Octogenarian sailors turn out for 173rd Australia Day Regatta

by Peter Campbell on 25 Jan 2009
Two of Sydney most senior sailors, Gordon Ingate and Bill Gale, both in their early eighties, will compete in tomorrow’s 173rd Australia Day Regatta on Sydney Harbour.

Ingate, who will turn 83 in March, will helm his International Dragon class yacht Whim in Division 2 of the oldest continuously-conducted sailing regatta in the world.

The veteran yachtsman, who began sailing on Sydney Harbour in dinghies some 70 years ago, last year won the prestigious Prince Philip Cup Australasian Championship in Hobart and earlier this month came within 14 seconds of retaining the trophy on Sydney Harbour.

In an illustrious career, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron member has represented Australia at the Olympic Games, America’s Cup and Admiral’s Cup and has extensively ocean raced, including a second overall in the Sydney Hobart with his then yacht Caprice of Huon.

Gale, also in his early 80s, will skipper his famous yacht Ranger in the Gaffers Division, continuing his longtime support of the Australia Day Regatta.

A Life Member of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, this is the 64th season that
Gale has sailed on the boat designed by his father, the late Cliff Gale. 'I don’t believe I’ve ever missed an Australia Day Regatta, ' the octogenarian skipper said today.

The Classic Yacht and Gafffers divisions and the Historical Skiffs division will be highlights of the 173rd Australia Day Regatta.

Other entries for the Gaffers division include Reverie, an 8.7m gaff-rigged cutter owned by John Barclay and Rear Admiral Nigel Berlyn RAN (ret) which last year won the HV Dangar Memorial Ciup and the Centenary of Federation Gold Medal.

The Classic Yachts division includes Ian Kortlang’s Antara, John Sturrock’s Eudoria and John Griffin’s Julnar. Eudoria and Julnar are both 37-footer harbour racers designed in the late 1930s by George Griffin along scaled-down lines of the famous J class yachts that raced for the America’s Cup.

Among the Historical Skiffs entered the 173rd Australia Day Regatta, sponsored by the Commonwealth Private Bank, will be a replica of the original Yendys, a radical snub-nosed 18-footer that was a champion in 1920s and 1930s.

The hull of the original Yendys has been restored and re-rigged, and is in the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour. The replica Yendys will carry the distinctive red anchor insignia on its mainsail when it races on Saturday.

Modern 18-footers will also be racing as part of the 173rd Australia Day Regatta as part of their national championship, while yachts will race in several spinnaker and non-spinnaker divisions.

The 173rd Australia Day Regatta racing will start and finish near the Flagship HMAS Stuart, moored near Rushcutters Bay, starting from 1.30pm tomorrow.

In addition to the harbour event, a traditional feature of the Australia Day Regatta is the ocean race to Botany Bay and return, starting north of Shark Island at 11am, which has attracted a fleet of 35 yachts.