I have no connection with this but it may be a good yacht for someone wanting to start.
Might be a good one for Len!
You will find it here, eBay item number:190995394360; http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Yacht-/190995394360?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:AU:3160
Oh, and you have 4 and a half days. It's in Melbourne.
Geoff Baker lived almost next to Prof. Joubert during his youth. Joubert later designed a few of Bakers yachts, including the Currawong 30 etc.
Of course one of Baker's classics was the Top Hat, most of which are still sailing today, some 40 years later.
Geoff sold out of the Top Hats to build larger yachts that could race in the Sydney Hobart race. He got a second I think in one of his own yachts.
You may remember that Geoff [as builder] and Prof. Joubert [as designer] were involved in that attempt on the water sailing speed
record in Pittwater. I think the main spar on the cat collapsed? There was a TV show on it.
My measurement certificate has Geoff Baker as the builder. The boat was built after Geoff's death and apparently the foreman took over the moulds but kept the "name". I think Geoff only built the Mk 1 Top Hats.
May I quote from my soon to be released "History of the Top Hat Yacht"
"Baker built Top Hats were produced for a number of years, from 1965 to 1972, while Geoff was also building other yachts designed by Professor Peter Joubert, who had been a neighbour of the Bakers for ten years in Brighton, Victoria. Some of those yachts were the Currawong 30, Brolga 33, Magpie 34 and the Cape Barron Goose --. Geoff's last boat, which was unfinished at the time of his death, was a Cape Barron Goose being built for a planned cruise overseas.
In the 1968 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Geoff placed fourteenth on Handicap and nineteenth on Line honours in a Brolga 33. Geoff and Professor Joubert worked together on another foam sandwich boat moulded from a 43 double ended wooden mould. This boat, named BOOMERANG VIII was placed second on Handicap and third for Line Honours in the 1970 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
During 1977-8 Geoff built BIG BANDICOOT, a 17 metre catamaran, to challenge the world sailing speed record. Once again he had teamed up with Professor Peter Joubert who designed the vessel. The story was featured in a 1985 film for the ABC's Big Country. Hoping to achieve 30 knots on Pittwater, the main cross member unfortunately collapsed before this could be achieved.
Geoff died of a brain tumour in 1981, aged 49."
I think that clears what was and what was not! So when was your boat buily Ramona? I think Fiberglass Yachts closed around 1979, but we are not sure. I think it slowly closed as Geoff got sicker.
1980, so Geoff was probably still in charge. The previous owner stated that she was built by Geoff's foreman. I can remember when the Tophats changed hands after the mark one, mark 2's and 3's had different windows and cabins, not sure who the builder was but formfit sounds familiar. There were lots of complaints from the boating press at the time that the quality was nowhere as good as the Baker boats.
I'm aware that Baker built lots of quality boats.
Correct, welcome to the Geoff Baker Club.
My Top Hat is almost 45 years old now and with good owners in the future will easily see 100 years Plus!
Formit built 8 Mk 1,s and all the 2, 3 and 27 footers. The formit 30-32 Top Hats are NOT Top Hats.
I was thinking ....I might buy all the daggy 100 year old oak and cement project hulls. Transport them to my cultural site of choice, and thence stack them in such a position as to emulate a southern operatic household.
I could sing nessun dorma any time I like then.
I can't understand the lack of interest in "Once More Dear Friends" on Ebay. Had a buy now price of $16,000 last week and I suspect that is the reserve this week.
Told the Missus we might have to drive up and have look! If the tiller was still available it would make a great cruiser.
I remember phoning Peter Kurts in Hobart and congratulating him on his placing with that yacht in the STH that year.
The guy was a gentleman and I had been working as an independent agent selling some of his acreage developments.
I spoke with him personally once at a sales meeting or other kind of conference with me expressing my interest in sailing to him.
He responded to me by saying "It is not time for you to go sailing yet." which I think was a cryptic way of saying "Get some more Real Estate behind you before you seriously enter the world of "performance ocean sailing yachts."
Sage advice I believe. Once one has had a "performance ocean sailing yacht" the economics of it become patently apparent.
I have gathered the Real Estate and have owned a "performance ocean sailing yacht" by way of a Peterson 42 which did not eat any of my Real Estate, just all the cash I had. It was disposed of at a reasonable price, I have bought more Real Estate and I am having a second go at the "performance ocean sailing yacht" deal by way of a Van De Stadt 34.
Success or failure in the venture does not matter as there is little chance of it impoverishing us.
So what is the world coming to when a yacht such as "Once More Dear Friends" goes onto the market via E-Bay???
To get involved in such a project as this yacht it would need to be an act of love with monetary considerations thrown out the window.
This post is made under the influence of my favourite drink, and that of the Caribbean, the Caiparinya. Ingredients:- Caribbean Rum (none other are good enough), squeezed lime juice with rind, tea spoon of sugar, two rocks plus soda or plain water.
Its not the buying part of sailing thats expensive, its the keeping part that hoovers up the real $.
I sailed on a 37fter in the 90's as bow and one season the owner splashed out on a new 3/4 ounce kite - big mast head thing. After the first leeward mark rounding a conversation ensued:
The pitman packing the kite - where are we keeping the sticky back now..........
The owner rather unimpressed - you bas##$%ds haven't torn the damn thing already......
Pitman - well, you can't expect these things to last forever....
Thats racing yachts.
Yeah. Had a mate (R.I.P. Barry) who had crewed in a few STHs who used to say to me "Let's take your yacht out for a sail and see what breaks."
Maxi yacht sailing:- Two dozen blokes have a ball sailing and one bloke writes all the cheques.
