Fremantle to Albany Yacht Race

  CENTENARY FREMANTLE TO ALBANY YACHT RACE

In conjunction with Royal Perth Yacht Club and the WA Offshore Committee the prestigious Fremantle to Albany Yacht Race will be back on the WA Offshore Calendar for the 2008-2009 season to mark the Centenary of the Princess Royal Sailing Club.

Click on this link here to view the promotional poster for the race.

The first Fremantle to Albany race was planned to be held in 1965 but was cancelled due to a lack of starters.  Persistence, enthusiasm and a strong call for adventure by flag officers and members of the Royal Perth Yacht Club and Princess Royal Sailing Club finally saw WA's longest annual offshore race start in 1968.

The full moon in March that year saw the fleet charging towards Cape Naturaliste under spinnakers as an intense depression brought the wind from a light north-easter to a blow from the north-west and finally round to south-west after Cape Leeuwin was passed.

Surfing down huge waves at up to 20 knots, John Fitzhardinge's "Theanna" set the inaugural race record of 40 hours, 22 minutes and 18 seconds - a record that stood for over 25 years.

Like any classic event "Theanna's" record heads a list of incidents that have provided the race with its mystique, its characters, its yarns and reminiscences over the last 40 years.  Incidents such as -

• Guy Fornaro in "Hellfire" led the fleet all the way only to run onto a sandbar at the entrance to Princess Royal Harbour on a falling tide and watch the race slip from his grasp as rivals sailed by;
• Dick Eastaugh in "Lady Dawn" with his disposable masts.  Dick was one of the first offshore sailors on the West Coast to alter his sail shape by bending his rig resulting in three masts going over the side.  He made his own way home each time.  Dick's efforts in a small lightweight yacht under extreme conditions were a credit to his seamanship, perseverance and toughness;
• John Fitzhardinge beached "Theanna" at Windy Harbour on the way home after his record run when she began taking water in tough conditions.  Good seamanship prevented further damage when she was put ashore;
• Bruce Campbell had to cut a spinnaker down after it became embedded in his forestay;
• Masts have been lost from David Orr's "Lyelta", Terry Bridge in "Mistress" and Ron Clarke's "Nadia".  All showed good seamanship in getting out of difficulties;
• The total loss of Jack Cassidy's "Evelyn" at Point D'Entrecastreaux in the middle of the night in strong winds was further evidence of good seamanship with all the crew and yacht's gear being saved.

The most successful skippers of the race has been Jack Baxter, a stalwart of the race, who with Terry Bridge have 7 YAH & IOR wins to their credit in "Mistress" and "The Sidewalk Cafe".  Dr Peter Packer in "Hotspur" and "Rampage" has three YAH wins and one IOR win and Ron Clarke in his "Nadia's" won two IOR and two YAH wins.  Other winners with up to three trophies include Jim Granger in "Tangaroa" and "Golden Eagle", Jim Taylor in "Prospect of Ponsonby", Alan Briety in "Once a Jolly Swagman" and Ken Jones in "Fremantle Doctor".

Many other notables in the WA sailing scene have competed and won including Jon Sanders in "Perie Banou", Alan Bond in "Apollo 2" and Bill Rafferty in "Rafantell" and "Graffiti", Tim Ratten, Peter Milner and Lawson Klopper.

The camaraderie engendered by the race is sure to be relived in the lead up to the race, which is scheduled to start from Fremantle on Friday 3 April 2009. 

If you have any specific memories of the Fremantle to Albany race that you would like added to this short history or wish to make any comment then please email Paul Terry, Vice Commodore, at pterry@psl.com.au