Australian sailors have always respected their New Zealand neighbours. With a population of only 4.8m, NZ holds the America’s Cup, have long pedigree with both ocean racing and dinghy design and a healthy tradition of maintaining their yachting heritage.

“But sailing is a pursuit most fascinating, varied, and exciting, in which women can become absolutely proficient, requiring no particular muscular effort or physical strength, only quickness of judgment, and a knowledge, which can be acquired by practice and the opportunity. So any woman wishing to shine in a delightful little world of her own would do well to emulate Miss Pritchard.”

What a great outcome it would be if she could regularly race on Port Phillip, her spiritual home, against her elder sister, providing pleasure not only for a new custodian and her crew, but for all those lucky enough to witness the sight.

Although the Australian’s were quietly confident that they would not be disgraced, they were not prepared for the horse laughter of the English yachting press. One of their quotes read: 'Very sporting of the Australians to send over a couple of cruising boats (double-enders) and a very old Robert Clark design'.

While there are hundreds of beautiful words, lyrical and practical, used to describe the hull a boat, when it comes the interior there are few. Words seem to describe the atmosphere rather than the space. Those that do define space seem to have come from via the Navy rather than from the lips of the designer.

As with all things involving our FAIR WINDS crew, the weekend began with a knock-out dinner and about thirty seven bottles of our finest…and then the wind blew! Sal and Mark wrap up the weekend that was the GREAT VETERANS RACE.

It’s a good time to re-introduce inexpensive ply kits. Mirror enthusiasts from the 1960’s and 70’s are now parents and grandparents wanting to share Mirror Love with a new generation. So write Charlie Salter and Jaemie Wilson.

Bucknell happened to drink with Daily Mirror feature writers in a local Ealing pub. The Mirror was the largest circulation tabloid in the UK and was keen for a project. Sailing had recently topped a poll of English leisure activities so Bucknell suggested his DIY dinghy…And the rest is dinghy history so write Charlie Salter and Jaemie Wilson.

When Scott Patrick took Wistari out for her 51st race we thought she deserved an appropriate escort of vintage timber yachts. It would be the 18th Gladstone for Pagan, my 1962 Tasman Seabird, and the first time Dan Deburiatte skippered 1959 Joanne Brodie in the race up the coast. Wistari sure as hell didn’t wait around for us though. 

Albert Park Lake in Melbourne and Lake Wendouree in Ballarat are large, freshwater, metropolitan lakes, often forgotten for their contribution to boating, yacht design and racing for 150 years.

Quick trivia question : Name three yachts that arrived off Battery Point, at the end of the Sydney-Hobart, believing they were line honours winners, only to be denied by the protest committee?

Peter Warner may have won line honours in three Sydney to Hobart Races and narrowly missed a fourth by less than a minute but perhaps he was better known for his rescue of 6 Shipwrecked,Tongan teenagers.

So, when I was given a copy of South Sea Vagabonds by Johnny Wray I assumed it was going to be another entertaining but outdated, perhaps pompous account of a privileged white man’s parade through the islands. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The success of a yachting class often rests with a few unforeseen events and decisions. For over 90 years two similar boats, the Tumlaren and the Dragon have competed for devotees.

I’m developing another theory which is almost the inverse. It goes something like this…. “The amount of pleasure per dollar gained from owning a wooden boat is inversely proportional to its length.”

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Launch of VANITY, the 24ft Ranger Class Gaffer, that has set the standard for the class over the last two decades.

With a couple of recent “barn finds” of Tums with excellent provenance and the legendary YVONNE due to emerge out of the shed after an exhaustive restoration, the class is ready for another growth spurt.

Plans were thrown into chaos with boats trapped on the hard and crew travel arrangements stymied, undaunted, Peter Costolloe pressed ahead and those who made it to the start line didn’t regret it.

In late primary school, I was dragged by my father to Sydney on one his boat buying expeditions. At Middle Harbour, we saw DEFIANCE, which was not for sale but that was the boat for us.

Come and join fellow lovers of fine lines and beautiful craftsmanship in what is set to become a regular event on Pittwater.