Historical Skiffs in force at Balmain Regatta

by Mark Cherrington on 15 Oct 2006 This year’s Balmain Regatta, to be held on Sunday October 29, will see one of the largest collections of historical skiffs sailing together, on Sydney Harbour for many years.

Racing together will be up to six 18-footers from the Sydney Flying Squadron, six 10-footers coming from as far afield as Lake Macquarie and Dunbogan, and a very challenging-to-sail six-foot 'Balmain bug'.

Also participating will be a Taipan 18-footer, the original Ben Lexcen-designed first three-handed 18-footer and forerunner to today’s high-speed skiffs.

According to regatta chair Stephen Prince, the 2006 Balmain Regatta is likely to see the largest fleet of historical skiffs sailing together since the 1930s.
'During the 1930s, Balmain was the venue for very active skiff fleet racing,' he said.

'The boats were often crewed by league players in the footie off season, they were owned and sponsored by local businesspeople, and betting on the outcome of races meant fierce competition.

'Fights and brawls between crews were not uncommon, and the skiff races were a vital part of Balmain’s and the harbour’s culture,' said Stephen.

Today’s historicals are mainly replicas of the famous skiffs of the early 20th century through to the 1930s.

Challenging to sail, they require large crews for what are fairly small boats; for example, a 10-footer requires a crew of four, while even the six-foot Balmain Bug needs a burly crew of three. The classic 18-footers take between six and nine crew members.

As part of the Balmain Regatta, the historical skiffs will join up to 150 other vessels on the water, racing in the waters between and around Cockatoo Island, Greenwich and Goat Island.

Viewing areas include Balmain Sailing Club, Elkington Park or Longnose Point (Balmain), Clarkes Point (Woolwich), Manns Point (Greenwich) and Balls Head.
Tickets are also available to watch all the races in the Regatta on board the classic ferry Royale, complete with on-board commentary by Sydney sailing identity Bill Gale.

In addition to the historical skiffs, there will be races for classic timber yachts, as well as modern dinghies and yachts (three classes). Also competing in their own races will be Balmain pubs in the Pub Challenge, and local emergency services (Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Water Police and – still to be confirmed – some boats representing the armed services) in the Services Cup.

Regatta entry forms are available from the BSC website at www.balmainsailingclub.com.

For further information on the Balmain Regatta, please contact chair Stephen Prince, phone 0411 597 692, email stevep@redbackmanagement.com.au.