Alfred Mylne was
commissioned by
Northumberland
YC in 1901A little known fl eet that could have become a
northern rival to the Solent’s X One Design
THEO RYE, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH BY IAIN MCALLISTER
A
fter a thorough grounding from
the master, GL Watson, Alfred
Mylne set up independently in- The design list shows he
rapidly acquired commissions for numerous
small sailing boats such as his many
contributions to the Clyde 19/24ft Restricted
Class, and he would therefore have been a
good choice for the members of the
Northumberland Yacht Club who
commissioned a new one design from him in - They were to race from their
headquarters at Blyth, from where the (now
Royal) Northumberland YC still operates.
The resulting design, which features in the
newly published book on Mylne by Ian
Nicolson, is a wee delight. With typical
economy, Mylne got a lot of information into the
drawings (his lines plan is also the general arrangement)
and his lovely draughtsmanship is evident. The addition
of a little colour and the careful calligraphy has lifted the
drawings so they communicate beautifully.
Four were delivered by rail to Blyth in July 1901 by
R McAlister & Son of Dumbarton, who enjoyed a
reputation for high quality work and built many of
Mylne’s designs. As Nicolson noted, it is a design that
would be economical to build (as many one designs
were) but it is none the worse for that, and McAlisters
would undoubtedly have made sound boats. Sheldrake,
Golden Eye, Scoter and Gadwall (all types of duck)
evidently enjoyed some close sport between themselves
and also in the mixed handicap fl eet, for which
(curiously) the club retained the old Length & Sail Area
Rule of measurement (under which they were in the
1-rater class). The boats seem to have been up to
McAlister’s (and Mylne’s) usual standards; Sheldrake
was still racing at the club as late as 1937; but Scoter had
been sold down south, gaining a cabin roof at some
point, and was based in Lymington from 1926. The fate
of the other two is a mystery. At least one of the boats
may have been re-rigged, probably after World War I,
because the Mylne archive contains a bermudan rig sail
plan as well as the original gaff sloop plan.
There is nothing but moderation in the lines;
but note the interesting addition of extra fl are
in the forward sections, and the corrected
outline in the plan view. Underwater blends
easy sections to a fl at-sided keel; but the very
simplicity belies a very nicely resolved shape,
with easy buttocks, and there is every reason to
expect these were fi ne little boats with a very
respectable turn of speed and good manners.
Certainly Mylne had every advantage with
his training under Watson, whose analytical
methods he adopted, and whose reputation
had in turn been founded with success in the
smaller racing classes.
A quick check of the hydrostatics indicates
that Mylne was almost certainly controlling the
same parameters that Watson used, and they were
seemingly well ahead of their contemporaries. This was a
thoroughly modern design.
The original gaff sloop sail plan is interesting as it
sports a modest club-footed jib, which looks as if it could
be self-tacking. Whether the original owners had any
notion of single-handing, or merely wished to keep
crewing requirements to a minimum, is unknown, but
the set-up would allow junior crews to learn the ropes.
The waterplane and general form looks tolerant of
crew weight, which is generally a very positive attribute
in a one design. The mainsail, at 203 square foot, is
sensibly sized to be the main driver without excess effort.
If Blyth had ever become a fashionable centre of
yachting, in the manner of Cowes, this design could have
rivalled Westmacott’s X Class of 1904, to which, barring
the short bowsprit, it bears more than a passing
resemblance. As it is, these boats must have provided
grand sailing, before subsiding into obscurity.
A replica would be a relatively simple and economic
build today; as North America revels in the rediscovery
of numerous, similar, dayboats that are now being
rebuilt, perhaps it is time for a similar revival on the
other side of the Atlantic? If so, this is a fi ne candidate,
and Mylne & Co would be happy to help.NORTHUMBERLAND YC
ONE DESIGN
CLASSIC DESIGNS