The Trearddur Bay Sailing Club in North Wales was founded on 23rd August 1919 as a result of two of its founding members challenging each other to a race around the Bay the previous year.
Initially the club settled on two designs and ordered a number of 12ft dinghies designated the Insect Class. The second design was a 14ft Dinghy which became the Trearddur Bay One Design Myth Class. The class is still very popular with the club today. The book ‘In the Soul of Trearddur’ by Robin Palmer and Bunta Evans records 53 Myth’s up to 2021.
In 1920 Frank Morgan-Giles was asked to design an open, clinker built 14ft dinghy on the lines of the International 14ft class. Frank would probably disapprove of this entry into the website as the Honorary Secretary at the time, J R Smellie, thought the design as 'too racy’ for the Trearddur waters so the design was modified. Frank refused to have his name associated with it and told the committee that if they were so good at it, they had better get along and design their own ruddy boat! The change appears to be a reduction in the sail area from 130 to 90 sq. ft. and the addition of a skeg.
The first three Myths were built by Rowlands of Bangor (later Dickie’s), these being delivered ready for the 1920 season in August.
The first, ZEPHYR, was owned by Dorothy Dowding who won the clubs Challenge Cup on 6 occasions and the Regatta Cup three times. The dinghy is believed to have been wrecked in 1932 during a storm when she broke from her moorings. She was replaced in 1934 by PSYCHE.
Myth No. 2 was called NEPTUNE and owned by a Mr Harvey. She was renamed ARIEL in the late 1920’s or early 1930’s and changed hands a number of times undergoing a major refit in 1997 at Dickies Yard. She was still racing in 2007 and could well be still in use.
The third Myth was PTAH originally owned by Percy Shaw and sold to the Author, Nicholas Montserrat’s father about 1925. Nicholas raced her and won the Regatta Cup in 1925 and 1929. There is no record of the fate of PTAH
LACHMI was the fourth Myth to be built in 1923 by Dickies for Frank Buckley. In Nicholas Montserrat’s words, she was a brute to sail, and in those early days only won the Challenge Cup once in 1924. She was sold in 2012 and it is believed she was taken to Suffolk.
There were no further Myth’s built until 1927, at club expense, then in 1929 a further four were built. The final one built by Dickies was the 30th, SELENE in 1961, Dickies were asked if they had the original specifications of the Myths but they had been destroyed in a fire. Enquiries were made to Rear Admiral Morgan-Giles in 1984 to no avail as the Morgan Giles Shipyard had closed down in the late 1960’s. After a lot of hard work a new specification was produced and the later boats were built by John Jones Porth Diana Boatyard.
My thanks to the authors of the Book 'In the Soul of Trearddur', Robin Palmer and Bunta Evans, for their permission to use extracts. Also Nico Williams for his assistance and encouragement.
