Of course we may all like to think we own or have discovered a model dating from 1850 but can this ever be proved? In the case of St Andrew her (or in this case is it his? ) history dates from at least 1887 when her name is entered on the Register of Edinburgh and Leith Model Yacht Club, then in the ownership of her designer and builder Ian Donaldson. Her lwl measurement is recorded as 49 ¾ inches and she is described as a 3 masted fore and aft Schooner. The owner's number shows her to be Class 4. A copy of the Official Roll E.L.M.Y.C. shows the address for Mr Donaldson of 219 Commercial Street, Leith, together with his brother or perhaps his father, G Donaldson.

Further photo-copies from the original Club archives show a minute of a race held on St Margaret's Loch, 21st May 1887 in which St Andrew competed and again at Portobello on the 18th August 1888. The fact that she won the first race for her class in 1887 proves she must have been built some time previously.

ST ANDREW's centenary sail on St Margaret's Loch on the top of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, which is where the club sailed in 1887

Construction

Her construction is of yellow pine, planked, which appears to be edge fastened to the lower plank (some rust staining on the plank seams would suggest this) with the planking pinned to frames at about 5 or 6 inch centres, quite far apart unless the planking is indeed edge fastened. She has a detachable full length lead ballast keel which was cast for her later owners in 1947, copy of the Foundry invoice on record. Her present pine deck, which is lined, dates from 1942 when she was converted to a two masted schooner; her original sails and spars however still exist to this day.

She has a blue painted figurehead (it looks to be gold beneath) with the name and a shield depicting St Andrews Cross on each bow. The 'Port of Registry' LEITH is on the stern. She measures just over 57 inches on deck excluding bowsprit and weighs 17 ½ lbs plus another 20lbs lead ballast, held in place by three brass lugs and machine screws. Originally she had lead weighted rudders, subsequently linked to a Clyde steering gear with brass wheel adjustment.

Remarkably St Andrew has only had four owners in over 116 years. In 1928 she was purchased by the SPENCE family from a secondhand shop just around the corner from where Mr Donaldson had lived. She was much enjoyed and in 1987 was sailed by Douglas Spence and her previous owner, Chris Mackenzie on St Margaret's Loch, with permission from the Royal Parks Authority to re-enact to the very minute her first recorded win of 1887. This was reported by Russell Potts in Model Boats.

St Andrew was last sailed by Chris Mackenzie in July 2002 who is pleased to have recently passed on this very fine and historic vessel to a new home, where she is to be restored to her original three masted rig.

Martin Bandey