Commonwealth

Designed, built and skippered by Norman R. Wright.

Norman first built a half model of the full boat he wished to build – this model still exists today and is in Bill and Angus office at NRW. When satisfied with the shape, he took the lines off the model and lofted the boat on the attic floor of their family home. The lofting of the boat was still on the floor of the house when it was finally demolished about 15 years ago.

Commonwealth weighed around 100 kgs.

During the 1893 flood a large cedar log was swept into the property and was quickly secured by Norman and his brothers. After the flood the log was milled to quarter sawn planks and stored for future family projects.

Twelve years later Norman finally had a use for this beautiful quarter sawn Cedar, deciding to build his first Racing Skiff. He decided to build a 10 foot Skiff, which was a very popular boat for young, up and coming sailors at the time.

She was launched in 1906 on a Saturday morning, and according to a press clipping from the Courier Mail, she raced later that afternoon and won the Australian Title. She was a magnificent sight when running with all of the gear up, with a spinnaker the same size as an Etchell, along with her mainsail, topsail, ringtail, watersail and balloon jib. She would measure over 40 foot from the tip of the spinnaker pole to the end of ringtail boom. To put this into perspective, on the wind, this 10 foot skiff, the mainsail and jib, had more area than an Etchell. Downwind she would carry half as much sail again to that of an Etchell.

10ft Skiff Champion 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1910.

Norman eventually sold “Commonwealth” in 1914 to Lance Watts due to starting his business “Norman R Wright Boatbuilder”. He was so busy with building his business that sailing took a back seat for a while, culminating in the start of World War 1 in late 1914 meaning he did no sailing at all until 1919.

“Commonwealth’s” next owner was G. Conway who bought her in 1924, continuing her winning ways by taking out the Balmain Regatta that year, the Australia day Regatta in 1925 and Port Jackson Champion in 1925 & 1926. She was still racing successfully until 1930.

She was stored, we believe, in the Manly Skiff Club, Sydney for many years.

Not many boats can be sailed competitively for four decades, but “Commonwealth” certainly did.