Design: card printed in colours to show various named vessels; reverse side printed in card blue to show angels and fish around a compass with the words Blow fair y't I may go across ye main yen shift brave gale to walft me home.
No. of cards: 48
No. illustrated: all

The paintings are very good and typical of the 1930s. As the address given on the Rules sheet for John Jaques is the Hatton Garden on which was bombed early in the 2nd World War, the game is definitely pre-1940.

No. of Players: any
Equipment required: 48 cards arranged in 12 sets of 4, each named
sheet of instructions
original slipcase with matching card pasted on showing maker's name

Rules:
RULES
1. The cards are shuffled and dealt face downwards to the players. The player on the left of the dealer plays the top card of his stack, without looking at it, face upwards in front of him. The other players follow suit in turn.
2. When a card is turned up which has the same ship as one already exposed on the table, the player first to call AHOY may pick up the cards of the same design and the cards under them and place them face downwards under his unplayed cards. He must then play his top card and the game is resumed.
3. If a player calls AHOY by mistake the card which he has played are placed face upwards in the centre of the table in the pool. Similarly if two or more players call AHOY simultaneously, their cards on the table must be put together and placed in the pool. If there is already one heap of cards in the pool a second can be formed.
4. When a card is played corresponding to one in the pool, the first player to call SISTER SHIPS, can claim both stacks of cards concerned.
5. When a player has used all his cards, he can pick them up when his turn comes and continue to play them, but if he has lost all his cards he is out of the game.
6. The player who gets the whole pack wins the game.

ALTERNATIVE RULE
If preferred, instead of calling AHOY the players may agreed to call the name of the ship coupled with AHOY, such as TUG AHOY, YACHT AHOY, etc. If a mistake is made in identity of type of ship the cards must be placed in the pool, e g if a player calls TUG AHOY when he ought to have called LINER AHOY.

Ships named are:- BARGE, BATTLESHIP, COASTAL SCHOONER, FULL-RIGGED SHIP, LIFEBOAT, LIGHTSHIP, LINER, SPEEDBOAT, TRAMP, TRAWLER, TUG and YACHT.

TRADE MARKS
The trade mark AHOY is registered UK and an application has been made for the trade mark SISTER SHIPS and other applications are pending. Paintings, designs and rules are copyright. The word SNAP is the registered trade mark of Messrs. John Jaques & Son Ltd, 37-39 Kirby Street, Hatton Garden, to whom the publishers are indebted for permission to use the word.

THE AHOY SERIES
SEA GAMES:-
DRAKE - an old time game of skill comparible with Chess £1.1.0
SHIP AHOY - the nearest approach to a real yacht race on the Solent. 10/6
FLOTILLA - a game of naval manoeuvres 7/6 & 5/-
ROUND THE ISLAND RACE in two editions: Isle of Wight and Isle of Arran, Scotland, a simple but exciting and amusing yacht race. 2/6 each.

OTHER GAMES
THE GREAT AIR RACE - representing the epic race from England to Australia. Price 2/6
HEXWAY - a delightful game on an entirely new principle and very attractive in appearance. Price. 3/6

Supplied by leading Stores, Booksellers and Toy Shops.
A descriptive pamphlet with photographs of the games will be sent by the publishers free on request.
Publishers:- Robert Ross & Co. Ltd, 2 Albion Terrace, Southampton.

Robert Ross & co ltd, Southampton, paintings by Gregory Robinson

B.256:1-1996