From the Williamstown Historical Society archives
The Queenie had a crew of seven men when she left her moorings at Wright’s Slip, Williamstown, to sail across the bay to Sorrento to compete in the 25 foot and under class at the Easter Regatta on 1st April 1899.
They were John Clark (58), his four sons, John James (24), Ernest (18), Charles Wallis (15), Norman Leslie (13), plus another two crew members; Arthur Allen (31) and Reginald Johnston (21).
Early on Sunday morning they left Sorrento for Geelong via Queenscliff, then sailed on dropping anchor at Portarlington for lunch after which they disappeared.
By Tuesday, search parties were being raised when the news broke that the crew of Uria had seen the mast protruding above the water off Werribee. The Uria was returning home after the regatta when she was caught in what was described as ‘boisterous’ weather but was in the lee of Portarlington which gave her some protection, whereas the Queenie would have been about five or six miles behind and in open water. The crew from the Uria found Mr. Clark’s body under water, loosely lashed to the mast, where it seemed his life jacket had become entangled in the rigging. Unable to disentangle the body, they placed a distress flag on the mast and sailed back to Williamstown.
Boats with divers and police aboard set out at dawn and reached the wreck at about 8 am. Four other bodies were found on the seabed nearby, covered in sea vermin according to the newspaper reports, and only held together by their clothing. The rescuers knew all the men and boys well and found their work in recovering the bodies very upsetting.
Mr Clark’s watch had stopped at 1.40pm, which was the time the squall had passed through. Norman was in his knickerbocker school clothes and the others were still wearing their greatcoats or warm clothing. By the position of the bodies, it would appear that the captain was turning the yacht around to face the oncoming squall when it was caught broadside.
All the Clarks were all strong swimmers, and it appeared Mr Clark waited to see if he could save any of his four sons. Only five bodies were found and it seemed two men had tried to swim ashore.
The rescue ship returned to Ann’s Pier about 3pm to find a large crowd waiting to hear the news. Mr. Johnston’s body was found on the shore near the Werribee Pier the following day in a terrible state, still with a life belt on. All the men lived and worked in Williamstown and were well-known sailors and sportsmen. John Clark was a well-respected sailor and competitor with an excellent reputation.
At the inquest the yacht was declared to have been in a safe condition and crewed by experienced men. The funeral procession took place in pouring rain but still over 500 men walked behind the cortege. The six Queenie crew members whose bodies were recovered were buried in the Williamstown Cemetery.
