Fisherman Versus Yachtsman

by Mark Chew on 25 Oct 2009 On the afternoon of Friday the 30th October a very special sailing event will take place on the waters of Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia.

Two of the greatest Ocean racing yachts from the 1960's will sail against two fishing boats designed about 90 years ago. They will race off scratch, ie the first boat over the finish line will take home the Guineas Trophy and AUD$1000 for their team.

This event is the brain child of Martin Ryan who devised it over a quality bottle of red in a Queenscliff pub earlier this year, after stepping ashore from racing against some of Victoria’s famous Couta Boats and being astounded by their speed.

Now at first sight this might seem like a gross mismatch. The two ocean racers are the mighty 'Mercedes III' and her smaller sleeker relative 'Boambillee'.

Mercedes III, off the drawing board of the legendary Bob Miller aka Ben Lexcen (with no Dutch help I’m told) and Ted Kaufman, was the standout boat in the 1967 Australian team which won the Admiral’s Cup on the Solent.

Since then she has sailed numerous Sydney-Hobarts and competed all round the South East of Australia..........and what's more she is fresh out of the shed after a major spit and polish.

Boambillee was one of the first cold-moulded ocean racers, built to the ORC racing rule and designed by the legendary Olin Stephens. She was part of the NSW Southern Cross team which won in 1968 and since then has been raced hard for most of her 42 years. She is still competitive at club level and AMS rule. She is 'gun boat' (most line honours) currently in the classic fleet.

So we have two beautiful yachts designed 40 years ago to be the fastest possible in their Class......what about the sailors.? The owners (Martin Ryan and George Fisscher/Chris Chapman) have added a sprinkling of world and national champions to their regular crew just to make sure there are no mistakes.

Surely two old 26 ft fishing boats won't stand a chance! But they are not just any fishing boats, these are Victoria's world famous 'Couta Boats'

The Couta boat fishermen sailed more miles in a year than most yachtsmen do in a lifetime. They worked in one of the most inhospitable seascapes in the world. Speed was a matter of survival. First to the Barracouta schools got the best catch. First back to the quay got the best price for the fish and first on to the overnight train for the Melbourne markets. Less time spent on the water meant less chance of meeting bad weather.

A fierce rivalry evolved from this need for speed resulting in 'fishing boat' regattas held on Boxing Day or New Years Day. Competition was intense, whole communities would turn out, bets were laid and friendships strained.

The local police intervened to settle racing disputes on the wharf. Many boats were hauled out the day before the race to have their bottoms polished and black leaded, new sails were ordered, and some of the crack
boats had silk racing sails. Every effort was made to capture not only the purse of 'Gold Guineas' but the prestige and status that went with it.

This year the two Couta boats sailing against the yachts are 'Nepean' and 'Romy', recently built but to 90 year old designs. They will be skippered by two of Australia's best sailors. Nigel Abbott skipper of 'Romy' is a past world Champion in Fireballs and part of Alan Bond’s team that contested the America's Cup. His Match Racing partner, Peter Gale, will be skippering 'Nepean', Peter has been a team member on two Australian Olympic squads and won a world Championship in OK dinghies. Their crew don't like losing.

Its serious but its also fun. …… Fisherman verses Yachtsman…..an enthralling tussle. The unifying factor will be the love and respect for the old timber craft and traditions of Victorian seamanship. This will be a fascinating afternoon of racing proceeding the Annual 'Cup Regatta'.....We hope it too will become a much anticipated annual event.

For more images and media enquiries regarding this historic and unique challenge contact mark@blueboat.com.au.

If you would like to see the race up close the CYAA has organized for the magnificent MV Melburnian (www.mvmelburnian.com.au) to follow the boats around the course to allow you to witness the tussle close at hand.

Contact mark@blueboat.com.au.