Pittwater, Sydney. In 2005 it was sold to a new owner in Brisbane who had it restored and planned to return the yacht to Hobart during 2010. VANITY will carry a gaff rig, but retains the longer overall length it became in 1930.
SignificanceVANITY is one of the seven original wooden Tasmanian one-design yachts that raced together on the Derwent River in Hobart from 1910 through to the 1930s. It was built in 1911 by Charles Lucas to a modiifed American design. Lucas was one of the premier yacht builders in Hobart during that period. VANITY has had a long association with Hobart and the Derwent River, racing with various fleets for some 70 years until the mid 1980s when it went interstate. In 2010 VANITY has been restored and is to be returned to Hobart. Although commonly accepted as a class for many years, the seven yachts were not officially constituted as a formal racing class with any of the Hobart clubs and were just known locally as one-designs.