The Club has recently been very fortunate to receive two historical documents from Mary Alice Tedstone (wife of former member Harry Tedstone) who kindly handed them to Past Commodore John Mooney.
The first is a photograph of a document describing the 'Inaugural Queenscliff to Sydney Event' commencing on December 14th 1956 and sponsored by the Cruising Yacht Club of Victoria. Eight yachts took part in the event. They were Kurrawa (65ft cutter, RYCV), the Winston Churchill (52ft cutter, RBYC), Romava (35ft sloop, RBYC), Fantasy (33ft sloop, RYCT), Lorraine (35ft cutter, SYC), Tam O'Shanter (27ft sloop, RAN SC), Fair Winds (27ft sloop, RAN SC) and Vashti (40ft ketch, Melbourne).
Whilst the document records the names of the crew little else is known of that particular event. However John Mooney writes:
"Of interest to me is the inaugural Queenscliff to Sydney yacht race. My father sailed on the yacht Fantasy. Also I sailed in the 1969 Queenscliff to Sydney yacht race on Winston Churchill which was owned by Sir Arthur Warner, minister of transport in the Victorian Government and owner of the Astor Corporation which manufactured televisions, radios and the like".
A photograph of the Winston Churchill in less auspicious circumstances can be seen behind the bar in the QCYC clubhouse.
"The Kurrawa was owned by the Livingstone brothers who were wealthy Western Victorian graziers. I suspect the RYCV Livingstone Trophy, which was a round the bay race, was named by them. Romava was owned and skippered by Bob Mercer who was a prominent member at RBYC and who owned and operated one of the first chains of butcher shops in Melbourne. Lorraine is listed as a SYC boat for this race, but she was for many years at RBYC when she was owned by QCYC Commodore Ross Farrow. Tam O’Shanta I barely remember but the vessel presumably gives its name to the SYC round the bay race Tam O’Shanta Trophy."
The second is a booklet, the Consitution of the Queenscliffe Cruising Yacht Club, dated October 1973 and bearing the name WB Ross. Bill Ross was the fourth Commodore of QCYC, from 1968-1970. The booklet has been meticulously cared for, with subsequent changes to the Constitution (equivalent to the current Rules) documented along the way.
If any members have any further information on the history of Sydney to Queenscliff yacht race, or insights into the early Constitution, please contact Commodore Richard Lowe, commodore@qcyc.org.au.
Last Modified on 03/02/2019 12:01