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CLASSIC ARCHIVES

2018 GEELONG WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL

2018 Geelong Wooden Boat Festival Notice of Race

Entry to WBF via the RGYC Top Yacht site

Download 2018 GWBF Entry form

1,329 total views, 4 views today

CYAA 2020/2021 Event Calendar

Click on link for CYAA Event schedule as at 18th June 2020.

CYAA and Covid-19 status message 21st June 2020.

Victorian Covid-19 level B sporting activity restrictions now operating. Aust Sailing (Vic Sail) Notice 22nd June 2020. Level B restrictions described on page 7 of AS (Vic) return to sailing publication.

Next on social distance on water training session by Mercedes III scheduled for 28th June. Other Classic’s are invited by MIII to do some pre race training under Coviad-19 restrictions on announced June 20. From June 22 Sport and Excerise restrictions in Vic.

News Flash June 20 Home and outdoors gathering number reductions. Covid-19 Virus Updates from the Vic Gov’t July 2

From June 22 in Victoria the number of visitors that you can have to your home will reduce to five and outdoor gatherings will reduce to a maximum group of ten. Training and recreation for keel boats in small groups of not more that 10 participants and/ or other personnel in total with adherence to the 1.5mtr social distancing and not more than 1
person per 4m2 View June 20 statement from Vic Premier.

As at 17th June 2020, all CYAA racing is postponed till further notice.
RMYS Resumption of Sailing Notice June 16
Doughty Institute Covid-19 News 3rd July 2020
Australian Sailing Covid-19 Information Hub Latest update 17th June 2020

Covid-19 Virus Updates from the Vic Gov’t and yacht clubs that conduct CYAA racing events RYCV RMYS HBYC SYC

CYAA President Martin Ryan 3rd July 2020

CYAA Instagram files

classic.yacht.australia

With metropolitan Victoria going back into lockdow

With metropolitan Victoria going back into lockdown as of midnight tonight for six weeks I’m going to need a bit of routine. So... I thought it would be a good opportunity to shamelessly promote Australia wooden boat heritage.
Starting tomorrow I’ll tell you about Australia’s 42 (6 weeks x 7 days) most important wooden sailing boats. To qualify they still have to be floating…or able to float… and of course be made out of timber.
It’s going to be purely my subjective opinion, but if you feel like I’ve made any major ommissions or miss judgements let me know! We’ll start with number 42 tomorrow #woodenboat #CYAA #classicyacht #top42

Seriously .....what piece of mediocre floating pla

Seriously .....what piece of mediocre floating plastic could you buy for $60,000AUD. Or..... you could own this beautiful piece of Australian sailing history and not only have way more fun, but also that warm inner glow that comes from being the custodian of something very special. Oenone was built in Geelong in 1900 by Charles Blunt for John Cumming and at the time was named Violet IV. John died in 1901 and the incomplete Linton Hope designed 30 rater was sold to Sydney where she was renamed Oenone. There are several references to her racing and changing hands up until 1935 but the most interesting was that she was advertised in 1918 for sale in the Sydney Morning Herald as the fastest boat on Sydney Harbour.
Oenone (pronounced En-own-ee) is a very beautiful boat, easy to sail, and absolutely perfect as a picnic yacht or as a classic race yacht. She is sound, fast and ready to go. For more information go to https://www.vicsail.com/used-boats/1900-gaff-rigged-30-rater. (Link in bio).
@vicsailyachting #classicyacht #woodenboat #gaffcutter #sailinghistory

Started with a drifter.... and ended up with a gla

Started with a drifter.... and ended up with a glass out for the second edition of the CYAA training sail (not racing) on Port Phillip today. With the spectre of reinforced lockdowns looming over Victoria it was so good just to be out on the water using our special craft if only for a few hours #CYAA #woodenboat #classicyacht #portphillipbay #sailtraining

There’s a great opportunity this weekend for any

There’s a great opportunity this weekend for any yachts on Port Phillip to join the Classic Yacht Association’s sail training morning on Sunday 28th June. You DON’T have to own a classic to be part of the session. Any boat will do!
This is the second version of the NON-RACE. The first, a couple of weeks ago was a great success with a few creases being ironed out after the three month lay-off. This week’s sail will involve passing a few marks off St Kilda on the correct side in a certain order! Weather is looking sunny and light…perfect for a gentle re-entry! Details of the event are at
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http://www.classic-yacht.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Notes-for-June-28-2020_1.pdf ( link in bio)
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#sailtraining #woodenboat #classicyacht #getbackoutthere #portphillip

Going back a few years …..cooking mussels in Bas

Going back a few years …..cooking mussels in Bass Strait on the way back to Melbourne from Sydney aboard the 1956 Philip Rhodes (ex) Yawl “Fair Winds”
Footage courtesy of @archie_chew .
(Who put that mess of a reef in?)
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Recipe courtesy of the good people @bonappertitemag
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Heat chorizo and 2 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium, stirring occasionally, until chorizo begins to brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and wine and bring to a simmer; season with pepper. Cook until reduced by three-quarters, 6–8 minutes.
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Add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels open, 6–8 minutes. Discard any mussels that don’t open. Drizzle toast with oil. Serve mussels topped with tarragon with toast alongside.
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#classicyacht #woodenboat #philiprhodes #bassstrait #cyaa

“I feel that any boat that points her bow out to

“I feel that any boat that points her bow out to sea should be designed so that the crew need not worry about a safe return” When ever I come across a Lyle Hess boat I get an overwhelming urge to own one. Forget the fact that they can be as slow as a wet week...there’s just something so “right” about the lines. A Californian who drew boats based on working British designs, he is surely one of the more underrated designers of the 20C. This one is a 1983 build called “Friendly Light” by Laurie Jenkins from Queensland white beech planking on spotted gum frames, currently sitting neatly in her pen at RMYS.#lylehess #woodenboat #classicyacht #falmouthpilotcutter #cutter @rmysstkilda

So good to see the Melbourne Classic Yacht fleet o

So good to see the Melbourne Classic Yacht fleet out on the water again after a 3 month hiatus. Just a shake down cruise....no racing permitted..despite being allowed to have 20 people round for dinner afterwards...
All in all a great morning.... thanks to @rycvroyals for the support. #cyaa #woodenboat #classicyacht

I’m guessing that the International Archives Day

I’m guessing that the International Archives Day (June 9th) wasn’t necessarily at the top of everyone’s calendar!
But somehow with all the revisionist history going on around at the world at the moment, the work of saving and maintaining historical records seems more important than ever.
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Here are a few pictures from the Melbourne Grammar School Archives of a famous cruising yacht called UTIEKAH III. She was built at Wilsons in Cygnet, Tasmania in 1925, a family of well-known shipwrights for over three generations, and was the first non-commercial they built. The owner was Ireton Elliot Giles, (known fondly as Spuddo) a charismatic Victorian teacher and adventurer who pioneered sail-training for youths and supported the practice for many decades with UTIEKAH III. Between the wars he took over 4000 students on genuine adventures, in Bass Strait (which he crossed over 50 times), around Tasmania and eventually to the South Pacific becoming one of the first Australian yachts to cruise there. The pictures show no life lines and no life jackets, but there is tangible feeling of challenge, and many of the pupils attest to how the voyages were a pivotal time in their journey from childhood to adulthood.
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It’s ridiculous to apply the standards of our time regarding safely, appropriate behaviour and educational requirements to these adventures but by maintaining an archive we are able to judge for ourselves the legacy of Giles and Utiekah III
Giles sold UTIEKAH III at age 90, and he passed away two years later. .
If you want to know what happened to her in the end go link in bio for full story from ANMM
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Picture 1 1940
Picture 2 Setting off for the Pacific 1938
Picture 3 Bass Strait 1944
Picture 4 Tasmania 1931
Picture 5 1931 Giles on RHS
Picture 6 Tasmania 1931
Picture 7 Tasmania 1931
Picture 8 Tasmania 1931
Picture 9 Deal Island, Bass Strait 1932
Picture 10 Tasmania 1931
#woodenboat #classicyacht #utiekah #sailtraining #Tasmania #cygnet #dealisland #bassstrait #wilsonbrothers #savage

Congratulations to the Melbourne based Serifa! She

Congratulations to the Melbourne based Serifa! She has just been accepted into the Australian Register of Historic Vessels. Serifa was designed and built by Jack Savage of Victoria based on the design of “Birrahlee” which had raced to Hobart several times. Serifa was built specifically to race the Sydney to Hobart and in 1966 came in a respectable 6th with Bernie Case the owner skipper. Check out the plaque on the cabin sides to prove it. It just so happens, she’s also for sale... have a look at https://www.vicsail.com/used-boats/jack-savage-1960-classic-yacht (link in bio). And only $42500! You won’t get much Tupperware for that!
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#serifa #woodenboat #classicyacht #jacksavage #savage #sydneyhobart #yachtforsale

One design from 1966 (Skip Etchells)and one from t

One design from 1966 (Skip Etchells)and one from the early 20th Century (couta boat Sylvia built by @woodenboatshop) One in wood, one in fibreglass, one from America one from Victoria... both racing together on Pittwater on the last day of Autumn lockdown. Don’t you love sailing! #coutaboat #etchells #pittwater #sylvia #scotlandisland @timphillips9303

Not really Classic Yachting but definitely a dange

Not really Classic Yachting but definitely a danger to wooden boats! A container from the Singaporean-flagged APL England, a cargo ship that lost 40 containers on Sunday in rough seas off the NSW coast. This one has been picked up by a tug near Dangar Island on the Hawkesbury River after washing into Broken Bay! Ironically a long container train passes over the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. #consumerism #brooklyn #hawkesburyriver #container #marinedebris

Who wouldn’t fall in love with “Southerly”?

Who wouldn’t fall in love with “Southerly”? On a mooring on the north side of Dangar Island, Hawkesbury River, and in need of some TLC.... but definitely ready to give somebody years more pleasure. Do you think she needs a bowsprit? Anyone know any history? #classicyacht #woodenboat #hawkesbury #dangarisland #rescue #restoration #daysailer

The Mariners Library. Book 48 of 48 "The Last Grai

The Mariners Library.
Book 48 of 48
"The Last Grain Race"
by Eric Newby
First Published in 1956. First Published in the Mariners Library 1961.
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And Finally...... I'm afraid we are going out with whimper not a bang... I can only find pics from the second edition but a great read anyway!
Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006]) was an English travel author who is best known for his works include A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, The Last Grain Race, and Round Ireland in Low Gear.
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This is an engaging and informative first-hand account of the last 'grain race' of maritime history, from respected travel writer Eric Newby. In 1939, a young Eric Newby - later renowned as a travel writer of exceptional talent - set sail aboard “Moshulu”, the largest sailing ship still employed in the transportation of grain from Australia to Europe. Every year from 1921 to 1939, the vessels involved in the grain trade would strive to find the shortest, fastest passage home - 'the grain race' - in the face of turbulent seas, atrocious weather conditions and hard graft. First published in 1956, 'The Last Grain Race', featuring many photographs from the author's personal collection, celebrates both the spirit of adventure and the thrill of sailing on the high seas. Newby's first-hand account - engaging and informative, with frequent bursts of humour and witty observations from both above and below deck - chronicles this classic sailing voyage of the Twenties and Thirties, and records the last grain race of maritime history.
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After the war, he worked, off and on for 17 years, in the women's fashion business, before setting out to climb Mir Samir in the Nuristan Mountains of Afghanistan with his friend Hugh Carless in 1956, an expedition later chronicled in A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush – probably his most widely known work, and which included a meeting with the English explorer Wilfred Thesiger. From 1964 to 1973, Newby was Travel Editor for The Observer newspaper. He died at age 86 in Guildford UK. .
#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory

The Mariners Library. Book 47 of 48 “The Ship Wo

The Mariners Library.
Book 47 of 48
“The Ship Would not Travel Due West”
by David Lewis
First Published in 1961 First Published in the Mariners Library 1963.
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This is the second book in the library that stars a Giles “Vertue”. They must be alright!
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Here’s One opinion…..
“An English doctor tells the story of his solo transatlantic crossing in Cardinal Vetue in June of 1960. It is more than a sailing story, as these accounts usually are. In the doctor's own words, it is a story of ""endurance against the impersonal Atlantic"". Lewis a sailor-physician writes with clarity and grace. His story begins as he and a few other lone sailors start the transatlantic race from England. The loss of a mast, gales, the loneliness, the fear and hard work of sailing a boat alone, are all described with great feeling. And he crosses 2000 miles of ocean only to collide with a Canadian warship, then run aground off Massachusetts. His meeting with the other competitors in New York, the long voyage back to England continue to involve the reader in this arduous odyssey. Unfortunately, the book reads like a great many others of its kind dealing with single-handed voyages. There are few surprises, although his sailing and medical-psychology data may prove valuable to some. Entertaining, but in no way unique.”
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Here's another
“One of the great small boat voyages of the world, that is a profound tribute to the modesty of an outstanding human being”. The Guardian
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I tend to support the second viewpoint.
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#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory #literature #secondhandbooks #recycle #bookshop #publishing #woodenboat #bluewater #davidlewis #cardinalvertue #laurentgiles #transatlantic #vertue

The Mariners Library. Book 46 of 48 “Kurun in th

The Mariners Library.
Book 46 of 48
“Kurun in the Caribbean”
by Jacques-Yves Le Toumelin
First Published in 1957 First Published in the Mariners Library 1962.
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The adventures of the Kurun are recounted by Le Toumelin in two different works : “Kurun Around the World” and “Kurun in the Caribbean”. The first of these is far more popular but never made it on to the Mariners Library list
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Here’s a little about the boat..
Designed by the naval architect Henri Dervin for the author, Le Kurun (meaning thunder in Breton) was built at the Leroux yard in Le Croisic by the shipwright Jean Moullec. Kuran is a down to earth sailboat without motor. She is a double ender made with oak planking and acacia ribs. The deck is made of iroko and mahogany. Ten metres long, 3.5 meters wide and a weight of 10 tons with sail area of over 53 square meters. She is still in good condition today, maintained and managed by the French association “The Friends of Kurun”. There are some good pictures of their website (see link in bio)
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Launched on February 26 1948, she sailed in September the following year to begin a circumnavigation which took three years. He made a triumphal comeback to his hometown port on July 7, 1952 and this voyage became the subject of “Kurun Around the World”
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Le Toumelin then made a second cruise to the Caribbean from September 1954 to July 1955 which is the subject of this book.
Following in the footsteps of Alain Gerbault (French circumnavigator in 1924) and Louis Bernicot (French circumnavigator in 1934-36) Le Toumelin is considered one of the most important French navigators of all times.
Jacques Yves Le Toumelin died on November 12 2009 at the age of 89.
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#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory #literature #secondhandbooks #recycle #bookshop #publishing #woodenboat #bluewater #kurun #toumelin #singlehanded #solo #gerbault #bernicot

The Mariners Library. Book 45 of 48 "Solitary Jour

The Mariners Library.
Book 45 of 48
"Solitary Journey”
by Charles Violet
First Published in 1954 First Published in the Mariners Library 1962.
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From the dust jacket.
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“Solitary Journey tells the story of a cruise in a smaller boat and probably at less cost than any other in the Mariners Library. “Nova Espero” a 20ft yawl, built by the well know Smith brothers, and had already twice crossed the Atlantic when Charles Violet set off in her on his own with less than a hundred pounds to cruise about Europe. It was an enterprising and interesting voyage. Having made his way through the inland waterways of France to the Mediterranean, he sailed to Corsica, Sardinia and thence to Malta.
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From there he attempted to sail to Greece, but gave up after beating for days against headwinds. He made friends in Sicily and had an alarming experience when he found that he had suddenly gone blind off the coast of Sardinia. Fortunately he recovered before his ship was wrecked.
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On the slow journey home along the Riviera and by canal to the Bay of Biscay and thence again by canal to the Channel, he lived an almost Spartan existence on the cheapest of food, but had a fascinating view of the reverse of the picture which tourists usually see; and he describes it all with considerable gusto and unprejudiced common-sense.”
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#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory #literature #secondhandbooks #recycle #bookshop #publishing #woodenboat #bluewater #solitaryjourney #charlesviolet #novaespero #mediterranean #singlehanded #solo

The Mariners Library. Book 44 of 48 "Red Mains’l

The Mariners Library.
Book 44 of 48
"Red Mains’l”
by Peter Pye
First Published in 1952. First Published in the Mariners Library 1961.
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Hot on the heels of Volume 41, (The Sea is for Sailing) we have Peter Pye’s other book which tells of an ealier voyage and was actually first published 5 years prior.
Red Mains’l is a cheerful if somewhat imperial account by E. A. "Peter" Pye of a voyage to Portugal, Madeira, the West Indies, Florida, the Azores and back in 1949 with his wife in Moonraker of Fowey, a 29-foot, wooden fishing cutter built in the 1890s. Pye was a physician who, at age 50 and with the advent of socialized medicine, decided to go sailing.
Interestingly the book recounts how while in the Caribbean he met Rod Stephens (brother of Olin Stephens) who was Commodore of the CCA at the time. He was cruising in Harvey Conover's “Revonoc”, a contemporary ocean racer retracing the Mitchell voyage, when he met Pye in Antigua and took him for a sail. Pye was amazed with the way the racer, unlike his old fishing cutter, sailed to windward!
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#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory #literature #secondhandbooks #recycle #bookshop #publishing #woodenboat #bluewater #redmainsl #peterpye #renovec

The Mariners Library. Book 43 of 48 "Sail Ho!" by

The Mariners Library.
Book 43 of 48
"Sail Ho!" by Sir James Bisset
First Published in 1958. First Published in the Mariners Library 1961.
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I haven’t read this one...it’s from Hall’s Book Store in Melbourne, another wonderful musty chaotic bookshop that no longer exists…from the dust jacket..
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“At 15, James Bisset, wartime Commodore of the Cunard Line, went to sea as an apprentice in the three masted barque “County of Pembroke”, plying from England to Australia, New Zealand and the west coasts of America. For six years he served in sail, passing his examination for second mate, and making four voyages around Cape Horn, surviving starvation and mutiny, as well as the experience of being washed overboard and back again. Here he looks back zestfully to the adventures of his youth, recalling the humorous episodes and the ordeals of life under sail in the old cargo carrying “lime-juicers” the result is a full and reliable picture of sailing ship days at the turn of the century.”
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#classicyacht #marinerslibrary #hartdavis #sailingship #adventure #adventurestory #voyaging #oneaday #circumnavigation #literature #travelstory #literature #secondhandbooks #recycle #bookshop #publishing #woodenboat #bluewater #bisset #tallship #sailho #barque #capehorn

The Mariners Library. Book 42 of 48 "Once is Enoug

The Mariners Library.
Book 42 of 48
"Once is Enough"
by Miles Smeeton
First Published in 1959. First Published in the Mariners Library 1960.
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An all time classic at number 42. I’m surprised it’s taken so long to get to this one. Thanks to @tmb676 , crewmate and friend, for my copy. Chapter 1 takes place on the Yarra River in 1956, Melbourne (during the Olympic Games) a few kms from where these posts are being written.
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In 1951, Beryl and Miles Smeeton bought the 46' bermudan ketch “Tzu Hang” on a visit to England. The boat had been designed by HS Rouse and built in Hong Kong in 1939. The name was believed to mean "under the protection of Guanyin", the Daoist goddess of the sea and protector of sailors. They returned on the boat to British Columbia, learning to sail on the way. In 1955 they sold the farm and sailed on Tzu Hang for Australia.
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In December 1956 they departed Melbourne on Tzu Hang to visit Clio at school in England, intending to follow the old clipper route. The journey would take them eastbound around Cape Horn, a voyage that at that time had very rarely been accomplished in small boats. They were accompanied on the boat by a young friend, the Englishman John Guzzwell, who had been circumnavigating the world in his self-made boat on a voyage later recounted in his book “Trekka” (see volume 39 “Sopranino”) as well as by their Siamese cat, Pwe.
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Approaching Cape Horn, the yacht was pitchpoled by a rogue wave. Beryl, who had been on the helm, was tossed from the boat and injured. “Tzu Hang” was dismasted, partially submerged, and the topsides were severely damaged, but the three sailors managed to sail the damaged vessel to Chile, where extensive repairs were undertaken. In 1957, a year later, Miles and Beryl departed again to round Cape Horn. However, in approximately the same position, beset by storms, another dismasting took place. Again, they managed to make the coast of Chile, and Tzu Hang was shipped to England for repairs. After repairing the vessel, they made a multi-year eastabout circumnavigation. In 1968, they again attempted Cape Horn, westabout, and successfully rounded. ...Continues in comments

The Mariners Library. Book 41 of 48 "The Sea is fo

The Mariners Library.
Book 41 of 48
"The Sea is for Sailing"
by Peter Pye
First Published in 1957. First Published in the Mariners Library 1960
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Peter Pye was educated at Epsom College, then Trinity College, Cambridge and St George's Hospital, London. He married Dorothy Neville in London in 1928, but they were separated after three years, leaving one son, Patrick Pye, who was raised by his mother in Dublin.
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After qualifying as an doctor Peter Pye worked as a G.P. in Ealing, West London. In the early 1930s, Pye and his new wife Anne bought a 30 ft Polperro Gaffer fishing vessel built by Ferris of Looe called Lily for £25. They converted the boat, which had been built in 1896, to a sea-going cutter and renamed her Moonraker of Fowey. Together they cruised the boat extensively on annual holidays, sailing out of Fambridge, Essex.
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In 1946, at the age of 44, Pye retired from medicine to concentrate on sailing full-time. The decision was the combined result of being unhappy with the prospect of the nationalisation of the British health system and the serendipitous encounter with a book that was to change his life. The book, £200 Millionaire (see book 14 in the series) by British sailor Weston Martyr, was an account of the low cost life an itinerant yachtsman could enjoy.
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Peter and Anne sailed around the world for the next twenty years, demonstrating that 'log, line and lookout' were more important to a life at sea than any number of modern gadgets. He financed his journeys through lecturing and writing books, and so he became a champion of yachting in the West Indies. The Sea is for Sailing takes Moonraker from Fowey to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific to the Marquesas and Hawaii, to British Columbia and back home.
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Book Number 44 (coming up soon)”Red Mains’l” covers his voyage to Portugal, Madeira, the West Indies, Florida, the Azores and back.
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He died, aged 64, from the effects of contaminated nitrous oxide during a hospital operation at Devonport Hospital, Plymouth.
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