47' Bailey International 8-Metre Cutter (1923) - PRIZE

Prize was launched on the 27th October 1923 for Mr W.P.Endean having been designed and built by Chas Bailey Jnr. (to the Int 8mR, 1st Rule). She was named after one of the famous Q Ships, HMS Prize, a submarine hunter in the First World War, in which the New Zealander, Lieutenant Commander W. E. Sanders, was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Alf Thompson bought Prize of Mr Endean in 1942 and after the war, his son Bressin, campaigned her very successfully under her gaff rig up until 1949 and then under Bermudan rig through until she was retired from racing in 1975. Her many successes included a record breaking win of the Balokovic Cup in 1947 and winning the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron points prize five times, four of them consecutively in the 2nd Division: 1953/54, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1957/58 and 1958/59; a feat not bettered to this day.

One of the notable features of her construction and that of the large NZ classics is her triple skin construction (double diagonal with horizontal full length exterior planking making for an extremely durable hull, especially with the use of the famous New Zealand Kauri.

In 1959, the original Oregon Bermudan spar was replaced with a lighter Spruce mast and the rig changed from three headsail to two headsails. This spar is still in her today.

She underwent a restoration/refit in 1995/96 and since the founding of the Classic Yacht Association of NZ she has been successfully raced by the next two generations of the Thompson family.