Just manhandling the boats on their trailers in and out
of the water tests strength and teamwork, especially at
low tide through the black mud at the Careening Cove
launching ramp.
A capsize or swamping means the end of your race.
The boat has to be towed to a beach where the water
can be bailed out before proceeding back to
the Sydney Flying Squadron.
All that forges a strong spirit of companionship
throughout the fleet. With the emphasis on fun rather
than the contents of the trophy cabinet, the social
program of the championship was a full one with
a welcome dinner, post-race barbecues and a final
presentation dinner at the SFS clubhouse.OVERSEAS INTEREST
The historical fleet’s administrator Bob Killick
worked hard to attract overseas skippers for this year’schampionship. Besides Cudmore back for more was
Californian Pakhtun Shah who competed last year.
From New Zealand came the McDell brothers Terry
and Kim with Peter Brook. With Terry skippering, Brook
on mainsheet and Kim McDell sailing forward they won
the JJ Giltinan Championship for the modern 18-footers
at Auckland in 1974 with Travelodge New Zealand, a
hard-chine Bruce Farr design.
Also in their crew aboard Australia IV was Russell
Bowler, The Kiwi innovator whose revolutionary Benson
& Hedges finished third behind Australians Iain Murray’s
Color 7 and Dave Porter’s win in the 1977 Giltinan
championship in Auckland.
Benson & Hedges led the 18s into a new
construction pathway with a smaller, lightweight,
round-bilge hull built from polystyrene foam
sandwiched in fibreglass.
Among Australians joining them on Australia IV
was Don Buckley who, with Andrew Buckland onABOVE: Yendys
in race two
typically holding
a slight edge over
Aberdare upwind.
TOP: Ian Smith’s
faithful replica of
Britannia was third.
OPPOSITE PAGE:
Yendys trails
Aberdare, not long
before the race
two capsize.72
AUSTRALIAN SAILING (^) + YACHTING
APRIL-MAY 2015 MYSAILING.COM.AU
THE GALLOPING GHOST