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News & Events - New South Wales
Gaffers Day 2011, Sunday 23rd October, a popular event for CYAA (NSW) members to show their yachts. See attached flyer for more information.
The 175th Australia Day Regatta, sailed into the nation’s history when more than 160 harbour racing yachts, classic yachts, ocean racers and modern and historical skills celebrated this remarkable yachting anniversary on Sydney Harbour. The regatta is the world’s oldest, continuously-conducted annual sailing regatta, a celebration of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet to found the penal colony that eventually became the great Commonwealth of Australia.
The fleet today included 49 mostly wooden yachts in the Classic Yachts division, many gaff-rigged and several built more than a century ago. Many crews dressed in period sailing gear and later rendezvoused at the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club to celebrate the regatta’s history. Despite a morning sea fog that blanketed the city and suburbs and the harbour, the misty conditions cleared somewhat and a light east to north-easterly breeze cooled conditions and provided close racing around fixed marks.
On waterways along the New South Wales coast, Australia Day regattas were linked to the historic event on Sydney Harbour while ocean racing yachts sailed to Botany Bay and return, albeit slowly, covering the same course sailed by the First Fleet in 1788.
In Hobart, Australia’s second oldest seaport, yachts, dinghies and windsurfers competed in the Australia Day Green Island race and the Sandy Bay Regatta.
Another icon of Australian yachting, the 1970 and 1977 America’s Cup Challenger Gretel II took line honours in the 40 nautical mile Green Island Race, helmed by her 1977 skipper, 85-year-old Gordon Ingate.
On Sydney Harbour, a fleet of 49 yachts, mostly built of wood, many gaff-rigged and several more than a hundred years ago, contested the Classic Yacht division of the 175th Australia Day Regatta.Winner of the 175th Australia Day Regatta Trophy and the Australia Day Council Trophy was Antares (R Keeson and D Wood). The Centenary of Federation Gold Medal went to Reverie, owned by Nigel Berlyn and John Barclay.
The Botany Bay race, conducted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, was a slow race, with headwinds heading south and fickle breezes on the return leg, with some yacht not finish until 1900 hours, after more than eight hours at sea on a hot, humid and misty day. Line honours went to Jim Cooney’s famous conventional maxi, Brindabella, giving her the Geoff Lee Trophy, while the City of Sydney Sesquicentenary Trophy went to Rod Wills X43 Great Expectations. — Peter Campbell
Joyce Talbot from the CYANZ Writes……
“Below is a pdf of the January issue of Sheerlines with reminders to get your entries in for Anniversary Weekend events, including the Oceanbridge Anniversary Day Regatta and The Southern Trust Classic Yacht Regatta 11-13 February.
An invitation to join our Sail Past on Anniversary Day is also included ……….we would love to see a major armada of vessels on the Waitemata prior to the start of racing so please invite your friends to come along and join in. Sailing, motoring, paddling ………..all welcome!
General assembly outside the Viaduct at 0900 with a leisurely sail, motor or paddle to Orakei Wharf, across to Devonport (keeping an eye out for the tugboats finishing off the wharf from 10.20 approx‚) and heading back to the start area at Princes Wharf.”
Those Aussies planning to attend as crew on these magnificent vessels are asked to contact the Australian Co-Ordinator, Roger Dundas rogermdundas@gmail.com so that the information regarding the Australian contingent can be passed on to the organisers.
This year will be the 175th anniversary of the Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuous regatta in the world. As part of the celebration of this anniversary we wish to invite as many classic yachts to participate in a special “Classics” division, award a special trophy and, following the race, to return to the Sydney Amateur Club in Mosman Bay to enjoy the hospitality provided by Club and the ADR. The intention is for the Classics division to start as the last division in a “time start” handicapping with the expectation of having most boats completing the race together to have most impact.
For more information download the Invitation and Notice of Race below
Half a century in design and hull construction separates race handicap favourites Veolia Maris and Balance going into next Saturday’s Hempel Paints 37th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race, 414 nautical miles across the Tasman Sea.
Veolia Maris, designed by the late Alan Payne and built of timber in Hobart by the famous Jock Muir in 1958, will be in line to win the IRC rating division for an unprecedented third consecutive year. Skippering the classic yawl will be Tiare Tomaszewski, a grand daughter of the original owner, marine artist Jack Earl.
Balance is French-designed Beneteau First 45 built to the latest composite construction methods, owned and skippered by television financial commentator Paul Clitheroe, and launched in 2008. She jumped to equal favouritism with Veolia Maris with an impressive overall win last Saturday in the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s historic Gascoigne Cup off Sydney Heads.
A fleet of 17 yachts, including four from Queensland, will be flagged away from Broken Bay, north of Sydney, at 1.00pm next Saturday, 30 October. The start line will be set between Barrenjoey headland and Lion Island.
From there, the fleet will sail close inshore up the New South Wales Central Coast for about six nautical miles before rounding a mark off Terrigal and then setting a north-easterly course to World Heritage-listed Lord Island Island, a tiny, semi-tropical island across the northern Tasman Sea.
The three IRC division placegetters are competing again – Veolia Maris, representing the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Amante (Dennis Cooper) from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Copernicus (Greg Zyner) from Manly Yacht Club.
Last year’s PHS winner, the Queensland yacht Charlie’s Dream, skippered by Peter Lewis from the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron, is back again as is third placegetter, the Gosford Sailing Club entrant Polaris of Belmont (Chris Dawe). Another strong contender in the PHS division will be Peter Rodgers’ Olsen 40 which was overall PHS winner of last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Rodgers has been a regular competitor in the Lord Howe Island Race, winning the PHS division in 1997.
Last year’s line honours winner, Stewart Lewis’ Ocean Affinity, also from RQYS, is racing ageing but a strong favourite for line honours The Stick, Rick Christianson 66-footer from the CYCA. — Peter Campbell
Event site: www.gosfordsailingclub.com.au/top_left_sub_content.php?id=72
The Newcastle Australia Day Maritime Festival will be held over two days, Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 January 2011. The Maritime Festival is one of the largest maritime festivals held in Australia and will be partnering with the Newcastle City Council to combine all the Australia Day events and activities adding to attendance and enhancing the foreshore atmosphere! The evening of the 25th, Newcastle Harbour will come alive with thousands of twinkle lights as the ‘Harbour Lights’ boat parade winds its way around the harbour. The foreshore around the Maritime Precinct Honeysuckle will be buzzing with stalls, rides for the kids, entertainment and a fireworks display at 9pm. Australia Day 26 January, will see all the excitement and colour that Novocastrians have come to expect of the National Maritime Festival. National Ski Racing, Svitzer Tug Ballet, Wooden Boat Display, Boat Building Competition, Stalls and Exhibits, Ships, Classic & Wooden Boats, Australian Defence Force Display, guns and cannons, RAAF aerobatic displays, trains and carriages of yesteryear and heaps more!
For More information contact maritimefestival@bigpond.com
Three grandchildren of famous marine artist Jack Earl, the original owner of the classic yawl Veolia Maris, have teamed up with co-owner Ian Kiernan in a bid to win the Hempel Paints 37th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Yacht Race for an unprecedented third successive year.
Skipper Tiare Tomaszewski, 44, will be joined by her twin sister Leilani and their younger brother Matt, 29, with Kiernan as the navigator, on the 414 nautical mile race that starts from Broken Bay on Saturday, 30 October 2010.
“We sailed with our grandfather when we were little kids and have often raced the boat with Ian since he bought it, including racing to Hobart, Lord Howe Island and the Gold Coast, as has Ben, our elder brother,” recalled Tiare, a member of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.
“I sailed with Ian when Maris won her first Lord Howe Island Race but could not compete in last year’s race because of work commitments,” added Tiare, a film producer. In fact, all four grandchildren are in the media and film production business, which as Tiare says, comes down from the artistic talent of their grandfather.
“Veolia Maris is in great shape and we hope that Ian will set us the course of least resistance as he has done so well over the past two Lord Howe races, ” she said. “We hope to arrive on the island Melbourne Cup Day in time for the celebrations at the Bowling Club, as we did in 2009, which was also yacht’s 50th birthday.
Veolia Maris will again be the smallest, oldest and lowest handicapped yacht in the IRC division and, as an always well-sailed boat, she must rank as one of the favourite for handicap honours. “We have also been fortunate in Veolia coming aboard as full sponsors after being a supporter for previous races,” Tiare added;
The relatively shallow, long keel of the Alan Payne-designed, Jock Muir-built yawl-rigged Tasman Seabird class yacht assured her a place in the fleet this year, but limits on draft and moorings at Lord Howe Island has resulted in a number of deep draft yachts missing out.
A total of 15 boats were nominated for the five available positions, with the five accepted being Warwick Sherman’s Occasional Coarse Language, Mike Freebairn’s Ray White Spirit of Koomooloo, Grant Dawson’s Karisma, Anthony Sweetapple’s Quetzalcoatl and Paul Clitheroe’s Balance.
In addition, Sean Langman’s maxi yacht Loyal, representing the Huon Yacht Club in southern Tasmania, has been accepted by Gosford Sailing Club as turn-around entry. She is a clear favourite for line honours in the 414 nautical mile race across the Tasman Sea.
The Hempel Paints 37th Gosford to Lord Howe Island Race will start from Broken Bay, south of Gosford, at 1.00pm on Saturday, 30 October with the fleet heading north to a turning mark off Terrigal before setting a north-easterly course across the Tasman to Lord Howe Island. — Peter Campbell
Peter Fox writes….
I am seeking information on a class called the Pittwater 30s. There is one for sale in Queensland.
They were designed or built by Halvorsen, Morson & Gowland in the early 70’s in glass, presumably for the twilight racing on Pittwater.
I think only 3 were built but not sure. The profile from the top resembles a dragon, but most certainly have a fin keel, and much more substantial accommodation. If you can help please contact
Neil Farmer writes….(to the Geelong Wooden Boat Festival)
“I read in a recent Club Marine magazine that your club had a wooden boat regatta last weekend. I noted in the article that the festival featured ex pilot boats which caught my attention as I am a Sydney Pilot and own an ex Pilot Boat that had its origins in Melbourne. Her name is “URANA” (photo below) and I understand she was build around 1911 and used to transport River Pilots up and down the Yarra. I do not believe she was owned by the river pilots, as they did not own boats, so she was probably used on charter.
I re-built her two years ago and while I have some limited knowledge of her history, I am keen to find out more. I would love to know if any of your wooden boat members have any knowledge of her.
Hopefully one day I will be able to bring her to Geelong for your festival weekend (on a truck)
Kind regards
Neil Farmer”
farmers@bigpond.net.au
Thomas André writes…
Please, find attached the program of our classic event, that will take place in Ajaccio, Corsica, from the 24th of may to the 30th may 2010. The Event will close on 30th of may with the start of the “Yacht Club de France Spring Cup”, the first CIM cruiser race of the year Ajaccio-Antibes. We expect an exceptional meeting as 42 classic yachts are already registered and with the coming of “big boats” like Mariska the sistership of Tuiga (W. Fife), Moonbeam of Fife vs Moonbeam IV and many visitors coming from all over the world, as the “Roaring Forty” Rowdy (Herresoff NYYC class 40), Samarkand from Germany. Registration is open to any yacht owner in the Epoch, Classic and Spirit of Tradition categories. Of course, all impassioned sailors who wish to join the Régates Impériales will receive a friendly welcome.