Lot 457

Description

(Sydney Flying Squadron), presentation fob in gold (tested as 9ct; 11.20g; 25.5mm), swivelling ring top suspension, obverse, racing yacht sailing to right, reverse inscribed, '(Presented By Mark Foy) To/Chris Webb/Of The SFS/Season 1910-11/Since its/Inaguration (sic) (1891)'. Very fine.

The Sydney Flying Squadron Yacht Club was founded by Mark Foy in 1891.

Part of a story in The Sun, Sydney, on Monday 25 September 1911, page 11 reads as follows.

'It was Chris Webb whom Mr. Mark Foy chose to go to England and sail his challenger, the "Southerly Buster" for the Anglo-Australian Shield, which the Englishmen won with the Maid of Kent from the Sydney boat Irex, but the race did not eventuate. It was Chris Webb who went to the other States and won outright the big cup presented for Inter-State racing, and it was Chris Webb who topped the list of prize-winners at Sydney for several seasons past against 12 to 15 rivals in each race, although sailing from scratch on almost every occasion, and that is a feat that takes no end of doing. He really climbed the ladder of success by way of the two 18-footers named Australian and has won in 10 seasons about ?1015.'

For further details of Chris Webb see Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12.