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News & Events Archive
New & Events - Queensland
I start off by thanking you all for attending this year’s Vintage Yacht Regatta and also for the comments via email and in person following the event. On behalf of Queensland Cruising Yacht Club, it was a pleasure to see you all at the Club and we hope you will join us again in 2011.
Results and Photos
The results have now been posted to the Regatta webpage www.qcyc.com.au/go/Sailing/VintageYachtRegatta.aspx where you will also find a link to the Video Picture Promotions site who were out with the fleet on Sunday taking photographs which are now available for purchase.
Your help is required!
Overall, the changes to this year’s Regatta have received a vote of approval however, there is always room for improvement and this is where your help is required. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this years Regatta and what else we can do.
1. Any comments will be helpful but specifically I am interested in the following areas:
2. Do we need to split up Division 3 (the shorter course) into two divisions and if so under what criteria; speed, age, size etc.?
3. Given the small number of Gaff’s in Division One (the longer course) should we permanently combine them with the other Vintage Yachts in Division Two?
4. Was the criteria for the split between Division Two (design year before 1970) and Division Four (design year after 1970) the correct one and if not, what would the correct criteria be?
5. Should the Regatta be spread out over three days?
6. Should a variety of different courses be used; for example a windward leeward for one race and a triangle for another?
7. Should a variety of different types of racing be used; for example, a pursuit race or a team event?
Thank you in advance for your comments which will be collated and used in the planning of next year’s Regatta.
Regards,
Nigel Statham
REGATTA DIRECTOR
nigel@qcyc.com.au
The 35th VINTAGE YACHT REGATTA is now just two weeks away! Keep reading for the latest news on the event…
Entries
The aim for this year is for 40 yachts; to date, entries and expressions of interest have been received from 18 entrants so we are well on the way. If you haven’t entered yet, please send your forms in as soon as possible.
Information Sheets
This year we are making up Information Sheets for display when you are in the Marina. The sheets will be A3 in size and laminated to protect them from the elements. Two copies will be created, one for competitors to take away with them for use at other regatta’s and the other one to keep at the club for future years. The aim of the Information Sheet is to provide a extra level of spectator involvement and will contain a photo of the boat, vital statistics and a few paragraphs on the history of the vessel. Naturally, we will have most of the details on the vessels from your entry form however, when you send in your entry, we would very much appreciate it if you could also email us a photo and the paragraphs of text. Email should be sent to nigel@qcyc.com.au Don’t forget, you can also email your entry form as well
Hempel Yacht Paints
As one of our primary sponsors for 2010, Hempel Yacht Paints are ensuring that winning your division on handicap will be something well worthwhile. Each division winner will be awarded with enough antifoul for one complete treatment, no matter how large the vessel; with some of the larger yachts this will be a significant undertaking and well worth racing for. For those of you that dont use antifoul don’t worry, as once again, Hempel have it covered with an alternative product such as varnish or deck paint.
Creek Depth
At this stage, the creek depth remains at the levels published in the Notice of Race. However, starting this week the Port of Brisbane will be undertaking bed levelling in the creek aiming for a minimum depth of 1.83m. With luck the majority of this work will be completed by the time of the Regatta.
Clarification on Divisions
A number of entrants have requested further clarification on the divisions. The divisions have been listed on the Notice of Race as the following:
1- Gaff Rig
2- Wooden Vintage (non Gaff Rig) over 10m
3- Wooden Vintage (and Gaff Rig by nomination) under 10m
4- Non wooden Vintage
Clarification one: Any vessel from div one and two can enter div three by nomination and visa versa.
Clarification two: Div four is designed for what one might call more “modern” vintage craft. For the purposes of description, the words “wooden” and “non-wooden” have been used however this by no means a hard and fast rule. Vessels such as the Flying Fifteens, while GRP, are certainly “vintage” in the real sense of the word and there is no intention to split up the Folkboats over a number of divisions. The bottom line is, when you enter, you can nominate whichever division you feel is the most appropriate to your level of competitiveness, the other vessels you wish to race against and the spirit of the division. As entries are being received, the yacht names are being updated on the Vintage Regatta webpage (see below) so why not check the site first and see which boats are in which division before sending your form in.
Saturday Night
Saturday night is shaping up to be a blast. Our sponsor, Pure Blonde, has organised their girls to come down and treat you all to complimentary beer tastings which will no doubt help get the tall stories flowing. Popular Brisbane band, “The Baby Boomers” will be playing and Slipways Restaurant will be hosting a buffet barbeque; Everybody is welcome so don’t miss out!
Regards, Nigel Statham Queensland Cruising Yacht Club
p: 07 3269 4588 f: 07 3269 0818
The Queen’s Birthday weekend is shortly upon us and as such, the Queensland Cruising Yacht Club (QCYC) invites you to once again participate in the 35th VINTAGE YACHT REGATTA on Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th June 2010. Over the last month, the Club has been speaking to a number of you with a view to how the competitors would like to see the event improve. As a result of these discussions, a number of changes to the format have been made to this year’s event.
The regatta has been expanded to four divisions for this year:
1- Gaff Rig
2- Wooden Vintage (non Gaff Rig) over 10m
3- Wooden Vintage (non Gaff Rig) under 10m
4- Non wooden vintage
As before, Divisions One and Two will be racing together but on longer courses than previous years. Upwind legs will now be approximately two nautical miles in response to the many requests the Race Committee has received over prior years.
For the smaller vessels, Division Three will be using a windward mark only one nautical mark from the Start Line but sharing the same wing mark as the bigger boats. However, if a vessel under 10mtr, but with suitable boat speed, wishes to race in Division Two on the longer course, they simply need to elect this before the regatta. Conversely, vessels over 10mtr are welcome to be placed in the smaller division should their boat speed be more suited to Division Three.
The forth Division is a new addition for this year. The aim of this change is to preserve the integrity of the regatta as a celebration of wooden vessels whilst also recognising the increasing number of other construction methods eligible under the 30 years and over requirement. This Division will be run completely separately from the other divisions with a start time 15 minutes before the others. The Club is hoping that by increasing the appeal of the event to a wider section of the yachting community we will be able to build on the significance of the regatta and the entrant numbers of previous events.
The second significant change to the regatta will be that the race on Saturday will no longer be a scratch event. Using a combination of results from previous years and club handicaps, the entire regatta will be raced under a handicap. Whilst, it is imperative that the ‘fun and relaxed’ elements of the weekend are maintained, this change will hopefully appeal to those skippers wishing for a more competitive regatta.
Lastly, you will note that the Notice of Race includes a provision for a second race on the Sunday. A decision will be taken on this on the day depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
The Notice of Race and Entry Form are now available for download from the Regatta web page www.qcyc.com.au/go/Sailing/VintageYachtRegatta.aspx
As ever we ask that boat owners and skippers give serious consideration to the rules and eligibility criteria before entering and remember to keep in mind the spirit of the event and their level of experience as well as that of their crew.
You should find all the required information in the NOTICE OF RACE but please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any further queries.
We thank very much, Pusser’s Rum, Hempel Yacht Paints, Deagon Slipway, Gill Clothing, Pure Blonde and Australiawide Boat Sales for their generous support of this Regatta and look forward to welcome you back to the Club.
Nigel Statham
Queensland Cruising Yacht Club
p: 07 3269 4588 f: 07 3269 0818
nigel@qcyc.com.au
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
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.
That Thin Line Between Bold And Insane..
This morning, one of the greatest Australian adventurers of all time, Don McIntyre, formally announced his most recent expedition – to re-create one of the most extraordinary stories of survival and determination, Captain William Bligh’s 4,000 mile open boat ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ voyage.
The reenactment, following the journey across the Pacific from Tonga to Timor, will launch on the same day (April 28th), at the same time and in the same place 221 years after the original mutiny journey.
Not content with just taking on this huge challenge, McIntyre and his crew of 3 men are also attempting to raise over $250,000 for The Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease (SIF), which is building the world’s first research Institute into Motor Neurone Disease (MND), Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The seven week expedition aboard the Talisker Bounty Boat – a 25ft long, 7ft wide, open wooden vessel – will see the crew -facing the same deprivations as the original crew that were cast adrift in the middle of the Pacific, including: no navigation charts; only two weeks of water; hardly any food; and, of course, no luxuries like a torch or toilet paper!
Alongside Don McIntyre, one of Australia’s most experienced sailors and adventurers, the international crew includes experienced English sailor David Wilkinson, US sailor and businessman Peter Stier and the youngest ever Solo circumnavigator, 17 year old Brit Mike Perham. The crew met together for the first time a little over two weeks ago and have spent the last fortnight together in Sydney, training and making last minute preparations for the journey, a journey that has been Don’s dream to complete for 20 years.
McIntyre does not underestimate the challenge ahead: “We’re incredibly excited to get close to Captain Bligh and his crew; however everyone aboard the Talisker Bounty Boat will be pushed to the limit of endurance and survival, forever hungry and unsure of everything, except their own desire to fight through this.”
The voyage is sponsored by Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the only single malt whisky from the Isle of Skye which is also the origin of Don McIntyre’s ancestry as his grandparents emigrated to Australia from Skye shortly after their marriage in 1901.
To follow the expedition and donate to this cause, visit www.taliskerbountyboat.com
John McGrath is searching for pictures of Typhoon the 30 Square meter racer now kept at RQYS. Especially when she was sailing from Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club in the mid 1960’s. If you can be of any assistance please contact john@agsuk.co.uk
Entries for the 174th Australia Day Regatta close today with the Sailing Office at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, with regatta organisers expecting up to 140 yachts and skiffs to compete in the historic Sydney Harbour event and in the traditional short ocean race to Botany Bay and return.
The Australia Day Regatta will be sailed on the harbour from 1.30pm on Australia, next Tuesday, 26 January while the ocean race will start at 11am with the fleet heading down the coast to Botany Bay.
Casual entries are also being received by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for the Botany Bay Race, which is part of the club’s Ocean Point Score, the Grant Thornton Short Ocean Point Score, with the Grant Thornton Short Haul (non-spinnaker) fleet also joining the race this year.
A feature of the harbour regatta will be the emphasis on the early days of yacht racing in Sydney, with up to 30 original or replica ‘old-timers’ taking part in the Gaff-Riggers, Classic Yachts and Historical Skiffs divisions.
Among entries for the classic yacht division are 1966 Sydney Hobart Race line honours winner Fidelis, now owned by Nigel Stoke, and the 8-metre class yacht Erica J, owned by Les Goodridge. Erica J last year celebrated her 60th anniversary and a career that included winning the coveted Sayonara Cup for Tasmania in 1953.
The gaff-riggers division is headed by the famous Ranger, with octogenarian skipper Bill Gale again at the helm and proudly carrying the sail number A1 of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.
The nine Historical Skiffs are all replicas of the spectacular gaff-rigged 18-footers that raced on Sydney Harbour a century ago, many helmed by modern-day skiff champions including John Winning (Australia IV) and Michael Chapman (Yendys). Built to the original plans, these icons of Sydney Harbour carry colour emblems rather than sail numbers on their massive mainsails. — Peter Campbell
Norm Souter-Smith recently contacted the Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats to find a good home for his very historic yacht Oimara.
Norm wrote:
“It is with a lot of sadness that my wife Beryl and I have come to the decision that Oimara should be passed to a younger person or organization with the enthusiasm and enterprise to restore her to her former glory”.
For the full story and some lovely imagery visit
Rees Martin Writes…
“After a very successful Six Metre World Championships in Newport R.I. it is clear that Classics Sixes are still being found and restored . Several were converted for cruising in the 1920s; some raced in the Solent as Q Class yachts. I suspect there are examples where the owner may not even know they are 6 Metres. Uffa Fox wrote enthusiastically about several – at least two of which have disappeared.
Could I ask your readers if they own or know of any Sixes sitting under wraps, being cruised or lying derelict in a yard? The Class has extensive records of all the Sixes built and most have been identified however there are several important examples still to be found and bought back to race again!”
Replies to Rees at rees@6mr.org.uk