Lucilla 12 K 17

Ownership and Configuration

In 1930, Lucilla was owned by J. Lauriston Lewis, who had previously owned the International 12 Metre Rhona. During this period, Lucilla was registered in Great Britain, with Portsmouth listed as her home port. She was rigged as a Bermudan sloop, consistent with contemporary Twelve Metre practice in Solent racing during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Solent Racing and Loss (1930)

Lucilla competed in the 1930 Solent racing season, taking part in regattas alongside some of the most notable yachts of the era, including Britannia, Westward, Cambria, and Lulworth.

In August 1930, during a regatta off Cowes, Lucilla was involved in a collision with Lulworth. As a result of the collision, Lucilla sank, marking the abrupt end of her career as an International 12 Metre.

Tragically, Walter Saunders, Lucilla’s chef, lost his life in the accident.

Contemporary Documentation

The incident was photographed by Beken of Cowes, providing rare contemporary visual documentation of both the collision and the loss of Lucilla. These photographs remain an important historical record of early 12 Metre racing on the Solent and of the risks inherent in large-yacht regattas of the period.

Historical Note

Although her active career was brief, Lucilla’s loss occurred during a formative era of International 12 Metre development in Great Britain. Her association with prominent yachts and her documented sinking during a major regatta place her firmly within the historical narrative of early Solent Twelve Metre racing.