www.classic-yacht.asn.au Issue 23 - January 2007 - Classic Yacht Association of Australia Magazine CONTENTS CYAA REPRESENTATIVES 2 COMING EVENTS 2 LINDAUER REGATTA 2007 3 THE INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND TALES OF THE ‘SIRIUS’ 4 THE TUMLARENS - PART II 10 ANOTHER TUM-TALE, JAMES FRECHEVILLE ON HOW “TARNA” WAS RESCUED AND RESTORED 16 DAVID ALLEN SAILING PROFILE 17 CLASSIC YACHTS MAGAZINE BOOK REVIEWS 18 31ST HEMPEL VINTAGE YACHT REGATTA 20 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL TASMANIA 21 “ALWYN” STILL “SAILING ON” 22 EUROPEAN NEWS 23 KOOMOOLOO 25 JAMES FRECHEVILLE, BOAT BUILDER FROM PAYNESVILLE EXPLAINS TRADITIONAL LAID DECKS 27 CLASSIC SHORTS 28 NEW MEMBERS 29 Our aim is to promote the appreciation and participation of sailing classic yachts in Australia, and help preserve the historical and cultural significance of these unique vessels. Classic Yacht Association of Australia CYAA REPRESENTATIVES COMING EVENTS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL - SOUTH AUSTRALIA CYAA Officer 10-12 March 2007, Goolwa SA 343 Ferrars St Albert Park Past festivals we have had, apart from the 250 smaller Victoria 3206 craft, up to three paddle steamers operating from the [email protected] Goolwa Wharf. This year, there will be five paddle steamers, gathering over three days of huffing river behemoths (with EDITORIAL on board visitor access!) that has possibly not been seen Tony Frederick anywhere since the 1950’s. [email protected] WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL - GEELONG VICTORI Design and Production Blue Boat 10-12 March 2007, Royal Geelong Yacht Club www.blueboat.com.au Anchors are up, and planning commenced for the second biennial Whyte Just & Moore Lawyers Wooden Boat Festival NEW SOUTH WALES of Geelong. Philip Kinsella Tel (02) 9498 2481 COLONIAL NAVY BOAT SHOW [email protected] Sat 24th & Sun 25th March 2007 QUEENSLAND 10am - 6pm Ivan Holm Williamstown Maritime Association Tel (07) 3207 6722, Mobile 0407 128 715 Coinciding with the Williamstown Summer Festival, The [email protected] Williamstown Maritime Association is proud to present its SOUTH AUSTRALIA fourth Annual Boat Show, this year highlighting Victoria’s Tony Kearney Colonial Navy history. Mobile 0408 232 740 [email protected] SYDNEY WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL TASMANIA 8-9 March 2008 Kelvin Aldred Sydney’s fun-for-everyone harbourside celebration will Mobile 0412 108 994 be bigger than ever with more than 100 superb boats, [email protected] from graceful yachts to streamlined speedboats, a festive VICTORIA marketplace selling all things nautical and an outstanding Damian Purcell display of boating products. Tel (03) 8344 6753 [email protected] AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL Feb 2009, Constitution Dock With over 500 boat registrations for Festival 2007, who knows what the 2009 event will bring. COVER PHOTO The Cover Image is of Koomooloo is taken from “Classic Racing Yachts in Australian Waters” Wri�en by Jock Sturrock with paintings by Bob Booth page 2 Issue 23 - January 2007 © CYAA LINDAUER REGATTA 2007 This amazing opportunity was taken up by 14 sailors from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria who flew to Auckland under the guise of “The Australian Team” This included such sailors as Doug Shields, one of the founders of the CYAA, Julian Bethwaite, Designer of the 49er Olympic skiff, Keith Glover, Owner of Wraith of Odin and champion multihull sailor and Mike Freebairn, Skipper of Koomooloo, recently sunk in the ‘06 Sydney Hobart. The two big gaffers in 35 knots. The four days began with an wonderful motor cruise aboard classic launches on the Waitamate and an exceptional Dinner hosted by the commodore of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron John Crawford. The Australian contingent was divided between four boats ranging from the ex-Melbourne based Logan, Waitangi to The 107 year old Bailey 30� Gaff Cu�er Thelma sailed by circumnavigators Lin and Larry Pardy. The fleet, especially the gaffers were tested on day one, as the forecast of 20-25 knots became a reality of 30-35 knots with Waione and Prize, day two. gusts up to 45knots and solid rainsqualls. Amazingly very few boats retired. The Alden Schooner Arcturus was in her element romping along with the fisherman set. It must be windy over there on the East Coast of the USA where she comes from. Day two provided a great contrast as the fleet had to work their way from one patch of breeze to another in the round Rangitoto Race. The course was around 25nm and provided a long hot day on the water following on from the body bruising conditions on the day before. Needless to say this All images by Terry Fong All images by Terry was no longer schooner weather and the A and K class sloops Waitangi back on the Hauraki Gulf. came to the fore. are destined to continue as a small organisation relying on On the final day the wind Gods finally got it right with the efforts of commi�ed amateur individuals to make things a steady 20 knots of breeze, clear skies and the wonderful happen. There is no doubt that there is value for organisations scenery of the Hauraki Gulf displayed at its best. who wish to support Classic Yachting, however as a group With over fi�y boats sailing hard over the three days we we need to be more proactive in ge�ing the message out. Australians can take a lesson from this rega�a. We must Our sincere thanks must go to Tony Blake, Bruce Tantrum get our act together in terms of Sponsorship. Lindauer did and John Street of the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust, and a wonderful job supporting the event and they in turn were to Joyce Talbot the dedicated administrator of the CYANZ. supported by up to twenty minor sponsors. I am sure they all Without the enthusiasm and hospitality of these generous felt that their contributions have been worthwhile with great people, our trip would never have been possible. I suspect publicity for the event even to the extent of banners flying in that a few long-term friendships have been born. the main street of Auckland. This sponsorship provided for a well organised rega�a with excellent facilities and fantastic Look out for details of a reciprocal event for later this year to prizes. Without financial support such as this we in Australia be announced in the next few weeks. page 3 Classic Yacht Association of Australia PART I 0F II where they saw the twelve-foot dragon lizards, (varanus komodoensis). THE INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND Clive Russell the most inexperienced of the crew had a bad TALES OF THE “SIRIUS” experience at the helm one night. He became confused and THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN YACHT TO almost put the Sirius on a reef. Harold Nossiter awoke to CIRCUMNAVIGATE THE GLOBE. the sound of the breaking waves and managed to start the CIRCA 1935. engine in time to avoid disaster by twenty feet. A�er this incident, the responsibility of steering alone at night affected Russell’s nerves and he would wake at night in his cabin Before you read this story, fill a large glass or cup with your and flash his torch about looking for the compass, thinking favourite beverage, it’s a long journey. he was still steering. Nossiter even considered abandoning the circumnavigation and suggested just circumnavigating Australia instead but the eldest crewmember, his son Harold In 1932 the celebrated Australian yachtsman, Harold Nossiter, was determined to continue and he urged on the rest of won the Lipton Cup, one of Australia’s most coveted yachting the crew. trophies. Nossiter was planning retirement from his Sydney- based importing business in order to circumnavigate the They pressed on to Bali and Batavia (Jakarta), Indonesia then world by yacht. Singapore and Penang where the Sirius was hauled out to have the hull cleaned and anti-fouled. They came off the His own yacht Utiekah II was a good sea boat but had li�le slip on 10th November and set sail for Langkawi where they forefoot and would not heave-to, so she was condemned moored in Kuah on the 16th. There, Tunku Abdul Rahman, a for the purpose. He felt he required a custom designed son of the Sultan of Kedah and a Thai Princess were in charge boat of advanced concept for the time, he took his ideas to of the district. The Sultans son and his wife, an Englishwoman J.D.Thistlewaite, a naval architect in Greenwich N.S.W. who made the crew’s stay very pleasant and entertained them at converted them to paper and completed the design in 1933. their home several times. The Tunku who later became the The vessel was to be a canoe-sterned staysail schooner of first Prime Minister of Malaysia gave the eldest son Harold, some 35 tons displacement with accommodation for six. a Malay Kris, which hangs on the wall in Harold’s bedroom to this day. Length overall 62 feet, length on deck 53.5 feet, beam 13.5 feet, dra� 7.5 feet and carrying 1600 square feet of sail. Her The next stop was in Colombo where, due to nerve-strain lines indicated a full-bodied hull of generous displacement. Clive Russell le� the vessel. His father flew from Australia to Construction was to be all timber with planking below the take him home. On the next leg of the journey to Aden, the water line in Western Australian Jarrah and above in New wind was almost dead a�, with a confused and nasty sea. The Zealand Kauri. crew were having difficulty steering as Dick Nossiter recalls with a chuckle.