Photograph of the yacht ATHENE
Date1930s
Object number00049282
NamePhotograph
MediumPhotograph, paper
DimensionsOverall: 302 x 240 mm, 93.46 g
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from the Estate of Roderick Glassford
DescriptionThe yacht ATHENE was designed by E Heywood, a launch and yachter designer active in Sydney in the late 1890s and early 1900s and built by W M Ford of Berrys Bay. The original owner of the yacht was David Carment, an actuary who migrated from Scotland to Australia in 1872.HistoryThe donor Roderick Winchcombe Glassford (1920-1995) commenced work with Macdonald Hamilton & Co, agents for P&O in the 1930s. During World War Two he served in the Coast Artillery at South Head, achieving the rank of Captain. He returned to work with Macdonald Hamilton and became a Passenger Superintendent with P&O.
Deeply interested in maritime history, Glassford owned a yacht and was a prolific collector of objects and books. With the decline in passenger ships from the 1970s, he managed the Art Gallery society and was involved in early efforts to form the first Sydney Maritime Museum.
Glassford was a friend of the Carment family, who owned the yacht ATHENE. Glassford often sailed with them in their yacht during their many outings. David Carment (1843-1934) commissioned ATHENE in 1905. It was designed by E Heywood and constructed out of New Zealand Kauri by WM Ford of Berrys Bay. David's grandson Max once described the yacht as ‘fast and wet, 34 feet length, 8 feet 6 inches beam, and 6 foot draught, and with over 1 ton of lead external ballast’. In December 1913, David colourfully described what an average day sailing was like in a letter to his son, David Shallard Carment:
'On Saturday I took the boat down the harbour with a crew of three … We had a good sail in a fresh nor’easter, and had a great view of the numerous open boat races. On Sunday it blew pretty nearly a “black nor’easter” in the afternoon…we went to North Harbour and had a truly great sail home round by Shark Island carrying full mainsail and jib. You see the lapse of years has not abated my love of a good breeze. I wonder if you’ll take to sailing again when you come back … or whether you are tired of the finest sport in the world.'
During the 1926 season, ATHENE ‘was the most successful boat, having won Tempest Trophy, Jubilee Cup, Boomerang Cup.’ Her skipper, David Shallard, also won the captain’s trophy for the best record in “A” class.
ATHENE stayed with the family until it was sold in 1950. Though it was still sailing in 2008, like many of its contemporaries, it had been significantly altered from its original form.SignificanceThis photograph of ATHENE compliments a plan of the vessel collected by Roderick Glassford and donated to the ANMM in June 2010. The KATISHE album documents an early recreational motor boat. This album and photograph are a documentary resource Australian recreational boating in the early 20th century and highlight the role of collecting images by an avid sailing ship enthusiast and maritime heritage collector.
