Apology to Matt Allen

Matt Allen, skipper of Ichi Ban and defending overall race winner, will be looking for a back-to-back win © Andrea Francolini

Apology to Matt Allen AM

On or about 6 November 2020, I created a video with the title “Double Handers and the S2H”, which was posted on the website www.captiongenerator.com. I also circulated a link to the video by email to a number of acquaintances with an interest in sailing, and referred to the video, and repeated some of its themes, in the Go Fund Me page I set up to raise funds for my defence of defamation proceedings brought by Mr Allen in respect of the video. On the Go Fund Me page I was also critical of Mr Allen’s conduct of the legal dispute which arose as a result of the publication of the video.

The video ridiculed Mr Allen, and it and my Go Fund Me comments conveyed a number of seriously defamatory imputations about him. I accept that those imputations are completely false, and acknowledge that I should not have created the video and circulated it to others, nor referred to Mr Allen in the terms I did on the Go Fund Me page.

I sincerely apologise to Mr Allen for my actions, and unreservedly withdraw any defamatory imputations conveyed about him as a result.

I note that the defamation proceedings have now been resolved, and that Mr Allen did not require me to pay any damages as part of the settlement agreement.

Mark Hipgrave

Apology to Matt Allen AM

On 13 April 2021, I posted comments on a GoFundMe page set up by Mark Hipgrave, and on my own Facebook page, about Matthew Allen AM.

My comments were seriously defamatory of Mr Allen. They suggested that he had unfairly, disingenuously and corruptly influenced the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia to exclude double handed sailing entrants from eligibility for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

I also endorsed the contents of a parody video which had portrayed Mr Allen as Hitler, and also suggested that Mr Allen had acted in a bullying and unconscionable manner towards Mr Hipgrave in the context of a legal dispute between them.

I acknowledge that the suggestions I made about Mr Allen are false and should never have been made. I accept that Mr Allen has at all times acted appropriately.

I unreservedly withdraw the comments I posted and sincerely apologise to Mr Allen for the hurt and harm they have caused him.

Hugo van Kretschmar

Hugo van Kretschmar on Sermilik Fijord, East Greenland - photo © Roy Cantrell