History

In the Autumn of 1898 a resolution was passed at a meeting held at the West Lancashire Yacht Club, Southport, favouring the formation of a new One-Design Class Boat to cost not more than £35 complete.The Class owes its inception and inspiration from the design by Mr. Herbert G. Baggs in collaboration with Mr. W.Scott Hayward. The Club then negotiated a contract with Mr. R.Latham of Crossens to build the eight boats and the sails were entrusted to English of Shoreham; the total cost of this original order came to £34.17s.6d. each boat. The boats were named after seabirds and this gave rise to the class: their rating being assessed at 0.5 hence the term half rater.

The first race was sailed off the Pier Head, Southport, on the 13th June,1899 when all eight boats participated over a ten-mile course; Goshawk No.2 taking the winning gun by a fraction of a second from Fulmar No.1. Within a year or two owing mainly to the enthusiasm of Mr. Scott Hayward the class was adopted by the Donaghadee S.C. under the name of the “Seashells” and by Gourock Y.C. under the title of “The Gaels”. It is also recorded that friendly rivalry in inter-club racing was held on the waters of Belfast Lough during the summers of 1902 and 1904 and in the Menai Straits in August 1903. The enthusiasm at this time was very great and the 1902 August edition of the Yachtsman reporting on the Menai Straits Regattas states “that none of the three quarter raters which generally give good sport at the Regattas were able to get down, but the Seabirds managed to arrive by rail in time for the first day at Caernarvon.”In 1902 Caernarvon S.C. adopted the class and the boats were known as“ Cariads”.

Some years later the class was adopted by West Kirby S.C., Liverpool Y.C. and the Magazines Y.C., the latter in 1921 changing its name to Wallasey YC on recognition of Borough status to the Corporation. With so many clubs and builders now supporting the class it was found that divergencies from the original specification were creeping in and there was a danger of the one-design principle being lost. In the Autumn of 1905 the formation of the “Seabird Seashells and Cariad One Design Association” was formed and the clubs represented at this first meeting at the Exchange Station Hotel, Liverpool were as followed: West Lancashire Y.C., Gourock Y.C., Caernarvon S.C., Donaghadee S.S., Liverpool Bay S.C. & Rhyl Y.C.

The following extracts were taken from the original minute book:

At a meeting held in February 1908, it was agreed that R.Perry & Son, Birkenhead, be appointed sailmakers, their price being £3.19s.6d. for a full suit of sails and that the sailmakers be warned they must have no dealings with private owners and this to be a condition of their appointment; it was also resolved that all sails must be paid for when ordered.

At the 1910 A.G.M. it was decided that the Association Burgee be “A White Gull on red ground” but a proposal “that a small staysail be carried” was lost. A meeting held at West Kirby Club House in October 1912 refused to admit a Seabird built by Roberts of Chester as he had only been given authority to build five boats and not six. (The Association Rules were so rigidly adhered to that this Seabird now No. 33 was not recognised by the Association until 1963.) At the same meeting the Hon. Secretary was instructed to write to the Editor of the Yachtsman supporting the Boat Sailing Association which they became affiliated to in 1914.

The first Association “Dinner & Smoker” was held at the St. George Hotel, Liverpool, on Saturday, 15th November 1913 after the A.G.M.

Prior to the cessation of yacht racing on the outbreak of the First World War, 41 boats had been built of which 25 to 30 were racing regularly. By 1914 sailing as a class had been discontinued on the Clyde, at Belfast and Caernarvon, and the cost of a new boat had also risen to £60. The class having been discontinued outside the North West of Britain the Association dropped from its title “Seashell, Cariad and Gael.”

In 1922 the newly formed South Caernarfonshire Y.C. offered a race to the Seabirds in June and in the same year Trearddur Bay S.C. officially adopted the class. During this period the Association continued to build boats now costing £102each and a No.2 jib for heavy weather was added: Seabirds re-appeared at Beaumaris and Caernarvon, whilst the Menai Straits Regattas inAugust were an ideal venue for racing between the North West and Welsh Stations.

In 1925 Sea Swallow No.58 was exhibited at the first boat show to be held in Manchester. Owing to heavy silting off Southport the founder club discontinued sailing on the tide in 1936 but by 1961 conditions had improved and the class was re-established.

The 60’s saw a revival in the building programme and ten new Seabirds were added to the fleet. Early in 1963 the Association became affiliated to the R.Y.A. and nylon spinnakers were approved and terylene sails in1965.

This year also saw the Association celebrate its Diamond Jubilee. West Lancashire Y.C. presented the Association with a silver starting cannon and this was raced for during August under the Burgee of the Trearddur Bay S.C. The present day fleet is based in North Wales at Trearddur Bay and Abersoch, and at Wallasey on the Mersey.

In 1974 the class celebrated its 75th year and Anniversary races were held on all stations.

1979 saw the recognition by the Guinness Book of Yachting that the Seabird Half Rater is the oldest One-Design Class still racing in Britain.

The Liverpool Maritime Museum now hold Association documents on loan.

For our 90th Anniversary in 1989 The Fleet raced in the Menai Strait August Regattas after a break of 30 years and we enjoyed our Centenary celebrations in August 1999. The highlight of the year was the three Stations racing together in the Menai Straits August Regattas. 45 boats took part. Over the past twenty years we have seen the majority of older boats lovingly restored with major involvement by Wallasey YC members. The Associations’ insurers, G.J. & W. have also given

considerable support to the owners, in rebuilding 10 Seabirds wrecked by Hurricane Charlie in 1987, and also their Centenary Sponsorship which is much appreciated.

In 2019, the year of the TBSC Centenary, eight Seabirds ventured across to Ireland for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta. Four days of exciting racing was had with Classic Boats from other classes including Mermaids and Howth 17's. TBSC entries included Scoter (1st), Harlequin (2nd), Mallard, Sealark, Sea Swallow, Gannet, Tringa and ArcticTern.

The price of a new boat is now in the region of £40,000, a far cry from £34.7s.6d in 1899. Since the turn of the century, nine new boats have been built (as noted) and renovation continues across the fleets such as Kayoshk which was rescued from a boatyard in Abersoch after many years.

WYC Seabirds featured in the BBC's Sea Cities: Maritime Merseyside showing the 2015 W.Y.C. Regatta and interviews with Brian Aves and Alan Snowden about Ospreys rebuild and on board footage of Cormorant. Also ITV’s Safehouse and The Sailing Boat included drone footage of the 2017 West Cheshire Regatta, an interview with Peter Jacobs standing by Calloo and presenter Mary-Ann Ochoa sailing on Terek.