Obituary - Bernard Lewis

by David Kellett - AM on 16 Jun 2004 Bernard Lewis, prominent Maxi yacht owner of the 1980's passed away on 2nd June after a long illness.

Bernard was born in Hudersfield, Yorkshire in England on Boxing Day in 1933. His parents moved to Australia at the end of World War II and settled in Hobart.

Little did a young Bernard realise the significance his birth date and the Australian city he lived in would mean in his later sailing life. After relocating to Sydney in the 1960's with $100 and an old Ford Zypher car, Bernard continued his career in real estate and became one of the most successful property developers in Australia.

I first met Bernard in early 1978 soon after he purchased the famous Australian yachting icon GRETEL sight unseen.

His initial thought was to use the famous vessel as a static display at Huntington Harbour one of his canal developments on Queensland's Gold Coast. GRETEL had been roughly converted for ocean racing and was delivered from Melbourne by a team of mates assembled by Bernard's right hand man in business for 30 years, John Cleland, a keen sailor from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.

On arrival in Sydney after a harrowing voyage up through Bass Strait, GRETEL was moored in front of Bernard's waterfront home in Vaucluse. Thus began the love affair with that particular yacht and yacht racing which saw Bernard become a successful ocean racing sailor and world maxi yacht champion.

Realising soon after arrival in Sydney that the beautiful GRETEL should not spend the rest of her days languishing in a Queensland canal, Bernard decided to renovate her and asked me to assemble a crew capable of racing her to Hobart.

Bernard raced the boat every Saturday or Sunday depending on the season. GRETEL competed in all the major East Coast races with reasonable success and fulfilled Bernard's dream of his yacht racing in the Sydney to Hobart race in 1978, followed by 1979 and 1980 where she finished fifth over the line and second on handicap. A marvellous achievement for an eighteen year old yacht designed for the America's
Cup.

Bernard loved the competition and camaraderie that sailing bought. The crew lived by his saying ‘How do you spell fun - WIN’.

Many great days were held with family and friends on Sydney Harbour during non race days, he loved sailing with full sail hoisted to let friends experience the rush of a big yacht under full power. Bernard also became a great proponent of club life, having joined the CYCA in 1978 and thoroughly enjoyed the 'après' sailing after the races.

The GRETEL crew became infamous for 'winter drinks' (double rum and cokes) at the nor'west corner of the bar in Coaster's Retreat. Woe betide any young crew from another yacht who accidentally took Bernard's favoured position on the corner.

Bernard was also keen on race horses and named a promising two year old ‘Quiet Little Drink’ after the famous Hobart activity.

Late in 1981, Bernard purchased VENGEANCE (Siska IV) from Rolly Tasker in Western Australia. She arrived in Sydney in early December and on Bernard's birthday raced out of Sydney Harbour neck and neck with four other maxi boats.

Two days later VENGEANCE took Line Honours by over four hours from ‘Condor of Bermuda’ fulfilling another dream of Bernard's to be first to finish in his old home town. Another great performance given that the crew had only sailed the boat for three weeks.

Over the next three years VENGEANCE went on to take Line Honours in most of the East Coast races, including Race Records in all the regular ocean races from Sydney Harbour and competed in the Sydney Hobart in 1982, 83 and 1984.

The Sydney Hobart of 1984 was an extremely tough race with a 40 knot southeaster blowing for over 24 hours. VENGEANCE was second over the line to ‘Lion New Zealand’.

Bernard represented the CYCA in the 1982 Kenwood Cup in Hawaii. He had visited Hawaii on many occasions but racing in the waters off Oahu in his own yacht, racing against some of the best yachts in the world, gave him great pleasure and success as part of the team winning the Club Team trophy.

Having met with much success on the Australian East Coast, Bernard wanted a yacht with which he could compete at world class level on the Maxi Yacht circuit. He sold VENGEANCE in 1985 and requested I produce a new yacht that would take the Line and Handicap double in the Sydney Hobart race and be competitive on the world circuit. No small feat but with Bernard's great passion and leadership we proceeded.

Naval Architect David Pedrick was commissioned to design an 83' maxi yacht, at that time the largest maxi in the world. Pedrick had designed ‘Nirvana’ a beautiful looking maxi yacht which met with great success throughout the world whilst still including a comfortable fit out below, part of Bernard's criteria for a yacht he could both race competitively and entertain guests aboard. A building team was assembled around master aluminium boat builder Paul Kelly and between February and November 1986 the magnificent SOVEREIGN was created.

From her launching in late November 1986 by Bernard's wife Toni, SOVEREIGN won everything she competed in, except the Sydney Hobart race of that year when she was forced to retire due to a failure of a bolt in the spreader root connection to the mast.

Typical of Bernard's attitude, no blame was laid, just support to get things right and show what SOVEREIGN was capable of.

1987 was a vintage year for Bernard and his crew; SOVEREIGN took Line Honours in each of the 30 races she contested, winning over half on handicap and being highly placed in the remainder.

In the Sydney Mooloolaba, she finished first, 80 miles in front of the second yacht, an 80'maxi. SOVEREIGN was selected in the New South Wales team for the Southern Cross Cup. NSW won when SOVEREIGN won the Line Honours and Handicap double in the Sydney Hobart Race, fulfilling Bernard's brief and dream. No yacht has been able to repeat this feat since.

Bernard was very proud to have been chosen to represent Australia in the 1988 Kenwood Cup, SOVERIGN met with moderate success against the first of the carbon fibre Maxi yachts and typical of Bernard's drive and enthusiasm, instructed us to do what we could to improve performance in the six weeks available between Hawaii and the San Francisco Big Boat Series. He wanted to have some fun (WIN).

David Pedrick and I devised some minor changes carried out by long time Delivery Skipper Lou Davidson and Boat Captain Darren Williams in the available time. The performance improved and whilst lying second in the San Francisco regatta, a foul up with a running backstay saw Sovereign's mast break at the top spreader.

Typical of Bernard, by the time we were back at the dock, he had assembled a team within the crew and worked out how we could repair the mast and be back racing within 36 hours, not missing a race due to a convenient lay day. Bernard was so proud when his team delivered SOVEREIGN back to her dock in time for the next race, to a standing ovation from all the owners and crews of his competitors.

Following the increased performance in San Francisco, Bernard ordered a new keel, mast and sails to ensure the boat was at her best to take on the 1989 World Maxi Championship which was to be held in three regattas, the US Virgin Islands, Newport Rhode Island and Palma, Majorca.

After winning in both the Virgin Islands and Newport, SOVEREIGN was about to be delivered to Europe when an American made an offer Bernard could not refuse. Whilst disappointed not to officially win the World Maxi Championship, he had won two of the three regattas and shown the world what his team could do.

After twelve years of intense competitive sailing and with the handicap rules in a state of change, Bernard felt it was time to have a rest for a while. Unfortunately by the time the rules had settled to produce good race boats, Bernard's health had deteriorated and he