Above: shortly after the Armistice and the final ‘going home’ issue of Yandoo, the newspaper of the 7th Field Artillery posted on the Western Front during World War I. Left: by the late ’70s wings were creeping into the 18-footers, initially by bolting on simple alloy racks. John Winning’s Pacific Harbour is seen opposite in original form then a few months later (left) with these modest racks; still extreme for the time, however – Pacific’s first set of ‘wings’ had extended just 6in from the gunwale
driver of people, chasing people up and making things happen, and Sil was all of that. He owned a very fine fishing boat which was called Maluka – the very same boat that Sean Langman races now. Sil used that as a start boat for the VJs for my father plus all the other kids. Dad had a couple of VJs, a secondhand
one and one he and my uncle built under the house – that is now at the Heritage display here in Sydney, named Revival, which won a Commonwealth Cup in the late 1930s. Dad then sailed a couple of Vaucluse Senior (VS) dinghies – 3ft 6in longer than the original VJ. For me sailing was the thing. Running a
12ft skiff is pretty simple, small enough to handle, and it was a privilege really getting a ride in those days – now you are lucky to get a crew! You need to attract these sailors and
keep them; some of the old blokes were very strict on club fees and memberships, but I reckon you are better to hit blokes who are thinking about sailing with a feather than a baseball bat – we need them. In 1958 the clubs here realised they
needed another small boat along with the VJ, and they got the concept of the Sabot dinghy from Don Brooke in New Zealand. So they built half a dozen of them on the top deck in the winter. Peter Shipway’s father built one with
him along with a group of other dads. Of course I was younger than the other children so my dad built a smaller one – a
6ft version using their offcuts! I was six – it is nothing nowadays to sail at that age, but in those days that was very young. That 6ft Sabot was a bit tippy! The next
one was a beautiful full-sized one that dad’s crew built me. And it came pretty easy to me as it was nearly all handicap racing. Lots of 20-minute races that taught us starting and tide and wind. Plus half the kids at Vaucluse Public School sailed – it was what you did. I played football and cricket at school but I wasn’t particularly good at them. I always sailed. I left school at 16 and the week that I
was supposed to be studying for my final exams I spent working on my new VJ… I am not an academic, Blue, but neither am I stupid. I passed my school certificate and then went off to work as an apprentice carpenter and joiner – plenty of work with my hands… and solving problems. Sailing was always for the love of it
really. I did six years in the trade then went into the family business and was busy from then on. Monday to Friday – a full day’s work and home at 8pm, so the week- ends were free. We pretty much sailed in Sydney, here
in Vaucluse or the launch would tow us to Abbotsford, or Lane Cove. I went from VJ to the bigger VS in 1969 for a year, then had three of the 12-footers over four years. Then I was approached by Travelodge,
as Bob Holmes had suggested I might be a good bloke to take over from him in the 18s… I didn’t get the gig but I did race a
12 for them for a season, a stitch-and-glue ply boat. We won the inter-dominions with that one, then got into 18-footers after that. Bruce Farr and Russell Bowler sailed 12ft skiffs, so they were a good competitive boat. The boats were pretty affordable, plus you could easily stick them on the roof of your car. Because they were stich and glue they
had all sorts of odd shapes and bulges as they weren’t built around a frame. We had good sails, from Jack Hamilton – he was good in the 18s, and he made them for my Sabot, VJ, VS and 12. Back then the 18s featured pretty big in
the papers here, The Mirror and The Tele- graph had a big spread every Wednesday and Thursday and they would pad those out with mentioning you in a 12 or a Sabot if you won a championship.
Into 18s My first 18-footer was a Bruce Farr boat, Travelodge! And I had that for two years, then we did our own version of that style. Bruce designed and sailed skiffs and he
was also the first skiff designer who sent you a set of plans with more than just a few lines! They were pretty comprehen- sive, they cost $500 and I thought he was robbing us. But he had all the details, with your lengths, your spinnaker pole, bow - sprit details, sail specs all sent from him in New Zealand. He was still just dabbling in yachts at that stage, and so these were good skiff
SEAHORSE 43
PHOTOS FRANK QUEALEY & BOB ROSS
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