What Happened to the Mirrors?

[Stephen Whiteside]

Another sailing poem.


What Happened to the Mirrors?

© Stephen Whiteside

It wasn't all that long ago, '69, let's say,
When bright red sails predominated all across the bay.
These were little Mirrors which, an hour or two before,
Had formed a long red ribbon stretching out across the shore;
A fleet of little Mirrors, the largest in the world,
And what a mighty sight they were with all their sails unfurled.
There were well above a hundred. They were mostly built at home
By dads to show their kids a slice of life upon the foam;
Gaff-rigged to circumvent the strife of over-lengthy spars,
Transported down to Somers on the roofs of family cars;
With in-built tanks for buoyancy, which made them great to ‘right’.
(Even when capsized, the hull could sail away from sight!)
They sailed in two divisions; twenty best, Division Four;
All the rest Division Five: eighty, maybe more.

Mirrors now have had their day. You might see one or two.
There's many modern classes here to teach you what to do,
To show you how to pull a what's-its-name or cleat a thingy,
But none have come in numbers like the mighty Mirror dinghy!
So, I ask myself, "What happened to the Mirrors of the past?
Where on God's good Earth did they settle down at last?"
Did they lie out in the boat-yard many long and lonely winters?
Were they taken to the tip? Were they chopped up into splinters?
Were they burnt upon a bonfire? Did they sink out in the bay?
Or did they simply turn to dust, and slowly fade away?

There must be many garages scattered through the city
Inside of which lie Mirrors, quite abandoned (more's the pity).
Yet the memory's etched inside my head, to live as long as I,
Along the beach, that line of red, stretched out 'tween sea and sky.

[Rimeriter]

Stephen, I'm not the least bit nautical.

Have been known to be seasick on the Manly ferry as well as inside the Barrier Reef.

However, I enjoyed your recitation and learned a little from it.
Jim.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Thanks, Jim. Heather was commenting on the lack of bush verse written about the sea, so I've been posting a few of my own. I think it is true that most of the old masters did turn their backs pretty much on the ocean (with the noteable exception of E. J. Brady), but we contemporary practitioners of the craft often gaze out at the horizon with busy imaginations and shielded eyes.

[Neville Briggs]

Mirrors, seems a strange name for a sailing boat ?

[Rimeriter]

often gaze out at the horizon with busy imaginations and shielded eyes.

Stephen, could this be longhand for rarely getting the keel wet ?

[Stephen Whiteside]

Well, I certainly know where NOT to look!

Neville, the Daily Mirror newspaper in England held a competition for a family-friendly sailing dinghy. It was won by Jack Holt. His design had many advantages.

1. It was plywood-construction. Panels were held together by small twists of copper wire before being fibreglassed. This meant it could be purchased in kit form, and built at home. My father built ours.

2. The hull was light enough for one man to carry on his back.

3. It had huge bouyancy tanks, which meant it floated high out of the water even when capsized, and could be easily 'righted'. (Downside: It caught so much air that, in a strong breeze, it could sail faster on its side than a human can swim. Don't get separated from your boat!)

4. It was gaff-rigged, which meant the mast came in two parts - much easier to store.

Jim, the Mirror didn't have a keel. Rather, it had a retractable ply-wood centreboard. This is a technique for keeping pen and paper dry!

[Neville Briggs]

Thanks Stephen, I thought it might relate to a newspaper but I couldn't think how.

Good little poem.

[Stephen Whiteside]

Thanks, Neville.

[Robyn]

Thanks Stephen, it takes me back. My Dad built our Mirror and we spent many happy hours under those red sails. The boat was certainly hardy, and my own boys have taken it out in recent years. It now lives down at our shed, and hopefully will introduce another generation to sailing!
Regards
Robyn

[Stephen Whiteside]

Phew! I knew I'd find another Mirror sailor out there somewhere, eventually!

Thanks, Robyn.