To borrow a line from Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, “messing about in boats” is a universal pastime, regardless of gender, age, or place in the world.
While primarily aimed at mariners, land-borne sailors are not to be excluded, as scale comes into this as well — along with vision. This last attribute has led the Christchurch Model Yacht Club to some interesting adventures, the most impressive being Project X — the sailing of a restored Highlander A class yacht across Cook Strait.
Proposed by the late Euan Sarginson — a photographer, model enthusiast, and sailing master — to celebrate the club’s centenary, the event took place on 22 March 1998. Despite being followed by a small shark and eventually having to be hoisted back on to the accompanying Tauwera II just prior to its entrance into Wellington Harbour, due to an ebbing tide, the William Fraser successfully negotiated one of the most notorious stretches of water in the world — without anyone on board.
Some history
The CMYC was formed in Warner’s Hotel in Cathedral Square in June 1898; members took
