Beautiful ‘couta boat named in honour of late craftsman Bruce Darcey

by Peter Campbell on 22 Nov 2011 Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania has a new boat on its' register, a beautifully crafted wooden ‘couta boat named Darce which has ‘hoisted a spar’ on the River Derwent.

The name Darce honours the late Bruce (Darce) Darcey, one of Tasmania’s outstanding craftsmen in wooden boat building, who had almost completed building the ‘couta boat when he died early this year.

The boat is a replica of the famous Queenscliff gaff-rigged ‘couta boats that fished for barracouta in Bass Strait in the early 1900s, their base being the historic fishing village just inside Port Phillip. Their catches became an integral part of the ‘fish ‘n’ chips business in Melbourne, the fastest boats to sail back to Sorrento getting the best price for the fish.

Over the past 25 years, ‘couta boats, both restored originals and replicas, have become widely popular among recreational yachtsmen, with regular regattas held on Melbourne’s Port Phillip at Sorrento. There are now at least three replica ‘couta boats in Tasmania.

Under the guidance of Bruce Darcey’s two partners in the ‘couta boat, Incat chairman Robert Clifford and Peter Fuglsang, Bruce’s project has completed and his widow, Mrs Sadie Darcy, officially named and launched Darce at Battery Point last Saturday.

RYCT Vice Commodore Roger Martin presented the owners with a club burgee and within a short time Bob Clifford, Peter Fuglsang and Tim Phillips, from Sorrento, Victoria, who designed the boat from original ‘couta boat plans, ‘hoisted a spar’ and took Darce for an exhilarating sail in a fresh sea breeze.

All three owners had built wooden boats at various times of their lives, but Darcey was the consummate professional, building around fifty yachts and motor boats. He worked at Incat for 20 years where he was in charge of the interior fit-out of more than 40 vessels made by the world-famous ship-building company.

His most notable achievements included a classic timber speedboat, a replica whaleboat, the 45ft cruiser/sailer Evening Tide, the racing yacht Atilla and his own 42ft dreamboat Estella. Everything reflected his remarkable skills.

The ‘couta boat project came about on a summer’s day in 2010. Sitting having a beer at Cygnet Regatta, Robert, Bruce, ‘Biddy’ Badenach and others watched two ‘couta boats sail past. Within a few months Bruce was convinced that it was time to build one more boat. Plans were drawn up and work started mid-winter of 2010.

Working mostly alone, Bruce had the sheer plank on by Christmas, but over the holiday period he fell ill and passed away on 6 February 2011.

The part completed boat attracted much attention as a working exhibit at the Australia Wooden Boat Festival. The owners, and Darce’s former Incat colleagues, worked from February to July completing the boat, which is built of King Billy Pine, Celery Top Pine and Huon Pine.

Speaking at the launch, Robert Clifford said the ‘couta boat was a fitting tribute to his friend and colleague of 20 years. 'It was finished by Incat tradesmen in honour of him,' he added.

Former fellow shipwrights at Incat, Gordon Stewart, Steven Crombie and John Burrows, completed built the boat, with Roger Newell, Mathew Hale, Hayden Levis, Stephen Bannister, Graham (Tom) Figg, Richard Gunn and others at Incat contributing in various ways. John Smith provided the centre plate and Michael Grainger, along with several other professional sailmakers, made the sails, while Royce and Julian Salter did the painting.

'We’re sure Darce would be proud of the finished result,' was the unanimous comment from his fellow owners, family, friends and former boat-building colleagues who gathered on the shores of the Derwent at the bottom of Derwent Lane, Battery Point, for the launching and naming ceremony.

And from what Robert Clifford said, there could be more wooden boats built at Incat.