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British Queen (1850)

The plaque reads ...

Yacht 'British Queen'
Filled and sank on Tues. 3.12.1850 at
Hobart Town's 13th Anniversary Regatta
during 1st sailing race after naming
of Constitution Dock in presence
of Governor Sir William Denison.
John Petchey ~ owner skipper
his nephew and 4 convict crew lost,
Ticket of Leave man J. Thompson saved.

Charles Petchey, the first Governor of the Hobart Gaol, was drowned by the swamping of his yacht , the British Queen, at the Hobart Regatta in 1850.

Petchey was an exporter of mimosa to England probably from an area in the Huon valley now known as Petchey's Bay. Mimosa was the name used for Acacia dealbata [Silver Wattle] the bark of which was used for tanning hides.

Reference: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25560262