site logo

Classic Yacht Association of Australia

To promote the sailing and preservation of classic yachts.

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
    • POSTS
  • CYAA National News
    • 2020 Winter Series
    • 2019/2020 Summer Series
      • 2019/2020 Summer series race 5 photos
    • 2019 Cup Regatta
    • 2019 Winter Series on Port Phillip
    • CYAA Queensland activity news
    • 2019 British Classic Week at Cowes
    • 2019 Tumlaren State Championships
    • 2018/2019 Summer Series
    • 2018 WINTER SERIES
    • 2018 Cup Regatta
    • 2017/18 Summer Series Documentation and Results
    • CYAA 2017 WINTER SERIES
      • 2017 Winter Series Results
    • 2017 CUP REGATTA
      • 2017 Cup Regatta Newsletters
      • Notice of Race, Regatta and Social Event Entry forms
      • 2017 Cup Regatta Sailing Instructions and Courses
      • Cup Regatta Entries, Handicaps. Race 5 Group start times, Col Bandy and Tony Blake Trophy status
  • CYAA Boat Register
    • CYAA Register July 10 2020
    • Classic’s for sale
  • Calendar
  • CYAA Forms
    • 2020/2021 Membership Forms New and Renewal
  • CLASSIC ARCHIVES
    • Blue Box Archives
    • CYAA Magazine Archive
    • Seacraft Magazines
    • 2018 GEELONG WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
    • 50th ANNIVERSARY REGATTA ADMIRALS CUP Status Dec 27
      • Mercedes III racing on Sydney Harbour
      • Kingurra’s voyage to Sydney.
    • 2017 PANERAI BRITISH CLASSIC WEEK COWES UK
    • Cannes Classic 2018
    • Fair Winds at Hamilton and Magnetic Islands
    • Maritime History Stories

2018 Cup Regatta

Check out the latest 2018 Cup Regatta News

2018 Cup Regatta Notice of Race and Entry Form

2018 Cup Regatta Notice of Race

2018 Cup Regatta Entry Form

For those time passing idlers take a look at the 2018 Cannes Classic Regatta as seen during a walk along the board walk by Martin Ryan. Captions for the pics will follow

 480 total views,  3 views today

This entry was posted in News & Events - Victoria on September 24, 2018 by Peter Costolloe.

Post navigation

← CYAA (Vic) 2018/2019 Summer Series Valé John McIldowney →

CYAA Notice’s 2nd August 2020. Vic Govt. Covid-19 news releases will be monitored

Membership Renewal
The count to date is ……
All CYAA (Vic) events are postponed till further notice. 
Aust Sailing Notice August 2nd 2020. 
Aust Sailing Victoria Notice 20th July 2020. 
Vic Gov’t. Stage 4 activity restrictions for Metro Melb. 3rd August 2020 .
Vic Gov’t Covid-19 Business Restrictions 3rd August Article download in word format.
Stage 3 sport and excerise restrictions for Mitchell shire residents 2nd August.
For rest of Victoria: Vic Govt. restrictions: August 2nd 2020

Covid-19 Virus Updates from the yacht clubs that conduct CYAA (Vic) racing events  RYCV RMYS  HBYC SYC
RYCV General Manager Notice July 8
Doughty Institute Covid-19 news 2nd Aug. 2020

CYAA President Martin Ryan 2nd August 2020

CYAA Event schedule as at 20th July 2020. Note: From 20th July 2020 and until further notice. Covid-19 sport activity restrictions Level 3 no longer allow sail training sessions by CYAA (Vic) members.

CYAA Instagram Feed

classic.yacht.australia
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 13 Acrospir Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 13 Acrospire III Launch Date: 1924 Designer: Charlie Peel Builder: J Hayes and Sons . Even without her substantial achievements, this yacht would get into my list on sheer elegance alone. Pencil thin with a vast spread of sail, I have seen her power through fleets of modern racers with a few knots of breeze on the water… (and a few more higher up) … with topsail working, healing her a little as she carves through the glassy water. ACROSPIRE III is a 50 ft long gaff cutter, carvel planked in New Zealand kauri. She was designed by Charlie Peel, a Victorian. She was built during 1923 and early 1924 in Sydney at James Hayes and Sons yard in Careening Cove. Peel was working there at the time, and was part of the team building his design. ACROSPIRE III was built for Joe White, then Vice Commodore of the St Kilda Yacht Club and a prominent yachtsman in Victoria. She was built with the intention of being Victoria’s challenger for the Sayonara Cup, an event that had not been raced for since 1911 when it was won by NSW. White had a brewing business, and the name ACROSPIRE is taken from the term that relates to a stage in the grain used in brewing. When it has grown its first shoot it is the right time to use the grain, and that shoot is called the ‘acrospire’. . ACROSPIRE III was completed in early 1924 and shipped to Melbourne aboard the SS ECHUNGA. She was launched, rigged and sailed on Port Phillip in the A class. She was designed to rate as an 8 metre and provide an even match with the likely defender of the cup for NSW, which would also be an 8 metre class yacht. However her construction proved too light for the rough conditions on Port Phillip and it was strengthened, adding weight. The outcome was that the yacht sat lower in the water than intended by the designer and with a longer waterline it ended up rating nearly 9 metres. . The Sayonara Cup series was eventually organised for early 1928, and by this time White was commodore of the St Kilda Yacht Club. The cup rules required the yacht to sail from Victoria to NSW. (Continues in Comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 14 Tassie T Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 14 Tassie Too Launch Date: 1927 Designer: William Percy (Skipper) Batt with Alfred Blore and John Tarleton Builder: Charlie Lucas and Chips Gronfors Tassie Too was launched from the Battery Point slips (near Hobart, Tasmania) on 26 November 1927 having been built by Charlie Lucas and Chips Gronfors. The 21 ft Restricted class yacht was designed by W. P. "Skipper" Batt in conjunction with Alfred Blore and John Tarleton. Class requirements called for a vessel of 21 ft on the waterline, 25 ft overall with a maximum beam of 8ft. Tassie Too was commissioned by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (RYCT) and paid for by subscription to allow a second Tasmanian boat to compete for the hotly contested Forster Cup; the national event for the 21 ft Restricted class. Skippered by several members of the Batt family, including Skipper Batt, his brother Harry, and later Harry's son Neall, the vessel was a standout at the Forster Cup, winning the event ten times between 1928 and 1952; a statistic unmatched by any other vessel. . She is planked in Huon pine on hardwood frames as specified in the class rules, and features a pivoting centreboard - a detail introduced to the class by the Tasmanians. The centreboard was also designed to flex when sailing upwind. The thought was that this would create more lift and improve the yacht's windward abilities. The round-bilge hull shape was designed to be at its best in heavy conditions, but it performed well in all conditions. It was considered an extreme design by other sailors in the class. The demise of the 21 ft Restricted class following World War II was gradual. After 1952 the Tasmanians no longer contested the series, and after 1955 interstate racing stopped. TASSIE TOO, like many of the class, competed in mixed fleet events and by the 1960s was racing on Port Phillip Bay in Victoria under new owners. The vessel remained in Victoria for several decades and was rescued from decline in 2003. It was then restored by owner Tony Siddons to its original configuration, including the gaff rig sail plan, in time to be re-launched at the 2005 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart. (Cont. in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 16 Yvonne L Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 16 Yvonne Launch Date: 1938 Designer: Knud Reimers Builder: Charlie Peel Yvonne has rightly been described as the most successful keel boat ever on Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. But she’s in this list not only as an outstanding yacht in her own right but as a representative of a one design class that may have introduced more young sailors to keelboat racing than any other design in Australia. In 1936 the then Royal St Kilda Yacht Club, now Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron, decided to choose a new One‑Design Class to stimulate the club's activities, as the yachts at the time were a motley bunch. A class of yacht that could be built at a figure within the reach of all yachtsmen, one that could be easily handled by small crew and importantly would stand up to the conditions encountered on Port Phillip. Several designs were under scrutiny ‑ the Dragon Class, two designs were submitted by Charlie Peel. A late inclusion was the Tumlare, (meaning porpoise)from Knud Reimers in Sweden whose lines had at that time only just been published in Yachting World Magazine. . The Tumlare design was the favorite, resulting in a letter to the naval architect,(see pictures) Knud. H. Reimers of Stockholm, Sweden, for further information and the complete set of plans then costing 100 Kroner. The Tumlare Class was unanimously adopted ‑ the first One‑Design displacement keel boat class to be introduced into Victoria. At that meeting, Commodore Joe White, Roy Siddons, Fred Heber, Otto Tuck, Wally Pask, Morrie King and Jack Richardson promised to have six yachts built. . In their wisdom to keep prices down, sails were only to be made in Australia, mainsails and genoa jibs were not permitted to be renewed more often than once every four years, No 1 Jibs and spinnakers every three years. Yachts had to remain in the water for two consecutive Saturday’s before being eligible for slipping, expensive fittings were not permitted, however from time to time certain restrictions were relaxed in line with modern day thinking and maximum crew limit set at four. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 16 Freya La Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 16 Freya Launch Date: 1963 Designer: Trygve Halvorsen Builder: Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd . I have to predicate this post by saying that I assume Freya is still “alive”. The last reference I can find to her is that she was for sale in the Caribbean in 2015 (looking ok) so I’m assuming she’s still floating. If anyone has any updates…let me know. This is one seriously special boat! She was built for Trygve and Magnus Halvorsen to race in the Sydney to Hobart and won the prestigious event on three successive occasions from1963 to 1965, a feat that has never been equalled. . FREYA’s lines were an evolution of Trygve’s previous designs including SOLVEIG, ANITRA and NORLA. FREYA’s construction began in 1962 while the Trygve and Magnus were involved with the GRETEL America’s Cup challenge. The backbone was made from the lofted lines and put aside until they returned from Newport in October 1962. At this stage Magnus asked Trygve to make a significant change to the design. The earlier yachts designed by Trygve had been built with a spade rudder separate from the keel, but Magnus wanted a hull that was very easy to steer and asked for a keel hung rudder and a long keel. The original lines drawn in early 1962 by Trygve show how the keel ended well short of the spade rudder and this was located right aft close to the end of the waterline. The redrawn lines show the vertical rudder stock moved forward about 3 feet and a much longer keel. This helped the boat track very easily but gave the boat more wetted surface which made it slower in light airs. . Magnus recalled that “the long keel and deadwood gave her the underwater body of a contemporary 50–55 footer. She had that feeling of a much bigger boat at sea. With her large vertical rudder there was perfect control. She responded to the helm at all times. Never did she broach to! She carried a shy spinnaker longer than any competing yacht. Indeed, a spinnaker could be carried until it was aback, without rounding up. Freya could also carry full sail to windward in 30 knots. (Continued in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 17 Westward Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 17 Westward Launch Date: 1947 Designer: Jock Muir Builder: Jock Muir . Oh no!…We were meant to be done with lockdown by the end of this countdown…Now we’ve got another 6 weeks with much stricter measures! What am I going to crap on about for the extra four weeks? . Back to the boats! . Jock Muir designed WESTWARD as a fishing cruiser for a Sydney buyer shortly after World War II. The sale fell through when the hull was only partly completed and he sold the boat to George Gibson, his former mainsheet hand in KITTIWAKE from their Cadet Dinghy racing days on the Derwent. She was launched in 1947 from Muir's Sandy Bay yard. The yacht is strongly built with 28mm thick celery top pine planking on laminated blue gum frames, heavy stringers and deck beams. The deckhouse partially covers a self-draining cockpit. The conservative proportions and heavy construction turned out to be an advantage when its handicap was assessed under the RORC rule for offshore racing, and it ended up with a very favourable time correction factor.
The yacht was one of the first vessels built by Muir’s Boatyard, and with WESTWARD's success he became well known. He later built other famous yachts such as WALTZING MATILDA and MARIS (see boat No.20 in this series) . WESTWARD's first race was also the beginning of Jock Muir's heyday as an ocean racing yachtsman. Jock liked to remember Westward as the only yacht with a fish well to win a Sydney to Hobart race. Her building virtually marked the start of Muir's Boatyard and her first race and handicap win kicked off Jock Muir's illustrious career as a blue water ocean racer. . Jock said of her… “She was a lovely boat and I still can't fault her. She has a fairly long keel and stern-hung rudder and I remember in one race she carried a spinnaker across Bass Strait when other competitors were dragging sea anchors and warps. She rated very low under the RORC rating and revelled in gale conditions - as indeed I did." . Jock classes Westward's 1947 and 1948 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race wins as two of the three greatest thrills of his sailing life. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 18 Maluka L Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 18 Maluka Launch Date: 1932 Designer: Cliff Gale Builder: Cam Fisher and Sons . With only eighteen boats to go in the countdown of Australia’s most important sailing craft we are coming to some serious “royalty”. Maluku was built by Billy Fisher in La Perouse on Botany Bay in 1932. She is connected to Sydney Harbour's RANGER class of raised-deck racing yachts and has the same characteristics but is an earlier and larger version with sea-going capabilities. The owners, brothers William and George Clark were bachelors, and had settled in Sydney a few years earlier after retiring from farming. They were interested in racing, cruising and fishing and commissioned the design from experienced amateur designer Cliff Gale. The 8.53 m ( 28 ft) long gaff rigged yacht has what have become the trademark features of a Gale design; raised deck, plumb stem and transom, and well-balanced sailing qualities. MALUKA was planked in Huon pine and fitted with a Lycoming auxiliary petrol engine.
. The Clark brothers raced MALUKA with the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club and fished offshore or around the harbour. They undertook the first of four well documented cruising voyages in April 1933 when they sailed to North Queensland, spending five months away from Sydney. It was a great success and the gale they experience very early in the voyage proved the seaworthiness of MALUKA's design. This gave them great confidence for their next voyage in September 1934 to Lord Howe Island, taking Sep Stephens as a third crew member. The boat weathered severe gales on both passages and again proved itself entirely capable in the open ocean. 
. Their next voyage ended in disaster. The three sailors left Sydney just prior to Christmas in 1935 and south of Eden were a caught in a southerly gale raging against a strong south moving current. The seas were huge so they hove-to for an extended period, and crew member Stephens was injured during one knock down. Unable to take any sights to confirm their position they estimated they were near Green Cape in NSW. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 19 Hurrica Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 19 Hurrica V Launch Date: 1924 Designer: Camper & Nicholsons Builder: WM Ford Boatbuilders . I love some boats because they are such great racers but I love this one because she never “condescended” to race! The gaff rigged ketch HURRICA V was built by W.M. Ford as a gentleman's yacht for the owner William Oliver, a wealthy pastoralist. He was 73 years old when she was delivered to him in Melbourne in 1924. Under his ownership she cruised Bass Strait area and was a well known yacht at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. . HURRICA V changed hands for the first time in 1941 and was brought up to Sydney by William Stuart. Shortly after, in 1943 the World War II emergency laws allowed the Commonwealth Government to requisition the yacht for war service. Stripped down, with a new diesel and machine guns mounted on deck the renamed HMAS STINGRAY served in the Port Moresby and Milne Bay areas of New Guinea. In 1946 it was offered back to Stuart who re-purchased the vessel, but now also owned the big schooner ADA. (See post number 22) . Stuart sold HURRICA V in 1948. Subsequent owners used the yacht in Sydney and Pittwater for some years before it headed back to the New Guinea and New Caledonia area, a trip that included weathering a 5 day cyclone. Another cruise took the craft to Indonesia and another cyclone, then keel damage on a reef. HURRICA V's final cruise was to Fiji, at a time when it was also the home for its owner on Pittwater, north of Sydney. . Throughout the period after Oliver had sold the yacht it underwent a series of changes including a Bermudan rig and major revisions to the interior, deck and superstructure. Although probably necessary due to age, some of this work was not very sympathetic to the original character and fine construction of the vessel. . From 2002 a project was started to refurbish HURRICA V, including a complete re-fastening programme, and it was fitted with a new Bermudian rig on a timber spars, a restored deck and restored superstructure arrangement.
(Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 20 Maris La Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 20 Maris Launch Date: 1958 Designer: Alan Payne Builder: Jock Muir . MARIS was laid down in Jock Muir's Battery Point yard in Hobart in 1958, and was the first of the Alan Payne-designed Tasman Seabird class yachts to begin construction. It became the second to be launched after sister ship CHERANA, but was the first to go sailing. She was commissioned by the globe-trotter and famous marine artist Jack Earl who had sailed his previous yacht the double-ended ketch KATHLEEN GILLETT in the first Sydney to Hobart race, and then undertaken a circumnavigation of the world. . Jack initially approached Payne with sketches of a double-ender similar to KATHLEEN for ocean racing and cruising. Payne showed him the plans he was preparing for the sloop-rigged Tasman Seabird and was able to convince Earl that this would be suitable. Earl had one condition; he wanted a two masted rig, and after MARIS was launched it was fitted with a mizzen mast and rigged as a yawl. Earl also instructed the builder to include a rack and pin arrangement to secure the tiller at different angles, while balancing the boat with the set and trim of the sails, a feature he had used with success on KATHLEEN. Maris was built using Huon pine planking over hardwood ribs and backbone. . She was particularly special for Muir’s because she was the first boat on which splines were used. The splining did away with the cotton caulking and putty traditionally used for sealing the planks. When splining, you take two planks and cut a normal 'V' shape, then take a cut spline and run it through a small trough of glue and hammer it in with a club hammer and a lump of wood. The hull then becomes one solid skin instead of a series of planks on their edges. MARIS has a Huon pine hull, Tasmanian oak keelson, spotted gum frames, oregon spars. Many of the fittings Payne drew for this design were custom made items. Earl competed in two Sydney to Hobart races in MARIS, and sailed it extensively around the Pacific to Canada and the USA, often with his family. In 1971 Jack decided it was time for a smaller boat and sold the yacht to Ian Kiernan. (Continued in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats. Number 21 Siandra Australian Wooden Sailing Boats. Number 21 Siandra Launch Date: 1956 Designer: Arthur C Robb. Builder: Ron Swanson . . I love that so many of the successful Sydney Hobart yachts from the 50s and 60s went on to be adventurous world cruisers. It’s hard to imagine that happening with today’s winners! Siandra is a 35' Lion Class Yacht and became one of the outstanding offshore yachts of the 50's and 60's. In 1954 Graham Newland commissioned Ron Swanson to build him the Robb design. Siandra and her sister Kaiyu were built in the rear of the factory nearly opposite the Mater Hospital in Crows Nest. The difficulties of building a yacht in this period were profound. Australia was still suffering from great shortages caused by World War II. The purchase of the north coast White Beach for the planking gives an idea. Sufficient timber for the construction of 4 yachts was required, three Lion Class yachts Siandra, Kaiyu (Bill Henderson), Malohi (Nev McEnallyy), plus Eos for Tom Flower. All owners wanted full length planks so the only way was to purchase eleven trees in the forest where they stood. No local timber mill could handle these logs in their full length, so they were railed to Sydney. After much searching, a timber jinker was found that could carry the logs to a mill with a 40 foot run-out in Baulkham Hills. Here the logs were cut into planks. The mill however did not have a plainer. So the four owners, with some help, loaded the planks onto a semi and they were transported to Hayman & Ellis Mill at Manly for plaining. Again the owners provided the labour, together with the reloading onto the semi for distribution to the various building sites. . SIANDRA's first win was the second time the yacht had entered the race. The yacht was a hot favourite amongst the fleet in 1958, and won in mildly dramatic circumstances, as reported in Seacraft's January 1959 issue. The race was sailed in relatively easy conditions, but SIANDRA's progress remained a mystery as its radio had gone 'on the blink’ shortly after the start. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 22 Astor/Ad Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 22 Astor/Ada Launch Date: 1923 Designer: Willian Fife III Builder: Wm. Fife & Son, Fairlie . To take us to the halfway point of the countdown we have a seriously glamorous boat! We once had the privilege of seeing her very close up, racing against her as the only two Classics at Hamilton Island Race week. She’s Another Fife… the first schooner on the list, and a multiple Sydney Hobart line honours winner. Some would say she should be higher up the list, but the Scottish build, entitling her to the dragon, and her long term residence in the USA, count against her in relation to “Australian Importance” Her keel was laid at Fairlie in 1922 and she was launched the following year. She was ordered by Dr. McCormick- A Surgeon living in Sydney, Australia. He had owned another Fife designed boat that was built in Australia and over the years he had become a friend of William Fife and decided to have a very special boat built at their Fife yard. Listed in "Fast and Bonnie" by May Fife McCallum, Astor was originally named "Ada" and is design number 704. . Sir Alex MacCormick had a thriving medical practice in Sydney, but often returned to the UK . In 1928 he sailed ADA out to Sydney via the Panama Canal with only a small crew. It was an uneventful voyage other than sitting out one gale as they avoided a cyclone off Fiji, and on arrival in Sydney they remarked how well the ADA performed at sea in all conditions. In her early years she was used primarily as a day sailor by Sir MacCormick himself and a crew. He had a wonderful home on Sydney Harbour that had its own slip to haul her out of the water. During his ownership he was known to travel extensively slipping Astor during his absence. It is reported that once she was up for a period of 10-12 years. He enjoyed her as a family yacht until the Japanese entered Sydney Harbor. It was at that time that he sold the house and yacht to the Stewart Family. . Little is known of the period between 1942-1959
when she was owned by the Stuart Family who changed the sail plan to a Bermudan rig in 1953.
“THE JOY OF OCEAN SAILING IN CLASSIC WOODEN YACH “THE JOY OF OCEAN SAILING IN CLASSIC WOODEN YACHTS” If you’re interested in sailing old boats across oceans or why its so much more rewarding to put your time and money into a classic rather than a plastic yacht, then you might be interested in Episode 93 of David Hows Ocean Sailing Podcast. Over 1000 downloads in the first 24hours.... Enjoy. Link in Bio
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 23 Nerida L Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 23 Nerida Launch Date: 1933 Designer: Alfred Mylne Builder: R.T. Searles and Sons . NERIDA is a the first South Australian on my list built by the exceptional yard of Searle and Sons who were one of the premier builders in Port Adelaide for many decades. She is carvel planked and rigged as a gaff cutter. Nerida was designed by Alfred Mylne in England who, along with compatriots Wm Fife and George Watson, were the most acclaimed yacht designers internationally. . At 13.7 metre long the yacht was initially built for Tom Hardy. Hardy was a prominent figure in his home state and keenly supported yachting but was tragically killed in an air crash in 1938 and Nerida left the family for a period of time. She was refitted into a yawl and her tiller was replaced by a wheel. It was in this configuration that she won the 1950 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race Amongst winning offshore she was also raced and cruised regularly in the Spencer and St Vincent Gulfs . Thomas Hardy & Sons purchased her in 1971 and Sir James had her restored to her original configuration, with tiller. In 2007, during a severe storm, a yacht moored near Nerida broke loose and hit her, leaving a gaping hole. In a second storm one week later, she slowly sank. Sir James was devastated. The Nerida was raised and once again restored to her former glory. The only change to her original design was the addition of electric winch-halyards for the main sail, making her easier to operate. Sir James’ son David Hardy continues the family tradition by sailing Nerida. . #classicyacht #woodenboat #CYAA #nerida #alfredmylne #gaffcutter #sydneyhobart . Vessel Dimensions: 13.72 m x 10.05 m x 3.36 m x 1.83 m, 15.75 tonnes x 5.9 tonnes, 102.66 Square metres (45 ft x 33 ft x 11 ft x 6 ft, 16 tons x 6 tons, 1105.13 square feet)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 24 Vanessa Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 24 Vanessa Launch Date: 1928 Designer: Willian Fife III Builder: Hayes & Sons . Yes…two international 8meters in a row…I know … But I love the subtle contrasts between them. Yesterday’s yacht.. Conceived and built in Australia, utilitarian, effective, slightly muscular. Today’s boat built to the same rule but delicate and curvaceous with impeccable breeding. One is the wild colonial…the other the elegant aristocrat. It’s worth comparing her lines to little Fife sister Judith Pihl (No. 41 in this series)The history of these boats is inextricable linked to the Sayonara Cup. . Vanessa, the first 8 meter built in Australia, was launched underneath what was yet to become the northern access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the famous Hayes Yard who also built Archina (see No. 35 in this series) The Sydney Evening News cover the launch… . “MR. PERCY S. ARNOTT's 8-metre yacht, Vanessa, was launched today from the yards of James Hayes and Son, Careening Cove As Mrs. Amott broke a bottle of champagne bottle the bows, a representative gathering of yachtsmen associated with all clubs raised a rousing cheer. Later, at Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's club-house, Mr. S. M. Dempster presented Mr. Amott with a dinghy on behalf of the crew, and toasts were honoured. Vanessa will compete in the test races which will be held to select the N.S.W. defender of Sayonara Cup. She will also take part in the racing Programmes of the various clubs. Vanessa is the first 8-metre yacht to be built in Australia, and will make the third of her class on Sydney harbour.” . She immediately proceeded to win the Sayonara Cup, the most prestigious Yachting events in Australia, for the following four years, beating Eun-na-Mara, Acrospire IV (twice) and Norn, the Norweigen Anker designed yacht that went on to become Vaag. The final of these four victories is interesting as the Victorians having failed to win the Cup from the New South Welshman, decided the most effective way to win it back was to buy the in vincible boat that had been beating them! (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 25 Frances Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 25 Frances Launch Date: 1948 Designer: E.O.Digby Builder: E.O.Digby I remember when I first started racing seriously on port Phillip in the 1980’s (and knew little about boats) there was this old thin white timber yacht that would occasionally sail off her mooring in Hobson’s Bay and blitz what was then the “modern” fleet. In those days she was a little scruffy. She had had a meter or so chopped off her transom because of rot, and flew big red slightly faded and patched spinnakers. I didn’t appreciate what a significant boat she was. . FRANCES was designed by Ernest Digby who was a well-known yacht builder and designer based in Williamstown on Port Phillip. (He also designed and built RYCV’s primary start boat the lovely Thorsen (see last pic)) The 15.54 m (51 foot) carvel planked hull was planked in New Zealand kauri and displaced 9 tonnes. The International 8 Metre Class rule is quite complex, and the only other Australian designer to prepare plans for the class was fellow Victorian Charlie Peel, and both his ACROSPIRE III and IV designs measured in with a rating that was significantly over 8 metres, and they were uncompetitive in Sayonara Cup racing against the European designed boats such as NORN and VANESSA . The Sayonara Cup was the most prestigious of the three Interstate challenge cups which included the Forster Cup and the Northcote Cup. Digby had already designed and built two other eights- INDEPENDANCE launched in 1932 may have measured at 8 metres but there are no records to show this, whereas Digby’s next yacht from 1935 DEFIANCE is referred to as the first 8metre designed and built in Australia and does rate at 8 metres. . Although rating just over 8 metres at 8.14 metres, the yacht had success in Sayonara Cup racing, and in 1951 FRANCES defended the cup against the Tasmanian built but European designed challenger ERICA J (HV000492). FRANCES was then the first Australian designed and built yacht to successfully defend the Sayonara Cup. It repeated its defence against ERICA J the following year, but then lost to ERICA J in 1953. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 26 Alwyn La Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 26 Alwyn Launch Date: 1923 Designer: Alfred Blore Builder: Wood and Mackey . This one is a little left of centre, but there’s something about this feisty little Tasmanian that cries out to be recognised! ALWYN was built in 1923 by Robert Wood and James Mackey, and named after their wives Alice and Winifred. Mackey was the grandson of James Doig Mackey, a Battery Point ship builder. One story associated with the yacht is that the garage had to be demolished to remove the boat from the suburban Hobart backyard in which it was built. It appears the partners may have had a falling out as the yacht changed ownership soon after it was launched.
.
Alfred Blore designed ALWYN and near sisters GRAYLING and ALTURA as larger, improved versions of the popular Tasmanian One Design class, which were about 10 metres long. GRAYLING was launched in 1922, followed by ALTURA and ALWYN in the next year. . Blore had prepared plans for the One Design class around 1910. The drawings were based on an American design and six were built in Tasmania and raced in Hobart. The three new boats however were Blore's own work having deeper hull sections than the One Design hull which had a flatter floor shape. The keel shape in particular suggests Blore was aware of some of the hydrodynamic suction effects caused by different keel sections. 
.
During the early 1920s yacht racing on the Derwent was reformed into A,B,C and D divisions, and the existing One Design class was absorbed into the 'A Class', where ALWYN and its sister ships, Blore's newer, larger and faster boats, outraced them. . ALWYN is 11.37 metres long, and the hull planking, frames and deck planking are all Huon pine. It was originally gaff-rigged and with its long bow and stern overhangs presented an elegant sight on the Derwent River. ALWYN was well known in the 1920s and 1930s and widely reported in the Mercury and Illustrated Tasmanian Mail newspapers. In 1924 and 1926 it won the prestigious Lipton Trophy at the Hobart Regatta. (Continues in comments)
A quick update on today’s post thanks to @nicmay A quick update on today’s post thanks to @nicmays and the Rex family. These stunning pictures of Landfall being built at Percy Coverdale’s yard in Battery Point, Hobart, probably taken in 1933. I can smell the Huon pine! #huonpine #landfall #S&S #sparkmanstephens #coverdale #hobart #tasmania
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 27 Landfall Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 27 Landfall Launch Date: 1934 Designer: Olin Stephens Builder: Percy Coverdale . Landfall makes it into my list of the most important Australian wooden sailing boats for two main reason. The first is that her hull shape in my eyes is near to perfection. (my first wooden boat was an S&S so I’m biased) The second is more historically significant reason…. She was the first yacht built outside of the USA to a design by (arguable) the 20th century’s greatest naval architect, Olin Stephens. . Sparkman & Stephens, 79 Maddison Avenue, New York NY, was then at the beginning of what was to become the most famous yacht design firm in the world. Olin Stephens, at just 25 year old, was extremely surprised to find his first overseas commission came, not from Europe, but from Tasmania. Landfall was ordered by, Guy W. Rex and C.E. Davis, Hobart, to be an updated ‘Dorade type,’ similar to DORADE, but with a slight decrease in proportional beam. In Dorade the ratio of beam to LWL is 3.63 whereas in Landfall it is 3.36. It’s easy to see the influence of Dorade (design #7) and Stormy Weather (design #27) in her hull shape and how she fills the gap between these two early designs and Sonny(design #94) and Skylark (design #146), which were yet to be imagined. She was built at the famous Coverdale Yard at Battery Point, Hobart . She has started 6 Sydney Hobart Races between 1952 and 2016 and she may be the only S&S yacht to sail continuously for 85 years, without rebuilding… just standard maintenance. Originally a yawl, she was later converted to a sloop. . LOA: 44′ 0″ / 13.41m
LWL: 32′ 9″ / 10.02m
Beam: 9′ 9″ / 3.01m
Draft: 6′ 6″ / 2.01m
Design Number: 54
Original Displacement: 24,000 lbs (w/o engine)
Current Displacement: 25,000 lbs
Hull: Huon Pine/Huon Pine Frames
. #classicyacht #woodenboat #CYAA #landfall #S&S #sparkmanandstephens #yawl #sydneyhobart #s2h #coverdale
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 28 Solveig Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 28 Solveig Launch Date: 1950 Designer: Trygve Halvorsen Builder: Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd . I’m sure a few of you would know the feeling of crossing this little stretch of water after 630nm. Looking at the small, slightly portly yacht in these images it’s hard to believe the miles she has done and the races she has won. SOLVEIG (named after the character in the play “Peer Gynt’) was designed and built by members of the famous Halvorsen family in Sydney and represents their first offshore yacht where the design combined speed with safety. It was also Trygve Halvorsen’s first offshore racing yacht design. In 1954 SOLVEIG became the first Halvorsen yacht to win the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, and participated in many other ocean races helping establish the offshore racing career of both Trygve and Magnus. . She is carvel planked in Oregon (Douglas fir), which was used in many other parts of the construction including the deck. The varnished cabin sides are teak, as is the trim. SOLVEIG was the first yacht that Trygve designed, his older brother Magnus had designed their previous yachts including PEER GYNT, which Trygve described as an ‘icebreaker’ due to her very heavy construction influenced strongly by the robust, seaworthy designs of the famous Norwegian naval architect Colin Archer. . With SOLVEIG they decided to go for a lighter vessel than PEER GYNT, but retained the seaworthy double ended shape, and used a spade rudder as it gave them a vertical leading edge and balance to the rudder. They were not keen on the raked rudders as this type did not steer as well as a vertical rudder. It had a 3/4 fractional sloop rig and was well fitted out. Trygve always maintained their philosophy was to design a good fast cruising yacht that could be raced as well, as this would give them a safe and fast yacht that they could still sail hard in rough conditions.SOLVEIG raced in the 1950 Sydney to Hobart race and finished 5th on handicap and after this event crossed the Tasman Sea to Auckland New Zealand to race in the 1951 Trans-Tasman race. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 29 Akarana Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 29 Akarana Launch Date:1888 Designer: Robert Logan Senior Builder: Logan Brothers . At Number 29 (counting down) we have the first boat in the 42 days of lockdown that wasn’t built in Australia. Outrageous! Think of her as the Russel Crowe of the list, just a little more handsome. . Akarana was built in Auckland in 1888 to represent that country in the Australian Centennial Regatta held on Hobson's Bay, Victoria. She was restored as New Zealand's bicentenary gift to Australia and is today currently the oldest vessel in the collection of the Australian National Maritime Museum. ("Akarana" is the Maori name for Auckland) She was designed and built by Robert Logan (Senior) as a spec project with the hope of successfully completing in the Australian Centennial Regatta which was being held over the summer of 1888-1889. The boat building market in New Zealand was in a downturn as the country was in the grip of a depression, and Logan hoped that success in completion would not only allow him to sell her in Australia, but would also lead to commissions from that country. She was launched at North Shore, on the Waitamata on 5 October 1888. . The day after being launched, Akarana, accompanied by Robert Logan, his skipper Jack Bell, and crew, was shipped on the SS Nemesis to Melbourne. Other New Zealand yachts had previously fared well in competition on Hobson's Bay, and Akarana's arrival created great interest in yachting circles. The first race which took place in Hobson's Bay was for the St. Kilda Yacht Club medal, which she won. Logan had designed Akarana to complete in the five-ton race. However the organising regatta's committee rated her at seven tons with a five-ton (5.1 tonne) lead keel. As a result, Akarana then completed in the first day's racing of the Australian Centennial Regatta in the 5-10 ton class race for keel and centreboard yachts. This race she won, beating the yachts Cooeeana, Madge, Galatea and Pert. (Continues in comments)
Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 30 Struen M Australian Wooden Sailing Boats Number 30 Struen Marie Launch Date: 1950 Designer: Robert Clark Builder: Les & Barry Steel . I saw her on the slip at Gonsalves boat shed a few months ago and she seems such an unassuming little boat ..but what a record! It’s hard to go past a wooden Sydney Hobart Winner! (1951) especially as she set a race record which stood for 11 years. She is one of the earliest example of a yacht that was purpose-built for the event. . STRUEN MARIE was built by Les Steel at his Speers Point boatyard on Lake Macquarie, NSW in 1950. Steel based the design on a plan by English naval architect Robert Clark. He adjusted the shape to fit the 35ft maximum length allowed for yachts racing with the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club (SASC). The first owner was Tom Williamson, a chemist, whose wife was named Sheila. The yacht was named after their daughter Struen Marie and later in its life, the third owner was his son Michael Williamson and his wife Casandra Firman. . The 10.67m wooden yacht is carvel planked in full length Huon pine on laminated spotted gum frames, supported by grown timbers for floors, stem and knees. This sturdy construction is a mark of the high quality skills typical of Les and Barry Steel's boatbuilding.
In its first year of sailing STRUEN MARIE won most of the major races it entered, and continued to have a fine career racing offshore and on Sydney Harbour for a number of years. Included in its trophy list is the Kelly Cup from the SASC, which dates from 1893 and is one of the oldest remaining yachting trophies in Australia. Now as a classic yacht, STRUEN MARIE has won many classic yacht regattas in Sydney and Queensland. The Mercury December 31 1951 carried the following report. . "The crew of Struen Marie thought their inability to take off the yacht's spinnaker off the south-east coast of Tasmania on Saturday night would put them out of the race.
In a hard blow the skipper (D. A. Williamson) was forced to head seaward before the wind while the crew worked to get the big running sail down. Struen Marie, moving fast through the water, was taken miles off course. (Continues in comments)
Load More... Follow on Instagram

2019 Cup Regatta Sponsor Winestyle on line

Email wine@winestyleonline.com.au or phone on 0425 778 478. Identify yourself as a CYAA member to receive the wine style online offers via email and no obligation. Web site

Click on the link to check out Phillip Browns story on why he put into print the Lord Howe Island voyagers visitors log book. Here’s the link to Phillips  book order form.

Links

  • CYAA Queensland
  • Hobson's Bay Yacht Club
  • Royal Yacht Club of Victoria
  • Sydney Amateur Sailing Club
  • Traditional Boats QLD

Classic Yacht Association of Australia

PO Box 335, Williamstown, Vic, 3016
admin@classic-yacht.asn.au
Proudly powered by WordPress