Intrigue’s winning tribute to Elson Kiddle
The late Elson Kiddle, skilled yachtsman and good friend to so many in the Hobart yachting fraternity, would have been delighted by the performance yesterday of Intrigue, the yacht on which he sailed most of his life.
Intrigue, skippered by longtime friend Don Calvert, won the Division 1 AMS category of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant in a day of challenging sailing on the Derwent and Storm Bay.
Summer Pennant race four was dedicated to the memory of Kiddle, who died alone in rugged bushland in Hobart’s Lenah Valley last weekend.
The entire fleet yesterday flew black ribbons from their backstays, with veteran yachtsman Don Calvert’s win with Intrigue a special tribute to Kiddle, who had sailed aboard Intrigue for 33 years, including at the Admiral’s Cup in England in 1985.
In other Division 1 results Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) won her third out of four races in Division 1 under IRC scoring while the PHS category went to the Mumm 36 Heatwave (Matthew Keal).
In the AMS category Intrigue won from Shaun Tiedemann’s Philosopher and Heatwave, while Doctor Who took out IRC again from Philosopher and Intrigue.
In Division PHS, Heatwave won from Doctor Who and Peter Cretan’s Tilt.
Mike Pritchard’s Cookson 50 Oskana took line honours on a day of miserable weather – a south to south-wester breeze of 20 knots gusting to 30 knots down river and in Storm Bay, a temperature of 14 degrees (felt like 8 degrees) and cold, misty rain. Only 31 of the 52 Pennant entries turned up for the start of the long race.
In a post-race decision, the Hanse 400e Illusion has been automatically disqualified from Division 2 of yesterday’s Summer Pennant race for sailing through a Sandy Bay Sailing Club start line for tiny Optimist junior sailing dinghies.
Illusion, owned and skippered by David Brett, was leading the Division 2 fleet as she sailed under spinnaker up the Derwent towards the finish off Castray Esplanade.
Combined Clubs race officer Biddy Badanach said Sandy Bay Sailing Club had been forced to abandon the start for the Optimists, sailed one-up by juniors mostly aged under 12.
“The automatic disqualification of Illusion should serve as a lesson to all yachtsmen that they must respect the start and finish lines of other clubs using the river,” Badenach added.
Today, Ilusion’s owner/skipper David Brett wrote on Facebook that Illusion was very sorry for the incident at Optimist’s start line. “We were under extreme difficulty with jibe gone wrong and judged safest route was to maintain course through the line. Apologies to all involved,” Brett wrote.
In Division 2, Natelle Two (Glen Roper) won both PHS and IRC, and Wings Three (Peter Haros) took out AMS.
In Division 2IRC, Natelle Two, a past Sydney Hobart ocean racing yacht won from Wings Three (Peter Haros) and Rumbeat (Ross Mannering) while Natelle Two won PHS from Wings Three and Southern Swordfish (Ian Stewart).
Division 3 produced a double handicap win for Stewart Geeves’ Footloose, the Young 88 taking out IRC and PHS, somewhat making up for the frustrations of the Maria Island Race.
Under IRC, Footloose took top honours from Moonshadow (Anthony Ellis) and Groove (Will Justo) while in PHS the Young 88 won from Moonshadow and Serica (Charles Peacock).
Division 3 AMS winner was Young One (Nathan Mills and Jay Nibbs) with Footloose second and Moonshadow third.
In Division 4, Camlet Way (Stephen Mannering) scored another impressive victory[PC1], winning from Astralabe (Peter Bosworth) and Innovator (Smith/Aberley).
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson, Peter Campbell
25 November 2018
Hat-trick to octogenarian Don Calvert
The doyen of Hobart keelboat racing, Don Calvert, today gave himself an early 83rd birthday present, scoring a hat-trick of wins with his 34-year-old yacht Intrigue in the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant.
Skillfully skippered in the variable River Derwent breezes by the near 83-year-old Calvert (his birthday is on 26 November) Intrigue took first place on corrected time in all three handicap categories, IRC, AMS and PHS.
This in itself is a rare achievement in the highly competitive River Derwent fleet, but one must remember that Intrigue was built back in 1985 from Tasmanian timbers and owner/skipper Calvert has been racing boats on the river for something like 70 years.
It would seem he can sense every shift in the breeze, judging by Intrigue’s remarkable performance yesterday, outsailing several bigger boats around the river course to finish seventh in the 45 boat fleet.
Since being launched Intrigue has seldom missed winning a summer pennant and, of course, the Dubois 40 and Don represented Australia at the famous Admiral’s Cup at Cowes, England, in 1985.
Today saw Intrigue excel both downwind and upwind (to the finish) to win the IRC category of Division 1 from Madness (Gavin Adamson) and Doctor Who (Rod Jackman).
Under AMS scoring, Intrigue won from B&G Advantage (Jeff Cordell) and Madness and under PHS, the top three were Intrigue, Madness and B&G Advantage.
In other IRC results, Wings Three (Peter Haros) won Division 2 and Young Lion (Steve Chau) took out Division 3.
Wings Three won Division 2 IMS from Rumbeat (Justin Barr) and Illusion (David Brett) and the PHS category from Juana (Jock Young) and Illusion.
In Division 3 Young Lion added an AMS win, placing first on corrected time from Young One (Nathan Mills and Jay Nibbs) and Groove (Will Justo).
Under PHS scoring, the Division 3 went to Groove with Trouble (Mark Millhouse) taking second place and Wildfire (Team Wildfire) third,
Division 4 produced a new winner for the season, with Hornet (Neville Georgeson) scoring an outright win. Second on corrected time was Spinner (Peter Limb) while third went to Wayatih (Allan Morgan).
Today’s race attracted 45 of the 52 yachts entered in the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant, the largest fleet of the season so far, on a cool day that saw the breeze swing from the north-west to the west and finally to a freshening sou’wester.
Today’s river race did little to suggest who might be the favourites for IRC handicap honours in next weekend’s Maria Island Race.
Maria Island Race entrant Mike Pritchard’s Oskana took line honours from harbour race X&Y (Toby Richardson) while The Fork in the Road (Gary Smith) finished third, just four seconds ahead of the harbour racing Farr 40, War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith).
On corrected times, however, Oskana placed 11th on IRC handicapping while other the Maria Island entries, Philosopher, Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr, placed sixth and Zephyr (Ian Johnston) 12th in Division 1.
In Division 2, Wings Three (Peter Haros) had a great day including winning on IRC while Ilusion placed third.
Mischief (Duncan MacGill) which has entered PHS and IRC in the Maria Island Race, finished last in Division 3 PHS and sixth in AMS today.
Fifteen yachts have entered the Maria Island Race which starts off Castray Esplanade next Friday evening, with 2Unlimited, Greg Prescott’s modified Farr 40 a late entry.
This will be the first race for Prescott with his newly acquired boat, the former champion Farr 40 one-design Estate Master, which he has entered for the 74th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Words and photos: Peter Campbell
10 November 2018
Tasmanian yacht brings Sydney Hobart fleet to 92
Champion Tasmanian yachtsman and Sydney Hobart veteran Greg ‘Enzo’ Prescott’s latest racing yacht, 2Unlimited, is the last of 92 boats to be entered for the 74th Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
Entries closed at 5.00pm last Friday….”I believe I was the last boat to enter….right on five o’clock”, Prescott said yesterday, adding “and this will be my 28th Sydney Hobart’, Prescott said in an interview with Peter Campbell, ‘The Mercury’ yachting writer.
His latest boat named 2Unlimited is the former Farr 40 national champion Estate Master, previously owned by Sydney yachtsman Martin Hill who last Saturday changed classes and won the Etchells class World championship in Brisbane.
The fleet of 92, including a record five super maxis headed by last year’s line honours winner Comanche and a dozen international entries, has exceeded the expectations of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and gives early indications of worldwide interest in next year’s 75th annual ocean classic.
The entry of 2Unlimited brings the Tasmanian contingent this year to three boats: Alive, Philip Turner’s Reichel/Pugh 66 (DSS); Black Sheep, Matthew Pilkington and Rob Gourlay’s Beneteau First 45 (RYCT); and 2 Unlimited, Greg ‘Enzo’ Prescott’s modified Farr 40 (RYCT/DSS) but many more are expected for the 2019 edition.
Prescott has had an outstanding career in yacht racing, notably in the Sydney Hobart, the Admiral’s Cup and One Ton Cup, the Melges 32 one-design class and, more recently, in the SB20 sports boat class, including finishing seventh in the worlds on the Derwent last January.
After racing off-the-beach dinghies on the Derwent, Prescott sailed in his first Sydney Hobart race in 1980 as a 17-year-old aboard his father’s yacht Hotshot and the following year skippered the same yacht to seventh place overall in a fleet of 160 boats.
He remains the second youngest ever to skipper a yacht in the Sydney Hobart and has since competed in a total of 27 races.
“It’s a rather late campaign but one of the reasons I’m doing it again is that I want my son Lachlan to sail with me in the 75th race next year when he turns 18 and is eligible to compete as a crew,” Prescott added.
Prescott’s crew this year will include world champion international Tasmanian sailor Darren ‘Twirler’ Jones. The ‘good mates’ have sailed together in10 Sydney Hobarts and Jones has joined him Prescott in his major campaigns in the Melges 32, 2Unlimited, which including national championships wins.
Prescott and Jones were both inducted into the prestigious Tasmanian Yachting Hall of Fame in 2016, being described then as ‘two of Tasmania’s pre-eminent yachtsmen.’
“I bought the boat, then called Estate Master, in Sydney a couple of months ago and after some work on her electronics and rig we sailed her down to Hobart, arriving last Wednesday week,” Prescott explained.
“Farr Yacht Design have designed a new bulb for her keel, giving her an extra 250kg ballast for ocean racing, we’ve added a bowsprit and have cut down her mainsail to reduce the large roach allowed in Farr 40 one-design racing….we hope to make in time for next month’s Maria Island Race…and with a competitive IRC rating, ” he added.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Campbell, Rolex
29 October 2018
Wild day for River Derwent sailing
A near galeforce sou’-wester came roaring up the River Derwent at more than 30 knots this afternoon, playing havoc with the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant race, with a man overboard (MOB) situation, a dismasting and other gear damage that forced five yachts to retire.
It was a bleak day for yacht racing, with the SW consistently over 30 knots whipping the river into a mass of white caps, rain showers cut visibility, and the temperature hovering between 10 and 11 degrees (it felt like 4.5).
The skippers of two of the veteran yachts of the Hobart fleet, Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) and Intrigue (Don Calvert) were among the few to carry small spinnakers back to the finish, and they came out winners on corrected time.
A crew member of Madness fell overboard as the Mumm 36 was surfing back up the river under spinnaker to the finish, but prompt action by skipper Gavin Adamson and other crew saw him quickly retrieved without any harm.
As Madness motored back to the Royal Yacht Club of the Tasmania the sodden crewman was checked out by a fellow crew member, a nurse, and quickly recovered back ashore.
Chris Sheehan’s Young 88 Saga was dismasted after the backstay broke on a spinnaker reach between Blackmans Bay and Ralphs Bay, with the crew guiding the disabled boat into a sheltered bay near White Rocks to recover the rig and sails before motoring back to Bellerive Yacht Club.
Other boats forced to retire were Crusader, Mischief and Groove, all returning to their moorings without assistance.
Wisely, Bellerive Yacht Club race officers decided that in view of the forecast of a strong south-westerly change it would be prudent to keep the fleet within the river, sailing shorter courses than a full day race.
While the front runners sailed the course in just over three hours, it was two-and-a-half hours before the last boat finished.
Divisions 1, 2 and 3 were sent to Blackmans Bay, then across the river to Ralphs Bay and back to Blackmans Bay, a distance of 28 nautical miles. Division 4 was sent on a 19 nautical mile course to Pigeon Holes and Blackmans Bay.
Nevertheless, competitors had “a lot on”, to quote Shaun Tiedemann, skipper of Philosopher.
BYC sailing manager Tony Garrett described conditions as “certainly a test of good crew work and sound gear….with skippers reporting consistent 30 knots down the river.”
“Although it was a square run to the finish, few of the boats elected to carry spinnakers….Oskana (Mike Pritchard) took line honours under mainsail only, apparently after having some problems with their headsail or halyard,” Garrett added.
Crew member Gordon Clark of Division 3 entrant Frontline reported “We copped 40 knots approaching the finish!”
For Doctor Who, race two of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant was another great result, with the former Sydney Hobart winner taking out both the IRC and PHS categories of Division 1, while Intrigue took first place under AMS scoring.
In IRC, Doctor Who won by just 11 seconds from Intrigue, third place going to Zephyr (Ian Johnston). In PHS, Zephyr placed second, Intrigue third.
Zephyr, a Farr 41mx, sailed an outstanding race, also placing second to Intrigue in Division 1 AMS, with Philosopher (Shaun Tiedemann) third.
In Division 2, Justin Barr’s Rumbeat won both IRC and PHS, winning IRC from Wings Three (Peter Haros) and Frontline (Ian Snape).
Ian Stewart’s Northshore 38 Southern Swordfish took out the AMS category from Wings Three and Frontline.
In Division 3, there was a great duel between Young 88s, at least until Saga was dismasted. On corrected time Steve Chau’s Young Lion won on IRC, but Young One (N Mills/J Nibbs) won both AMS and PHS.
Young Lion won IRC from Moonshadow (Anthony Ellis) and Footloose (Stewart Geeves). Young One won AMS from Young Lion and Moonshadow and in PHS again won from Young Lion, third place going to Trouble (Mark Millhouse).
Division 4 was decided on PHS handicaps with Camlet Way (Stephen Mannering) winning from Innovator (Smith & Aberley) and Wayatih (Allan Morgan).
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson
27 October 2018
Isle of Caves double to Philosopher
Judging by her double win overnight in the Isle of Caves race. Shaun Tiedemann’s Philosopher is already showing the right form to successfully defend her Australian Yachting Championship IRC division title on Melbourne’s Port Phillip next January.
Owner/skipper Shaun Tiedemann’s plans to take Philosopher, a Sydney 36cr, to Melbourne in early January 2019 to defend the title she won last January. Before then Philosopher will contest the Launceston to Hobart race at the end of December.
Philosopher sailed an excellent night race to win the main IRC handicap category of the Isle of Caves race from Sydney Hobart entrant Black Sheep, skippered by Rob Gourlay, and Zephyr (Ian Johnston).
Black Sheep, a Beneteau 45, also took line honours, by just 34 minutes from Filepro (Tim Gadsby) and Heat Wave (Matthew Keal).
“Many thanks to our crew of Sam Tiedemann, Andrew Davison, Nelson Brown, Nicholas Wellard, Tom Stearnes, Alex Bailey…great job!” skipper Shaun Tiedemann said after the race, the second in the Combined Clubs Offshore Trophy series.
A fleet of 17 contested the Hobart Jaguar – Land Rover sponsored race Isle of Caves race, held annually by Bellerive Yacht Club on the eve of today’s Royal Hobart Show public holiday.
Starting at 7.00pm on Wednesday evening, the fleet had a beat to windward down the Derwent before a long reach up Frederick Henry Bay to round the island off Primrose Sands.
Black Sheep took line honours at 01:03:54am today, by just 34 seconds from Filepro (Tim Gadsby) with Heat Wave (Matthew Keal) third to finish, Philosopher coming home fourth. Just over an hour and 40 minutes separated the 13 boats in Division 1. Black Sheep sailed the course in just under nine hours.
Philosopher also won the AMS category on corrected time, second place going to former Sydney Hobart race winner Ultimate Challenge, now owned by Peter Jenkins, third to Zephyr (Ian Johnston).
Ultimate Challenge, which also represented Australia at the Admiral’s Cup under the ownership of famous Victorian yachtsman Lou Abrahams, won the PHS category of the Isle of Caves Race. Jim Thorpe’s Hydrotherapy took second place with Filepro third.
In Division 2, Wildfire, skippered by Malcolm Robinson won under PHS scoring from Crescendo (Vaughan Lynch) and Off-Piste (Paul Einoder).
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Australian Sailing, Peter Campbell, Peter Watson
24 October 2018
Mem-orable day for Paul and Michelle Boutchard
Paul Boutchard and his wife Michelle today returned to yacht racing on the River Derwent in their J35 Mem after a break of more than a year, and scored four Division 1 wins.
Today was the first day of the Combined Clubs new Inshore Series and two of their wins were under IRC, the scoring system now adopted by Combined Clubs as the major handicapping system for racing in southern Tasmania.
Mem’s two other wins were under PHS scoring.
Mem is one of nearly 30 Hobart boats that have been measured for an IRC certificate for the first time this season.
Two other boats with new IRC certificates, Chris Sheehan’s Saga and Steve Chau’s Young Lion, both Young 88s, also had wins in Division 2.
Race officer Biddy Badenach ran two short races on the river for the two divisions, describing conditions as “typical of a westerly gradient on the river at this time of the year….challenging for both competitors and race officers” in a breeze than ranged from 0 to gusts of up to 20 knots.
Nevertheless, Badenach and his team were able set courses that reflected the concept of IRC racing and while Mem dominated the IRC results, four other yachts won their handicap categories and divisions on the day.
Paul and Michelle Boutchard and their crew showed excellent tactics in sailing Mem, a former Sydney Hobart racer, picking up time on the bigger boats as the wind varied in direction and strength.
In race one, Mem won Division 1 IRC from Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr Philosopher and David Aplin’s MBD35 Whistler, both entered for the Australian Yachting Championships in Melbourne next January.
In race two, it was Mem first on corrected time, Whistler second and Philosopher third. Mem took top handicap honours under Division 1 PHS scoring in both races.
Philosopher won the first race in the AMS category from Whistler which reversed the order in race two.
The two Young 88s, Saga (Chris Sheehan) and Young Lion (Steve Chau) duelled all the way in both races for Division 2.
In race one, Saga beat Young Lion on IRC corrected time by just 34 seconds, in the shortened race two they crossed the line 14 seconds apart with Young Lion winning on handicap.
They each had a win under AMS scoring while Wildfire (Team Wildfire) won both Division 2 races on PHS scoring.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson, Australian Sailing
20 October 2018
Doctor Who – Time Lord of yachting
The Time Lord of Hobart yachting, Roger Jackman’s Doctor Who, yesterday sailed to a double handicap victory in the opening race of the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant on the River Derwent.
Flying her new masthead spinnaker, the Davidson 52 excelled in the light breeze, with helmsman Rod Jackman picking the right wind shifts to take corrected time honours under both Division 1 PHS and IRC scoring categories, although IRC results are provisional.
Designed and built in New Zealand in 1983, Doctor Who has been a consistent harbour and ocean race winner in Tasmanian waters and also won the IMS division of the 1990 Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
A fleet of 41 keelboats contested yesterday’s first of nine Summer Pennant Races, sailed on a river course, starting and finishing off Castray Esplanade. Because of the light winds, the course was shortened for all divisions, the last boats crossing the line close to 5.00pm.
Derwent Sailing Squadron Vice Commodore Nick Connor described the quality and quantity of the fleet as “excellent” for the first race of the Combined Clubs season.
“Although the sun shined brightly on a beautiful spring day, the fickle winds of the River Derwent weren’t so pleasing for skippers and crews.
“Large holes in the wind appeared all over the course, with Division 1 boats in particular affected as the Eastern shore bore the brunt of the uncooperative breeze,” he added.
Doctor was fifth in fleet to finish and on corrected time took first place in the PHS category from Toby Richardson’s X&Y and Wayne Banks-Smith’s War Games.
With IRC results provisional because of some yachts not yet receiving new rating certificates, Doctor Who has been placed first from Hughie Lewis and Gary Cripps Farr 40 Guilty Pleasures and Gary Smith’s Fork in the Road, which finished less than a minute astern of Mike Pritchard’s Oskana at the finish.
War Games, another Farr 40, won the Division 1 AMS from The Fork in the Road and Don Calvert’s Intrigue.
For the first time, IRC scoring has been extended to Divisions 2 and 3, with Hobart yachtsmen embracing this rating system as the major handicapping category for Combined Club racing.
In Division 2, provisional IRC honours went to Wings Three, Peter Haros’ Northshore 38, from Illusion (David Brett) and Natelle Two (Glen Roper0.
DSS Commodore Steve Chau won Division 3 IRC with his Young 88, Young Lion, second place going to Footloose (Stewart Geeves), third to Moonshadow (Anthony Ellis).
Prominent Bellerive Yacht Club member Ian Stewart had a first-up win with his new boat, Southern Swordfish, an Northshore 38, taking out Division 2 PHS and finishing second under AMS scoring to Illusion (David Brett).
Runner-up in Division 2 PHS was Rumbeat (Justin Barr), third Pirate’s Pride (Peter Masterton). Third in AMS was Wings Three.
In Division 3 AMS, the two Young 88 duelled for first place on corrected time, with Young One (N Mills/J Nibbs) winning from Young Lion (Steve Chau). Footloose came in third.
The syndicate-owned Wildfire won Division 3 PHS from Young One and Trouble (Mark Millhouse).
Nigel Johnston’s metre-styled Ingenue had an outright in Division 4 after a close duel with Kindred Spirit (Peter Alcock) for line and handicap honours. Third was Mimi (Kevin Jacobson).
A total of 50 boats have so far entered the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant.
Next Saturday will see the first day of the Combined Clubs Inshore Series with a midriver starts.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson
13 October 2018
Yachties embrace IRC for Summer Pennants
Hobart yacht owners have embraced IRC as the major handicap system for the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant Series which starts on the River Derwent tomorrow.
So far 28 yacht owners have revalidated their IRC certificates or are in the process of getting rated under this handicap category, double that of last season.
The major objective is to prepare Tasmanian boat owners and race officers for the Australian Yachting Championships to be conducted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in January 2020.
The prestigious National event will follow next year’s 75th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and other offshore races finishing in Hobart, and is expected to attract a significant fleet.
IRC is the Tattersalls Cup deciding handicap system used in the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and most other major yachting events internationally. but in recent seasons the Victoria-designed AMS system has proven popular, although only in Victoria and Tasmania.
Tomorrow’s race has attracted a fleet of 50 keelboats, a river race starting and finishing off Castray Esplanade, Battery Point.
The fleet has been divided into four divisions and all but Division 4 will have results based on IRC, AMS and PHS scoring. Division 4 results will be PHS only.
However, IRC results from today’s harbour race will be provisional as some certificates have not come through in time to be used in calculated corrected times.
It is possible some will not be here in time for the first Inshore Series race day on Saturday week, 20 October.
Combined Clubs’ sailing manager have agree that boats which have sent in new applications for IRC before race one in the Pennant will be scored in the series once their certificates arrive.
This means they will not be shown in the results on race days, but the results will be recalculated once the certificates arrive. This provision will only apply for race one in each series.
Published results will therefore be provisional until the certificates arrive, and the results are recalculated.
Division 1 of the Combined Club Summer Pennant has attracted an outstanding fleet of 18 boats of which all but one has entered the IRC category.
Heading the crack fleet are last season’s summer pennant winners Intrigue (IRC and AMS) and TasPaints (PHS), short course winner and Australian IRC champion Philosopher.
Fleet pace setters The Fork in the Road, Oskana, Doctor Who are also in the Division fleet, as well as Wild West and Crusader.
Five Division 2 boats and six Division 3 boats also now have applied for IRC ratings, indicative of the boost for club racing using this internationally professionally created rating system.
Many of the Combined Club Pennant entrants enjoyed excellent lead-up racing in the opening twilight races conducted during the week by Bellerive Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania/Derwent Sailing Squadron in delight sailing conditions.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Peter Watson
12 October 2018
Tassie Too to join Opening Day fleet
One of Tasmania’s most famous racing yachts, the 21-foot Restricted Class boat Tassie Too, will join Derwent Sailing Squadron boat Young Lion in leading the fleet on the Opening Day of the Yachting Season on Hobart’s River Derwent.
Opening Day, a grand tradition on the Derwent, will be held on Saturday week, 6 October, with Professor The Honourable Kate Warner AC, Governor of Tasmania, taking the salute from aboard the MV Egeria, anchored in Sullivan’s Cove.
Joining the Governor will be Tracy Matthews, her first time in this role as Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. Last year she hosted Professor Warner when Vice Commodore.
At the helm of the restored Tassie Too will be well-known meteorologist Kenn Batt, a descendent of her famous designer and helmsman, W P ‘Skipper’ Batt.
Steering Young Lion, and first to salute the Governor, will be Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Steve Chau, his club chairing the Combined Clubs Series working committee for the 2018-19 yachting season.
Young Lion, a Division 2 pennant-winning Young 88, has been given the honour of leading the colourful sail-past of more than 200 craft that will start off the Regatta Grounds at 2pm and sail/motor into Sullivan’s Cove, leaving the anchored Egeria to port.
Tassie Too (affectionately referred to as ‘TT’), the 90-year-old record-breaking winner of the coveted Forster Cup interstate sailing challenge (10 times between 1928 and 1952) will follow close astern, with Kenn Batt saluting on behalf of the volunteers who have lovingly restored the old wooden yacht.
Astern will come more than 200 ocean and harbour racing yachts, motor cruisers, sports boats and off-the-beach dinghies, one or two ‘gentleman’s steam launches’, a couple of high-flying foiler Moths, even an odd ‘tinnie’.
Tassie Too was designed and skippered by W P ‘Skipper’ Batt along with Alfred Blore and JohnTarleton, and built of Huon and King Billy pine by Charlie Lucas and ‘Chips’ Gronfers.
Descendants of the designer, builders, early skippers and crew members formed the Friends of Tassie Too organisation to return the famous 21-footers to the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and undertake a major and ongoing refurbishment.
The FOTT is about to launch a further fund-raiser to continue the maintenance of this remarkably innovative and historic boat that in its winning days captured a huge following in Tasmania.
While the Opening Day of the Yachting Season is a day of celebration afloat for racing yacht owners and their crews, it will be into racing mode next day, Sunday,7 October, as many compete the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania’s Channel Race.
The long day race has for many decades been the first race of the summer for the RYCT, starting off Castray Esplanade and taking the fleet down to Derwent to finish off Bligh Point in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.
The first Combined Clubs Series race will be the following Saturday, 13 October.
Words: Peter Campbell
Photos: Friends of Tassie Too, Penny Conacher
28 September 2018
