Envelope for Letter from Harold Nossiter Snr to Duke of Edinburgh
Date1953
Object number00056001
NameEnvelope
MediumPaper
DimensionsOverall: 108 × 138 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Tim Nossiter
DescriptionHarold Nossiter Snr documented his family voyage around the world in 1935 in the books 'Northward Ho' and 'Southward Ho'. In 1953 Harold sent a copy of each publication to the Duke of Edinburgh, eventually receiving this letter of thanks from Duke's private secretary.
The Nossiter voyage is a benchmark in Australian blue water cruising history, the first of its kind. On the 20th of July 1935 Harold, his two sons, Harold Jnr and Richard, along with Clive Russell, left Sydney Harbour on the custom designed cruising yacht Sirius. Their voyage took almost two years and covered 28,000 nautical miles, passing through the Suez and Panama canals. The Nossiter objects make a rare combination of items associated with this voyage and the Nossiter family history in the museum photographic collection.HistoryHarold Nossiter, a well-known Sydney importer and sailor, and a member of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. In 1932 he began planning his retirement to include a voyage by yacht around the world. Nossiter wanted a custom designed boat and took his concept, an advanced design for the period, to J D Thistlethwaite, a naval architect at Greenwich, Sydney. Thistlethwaite prepared a set of detailed drawings for a robust cruising yacht, rigged as a staysail schooner. It was named SIRIUS after the brightest of the navigational stars.
SIRIUS was launched in February 1935 and later that year, on Sunday 20 July, Nossiter, his two sons Harold and Richard, along with Clive Russell, left Sydney Harbour. Their voyage is now well recognised as an important milestone in Australian amateur cruising. The trip took almost two years and covered 28,000 nautical miles, passing through the Suez and Panama canals. The route took them north of Papua New Guinea, then westward to Aden via Bali, Singapore and Colombo. SIRIUS arrived in Plymouth, England, on 2 June 1936 after passing through the Mediterranean. The yacht departed on 17 September 1936, crossing the Atlantic via Madeira and Trinidad. From Panama they went to the Galapagos and Marquesa Islands, then through the South Pacific back to Sydney. Harold Nossiter documented the voyage in two books, 'Northward Ho' and 'Southward Ho'. Harold’s extensive collection of photographs taken on the voyage is in the ANMM Collection.
The Nossiter collection features in several Signals articles;
- Number 71, June-August 2005, pages 27-31 "Around the World on Sirius"
- Number 72, September-November 2005, page 40.
- Number 106, March-May 2014, page 76. "Farewell to a Veteran Sailor".
From 1937 until the outbreak of World War II SIRIUS raced on Sydney Harbour and during the war it served as a naval training vessel. After the war Nossiter sold SIRIUS to Jim Booth. The new owner took part in the second and third Sydney to Hobart races in 1946/47 and then again in 1947/48 when SIRIUS finished 15th out of 28 starters. After changing hands several times, SIRIUS is still sailing today and listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels.SignificanceThe Nossiter objects hold great significance as rare items associated with the 1935 Nossiter family voyage around the world. A benchmark in Australian blue water cruising history, this voyage took almost two years and covered 28,000 nautical miles, passing through the Suez and Panama canals. Harold Nossiter's yachtmaster's certificate, dated 1933, holds individual significance as the second certificate of its kind to be ever issued in Australia. Further, Harold's letters to and from the Duke of Edinburgh, championing Australian yachting and the design of the Sirius, show the high level of esteem given to the Nossiter voyage.
These items also add to the significance of the existing Nossiter material in the National Maritime Collection. They make a rare combination of objects associated with the voyage and the Nossiter family history in the museum photographic archives. Most significantly, many of the objects, such as the fishing rod, may be seen in these photos.
