Summer of ’68 – The Tobermory Race

This is not a classic yacht race. In the late 1960s, the elegant, bespoke, mostly locally designed and built yachts seen in the beautifully planned, filmed and paced documentary below were the norm on the Firth of Clyde and West Coast of Scotland.

The Clyde Cruising Club’s Tobermory Race was once a huge annual draw for competitors, and spectators for the passage of the Crinan Canal, over the Glasgow Fair Weekend: the beginning of the annual trades holidays, when – unthinkable nowadays – the wheels of industry would close down for two weeks.

In 1968, for the first time in the history of the race, over 100 yachts took part, with 105 starters for the first leg from Port Bannatyne (Isle of Bute) to Ardrishaig (Loch Fyne).

Spare half an hour to go back in time with a very youthful Magnus Magnusson, and then read on for director Louis Miller’s delightful “storyboard” on how it came about: the difficulties involved in making what was, on reflection, groundbreaking yacht racing footage from pre-digital days, when, as Ian Nicolson remembers, 14 individual pieces of technical equipment, a cameraman and a sound recordist were placed aboard the 35ft ketch, St. Mary.

And then to our usual boat-spotters guide, which we hope you’ll contribute to improving.

[Update (1) January 20, 2014: some interesting discussion on the film at Dylan Winter’s Keep Turning Left blog, and at Sailing Anarchy.]

[Update (2) February 18, 2014: two more interesting discussions on the film at WoodenBoat Forum, and at ybw.com .]

[Update (3) February 18, 2014: in response to popular demand, the handicap results for the race are now posted after the boat spotter’s guide, below. Of the main cast, only Kenny Gall’s 8-Metre, Christina of Cascais, achieved a “place” – saving her time to win the Crinan to Tobermory leg.]

[Update (4) February 16, 2015: The Herald newspaper’s obituary for the film’s talented producer, Gordon Menzies – who passed away aged 87 in November 2014 – reveals that The Tobermory Race was Scotland’s first colour TV outside broadcast, that he would later produce the long-running popular comedy show Scotch and Wry, starring Rikki Fulton, and that his Golf videos with Peter Alliss became best-sellers.]

The Tobermory Race – The Story of the Film

by Louis Miller

A light breeze rippled across Kames Bay, dispelling the last of the night. The water sparkled in the early morning sunlight, reflecting the tall masts of a hundred motionless yachts, and the rhythmic tapping of a halliard carried clear across the water.

It was not yet six o’clock on the fair Saturday morning, but already there were stirrings of life throughout the assembled fleet. The splash of a bucket, the creak of a hatch, a shrill young voice, the ‘putt-putt’ of an outboard heading shorewards. With a big race ahead, there were many who wanted plenty of time to get organised.

Donald McIntyre’s launch came alongside Christina of Cascais and Dick Johnstone climbed gingerly aboard. He stood very still for a moment, his knuckles gleaming white as he gripped the shroud, his face expressionless. As we transferred his gear, cameras, lens boxes, magazine cases, stock boxes, etc., he took a long hard look at the narrow deck under his feet. I don’t know what his thoughts were, but I do know that it was the first time he had ever set foot on a racing yacht and the stark simplicity of an eight metre is not calculated to inspire a feeling of security! We left him to the tender mercies of the still sleeping Kenny Gall and his hung-over crew. Looking back we could see him knocking very tentatively on the coach roof.

The sun climbed higher in the sky as our launch threaded its way through the wakening fleet. Charles Tookey and Peter Powell were already filming the increasing activity around us, while Derek Anderson was busy recording the hundred and one sounds that make up the music of small boats. Winches clacked and rattled, anchor chains clattered and clanked, halliards creaked and groaned. Disembodied voices floated across from boat to boat, hearty laughter, half a sentence, a string of curses. The single-mindedness of preparing a yacht for a race.

Jib hanks clicked against forestays and big genoas filled and breathed deeply.

We came alongside St. Mary. Alex Pearce and Nigel Wake went aboard. I didn’t know it then, but Nigel had his pockets and his stomach stuffed with ‘Marzine’. He was taking no chances!

There was even more equipment to be transferred this time. In addition to Alex’s camera gear, there was Nigel’s recording apparatus which included a selection of microphones (gun mike, radio mike, personal mikes) the recorder, a walkie-talkie, and assorted cables. Ian Nicolson and his crew Donald and Sandra McSween, were already awake, and helping to stow the gear. We headed next for Silver Sula.

Jean and John Stenhouse welcomed us aboard with the best of all welcomes, the smell of frying bacon. The launch departed taking Peter and Derek across to the commodore’s yacht Arcturus to film the starting gun, and Charles and his sound recordist Lex McDonald set up their equipment on Silver Sula to film Magnus Magnusson, our commentator, describing the start of the class one boats.

The whole bay was now filled with boats under way, some making last minute tuning adjustments, some making trial runs at different ends of the starting line.

Minutes only to the starting gun, Silver Sula circled closely round the back of the class one yachts as they made their last run for the line. The seconds ticked away.

‘Reducing speed, there’s the marked dinghy about a hundred yards ahead.’ The leaders are closing with the line. A little more throttle, 75 yards, 60, – ‘run camera, mark it’, Tobermory Race, scene B 12, take 1’.

‘Cue Magnus’.

The race was on, and four cameras were eating up film at a frightening speed. So, with the eights leading class one into the east Kyle, Dick Johnstone, trying to find his sea-legs on Christina (and taking some of the finest sailing pictures I have ever seen), Magnus enthusing over the breath-taking beauty of the scene, and classes two and three preparing for their starting guns, I think this is an appropriate point to fill in some of the background to the filming of the 1968 Tobermory Race.

I suppose it’s only natural that the idea of filming the Tobermory should have been uppermost in my mind for so many years. Being in the film business, and a keen sailor, the two had to come together some time!

In the last ten years or so I have had a variety of boats including a Wayfarer dinghy, an ex-International Star, a 19/24, a beautiful little twenty-foot clinker job, a Silhouette, and one or two I would rather forget! It was in the year of the 19/24 that I first wrote up a proposal for filming the race. I intended to enter my own boat carrying a film crew, and I had some preliminary discussions with the Clyde Cruising Club secretary, Geoff Duncan in Alex Pearce’s house in Helensburgh.

However, it was not to be. We were committed to the limit in the film unit that year, and the camera crews were just not available.

Some years and some boats later I met Ian Nicolson. We met under very appropriate circumstances, although in a sense we were on opposite sides of the fence. Ian had been asked to do a survey on a boat I was selling (that beautiful little clinker job), and in a hopeless attempt to distract his attention from minor things like wood-rot, nail-sickness, and deck-leaks (which he seemed to be obsessed with) I chatted away to him about my ideas on filming the Tobermory Race. He waxed eloquent with enthusiasm.

‘It would make a marvellous film,’ he said, lifting a nail out with his finger and thumb. ‘All these lovely boats crowding through the Narrows, spinnakers billowing, superb scenery.’

He waved the nail about in the air, his eyes glittering behind his spectacles. ‘The Kyles, Loch Fyne, the Dhorus Mhor, there isn’t another race like it in the whole world.’

‘The Tobermory is unique!’

I was delighted to find such an enthusiastic supporter even although his survey report knocked a hundred pounds off the price of my beautiful little clinker job.

But my colleagues in the film unit were much less enthusiastic.

‘Yachting isn’t a spectator sport, people would get bored.’

‘You cannot possibly hold the average viewer’s interest in a lot of boats sailing for half an hour.’

‘It takes more than pretty pictures to make a film.’ And so on and on and on. There was much sense in what they said.

It would be only too easy to make a film which would delight yachtsmen, but this film would be seen by people who had no special interest in boats, and somehow it would have to be made both interesting and entertaining to the layman.

So I started to work on a script.

It may seem odd to start writing a script for something as unpredictable as a yacht race, but it is this uncertainty which makes a working outline all the more essential. A strong framework must be laid down first which will ensure the final shape of the film, a framework which is still sufficiently flexible to accommodate the unexpected, because very often it is the unexpected that makes the real story.

The basic outline was fairly straightforward.

The first leg of the race would be treated in the style of an outside broadcast, with the commentator describing the progress of the race rather like a sports commentator, but for the second leg, he would go aboard one of the competing yachts, and in a sense become part of the race himself. Thinking of the non-sailing viewer, who would only be confused by the handicapping system, I decided to set up a private contest between two evenly matched boats so that regardless of their eventual placings, the viewer could follow the progress of these two boats within the overall race.

In contrast, it would be essential to have a camera on one of the fastest boats, preferably an eight metre that was determined to win.

Ian Nicolson had already agreed to take a film unit on St. Mary, so the first problem was to find a suitable ‘opponent’ for him.

I arranged a meeting with the C.C.C. committee, and we got together to thrash out some of the many practical problems which had to be solved. I am indebted to the committee for their invaluable assistance. I must especially mention Cdr. Mowatt, Ralph Dundas, Ian Young, Geoff Duncan and Robin Taylor. Their many helpful suggestions went a long way towards the ultimate success of the film.

When I asked for a possible candidate to race against Ian Nicolson, several suggestions were made and rejected for one reason or another, and then someone said, ‘What about David Rombach? He’s got a fine bearded face, easily recognised, and a good contrast to Ian, and his ketch Lola will be about the same handicap.’

I don’t know who first thought of David, but I am convinced a casting director couldn’t have done better!

Getting a camera on board an eight metre was going to be more difficult, but Robin Taylor said: ‘Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can do.’

I also wanted a very large motor cruiser to make a steady platform for another camera unit and our commentator during the first leg of the race. Again Robin said: ‘Leave it with me.’

Within a few days he was on the phone: ‘Hugh Stenhouse will take your crew on his cruiser Beambrook and Kenny Gall is agreeable to taking one cameraman on his eight metre Christina. Hugh Morrison is going all the way to Tobermory in his launch Jinji and will make himself available should you need a very fast boat.

The phone rang again: ‘This is John Stenhouse. Hugh tells me you are filming on Beambrook. You would be better on my boat Silver Sula. She has a deeper bite in the water and is less inclined to roll.’

I tried to persuade Kenny Gall to take a sound recordist as well as a cameraman, but he remained firm.

‘Christina will be one of the fastest boats in the race. She will be competing with identical, equally fast eights and even one extra bod on board is going to be a handicap. In any case there just won’t be room.’ As I was just as keen as he was that Christina should be first boat into Tobermory, I had to concede that he had a point!

The original plan of filming a close race between Lola and St. Mary was knocked abruptly on the head when St. Mary hit a brick in the Kyles. And then again on that dark Monday morning at Crinan, as though determined to prove that the first grounding was no mere fluke, St. Mary well and truly planted herself on that long, shallow spine that projects from the Black Rock. However, the double misfortune made Ian Nicolson all the more determined to push St. Mary to the limit.

The race looked slightly different now from the point of view of our three competitors, so a slight adjustment had to be made to the shape of the film. The emphasis was now on one boat out in front (Christina), fighting hard to stay in front, another boat away astern of the fleet (St. Mary), striving to get back into the race, and somewhere in the middle our third boat Lola with that relaxed philosopher David Rombach thoroughly enjoying his cruise, and incidentally, passing on to Magnus something of the magic of sailing.

The weather throughout the race was almost too kind to us. Not a drop of rain from start to finish, hazy warm sunshine, ideal for colour filming, making our job much easier than it might have been. But I must confess that I was slightly disappointed by the weather conditions! I would have welcomed a bit of variation during the race. A little more wind, perhaps the tide a bit nearer springs, some rain (not much, just a little). In short, conditions a little more typical of the West Coast, the varying conditions that make the West Coast what it is. Having said that, I have a feeling that if I ever film a yacht race again I will regret that I said that!

(From Clyde Cruising Club Journal, 1969)

The 1968 Tobermory Race fleet at Crinan.
George Gibb, CCC Journal, 1969

THE BOAT-SPOTTER’S GUIDE

Following the dimensions = designer/ builder. Interestingly, we believe only two glass reinforced plastic boats featured, at least in the film.

It would be wonderful if additions and corrections could be added in the “Leave a Reply” box below – rather buried, sorry, within the “categories” and “tags”.

The main cast:

Lola, 200C, bermudan ketch, owner David Rombach, 30ft lwl, 38.7ft loa, J. Paine Clark/ W. King & Sons, Burnham-on-Crouch, 1925.

St. Mary, 169C, bermudan ketch, helmsman Ian Nicolson, 25ft lwl, 35ft loa, Ian Nicolson/ Arden Yacht Co., Helensburgh, 1961.

Christina of Cascais (ex Christina, ex Ilderim), K16, International 8-Metre, owners Kenny Gall & Peter Fairley, Tore Holm/ Abrahamssons Båtvarv, Ramsö, Sweden, 1936.

[Update 26 February 2014: beautiful image of Ilderim apparently ready for launching in 1936 here.]

Arcturus (ex The Cruiser), “Commodore Vessel” (Committee Vessel), owner Ian Park Young, O.B.E., 33.8 lwl, 43.5 loa, A.E. Gardner/ Williams & Parkinson, Deganwy, 1935.

The players:

00:24

Baltic style sloop (45sqm Blink? Or Ivanhoe – see 03:10.)

00:28

Pale green hulled sloop. ?

00:30

A Vertue setting ensign, with interesting sloop or cutter to starboard probably not taking part in the race.

00:37

The William Fife International 8-Metre, Vagrant II, rafted  to Dirk II, Fife Sr?? (II)/ built Kiel, Germany, 1921.

01:17

Light blue hard chine sloop (?) with red/white striped jib.

01:21

Small white hulled sloop under power concealing very low freeboard dark (green?) hulled boat at anchor, which is revealed at 01:28 (15sqm Vixen?), with white double ender behind.

[UPDATE 3 October 2013: white sloop identified by her present owner, Keith Clark, as the Honeybee Class, Crunluath, designed by A.K. “Sandy” Balfour, and built by Boag of Largs in 1965. See also 15:25, and “comments”/ “leave a reply” section below.]

01:31

White International 8-Metre, ?

01:40

Very low freeboard dark hulled boat at anchor again, and revealing the white double ender behind as 829C, the Gauntlet Class, Isla Rose, H.G. May/ Berthon, Lymington, 1949.

01:43

International 8-Metre, K16, Christina of Cascais‘s mainsail being raised.

01:50

Green sloop or cutter (info to follow).

01:54

On board Vagrant II rafted to Dirk II and probably the International 8-Metre Cruiser/Racer Tinto II, Archibald MacMillan/ Fairlie Yacht slip, 1957.

02:00

Ian Nicolson (of St. Mary)

02:09

David Rombach (of Lola)

02:18

On board Christina.

03:10

The apparently leading boat = V18, Ivanhoe (info to follow).

03:24

Back aboard Christina.

Light blue hull (6-metre?).

03:34

On board the Committee Boat, Arcturus with behind: Judith (ex Rowan II, tan sails), Ewing McGruer/ McGruer & Co Ltd., 1929; 106C, Elina (ex Kyrah), 21.5ft lwl, 29.1ft loa, John A. Lay or Ley, Scarborough, 1952.

03:42

Right to left: 1044, Boomerang, Brittany Class, 25.2 lwl, 33.5 loa, J. Laurent Giles/ Hugh McLean & Sons Ltd, Gourock, 1955 ; 7CR K4, Norella, Int. 7-Metre Cruiser/Racer, Maitland H. Murray/ Morris & Lorimer Ltd., Sandbank, 1967; white GRP boat probably Siolta (40C), Excalibur 36 (GRP). E.G. Van de Stadt/ Southern Ocean Supplies Ltd., Bournemouth, 1966 ; International 8-Metre, N34, Turid II (ex Fröya), Bjarne Aas, Fredrikstad, Norway, 1939.

03:53

7CR K1, International 7-Metre Cruiser/Racer Erlin Mor, Werner Siegel/  V.E.B. Yachtwerft, Berlin, c.1966)

03:58

206C, Minstrel Maid, 28ftlwl, 36ft loa, C.A. Nicholson/ Clare Lallow, Cowes, 1953 (to 8mR Scantlings); International 8-Metre, K27, If, Bjarne Aas, Fredrikstad, Norway, 1930.

04:07

Which 8? (Banks sails and black rubber dinghy).

04:17

On board Christina.

8CR K7, Tinto II (see above); International 8-Metre, K32, Wye, C.E. Nicholson/ Camper & Nicholsons Ltd., 1935.

04:37

8 which?

04:42 Which 8? (Banks sails and black rubber dinghy).

04:51

3^rd boat = Boomerang (see above).

04:54

Back aboard Christina.

05:43

The eights approaching the Burnt Isles, Kyles of Bute.

04:49

St. Mary & Lola, Nicolson and Rombach.

06:06

On board St. Mary.

06:18

Unidentified small dark hulled boat; South Coast One Design, SC52, Zonda, C.A. Nicholson/ Camper & Nicholsons, c.1959; 19C, Shireen, Clyde 19/24 Class, Alfred Mylne/ McGruer, Rutherglen, 1903.

06:26

? (white hull varnished top strake).

06:32

? (green hull).

07:00

Red International 8-Metre, Severn II of Ardmaleish (ex Severn), Mylne/ Bute Slip Dock, 1934; green spi with two yellow stripes = International 8-Metre Cruiser/Racer, 8CR K18 Altricia, James McGruer/ McGruer & Co, 1965; red spi with two white stripes = 8CR K7 Tinto II (qv).

07:14

International 8-Metre, 8 N26, Silja, J. Anker/ Anker & Jensen, Asker, Norway, 1930.

07:24 = Wye spi trouble.

07:37

Internationa 8-Metre, Turid II (qv).

07:46

Tinto II from Christina.

07:57

206C, Minstrel Maid (qv) (followed by Vixen?)

09:03

Isla Rose? (qv)

7:58

444 = ?

14, T24 Class Caitlin, 21ft lwl, 24ft loa, Guy Thompson/ DC Perfect Ltd., Chichester, 1968 (GRP).

10:07

8K32, Wye (qv)

10:18

8-Metre Turid II’s broken mast.

11:44

8K27, If (qv)

12:05

8N26, Silja (qv).

8K30, Severn II of Ardmaleish (qv).

12:21

Christina finishing Ardrishaig.

13:09

14, T24 Class Caitlin (qv).

13:15 & 13:24

? (White sloop, transom rudder).

13:33

McGruer 8 C/R? Altricia?

13:35

Unidentified anchored yachts.

13:42

8-Metres in the Ardrishaig sea lock, Crinan Canal. Middle, red, 8-Metre is Severn II of Ardmaleish.

14:53

Motoring though the Crinan Canal aboard Christina.

15:21

Unidentified transom hung rudder sloop c30ft,  white with blue deck.

[UPDATE 3 October 2013: Honeybee Class Crunluath – see 01:21.]

15:30

Panning to 8’s moored in Crinan basin.

18:02

Boomerang (qv)

18:04

6K52, International 6-Metre, Mena, Camper & Nicholsons, 1946.

18:15

Siolta (qv).

18:37

1044C, Boomerang (qv).

20:20

Tinto II (qv).

20:34

Unident McGruer 8C/R, probably Altricia (qv).

20:35

22C, ex International 6-Metre, Saskia of Rhu (launched as Saskia III), Alfred Mylne/ Bute Slip Dock, 1935. (Unusually, still in class with Lloyds at this time).

20:39

From on board Christina.

Yacht to off her starboard quarter with dark hull, long bow overhang and substantial coachroof most probably Sibyl of Cumae (ex Ensay, 36 Linear Rater), William Fife Jr/ Wm Fife & Son, 1902.

20:42

Next to windward, a Scottish Islander. Which?

25:42

Silja from Christina with Altricia in between.

27:45

The gaffer crossing tacks with Lola is Shireen (qv).

29:15

73C, Macaria, 34ft loa, Dickie of Tarbert, 1922.

29:25

Thought to be Gunna, 21 Tons (Thames) Bermudan Ketch, James McGruer/ McGruer & Co. Ltd., 1946

29:28 ? (see 33:15)

29:35

789C, Black Raven, 24ft lwl, 32ft loa, Morgan Giles, Teignmouth, 1925. & Unidentified varnished sloop.

32:00

Arcturus, committee vessel (qv).

32:10

V18, Ivanhoe (info to follow)

32:12

69C, Islay, 22ft lwl, 28.5 loa, A. Bellingham & F. Shepherd/ C. Cooper (Conyer) Ltd., Conyer, 1936.

32:56

70C, Venture, 22ft lwl, 29.5ft loa, Albert Strange/ A. Wooden, Oulton Broad, 1920.

33:05

Unidentified Stella Class sloop.

[Update 22 January 2014: Ken Johnson (see comments below) identifies her as Reul na Mara: 20ft lwl, 25.75ft loa, C.R. Holman/ Dickie of Tarbert, 1960]

33:15

23C, Sea King? (see also 29:28)

[Update 22 January 2014: name confirmed by Ken Johnson (see comments below). Unusual looking boat – what’s her story?]

33:44

Varnished sloop 184C, Romela, 24 lwl, 33ft loa, James McGruer/ McGruer & Co Ltd., 1949.

33:55

1703, Allgo (ex Crackerjack), 24.3/35, Alan H Buchanan/ Weatherhead & Blackie, Port Seton, 1960.

Clyde Cruising Club Tobermory Race, 1968

Handicap Results (From Clyde Cruising Club Journal, 1969)

Port Bannatyne to Ardrishaig

CLASS I (33 starters)

1st      Norella (Mrs Poole)
2nd    Tarmian (R. Verrico)
3rd     Vigo (W.R. Henry)

CLASS II (30 starters)

1st      Cuin (C.R. Aikman)
2nd    Sanday (G. Howison)
3rd     Caitlin (T.M. Mowat)

CLASS III (42 starters)

1st      Mafoota (C.J. Robb)
2nd    Ula (J.E. Morton)
3rd     Fluran (H. Hagman)

Crinan to Tobermory

CLASS I (35 starters)

1st      Christina (K. Gall)
2nd    If (T.W. Rose)
3rd     Altricia (K.H. MacKinnon)

CLASS II (26 starters)

1st      Hustler (Messrs. Allan, Davidson & Guthrie))
2nd    Will o’ the Wisp (A.D. Finlay)
3rd     Caitlin (T.M. Mowat)

CLASS III (34 starters)

1st      Rozel (A.C. Dinsmore)
2nd    Macaria (H.M. Davidson)
3rd     Tresta (G. Henderson)

Overall

CLASS I

1st      Norella (Mrs Poole)
2nd    If (T.W. Rose)
3rd     Green Highlander (T.C. Chadwick)

CLASS II

1st      Hustler (Messrs. Allan, Davidson & Guthrie))
2nd    Vanora (P. Houston)
3rd     Trondra (G.A. Peat)

CLASS III

1st      Fluran (H. Hagman)
2nd    Ula (J.E. Morton)
3rd     Rozel (A.C. Dinsmore)

G.L. Watson loved the waters of the Clyde and West Coast of Scotland. Martin Black’s biography G.L. Watson – The Art and Science of Yacht Design contains over 300 images, many taken on these waters in earlier days. It can be purchased online here.

www.peggybawnpress.com

~ Iain McAllister ~

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