This book contains a collection of over 30 interviews with men who have become household names in Australian yachting circles – those who have made an enormous contribution to the craft of sailing. It provides an insight into the pioneers of this revered sport and celebrates the craftsmanship of Sydney's wooden boat builders.
In these days of high tech yachts – with everything from canting keels to water ballast – here is a chance to appreciate those who went before, pioneering new-boat building and sail-making techniques and establishing the strong tradition of dinghy and keelboat sailing in Australia. While the more fragile high tech yachts mostly enjoy a limited racing life, the numbers of wooden boats constructed years ago that still ply the nor'-easters on Sydney Harbour is a testament to their longevity and the skills of their builders.
In this book Fred Thomas, with contributions by Leanne Gould, shares the oral history of these boat designers, builders, sail-makers, tacticians, yatchsmen and champion sailors. Profiles include the Phillips family, Bill Barnett, Warwick Hood, Bob Gordon, the Beashell family and Ben Lexcen (aka Bob Miller) – designer of Dame Pattie and Australia II, both of which were contenders for the prestigious America's Cup.
