Page 9 - Kwasind July 2020 issue

JULY 2020 HERITAGE • 9
The Mighty Norseman - 90 Years of Racing at the RCYC Rob Roy
Four generations of the Gyles family. Photo Credit: Pat (Gyles) Miller
Celebrating her 90th anniversary, Commodore C.G.E.
Gyles’ International 8 Metre yacht Norseman has had a long and celebrated relationship with the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Built at the Marine Yard of the RCYC in 1930 to a design from the famous Halifax naval architect William
J. Roué, (of Bluenose fame), the International 8 Metre
Class (8mR) was at the time receiving the attention of the world’s finest yachtsmen and designers. An Olympic Class from 1908 to 1936 the 8mR was undergoing a revival with
a twelve boat order placed by the New York Yacht Club
in 1928. Making its own bid to revive the Canada’s Cup
in 1929 the leadership of the RCYC under Commodore George H. Gooderham and Vice Commodore C.O. Stillman chose the 8mR class and commissioned three new 8mR’s to meet a challenge from the Rochester Yacht Club that had last won the Cup in 1907.
Through a subscription contributed to by 150 Members, $45,000 was raised to be split amongst the all-Canadian Norseman from Roué, Quest from Scotland’s William Fife (assembled in Oakville), and Vision from Charles Nicholson of Camper and Nicholson in the UK. Norseman was built at the RCYC under the direction of William Ogle using Honduras mahogany. In an exacting series of trial races Quest emerged as the unanimous choice of the selection committee but then lost in the final race of the Canada’s Cup series of 1930 to the American 8mR Thisbe.
Despite the loss, the 8mR class had been established on Lake Ontario and at the RCYC. All three yachts were put up for auction and Norseman was purchased by R. Kenneth Slater. Slater had success racing Norseman during the 1930s winning the Gooderham Trophy, the Freeman Cup, the Prince of Wales Cup and the Queens’s Cup on numerous occasions. This success was continued after 1937 by a new syndicate of owners Freeman Burrows, Kenneth Campbell,
Norman Forbes, Terrance Lett, Harry Stemin and A. Bruton Strange.
During the war years 1939 – 1945 the RCYC Annals provide only the barest of details but by the late 1940’s future Commodore Ray Engholm (‘56-’64) owned and sailed Norseman. Colour film footage taken by the Engholm family in the early 1950’s show that Norseman had traded in the blue hull that she was launched with for a black hull.
In September 1953, Norseman was purchased by T. H. (Ted) Booth for $6,000. A member of both the Youngstown Yacht Club and the RCYC, Booth raced Norseman hard and was a constant champion winning the Gooderham Cup in ‘57, ‘58, ‘59, ‘60, ‘61 and ‘63 and the Louise Freeman Cup in ‘58, ‘59,’ 60, ’61,’ 62, ‘66, ‘67, ’68 and ‘70.
In 1971, Ted Booth donated Norseman to Cornell University where she sailed briefly on the Finger Lakes. In 1973,
Cedric Gyles purchased Norseman from Cornell. He took possession of the yacht at Sills Marina in Sodus Bay, NY where it was being rebuilt by Stew Sills, a long time wooden boat builder and R-Boat racer.
Under Cedric Gyles direction Norseman returned to the RCYC with its distinctive bright wood finish and began an impressive 47 year run of victories and competitive finishes in 8mR World Cups, LYRA, LORC and RCYC yacht racing events. The Gyles family, wife Barbara, and sons Ced Jr (Severn), Edward, John, and Peter joined Cedric (Ced) to ensure Norseman’s and the 8mR fleet’s reputation as family friendly environment where sailing and yacht experiences along with lessons in boat maintenance and repair were part of your education and life experiences. This association with the 8 Metre Class continued the Gyles heritage of several generations with the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club including representation in 1932 Olympic crew for Canada.
Over the years Norseman’s family was loyally joined by Don and Vivian Halliday and their family, Cathy Smart, Shannon Howard, Jody Nixon, Donna Mouck, Yolanda Gooderham, Mikey Wilkinson, grandsons Jason Williams and William Gyles, Taylor Batty, John Golding, Alan Sauder, Duncan Nairne, Mark York, Julia Nairne, Debbie Crossman, Rob
Roy and Cam Richardson. Since 2008, the latter two have shared ownership of Norseman with Ced Sr. and Ed Gyles.
In 2004, Ced Gyles took Norseman to Geneva Switzerland to compete in the 8mR World Cup – Sira Class Division (pre1967 8mRs) and placed 4th.
In 1999, Norseman won the 8mR World’s Sira Cup held at the Rochester Yacht Club with Cedric Gyles Sr. at the helm, crewed by Ed Gyles, Peter Gyles, Shannon Howard, Donna Mouck, Chris Medland and Jason Williams.
In 2020, Norseman enters her 90th sailing season dedicated to keeping 8mR sailing at the RCYC at the forefront for another 90 years.