Fidelis celebrates forty years of Hobarts

by Peter Campbell on 22 Dec 2006
In fading light on the evening of 30 December 1966, a rather brash young New Zealander named James Davern steered his little-known and skinny-shaped 61-footer Fidelis up the Derwent River to an historic line honours victory in the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

Fidelis was the first New Zealand-built yacht to get the gun in the 628 nautical mile ocean race, recording a then fast time of 4 days 8 hours 39 minutes and 43 seconds. Her next competitor was more than 60 nautical miles astern.

Last week, close to 40 years later, Jim Davern was aboard Fidelis once more, joining current owner Sydney yachtsman Nigel Stoke for a ‘Forty years on’ celebration as Stoke prepares to sail Fidelis in the 2006 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

'She is in magnificent condition…the teak deck is superb and teak fit-out below is really comfortable…a credit it you,' Davern told Stoke as they sat on the leather settee in the saloon, looking at sailing photos of Fidelis.

Davern flew over from New Zealand especially for the gathering of the crew heading to Hobart as well as many past crew members, and friends and family, recalling how fellow Kiwis had ridiculed him when he announced back in the early 1960s that he was going to sail Fidelis across the Tasman and contest the Sydney Hobart.

'They reckoned the boat would break in half; it didn’t, but we had to replace some ribs after that Sydney Hobart,' Davern recalled. He and Stoke also cleared up a mystery that has surrounded the designer of Fidelis.

A half model of Fidelis that hangs in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron attributes the design to her original owner, Vic Speight, who commissioned Fred and Jim Lidgard to build her triple-planked kauri hull, one of the first yachts in the world to be built using construction method.

In reality, it seems that the hull design was heavily influenced by a design and plans by the legendary Scandinavian yacht designer Knud Reimers which appeared in a book published by the famous UK designer and sailor Uffa Fox.

Speight read the book and had a half model made, based on the Reimers’ design. From the half model the lines for Fidelis were lofted and the hull built.

Davern also revealed that after he bought the boat, he commissioned Australian naval architect Warwick Hood to design a new rudder and redesign the rig for the long, lean sloop.

Fidelis’ ocean racing career began with a record-breaking win in the 1966 Auckland to Suva Race, which prompted him to contest the Sydney Hobart later that year. 'We had a runaway win to Hobart…at one stage we were 80 miles in front of the fleet,' Davern recalled.

Fidelis contested 1967, 1969 and 1982 Sydney Hobarts. In 1994, Nigel Stoke brought her to Sydney and raced her in the 50th ‘Hobart’. He has raced and cruised her extensively and estimates she has logged more than 200,000 sea miles in 40 or so years.

During the 1980s, Fidelis was extensively altered. Shipwrights laboured to transform her from a stripped-out ocean greyhound into one of the fastest and most luxurious passage-makers around.

Roller furling headsails, self-tailing winches and state-of-the-art navigation equipment means a much smaller crew can now handle her. Down below, Fidelis has a classic teak fit-out, leather upholstery and everything that is needed for comfortable cruising.

'She has been to Hobart fives times, sailed across the Tasman six times, been to Queensland three times and cruised to the Solomons, Noumea, Port Vila, Fiji and Lord Howe Island,' Stoke said, describing himself as the ‘custodian’ of a fine yacht.

'Now forty years on from her historic victory, the old girl is off to Tasmanian once again, and that’s got to be a good excuse for a quiet little drink!' he added, as Sir James Hardy led the champagne toast to Fidelis.

'Yachts like Fidelis are what yachting is all about,' said Sir James, who sailed aboard the classic boat at this year’s Hamilton Island Race Week.

Yesterday the 27m maxi Diabetes withdrew from the race after snapping its mast during a training sail off Sydney Heads and this morning, the Club received confirmation that Scrumba has also withdrawn its entry after failing to meet the entry requirements. This leaves a fleet of 78 for next Tuesday's start at 1.00pm from Sydney Harbour – Peter Campbell