“Pink makes everything fabulous.” – Barbie
Following up on last Decenbers post Fresh D’s Restored & ready to race, how could we not share with you these images and story on newly restored Derwent Class MERMAID!
Mermaid, the Derwent Class yacht undergoing restoration at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co, will soon take her place among the D-Class fleet – standing out from the crowd with her hot pink hull.
Mermaid is D11 and the second D-Class in the family for the owners of D18, Merlin, adding to the local fleet racing in regular twilight sessions in Kettering.
Rebuilt using Celery Top Pine planking, Mermaid required bucket loads of WEST SYSTEM epoxy products, E-fibreglass, Technifill R1160 and Epifanes gloss varnish for the final finish, from ATL Composites.
Matt Stevens, shipwright and Director at Tasmanian Shipwrights & Co described the project as “complex and complicated”.
“For the amount of work in the six-month time frame, it was very tricky. We worked every day, some very long days, to get Mermaid ready for relaunch at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February.” The last step is the installation of the rudder, waterline mark and the considerable mast, which at 36-foot long is quite the stick for a 24-foot boat, as Matt points out.
Key to Mermaid’s immaculate appearance is the range of products from ATL Composites, including WEST SYSTEM epoxy resins, Technifill R1160 fairing compound and Epifanesclear varnish in high gloss.
“Epifanes is a beautiful, traditional varnish that protects the timber and gives it a brilliant gloss finish. It’s easy to work with and delivers superb results,” Matt comments.
The team is also applying their considerable craftsmanship to other resto projects, including 40-foot timber yacht, Tradition and 30-foot Cayzer motor yacht, Floki.
Tradition will be among the myriad of wooden boats on show at this year’s AWBF, to be held in Hobart 7 to 10 February.
But first priority is to celebrate Mermaid’s official launch on Wednesday 5 February, with a line-up of all the D-Class yachts in the region, including Gremlin, Nymph and Minerva for enthusiasts, media and the public to admire.
Mermaid’s hot pink hull has caused quite a sensation around the yard and garnered mixed responses, according to Matt.
“You can’t miss her, that’s for sure. But the colour choice will make sense when they’re all lined up. Nymph is yellow, Minerva is purple and Gremlin is a dark forest green.”
Her owners are very happy with the head-turning hue and the quality of the restoration. “We have worked closely with them, and they can’t wait to get on board and sail her.”
And if you love your D’s….don’t forget a couple of events coming up at the Festival.
“To D or not to D?”. Sunday 18:30-20:00
Dechaineux Theatre, inside the UTAS School of Creative Arts and Media, located on Hunter Street.
As part of the Australian National Maritime Museum Wooden Boat Symposium, Sal Balharrie, co-founder of SWS, and film maker, will be facilitating a discussion on the Derwent Class revival.
Five young shipwrights and sailors will join Sal to discuss the phenomena. With distinctive design, rich local heritage, competitive racing potential and cool kid crews the “Ds” are back in demand.
They are being restored and raced by a fleet of sailors with smiles on their faces and Blundstones on their feet. So… why Ds? What is it about this Class that’s grabbed the attention and hands-on restoration abilities of a community – a group of boat finders, young sailors and shipwrights. This conversation will break it down. Join us to hear from a passionate community as they explain how they get their hands on these rare and precious boats and the unique system created to take a trashable hull and turn it into a unique craft.
With big dreams, where will a laid-back spirit of friendship and sailing take this very special class?
Derwent World Championships, River Derwent
Sun 9 February 10:00-15:00
Derwent Class yachts, unique in design and local heritage, have recently enjoyed a surge in restoration and interest. Their “World Championships,” held at each AWBF, highlight their historical charm and the competitive spirit of modern sailors, celebrating a seamless blend of tradition and contemporary sailing excellence.
PICCOLO Completes
Pink and plum are setting style direction for classic yachts. Doug Jack, builder of the new cold-moulded Tumlare PICCOLO died last year just as she was being rigged. See SWS story PLUM TUM. To honour Doug, his daughter Melissa Jack trialled her at Kettering last Saturday and will sail up to Hobart for the Wooden Boat Festival. See link to Kettering YC FB.
The Tasmanian ‘D’ Boys joined us recently in Melbourne for the Tumlaren Challenge. Now a few Tum sailors will come to Hobart and take PICCOLO out to follow the Derwent Class World Championships. See you there.
