Historical 10 Foot Skiffs
Encyclopedia
Historical 10 Foot Skiffs are skiff
s raced by members of the Australian Historical Sailing Skiff Association at Drummoyne Sailing Club on the Parramatta River
in Sydney
and at the Brisbane Sailing Squadron on the Brisbane River
in Bulimba
, Brisbane
. Racing is held under the auspices of the AHSSA. The 10 footers are beautiful boats with a strong sense of camaraderie among the crews, who are reliving the sailing events of the past.
area admiring these beautiful wooden craft. The size of the sail area, carried in 3 rigs also often draws comment. While they can be very twitchy boats to sail, they provide a modern view of sailing
from a time long gone.
. A really great boat to sail. The Commonwealth II continues to sail in National Titles and is lovely to see on the water.
The oldest boat sailing regularly is the Dove, based on an old Queensland 12 foot skiff called Dove, she is one of the smaller 10s both in hull and rig. She has proved to be a very good handicap boat and recently won the NSW Handicap State Title in March, 2011.
The majority of the other boats are reproductions of hulls designed and built by Len Heffernan in the early 1950s and carry a mix of sails from 18s and 16 foot skiffs.
The NSW 10 footers venture up to Lake Macquarie on the last Sunday in November each year and the first weekend in February where they hold the first two heats of the NSW State titles, before venturing back to Drummoyne Sailing Club for the last two heats.
The National Titles alternate between the Brisbane River, at the Brisbane Sailing Squadron, and the Drummoyne Sailing Club, on the Parramatta River.
Skiff
The term skiff is used for a number of essentially unrelated styles of small boat. The word is related to ship and has a complicated etymology: "skiff" comes from the Middle English skif, which derives from the Old French esquif, which in turn derives from the Old Italian schifo, which is itself of...
s raced by members of the Australian Historical Sailing Skiff Association at Drummoyne Sailing Club on the Parramatta River
Parramatta River
The Parramatta River is a waterway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Parramatta River is the main tributary of Sydney Harbour, a branch of Port Jackson, along with the smaller Lane Cove and Duck Rivers....
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and at the Brisbane Sailing Squadron on the Brisbane River
Brisbane River
The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...
in Bulimba
Bulimba, Queensland
Bulimba is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia. It is 4 kilometres south-east of the CBD, and is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. Racing is held under the auspices of the AHSSA. The 10 footers are beautiful boats with a strong sense of camaraderie among the crews, who are reliving the sailing events of the past.
Crew
The 10 foot skiff is crewed by crews of 3 who attempt to keep these craft under control below large amounts of sail area. The only exception to this is the skiff Commonwealth II which requires between 4 and 5 crew depending on rig selected.Racing
In Sydney, these boats race once a month on a Sunday with a start at 13.30. The race generally lasts just over 2 hours and often draws a crowd of onlookers walking through the riggingRigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
area admiring these beautiful wooden craft. The size of the sail area, carried in 3 rigs also often draws comment. While they can be very twitchy boats to sail, they provide a modern view of sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
from a time long gone.
Boats
Currently the oldest boat in the fleet is the Commonwealth II, built in 1997, is an exact replica of the Commonwealth which was built in 1907. This boat still sails and has had many memorable moments including a win on Handicap at the National Titles in 2006 when crewed by 4 sailors from Lake MacquarieLake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, Australia, approximately north of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to the city of Newcastle and was proclaimed as a city from 7 September 1984.-The City of Lake Macquarie:...
. A really great boat to sail. The Commonwealth II continues to sail in National Titles and is lovely to see on the water.
The oldest boat sailing regularly is the Dove, based on an old Queensland 12 foot skiff called Dove, she is one of the smaller 10s both in hull and rig. She has proved to be a very good handicap boat and recently won the NSW Handicap State Title in March, 2011.
The majority of the other boats are reproductions of hulls designed and built by Len Heffernan in the early 1950s and carry a mix of sails from 18s and 16 foot skiffs.
Dates and venues
The sailing dates for the 10 footers at Drummoyne Sailing Club may be found at the 10 footer website.The NSW 10 footers venture up to Lake Macquarie on the last Sunday in November each year and the first weekend in February where they hold the first two heats of the NSW State titles, before venturing back to Drummoyne Sailing Club for the last two heats.
The National Titles alternate between the Brisbane River, at the Brisbane Sailing Squadron, and the Drummoyne Sailing Club, on the Parramatta River.