The Triple “I”
The Classic Yacht Association has been organising the Cup Regatta for 18 years now. Its place on the calendar has always been the weekend before the Melbourne Cup. And it was always intended that the event would be more that a weekend of sailing, but with the horse race being on the following Tuesday, and the Monday officially a work day, there was never any obvious solution to extending the event beyond the Saturday and the Sunday.
This year the organisers tried something different, and we think it might have worked!
Melbourne’s Tumlaren fleet has nine fully functioning boats, one fully restored craft due for a relaunch in the next few months and three other hulls in various states of disrepair.
The owners are a generous lot, who understand the value of their craft, not in monetary sense but in regards to their place in Victoria’s sailing history. And they also appreciate their sailing prowess and curvaceous beauty.
The plan was hatched to invite five crews from Interstate and New Zealand to come to Williamstown and participate in a day of one design racing aboard these special craft.
And we had to find the “right” people. They had to have experience of competitive yacht racing, but also an appreciation for timber craft, and above all an understanding that the wellbeing of the crews and craft must be placed ahead of a desire to win. And without wanting to sound boastful…. we nailed it!
The crew of Martin Delves, Dave Pizzey and Ian Johnson had just won the CYAA winter series in AVIAN and so were nominated to be the local “defenders”. We decided that it would be unfair for them to sail in their regular boat so they were thrown into the boat draw with the others.
The first team from New Zealand was skippered by Peter Brookes. Peter is a craftsman and shipwright based in Auckland, perhaps most famous for his six year restoration of RAWHITI.
Robert Logan’s “Rawhiti”
Peter Kerr and his regular crew members Trevor and Jack made the trip down from Brisbane. Peter owns and operates Deagon Slipway on Cabbage Tree Creek in Queensland and is the custodian of the highly successful Tasman Seabird PAGAN, and has recently started racing a 30sq meter offshore!
PAGAN under kite in the Gladstone race Image -Mitch Pearson www.surfsailkite.com
Martin van der Wal, custodian of HOANA came down with regular crew from Sydney harbour. Being responsible for a 100 year old Couta boat derivative that has circumnavigated with the legendary Joe Adams aboard and now races regularly and successfully out of SASC made this crew the perfect team to represent the Harbour City.
HOANA racing on Sydney Harbour - Image Andrea Francolini.
The Tasmanians were represented by Gus McKay, custodian of the Derwent Class GOBLIN, Wills McKay & James Cowmeadow. Based in Kettering the Derwent Class is going through a renaissance in no small part due to the ethusiasm of Gus and his fellow sailors. It was an absolute pleasure to have them inject their energy and positivity into the whole regatta.
GOBLIN racing at the last AWBF -Image Mark Chew
The sixth and final boat went to a second New Zealand Crew sailed by the regular Cup Regatta stalwarts, Iain Valentine, trustee for the Classic Yacht Charitable Trust & skipper of FRANCES and Martin Robertson, boat builder & Mullet boat sailor.
Martin Robertson aboard Mullet boat ORION II Image-Lyn Bergquist,
On the Thursday before the Regatta, the teams drew their boat and were given the chance to sail the engineless 27 footers, on the bay for the first time. A few teething issues were sorted out and a adjustments made in preparation for racing on the Friday.
Port Phillip showed her not unfamiliar face on Friday with 12-16 knots of breeze from the south, overcast sky, an ugly little chop, and a balmy 16 degrees to test the Queenlanders.
The race officers from RYCV ran three great windward leeward races of about 45minutes each. Racing was tight and all the crews had their moments. It soon became clear that Peter Brookes and his team aboard the recently restored YVONNE were doing what Kiwis do best ….win sailing races. With a bullet in the first and second races, they looked like they would achieve a clean sweep, before the other Kiwi boat SNOW GOOSE came from the clouds to win race three forcing YVONNE into second place.
The wash up showed Peter Brookes and team on YVONNE coming first with a 1-1-2. Peter Kerr and team on AVIAN came second. Peter Costolloe dug up an old Tumlaren trophy at RMYS. This was presented at the Regatta Welcome party on Friday evening.
Despite the great performances on the water, the real heros of the event were the custodians of the six craft who took a risk in trusting their boats to sailors they didn’t know. And the result is that awareness of these wonderful craft is spreading far and wide.
We have already had an offer from a Martha’s Vineyard (USA) Tumlaren owner to donate his fully restored boat if she could be united with her sisters on Port Phillip. And there is a Tum in the Bay of Islands that’s looking for a new home as well.
So why is this article called The Triple I?
We had a lot of difficulty naming our new one design event. All suggestions mixing Interstate, Inter-dominion, Tumlaren and Challenge produced unfortunate acronyms. It remained unsettled even during the race briefing. And then, just before the start, our on-water Race Officer made an instinctive radio call;
‘ALL YACHTS intending to compete in the INTERSTATE and INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL for TUMLAREN …..’
Perfect. It was a world series upgrade to ‘The Triple I’, notwithstanding the engraver’s preemptive decision - see Peter Brookes with trophy (Tumlare = porpoise in Swedish).