The events in Ireland this week with President Joe Biden and others marking the 25th Anniversary of the signing of Good Friday Agreement in Belfast on 10th April 1998 are a reminder that, at exactly the same time just a few miles down Belfast Lough, a core trio of Howth 17s had arrived in their birthplace – the history-laden port of Carrickfergus – to mark the Centenary of the first five boats of the class being constructed by renowned local boatbuilder John Hilditch, who had made a speciality of series-producing One Design boats which really were one design.
These days, we’ve become accustomed to the historic Howth 17s of 1898-vintage – the world’s oldest keelboat class still sailing as originally designed – putting in admired appearances at classic boat festivals at home and abroad. But just twenty-five years ago, with the Class’s Centenary looming, they tended to be homebirds, though a couple had been transported to the famous Brest Festival in France in 1972, where they formed a special bond with Eric Tabarly and his Cork Harbour-built 1898-vintage 43ft gaff cutter Pen Duick, while some had made significant voyages, and one had even been used as a honeymoon cruise yacht.
Carrickfergus Harbour and Castle much as they were when the first Howth 17s were launched into it in April 1898, with the Hilditch Boatyard sheds right at centre of photo
VOLATILE SITUATION IN 1998
Nevertheless when it was suggested early in 1998 that a representative trio of Howth 17s should be road-transported to Carrickfergus to mark the Centenary properly, there were those who were convinced that in addition to the very volatile political and social situation in the north, the old boats would in any case be shaken to bits on such a journey. But as the Massey brothers of the 1907-built Deilginis had a road-trucking business, they decided to take their own boat and Paddy and Rachel Cronin’s Gladys on a low loader, despite the fact that both boats had actually been built by James Kelly at Portrush on Ireland’s north coast. However, Ian Malcolm had the real McCoy, the 1898 Hilditch-built Aura, and he took her north on the class’s one and only road trailer.
Carrickfergus Harbour waterfront as seen from the Castle keep in the rare old times before it was obliterated by today’s “Marine Highway”. The Hilditch boatyard is in the background, while the long-gone Anchor Inn in the foreground made Carrickfergus Regatta one of the most convivial on Belfast Lough, with the Green between it and the Castle being used for impromptu rugby, cricket and football matches – sometimes all three at once - between the sailing clubs of County Antrim and County Down.
So the show was on the road. But twenty-five years ago the negotiations for the Good Friday Agreement were reaching a crucial stage in Belfast at exactly the same time, and peace was by no means a given. Yet the Howth 17 people were determined that their three-boat delegation – with many friends and supporters - should be in Carrickfergus precisely a hundred years to the day after the first five boats had undertaken their maiden voyage to their home port after launching from Hilditch’s yard in the heart of Carrickfergus’s old harbour right under the distinctive 12th Century Norman Castle.
Aura and Gladys (Paddy Cronin) bid farewell to Carrickfergus Castle before setting off on their Centenary Sail home to Howth
RECEPTION IN MAYOR’s PARLOUR
Thus in 1998 their boats were being launched into Carrickfergus marina and getting the masts stepped even as the political negotiations at Stormont near Belfast entered their final most difficult stage. Yet although the sun shone, it was bitterly cold with a northeast wind and snow flurries. And while the Seventeeners and their supporters were warmly welcomed with a Civic Reception by the Mayor of Carrickfergus David Hilditch (a distant relative of the original boatbuilder) and hospitability received to lunch by the Fairy Class of 1902-vintage at Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club across the lough at Cultra, any sailing had to be restricted to the relatively sheltered waters off Carrickfergus.
Deilginis (Massey syndicate) heading south off the County Down coast while conditions were still moderate. Photo: Damien Cronin
Small boats, big wide sea – Damien Cronin helming Gladys with Deilginis following, and 80 miles to sail through the freezing night to Howth. Photo: Paddy Cronin
The boats having survived to such a great age, the impression given was that they wouldn’t be expected to replicate the achievement of the original flotilla of 1898 by sailing home the 89 open miles from Carrickfergus to Howth. After all, the conditions a hundred years earlier had at least been warmer though the west wind was brisk, but for 1998 the forecast was for a further freshening of the nor’easter, with the strong possibility of snow.
Yet after completing all their planned activities on Belfast Lough, suddenly on the Sunday afternoon, the three little boats simply sailed for home. Nick Massey and his nephew Ian were on Deilginis, Ian Malcolm and Davy Jones sailed the true Centenarian Aura, and Paddy Cronin and his son Damian swept off into the freezing evening in Gladys.
Aura, with Ian Malcolm and David Jones aboard, starting to experience more demanding conditions as they approach the South Rock Lightship. Taking in a reef offshore in a Howth 17 seldom produces the neat effect created in harbour. Photo: Damien Cronin
The blustering fair wind made for a fast passage, but the temperatures froze in the dark. However, while there were some massive snow-and-wind-filled clouds about, they managed to avoid them. By sunrise next morning, they’d swept into Howth harbour, their crews almost completely frozen but still functioning enough to grab their moorings and get ashore to de-frost in Howth Yacht Club with a full Irish breakfast, while the word came through that back around Belfast Lough, the coastline was now covered in a mantle of snow.
Aura making knots while a snow-shower beyond tries to build itself into a mini-storm. Photo: Damien Cronin
In the twenty-five years since, the Howth 17s have gone from strength to strength. In 1998, it was thought remarkable that they had achieved the Centenary at all. But now, at 125 years old, their busy annual programme continues to provide sixty races every season, their numbers are greater than ever with 20 boats in class and new boats building, and they regularly appear at major classic boat festivals, with the most recent pre-pandemic in 2017 being Morbihan Sailing Week in France in May, and the Classics Division for the Kingstown 200 Cup in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta in July.
The crew returned from Carrickfergus starting to de-frost in the early morning sun at Howth YC on Monday April 13th 1998 are (left to right) Ian Malcolm, Ian Massey, Damien Cronin, Davy Jones, Nick Massey and Paddy Cronin.
Not even the damage sustained by seven boats on Howth’s East Pier during Storm Emma on Friday, 2nd March 2018 has daunted the Class’s remarkable spirit. The historic Long Shed in which they were stored may have had its roof stoved-in by huge breaking seas, but miraculously only two of the seven boats within were very seriously damaged. Thanks to the skills of multi-talented boat-builder Larry Archer, five were soon seaworthy again, while the severely-damaged Rosemary went into a major repair job which had her sailing again to such good effect that she was the Class’s “National Championship” in 2022, and the most-damaged boat of all, Anita of 1900-vintage, was successfully utilised for an international re-build project in France before returning home to join the fleet.
These wonderful old boats have a lot of sailing in them yet, and in addition to a busy home season in 2023, Class Captain David O’Shea will be leading at least a dozen Howth 17s to Baltimore, West Cork in the third weekend of June for an “intensive” special 125th Anniversary Series, as Baltimore proved ideal for Howth 17s racing when the class took part in the Glandore Classics with a fleet of 15 boats in 2003.
The Centenary Sailing Crews of 1998 re-united at Howth YC twenty years later in April 2018 were (left to right) Davy Jones, Ian Malcolm, Nick Massey, Ian Massey, Paddy Cronin and Damien Cronin. All are in line for the Class’s 125th Anniversary Celebration Special Regatta in Baltimore in June 2023.
