Wylo: 30ft R.J. Scott designed Yacht

Build Date

1911

Boat Builder

Professor R.J. Scott/ Edwin Bailey

Length

LOA – 30 feet LWL 24 feet

Beam

9 foot 4 inches

Black and white image of Boats at Balaena Bay, Wellington in 1912. They include the yacht Wylo

Professor Julian Scott – Wylo’s Designer

Professor Robert Julian Scott designed Wylo in 1904. Scott was an English man with a long family association with the Royal Navy and the Royal Engineers. His father was rear-admiral R.A.E Scott and his cousin was Captain Robert Falcon Scott the hero of the Antarctic.

Professor Scott went a slightly different way with his life, taking his education into working with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railways. This work with the railways eventually marked his ticket to New Zealand. He came to NZ in 1881, starting in Wellington and then in 1887 he moved to Christchurch where he took charge of the School of Engineering at Canterbury University. He worked here until his retirement in 1923.

However, his work with yacht design is what made Scott one of the most influential figures in yachting between 1890 and 1910. He was a skilled skipper but also a talented engineer enabling his designs to be ahead of his time.

Building Wylo and her Owners

Edwin Bailey built Wylo in Wellington with a triple planked kauri construction. She is believed to have weighed 6.3 tons, had a sail area of 500 square feet and had a Zealandia inboard.

Her first owner was W. J. Birnie of Wellington who owned Wylo from 1912-1919. Then Cheek of Nelson had Wylo from 1919 to 1920. In 1920 W. Duncan of Wellington owned her until an unknown date. Duncan was commodore of Port Nicholson Yacht Club and chairman of the Wellington Yacht and Motor Boat Association.

After Duncan Col. Esson of Wellington is believed to have owned Wylo from 1926 until 1936. Dr Campbel-Young of Wellington is thought to have owned Wylo in 1945. Then from 1946 L.V. Martin of Wellington owned Wylo. It is unknown when Martin’s ownership ended or who owns Wylo now.

References

To research Wylo we used The Wellington Classic Yacht Trust website and Boating NZ.

Ailsa – 36ft later 47ft yacht built in 1909 by Tom Le Huquet.

Amai – 24ft W. Brooke-Taylor and Sons yacht built in 1909 and lost at sea in 1932.

Ethel – 28ft yacht built by Charles Bailey Snr. in 1884.

Waitangi – 74ft Robert Logan Snr. racing yacht that dominated the NZ regattas from 1897-1900