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members the right to fly the blue ensign if their yachts were
British Registered Ships), weekly technical lectures and increasing
competence in race management, particularly in handicapping.
Murdoch led from the front and threw himself into the
Squadron’s activities. He kept in touch with the grassroots of
the sport in a way we would recognise as totally modern, but
was unusual then. Ida was everywhere and acquitted herself
well in racing. Unlike many of the other large yachts she had no
seasons ashore while their owners took grand tours abroad.
He kept her in fine order and continually made
improvements. W.E. Alexander, who married Murdoch’s
daughter Daisy in 1908, bought a share in Ida in 1905, but
both sold to Harold Nathan in November 1907 when Murdoch
decided to scale back his business and public life.
Twenty-one-year-old Harold Nathan bought Ida in
November 1907 but sold her to his father Alfred Nathan the
next year. Alfred sold her in October 1911 and three years
later bought Ariki. When J. & W. Smail came up from Dunedin,
where they had owned the keel yacht Carina, they bought Ida in
October 1911 and kept her at Judges Bay.
The Smails had previously done a lot of racing on Sydney
Harbour where Bailey yachts had a fine reputation, and now
raced Ida with North Shore Yacht and the Squadron. In August
1916 she was driven under the Devonport Wharf in a blow,
snapping her mast and causing hull damage.
The Smails had her hauled out at Torpedo Bay. Her rig was
cut down, her garboards were replaced and her lead keel replaced
with iron. This happened to several laid-up keel yachts as lead
was desperately needed for the manufacture of bullets by the
Colonial Ammunition Co., but it left her very vulnerable when
the unexpected easterly cyclones of February 1917 and March
1918 hit Torpedo Bay. In the second gale she was swept out of her
cradle and holed. Chas Bailey Jr carried out the repairs.
In 1920 the Jenkinson brothers of Birkenhead bought her,
replaced the 3½ tons of lead on her keel, re-rigged and refitted
her and raced her continuously for the next decade under sail
number A11. Her next owner was Arthur Angell who bought
her in 1930, raced her vigorously but sold her in 1951 to step upLEFT Ida on a Cake Day,
left to right, Angela, Pamela
and Dorothy Mirams,
Anthea Ellis, Marguerite
Webb, John Ellis, Pat Webb
and Holden Mirams.
RIGHT Regatta Day 1952,
Ida (right) down to mainsail
after her collision with
Moana after the start,
mixing it with Ngataringa
(A14) and Iorangi (A4).
BELOW Holden Mirams.