Please select your home edition
Edition
HKJ YY Leaderboard

The oldest video footage of Gaff rig sailing

by Magnus Smith 9 Jun 2024 12:00 BST
Thalia and Sophie at the Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta © Steve Mitchell

With the Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival starting this Friday (14th June 2024) on the Isle of Wight, let us delve into the past, and round-up the best videos which show this type of rig, still loved today by many devotees.

The oldest footage featuring a gaff in use was also the very oldest video in our library (until we get informed of some older footage) and shows two J Class yachts somewhere in the Med. It's a silent clip, and not very long, but - as usual - British Pathé win the prize for oldest video; it's from the late 1910s!

The Girl On The Yacht features women sailing in 1930, which is really great to celebrate, albeit there were slightly sexist subtitles used. Shot off the Isle of Wight.

There is some much clearer footage than we normally see in The Red Trawlers Of Brixham. This is from the year 1933, with racing hosted by Royal Thames Yacht Club.

Classic Yacht Sailing in 1930s with Alfred Mylne shows the beautiful 'Thendara', though you will also note how Bermuda rigs are clearly overtaking the gaffers in numbers now.

We switch to smaller boats, briefly, here. Footage from sometimes in the 1930s at the West London Hospital Cup shows a mix of gaffers and International 14 dinghies.

Trawler racing off Brixham for The King George Cup comes from the year 1936. Look how difficult it is to tack that jib!

Time for small curved gaffs now! Or are we stretching the category too far? Watch Dutch barge racing in 1959 for leeboards and very odd bows too.

Continuing the European action, we next have Cutter racing at Kiel 1962. Skip the warship footage by going straight to 4m32s. There are some unusual German sail training vessels racing.

A whole TV programme from the eighties now! 'This England' was made by Granada and shows the Nobby Race, 1986 with Morecambe Bay Prawners / Mersey gaffers. (See also Part 2.)

What of the rest?

Do you know the location of any more videos showing gaff-rigged classes in the early years? We would love to share these with other sailors. You can submit video links to us for immediate review.

Keep watching with:

Related Articles

OGA Gaffling Championship at Ullswater
Entry level gaff dinghoes race on Bank Holiday Monday The OGA held their second Gaffling Championship at Ullswater Yacht Club on Bank Holiday Monday 25th August. Posted on 1 Sep
OGA60 Jubilee Celebration on the River Orwell
Over 100 gaffers of all shapes and sizes, and 320 sailors, enjoy the party Over 100 classic yachts, working boats and open boats with 320 skippers, crews, family and friends travelling by sea, road, rail or ferry began to arrive on the River Orwell, Wednesday 2 August, 2023. Posted on 18 Aug 2023
Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta
The storm before the calm Despite challenging weather before the event, Yarmouth this weekend saw the return of over 90 gaff rigged yachts to the Yarmouth Gaffers Regatta [2nd-5th June], organised by the Solent Old Gaffers Association. Posted on 9 Jun 2016
Portaferry Sails & Sounds announced
Classic Boat and Music Festival On 'The Narrows', the river like opening of Strangford Lough, where tides rip through at 6 knots daily, lies the town of Portaferry. Posted on 27 Feb 2016
Yarmouth Gaffers 2016
Aiming to run event in June The Solent Area of the OGA (Old Gaffers Association) organises the attendance at Yarmouth of our members in their boats and of other gaff rigged craft. In 2015 we celebrated a record registration of over 100 boats. Posted on 18 Oct 2015
OGA East Coast Race
Gaff-rigged craft start from Brightlingsea It always seems such a privilege to be invited to sail the smack 'Transcur' so I was delighted to step aboard for the East Coast Race on 18th July. Conditions were perfect as we made our way out of the Brightlingsea. Posted on 11 Aug 2015