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Classic Yachting returns to Melbourne’s Docklands

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CYAA Notice’s 20th August 2020.

CYAA Event schedule 24th Sept. 2020.

To CYAA (Vic) members. Changes Covid-19 restrictions relating to on water activity are expected. Plans by CYAA (Vic) members to re-activate their on water Classic Yacht activity will be announced soon

CYAA Membership Renewal time is here

Mark Chew’s CYAA Instagram Feed

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I love a good restoration story… Arabella is spe

I love a good restoration story… Arabella is special for a few reasons, firstly she’s an early Couta Boat built by Peter Locke, one of the Queenscliff / Sorrento masters. Secondly the quality of the workmanship by Andrew Davis @coutaboatarabella looks extraordinary…. I don’t think an old fishing boat ever looked this polished…and finally because the restoration has been done away from the traditional couta boat home of Southern Victoria up the beautiful Tamar River at Clarence Point just south of low head, in Tasmania.
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She is 22ft 3in x 9ft x 3ft 3in. Kauri planked, with new celery top ribs, jarrah case, teak decks, huon pine platforms and powered by a Yanmar. All the spars and bronze fittings were supplied by @woodenboatshop in Sorrento.
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There are a few gaps in her history but what we know is this. She was built by Peter Locke. Locke had started working with Mitch Lacco in Queenscliff in 1924 and took over his business in 1926. He built Couta Boats over the next 20 years and it is during this period that Arabella would have been launched, but we are not exactly sure when.
@timphillips9303 has a picture her moored off Lentill Av, Sorrento early in her life but not much else in the way of history. I’m sure any other information would be much appreciated.

#coutaboat #woodenboat #fishingboat #sorrento @sscb #cyaa #rivertamar #tasmania

Watching long lens footage of the AC75s tracking b

Watching long lens footage of the AC75s tracking back and forward across the Hauraki Gulf reminded me of how sail handling has disappeared as a skill from the Americas Cup. Spinnaker poles are now an anachronism on any self-respecting IRC boat and so Classic Yacht Sailors find themselves with an additional responsibility. Along with preserving the vessels that give us so much pleasure we now are becoming the custodians of many of the sail handling skills that would otherwise become extinct. There is a generation of young sailors who wouldn’t know where to begin if asked to execute a dip pole gybe, trim a blooper (with the halyard!), or adjust the set of a gaff main with both throat and peak halyards.
On talk like a pirate day 2020, here are a few examples of the Melbourne CYAA fleet keeping the skills alive.
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Image 1 Mercedes III 1966 Kaufmann/Miller
Image 2 Avian 1938 Reimers Tumlaren
Image 3 Fair Winds 1956 Rhodes
Image 4 Acrospire III 1924 Charlie Peel
Image 5 Blue Jacket 1946 Reimers Stor Tumlaren
Image 6 Sayonara 1897 Fife III
Image 7 Zephyr Reimers Tumlaren
Image 8 Ettrick Reimers Tumlaren
Image 9 Boambillee 1968 Sparkman & Stephens.
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#classicyacht #woodenboat #spinnaker #sailhandling #portphillipbay #cyaa

I always feel a little conflicted when I see boats

I always feel a little conflicted when I see boats drawn by John Laurent Giles, who died 50 years ago this year.
The efficacy of his designs is beyond question. The Vertue for instance, would have a reasonable claim for the most successful ever keelboat under 30ft, and his philosophy “that a yacht should have the utmost docility and sureness of manoeuvring at sea, in good or bad weather" was without doubt realised in all his yachts. Yet occasionally the minimal overhangs and bizarre reverse sheers that he drew were just blatantly unattractive.

Olin Stephens is quoted as saying
“In any design the most important factors of speed seem to be long sailing lines and large sail area, with moderate displacement and small wetted surface. Then comes beauty, by which is meant clean, fair, pleasing lines. Though per se beauty is not a factor of speed, the easiest boats to look at seem the easiest to drive.”

Perhaps Giles proves him wrong.

Here are three examples of his designs currently sailing (or more accurately in lockdown) on Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. I think they are some of his more handsome creations.

And the final 4 pictures are of 2 boats that hopefully make my point. They are of the successful British ocean racer GULVAIN (the first yacht made out of aluminium) and the famous Myth of Malham, twice winner of the Fastnet Race.

Pics 1&2 CORIO VERTUE.1960 Kauri on Blue Gum
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Pics 3&4 RUTHEAN 1947 Huon Pine
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Pics 5&6 WANITA Pic 7 Brittany 34
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Pic 7&8 GULVAIN
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Pic 9&10 MYTH OF MALHAM

#LaurentGiles #classicyacht #woodenboat #cyaa

Today we are looking for a delightful little boat

Today we are looking for a delightful little boat with quite a special history. ALOA was designed by AC Barber (perhaps most famous for designing the first Sydney Hobart winner RANI) and built in Berry's Bay just north of Goat Island in Sydney Harbour, possibly by Charles Pugh. She was apparently built for dentist R. Bull of Five Dock.

One of her former custodians @phijoy is keen to know that she is alive and well after not being spotted for over 20 years.

She is about 31' long , 10' beam and 6' draft and cutter rigged.
She has a raised deck from the shrouds, a trunk cabin top and a horizontal cockpit coaming & toer ails. The mainsheet is aft of the lazarette hatch. There is a chance than her name might now be spelled ALOHA

She was in the 1947 & 1948 Sydney to Hobart races. Unfortunately she didn't finish the 48' race.

The first picture in this series of her dried out on the tide was taken just before one of the two Hobart races. Right after this she left Sydney Harbour to do a trial run with another boat up to Pittwater. and on the way back to Sydney, the other boat radioed (apparently both boats had recently installed radios for the race) to tell Aloa's crew that there was a whale directly on collision course with her bow. She apparently tee-boned the whale and all were amazed that the only thing that happened structurally was that the seams cracked the newly painted hull. But other than that she was undamaged.

#classicyacht #woodenboat #acbarber #sydneyhobart #aloa #aloha

We didn’t have much luck with finding the TAHLEE

We didn’t have much luck with finding the TAHLEE, from my last post…. But it looks like it’s going to be at least another ten weeks until we are allowed to go sailing again here in Victoria so searching for old boats is a good way to pass the time.
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Here’s another little beauty that @wpc182 is on the hunt for. She’s called DOLPHIN and was built in 1933 originally as rigged as a ketch with a one cylinder engine. The year after her launch she was converted to a motor cruiser re-engined and was one of the first boats to be registered at the RMYC Port Hacking.
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She’s 31 ft long, built with spotted gum frames and kauri planking and weighs about 10 tons. She served in the Navy during WW2 and operated between Cape Banks and Stanwell Park and was fitted with depth charges and carried the white ensign as PT65.

She certainly looks to be a fine yacht, and such a great history. How good would it be to see that ketch rig reinstalled!
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There is a rumour that she may still be up around Port Stephens. The name DOLPHIN makes her hard to trace, as you get swamped with results on any search, but if anyone out thinks they might have seen a boat with those characteristic three round portholes on either side of the hull and elegantly raked raised cabin then let us know!

#classicyacht #woodenboat #porthacking #ketch

This one’s a bit of a long shot as we don’t ha

This one’s a bit of a long shot as we don’t have a lot of information but hopefully some one knows the where abouts of TAHLEE.
She’s a cutter rigged timber yacht approx 31ft built around 1935 in Sydney. Perhaps in Balmain by a shipwright called Robertson or maybe Robinson. The hull shape looks a little bit Maurice Griffiths like but the dates don’t really work.
She was fully restored at some stage. Any one got any leads…the internet is remarkably devoid of info.

#woodenboat #classicyacht #tahlee

VITTORIA was launched exactly 50 years ago this mo

VITTORIA was launched exactly 50 years ago this month. A few months later she sailed in the 1970 Sydney Hobart, She is a sistership to MORNING CLOUD the British Prime Minister Edward Heath’s second boat of that name. A bundle of hand-written and typed letters now in the current owner possession describe how Lou Abrahams wrote to S&S requesting a minimum handicap rater for the 1971 Admiral’s Cup. Abrahams heard they were working on a 42-footer for a Lord in the UK and the designers suggested the two owners share the design cost, which they did.

VITTORIA was built by Cec Quilkey (MERCEDES III, KOOMOOLOO, LOVE & WAR) in cold-moulded Oregon four diagonal planks building up to a hull thickness of one inch. She weighs 8.8 tonne but is only 30 feet at the waterline, thanks to the easily identifiable S&S bow.

Abraham’s started his S2H career when Arthur Warner took the then 36-year-old Lou on the famed WINSTON CHURCHHILL as his bowman. He would complete 44 consecutive races before retiring from ocean racing in 2006.

The boat’s first Sydney to Hobart race was her best performance in the famous blue water race, fifth outright and seventh on corrected time. The boat went on to compete in eight more Sydney Hobarts, the last in 1978, plus the inaugural Sydney to Suva race in 1976. On the way back to Australia the boat accidentally hit and was then rammed by a cranky Sperm whale, smashing the rudder and sending the crew limping into Brisbane port for repairs.

For the first time in 75 years, there is the almost unthinkable possibility that the 2020 Sydney Hobart race may not go ahead, although the clock on the official website still counts down with 115 days to go.

#classicyacht #woodenboat #vittoria #louabrahams #cecquilkey #s2h #sydneyhobart @sparkman_and_stephens

With more than 2 weeks still to run on Melbourne’s strict stage 4 lock down, we can only dream of days like this... it was a perfect Friday on Port Phillip today clear sky, gentle breeze and not a sail in sight. I know that “not sailing” is a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things but for those of us who cherish the heel of a boat as she shoulders aside a wave, we are missing our passion.
#tumlaren #woodenboat #classicyacht #avian #portphillipbay #skyline #melbourne

An update on yesterday’s post… Not such a happ

An update on yesterday’s post…
Not such a happy story for ILE OLA
Thanks to @colingrazules we tracked her down to Cairns in 2014 (See first picture). However by 2015 she seems to be lying on her hull on the eastern side of Chinaman Creek (See RHS of pics 2&3). And then in 2017 she had been moved a little bit..
I fear this is the slow painful death of part of Victoria’s yachting history.
#ileola #herreshoff #marcopolo #cairns #woodenboat #classicyacht

Great to hear (thanks to Colin Grazules) that Oima

Great to hear (thanks to Colin Grazules) that Oimara (see previous post) is still alive and floating in Townsville. So here’s another one to look out for.
ILE OLA could perhaps have (slowly) raced more ocean miles than any other Victorian Boat. She clocked up 15 Melbourne-Hobarts, 1 Sydney-Hobart, 17 Quennscliff-Devenport Races, 3 Sydney-Noumea Races, 8 Sydney-Port Villa Races and the list goes on.
She was built in Geelong by the owner Geoff Wood in the 1950’s and is based on a design in the American magazine "Rudder" featuring Francis Herreshoff’s famed Marco Polo, a 16 metre three masted schooner.

There is very little information about her on the internet. I could only find this one image. And then there is a mysterious snippet from 2012 entitled “Bitter-sweet - the Unfinished Restoration of Ile Ola”…but when you click through you just get “coming soon”

Any Updates?

#woodenboat #classicyacht #herreschoff #schooner #marcopolo #rgyc

Inspired by the latest post from @timphillips9303

Inspired by the latest post from @timphillips9303 I’m keen to find out more about the yacht OIMARA
Does anyone know where she is now?
Last news I have is that she was having an “overhaul” in FNQ in around 2014.
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As Tim pointed out she’s got a great history…
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Here’s a summary…
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She was built and designed by Ned Jack in Launceston, Tasmania in 1903. Designed as a Huon pine gaff rigged ketch had a centreboard and was ideal for sailing on the Tamar River. Originally called Maud and then YMA, In 1923 it was bought and renamed OIMARA (Gaelic for Sea Maiden) by Frank 'Doc' Bennell, and then sailed back to Port Phillip Bay to join the register of the St Kilda Yacht Club. Much of the yacht's cruising over subsequent years was around Bass Strait and Westernport Bay, and OIMARA often took messages from the lighthouse keepers back to the mainland. During the Depression years Bennell fitted a dentist's chair in the saloon and went around Bass Strait to service the island communities. Extractions were sometimes performed with spectators looking on through the skylight. The November 1933 issue of The Power Boat and Aquatic Monthly reported part of this trip noting OIMARA had visited Ulverstone on October 28th 1933, and " Captain Bennell, owner of the vessel, said he was making a coastal cruise of Tasmanian ports." Another report, from March 1933 notes its arrival in Sydney from Melbourne and amongst the highlights on the passage, the report tells of two crew who " while rowing ashore in their dinghy, were attacked by a large shark. The monster charged fiercely at the boat, but made off after several futile attempts to upset it".
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In 1931 'Doc" Bennell proposed a Trans-Tasman race, but it was considered foolhardy by many yachtsmen. No other boats in Australia showed any interest, so he left for Wellington. There was no interest there either, but in Auckland, Erling Tambs from Norway entered his cruising yacht TEDDY(see Insta post of 10th April), along with a local yacht RANGI. All three were sturdy craft, and the race was run by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, with some peculiar rules.

So what did I miss? . My personal top 42 Australi

So what did I miss?
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My personal top 42 Australian wooden sailing boats certainly won’t be yours.
Let me know your thoughts on the important omissions!
Swipe to see a summary of the last 4 weeks.
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#woodenboat #classicyacht #fishingboat #cyaa #top42

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 1 . Drum Ro

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 1
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Drum Roll…….
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Kathleen Gillett
Launch Date: 1939
Designer: Colin Archer
Builder: Charles Larson
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This unpretentious double ender has one of the more remarkable histories of any yacht I know. She played a key role in the creation of Australia’s greatest yacht race, she circumnavigated the world when few had done so (a voyage that was beautifully recorded) and then after years of a colourful tropical existence was wrecked and then reborn in extraordinary circumstances. In my eyes, she embodies the characteristics that make Australia’s sailing history so special; utilitarian, practical, adaptable and adventurous. She is truly a treasure of Australian sailing history.
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Built in Sydney between 1933 and 1939, Kathleen Gillett was one of the cruising yachts to enter the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1945. She then became well known as the second Australian yacht to complete a circumnavigation of the world, from 1947 to 1948. During and after the voyage the owner and skipper, marine artist Jack Earl, became widely recognised as a result of the richly illustrated articles and logbook he created during the voyage. Earl’s circumnavigation was made in a simply built and maintained yacht adapted from another design, and the crew supplemented their small funds with the sale of Earl’s paintings along the way. In this way it was an inspiration to the public and Earl and his crew achieved great recognition for their voyage.
She was built by Charles Larson at his Wharf Road boat yard in Gladesville, New South Wales. Larson was Swedish and had been a ship’s carpenter on square riggers. Construction proceeded at Larson’s shed over a six-year period at a pace appropriate to Jack Earl’s resources. Larson’s team would often work on the yacht when there were no other projects needing immediate attention.
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A gaff ketch, just over 13 metres long, her design was based on an unknown set of plans from the famous Norwegian naval architect Colin Archer, which Larson possessed. (Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 2 Sayonara

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 2
Sayonara
Launch Date: 1897
Designer: William Fife III
Builder: A McFarlane & Sons.
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Two William Fife III yachts in a row! He must have known what he was doing!
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SAYONARA (Japanese for Goodbye) was built for Melbourne businessman George Garrad in 1897. William Fife III was considered the most important naval architect of the period. She was built in Adelaide by A McFarlane & Sons. Carvel planked in New Zealand kauri on Australian hardwood frames, the design was clearly one that Fife held in high regard. At almost the same time SAYONARA was being in built in Adelaide, Fife built a sister vessel from the same plans called CERIGO for his own use in Scotland. Launched in November 1897, she immediately cruised to Melbourne in record time.
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George Garrard was Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and raced SAYONARA with immediate success in the Intercolonial Regatta held on Hobson's Bay, February 1898. She won in a fleet that included the then undefeated South Australian champion ALEXA. SAYONARA was especially good in light weather and won so many events that the Victorian clubs banded together and put a size limit on yachts, effectively barring SAYONARA and ALEXA from many races. . In early 1904 the third owner Alfred Gollin challenged NSW to an Intercolonial (interstate) race series. It was accepted and arrangements were made for SAYONARA to race the NSW yacht BONA off Sydney Heads. Gollin imported a hollow spar from America to further improve her performance. SAYONARA then sailed to Sydney and the series became a major public event. The series was won by SAYONARA two races to one. Owner Alfred Gollin then donated a cup under the yacht's name as a perpetual trophy for interstate racing, with a deed of gift that was similar to the America's Cup.
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The Sayonara Cup was then defended by SAYONARA on Port Phillip, Victoria against NSW challengers. In 1907 racing against RAWHITI, SAYONARA won 2-0 and then in 1909 racing against THELMA it won 2-1 in a close series. (Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 3 Morna (Ku

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 3
Morna (Kurrewa IV)
Launch Date: 1913
Designer: William Fife III
Builder: Morrison and Sinclair
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So we are down to the last three!...Today we have a centenarian…a seven time line honours winner of the Sydney-Hobart… A product of the most famous designer of the last 150 years… This magnificent yacht is a pivotal part of the story of Australia’s yachting history. She has been owned by some of Australia’s greatest yachting personalities, including James Hardie, Sir Frank Packer, Claude Plowman, and the Livingston brothers. But during the 2000s and 2010s every time I sailed up to Sydney from Melbourne I would see her sitting on her mooring at Kirribilli, pumps running, looking sadder and sadder. I’ve had a bit of trouble working out what’s happening to her now, but it seems that a restoration is a possibility thanks to Sean Langman and Noakes Shipyard. (any further information gratefully received).
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Although Morna was never rated as a 12-Metre her drawings probably came from the First International Rule. She was built for Sir Alexander MacCormick, named after one of his daughters. Incredibly, this yacht was built for day sailing and as a flagship for her first owner who was Royal Sydney Yacht Squardron Commodore.
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Sir Claude Plowman, a radio manufacturer, bought her in 1930. He loved competition and fitted her out for racing. She began to show her potential and consistently won races in the 1930s as the scratch boat on Sydney Harbour. He then entered her in three consecutive Sydney-Hobart races from 1946 to 1948 and she won line honours in each event.
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The Canberra Times of 1947 reported
“The yacht race from Sydney to Hobart finished when the 65 ft Sydney cutter, Morna, crossed the finishing line at 1.53 p.m. today. More than 3,000 people on the Hobart waterfront cheered wildly as the Morna sailed in. … She has the greatest length of any entrant and a width of 13 feet. The Morna wins the special challenge trophy presented by Captain John H. Illingworth for the first yacht to finish. Yachting experts tip the Sydney cutter, Christina, to win the handicap. (Continued in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 4 Uteikah I

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 4
Uteikah III
Launch Date: 1925
Designer: Jack Savage & Ireton Giles
Builder: Wilson Bros. Shipwrights
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It might seem odd that a boat that seems to have never raced in its life, and is not renowned as a great explorer should come so high up on my list . However this vessel and her long time skipper “Spuddo” Giles safely introduced over 4000 Australian boys and a few girls to the pleasures of ocean sailing over a 30 year period. This wasn’t just on the odd afternoon, but during long term cruises through Bass Strait, around Tasmania and the South Pacific. Many of those children went on to become lifelong sailors. It’s hard to imagine a greater contribution to the culture of Australian sailing, and this is the yacht that made it all possible.
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UTIEKAH III was built in Tasmania in 1925. by Wilson yard in Cygnet, a family of well-known boat builders in Tasmania over three generations, and was the first non-commercial vessel they built. It took them 10 months. She It was built for Ireton Elliot Giles, a charismatic Victorian teacher and adventurer who pioneered sail-training. She is planked in Huon pine and copper fastened. The name UTIEKAH is thought to have Maori origins, and refer to the sound of rippling water. Giles collaborated with Jack Savage to design the third UTIEKAH for the purpose of taking students at Melbourne Grammar School on challenging and character building exercises where they learnt the art of seamanship, blue water sailing and understanding the elements of the ocean,
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UTIEKAH III crossed Bass Strait over 50 times with these voyages.
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In 1927 Giles set sail with a crew of young Grammar fellows and a couple of 'old salts' on a South Pacific voyage, rationed with bully beef and kerosene they departed from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. Giles was recorded by one journalist as stating that Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands were on the itinerary, beyond which the rest of the passage would be subject to “wherever prevailing winds may take them'. The voyage was reported as the first such cruise by a privately owned Australian yacht, visiting Fiji and Samoa.
(Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 5 Storm Bay

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 5
Storm Bay
Launch Date: 1925
Designer: Alfred Blore
Builder: Percy Coverdale
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Yes two fishing boats in a row! But anybody who has seen Storm Bay reaching fully canvassed in 20 knots of breeze will have no issues with her being in my top five Australian wooden sailing boats. But more importantly, she sits at that precise point where form and function meet, beauty from efficacy and efficacy from beauty. She is an outstanding example of how century old sailing culture can be embraced and actively incorporated into the lives we live today.
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STORM BAY was built in 1925 for fisherman George Bridge who lived in Nubeena. The name comes from Storm Bay where the Derwent River opens to the sea in South East Tasmania. This was a significant fishing ground with large schools of barracouta. Percy Coverdale built STORM BAY at his at Battery Point boatyard in Hobart. She has blue gum frames, with hull and decks of Huon pine. Some of the hull planks are full length from stem to counter.
The Mercury newspaper announced her launching as follows “…Storm Bay is a very handsome addition to the Tasmanian fishing fleet. Looking at the smack as she stands at present she resembles a cruising yacht rather than a fishing vessel – her lines are graceful and she should prove to be speedy under sail.”
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She is a jackyard topsail cutter, and is an excellent sailing craft. The moderate draft hull has more deadrise than other fishing boats of the period, and with its long keel and centreboard has all the qualities of a fine yacht.  Fishing for barracouta took place while the boat drifted under a double-reefed mainsail. The 'couta jig or lure was a piece of white Huon pine about 150mm (6 in) long, tapered with two big barbless hooks, attached to a linked wire chain, fastened to a 4. 5m (15 ft) long sassafras sapling. With no refrigeration, STORM BAY had a wet well made of 100mm (4 in) thick Huon pine. The Bridge family owned STORM BAY from 1925 until 1963, and throughout their ownership she was looked after like a yacht. George died in 1954, but his four sons carried on the business until 1964. (Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 6 Ripple La

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 6
Ripple
Launch Date: 1926
Designer: Peter Locke
Builder: Peter Locke
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I selected this beautiful craft as a representative of the magnificent Couta Boats. They must surely be the greatest Australian success story when it comes to the rejuvenation and preservation of a traditional class of boat. They were originally used for Couta fishing in Victoria from about 1870 until the 1930s, and sailed from Sorrento and Queenscliff and other ports as far west as Portland. The boats headed out to the fishing grounds before dawn, usually through the entrance to Port Phillip, the infamous and often treacherous Rip, where the couta boats’ qualities of seaworthiness were proven. Once their quota of barracouta was met, the fishermen turned their efforts to sailing back to port as fast as they could — the first boat back got the best prices.
Although load carrying capacity was important, the need for speed under sail was also a desired characteristic. The typical couta boat carried a gaff sail and jib set out on a long bowsprit, although the main sail developed into more of a gunter sail, as it had a very high peaked gaff or yard. A rig peculiar to the couta boat evolved, which allowed for sail to be carried much higher than previously, and included the distinctive curved down bowsprit.
This working fishing craft’s compromise between seaworthiness, speed and capacity has nowadays made it a quintessential recreational sailing boat. Couta boats are highly sought after and keenly raced. Many are built new from scratch, as the supply of originals has been exhausted. There is a couta boat club in Sorrento and another in Queenscliff. And they are now are now found racing and cruising in all six states of Australia.
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Ripple has strong Historical ties with Sorrento, originally built for Tally Erlandsen, the then long standing lessee of the Sorrento Baths and original owner of the Fish and chips shop. The boat was Built at Queenscliff by Peter Locke, the first boat he built in his own right. He started working with Mitch Lacco in Queenscliff in 1924 and took over the business in 1926. (Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 7 Love & Wa

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 7
Love & War
Launch Date: 1973
Designer: Sparkman & Stevens
Builder: Cec Quilkey
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We are entering the final week of Australia’s most important wooden sailing boats. (But unfortunately not the final week of stage 4 lockdown!)
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Almost 40 years after drawing his first boat commissioned outside of the USA, (see post number 27 this series) Olin Stephens designed Love & War. Although she has four decades of design advances built in, I like to think that flicking through the images of the two boats I can still recognise some of the same DNA.
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LOVE & WAR is an ocean racing yacht built for Queensland businessman Peter Kurts by shipwright Cec Quilkey at Taren Point NSW and launched late in 1973. Quilkey had become one of the leading craftsmen for timber yachts and had pioneered cold moulded construction in the mid-1960s starting with MERCEDES III (see post number 12 in this series) RAGAMUFFIN and KOOMOOLOO, yachts that in their time were state-of-the-art internationally.
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Seacraft magazine carried the following report:  “Queensland Skipper Peter Kurts has a new Sparkman Stephens 47, almost identical to the successful German Admiral’s Cup SAUDADE and the British PROSPECT OF WHITBY. She is rigged similarly to RAGAMUFFIN’s latest rig. Her mast is a lofty 60 ft (20m) and carries a small main.  Graham Newland, who is setting up the boat for her owner says she is of medium displacement and like YANKEE GIRL and CHARISMA in rig, preserving all their great windward qualities while incorporating some new ideas on getting down wind faster and leading with less underwater drag. Deck layout is the fashionable flush deck with a slight blister aft of the mast. She is cold moulded with four skins and beautifully fashioned as only Cec Quilkey can. Her inside layout is racing clean- no fuss. Sails are by Bouzaid and North with Hughie Treharne making the spinnakers. She is named LOVE & WAR.”  
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Built in four layers of Oregon, she was one of the last racing yachts to be built in this manner in Australia. (Continues in comments)

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 8 Fidelis L

Australian Wooden Sailing Boats
Number 8
Fidelis
Launch Date: 1964
Designer: Knud Reimers
Builder: Lidgard Boatbuilders
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I love this boat because she sits at the centre of a famous sailing triangle that is Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia.
Australia’s sailing connections to Scandinavia reach back to Colin Archer the legendary Norwegian Colin Archer (1883-1921), who spent his formative years farming in Queensland. Then of course there’s the Halvorsen Family (see posts 16 & 28 in this series) and this link is continues with Fidelis and Reimers (who also designed the Tumlaren, see post 15 in this series). The New Zealand corner of the triangle is more obvious! Check out Akarana (post 29).
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FIDELIS, originally an out and out ocean racer from New Zealand, made a significant contribution to the continued rivalry between the two countries that started with RAINBOW and RAWHITI in the early 1900s.
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Her racing career began with a line honours win in the Auckland to Suva Race of 1966. She then made her way to Australia to enter that year’s Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Fidelis did more than just get the gun in her inaugural Hobart – she set a new race record margin with a time of 4 days 8 hours and 39 minutes
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The February 1967 issue of Seacraft Magazine had the headline ' KIWI FLYER SHOWED US HOW ' "Splendid performance of Auckland's Swedish-designed 61-foot flyer FIDELIS was a surprise to Australian yachtsmen and a great joy to her skipper Jim Davern and New Zealanders generally...". FIDELIS won line honours in a rare light weather race, finishing 17&1/2 hours ahead of the next yacht, BALANDRA. (See post 38 in this series) Despite this large margin and having been over 80 nautical miles ahead at one stage, FIDELIS was not able to win the rare double, the small Sydney yacht CADENCE came through under spinnaker over a day later to win on handicap.
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FIDELIS renewed the close links between Australia and New Zealand that were at their strongest during RAWHITI's time, and it even shares a similar triple-planked kauri construction. (Continues in comments)

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