Expat Tasmanian returns with Pekljus in PHS Division

by Peter Campbell on 29 Dec 2005 For three generations, the Ferrall family of Launceston have had a close association with things maritime, especially the meandering Tamar River that links Tasmania’s second city to the sea.

Appropriately, David Ferrall returned to Tasmania by sea this eveningat the helm of his yacht Pekljus, with a strong chance of winning the PHS Division of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Pekljus crossed the finish line at 7.26pm and is currently first on corrected time in the PHS Division.

Ferrall and four other crewmembers are all Tasmanians - Scott Newton, Will Reynolds, Rohan Robertson and John Saul, while the sixth crewman is Bill Finlay from NSW.

Ferrall works for a Japanese investment bank in Tokyo, with Pekljus kept on Pittwater north of Sydney, where he is a member of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. He had previously been Hong Kong based, sailing out of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club

Yacht Tracker has had his Radford 50 Pekljus at the top of the provisional corrected time standings in the PHS division for much of the 628 nautical mile race, confirming her provisional status once she had finished.

'If we can get up the Derwent before the breeze dies away this evening, I think we have a good chance of winning the PHS division,' David said by satellite phone from Pekljus earlier this afternoon.

'We are beating into a stiff westerly across Storm Bay. We have had 35 knots on the nose but we have just shaken out a reef and the boat is going well.'

David Ferrall’s grandfather, Sir Raymond Ferrall, was a prominent Launceston businessman and Master Warden of the Launceston Marine Board for many years. He was also a first class cricketer who played for Tasmania against a topline Australia IX in 1934, scoring 47 in the first innings before being bowled by the legendary Clarrie Grimmett.

His father, a keen yachtsman with the Tamar Yacht Club and also a Master Warden of the Marine Board, taught David to sail on his Duncanson 35. 'Dad sailed with us on our first Sydney Hobart with Pekljus last year and this time he will meet us in Hobart,' David said.

Pekljus, a 50-footer designed by Graham Radford, was originally designed for a round-the-world race but when this did not eventuate David finished building the boat at Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast.

The PHS Division of the Rolex Sydney Hobart this year has attracted a most competitive fleet of 23 boats, although two, Conergy and Icefire, have retired.

First PHS Division boat to cross the line was the former Volvo 60, Seriously Ten, skippered by John Woodruff, which finished sixth in the fleet at 01:59 this morning, followed by rival ABN AMRO, skippered by Andrew Short at 02:34 hours.