“The Tradition Lives On”
Summer is upon us and COVID lockdown is behind us. If you are heading to southern Australian waters, there is a fair chance that you will spot a gaff rigged wooden boat sailing or cruising along the shoreline. And when in full sail they are magnificent in their graceful movement through the water.
We are talking here about the iconic Couta Boats. The Couta Boat Association is about to release a Coffee Table book featuring close on 200 Couta Boats, whose current and former custodians have provided photos and stories that bring to life the individual and collective history of these craft.
Couta Boats once dominated southern Australian waters as commercial fishing craft. The distinctive design of the boat evolved from the mid 1800s at Queenscliff in Victoria to suit the various methods of hauling fish, namely, barracouta, after which the craft is named. Included in the Coffee Table book is a comprehensive ‘Historical Overview’ authored by Peter Hannah, which traces the development of the design and function of the craft over one hundred years, from the 1800s through to the revival period of the 1980s.
The Couta Boats featured in the Coffee Table book are a mix of heritage boats that have been meticulously restored and boats that have been built from the design, from the early 1980s and onwards; boats that were built by the doyens of the boatbuilding industry in the 1900s, namely, the Lacco family and Peter Locke, to boats built by present day commercial boatbuilders. In addition, there are amateur wooden boat devotees who have undertaken a one-off project and applied their skills to building the craft. Whether it is a heritage or a more recently built boat, the singular theme in the profiles is a deep attachment that current and former custodians have to their boat.
As with any project, there were key people who initiated and developed the concept. In this case, Couta Boat sailors Ralph Wilson and Rod Martin were instrumental in developing the vision for a glossy Coffee Table book that would contain an anthology of stories and photos of Couta Boats. They seconded Tricia O’Brien and, later, Peter Hannah to undertake the research and contact current and former custodians of Couta Boats in southern waters.
The book has been developed in conjunction with an update of the live online Register on the Couta Boat Association website
At $100 (up until ist January) it should make the perfect Christmas present! Go to the CBA website to Place your order here