BOATS AT THE CLUB

This is another in the series of articles aimed at providing you with an insight into new boats and other boats of interest at the Club. Contact Patricia Catley through the Club if you are interested in having your boat featured here.

The yacht Jenny Maree was constructed in Binks Boatyard in Adelaide in 1998. She was described as a Farr 41 IMS Fast Cruiser and is 12.45 metres LOA with a beam of 3.77 metres and a draft of 1.96 metres with a flared keel at the base and a displacement of about 6.5 tonne. She has three double berths with two heads and is powered by a 40 hp Volvo with a Volvo folding prop. The yacht was built under survey and was also awarded Yacht Of The Year by the BIA in 1998 with several being exported to Europe. Howard and Jenny Murton purchased the boat in 1998 while she was under construction. At the time Howard had been looking at boats for sale but wasn’t sure what he wanted. When Jenny suggested that if he wanted to buy a boat, now is the time so he didn’t hesitate. No man would after an offer like that! Delighted with his wife’s suggestion he began to look harder and subsequently he found his dream boat and named her Jenny Maree after his wife. Knowing Binks for their range of trailer sailers, Howard went to their boat shed with an intended budget to buy a trailer sailer. That changed when he walked in and saw a beautiful keelboat under construction. The deck had not yet been fitted and all the Huon cabin timber work was illuminated under flood lights creating a beautiful honey colour causing him to immediately fall in love with the boat. He went home and asked Jenny to visit the boat shed with him saying that he had seen something very impressive. She went along and to his surprise she loved it too. She said “Yes” and they immediately paid the deposit and waited for her completion. Howard’s early life was in Canberra where he sailed dinghies, progressing from small VJs, NS 14s and through to flying 15s on Lake Burley Griffin. He had polio as a child so could not walk very well but was at home on and in the water and was a strong swimmer. Skin diving and bodysurfing led on to sailing. He had limited experience in racing but enjoyed pitting himself against heavy weather on the Lake and the south coast of New South Wales. On buying the boat they joined the CYCSA as it had keelboat berthing, good facilities and a warm club atmosphere. They started with social sailing around the Gulf and were introduced to twilight racing in 2000 by Joe Mezzini and his crew. It was an exciting experience and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Starting from the back of the fleet in Jenny Maree they progressed to winning several races and followed that with competing in several Adelaide to Port Lincoln races. In addition they came third in the 2005 Keelboat Division 1 Masters Games in Adelaide. Howard and Jenny have enjoyed sailing the Sir Joseph Banks group along with several trips to Kangaroo Island and along to Snug Cove. One of their more adventurous trips was setting off to Tasmania but they didn’t get very far. Sailing into heavy headwinds and rough seas the boom broke off Robe and they decided to return to Antechamber Bay from where they had first set off. It was a rough sail back with strong winds against the tide but eventually they made it back to Antechamber Bay in pitch darkness continually monitored by the Coast Guard and guided by their trusty GPS. They anchored in the exact place they had left from. Howard and Jenny have also chartered bareboat yachts in the Whitsundays and the Greek Islands with family and friends. In 2021 Jenny Maree had a major refit with new rigging, deck teak work and some replacement instruments. With an upgraded engine and other items they are ready to do more cruising around the two gulfs. They have had over 20 years of enjoyment in sailing, either racing or cruising, with family and friends and hope for a few more years of fun. Thank you Howard for sharing your sailing life with Club members. I wish you and Jenny many more years of fun on the sea.

Pat Catley

A new yacht recently arrived at the CYCSA, brought in by Club member Neal Maxwell, she is a Dufour Gibsea 43 named Eolo. The yacht was International Production Yacht of the Year in 2001 and Neal, with his wife Bec, have been the proud owners for almost three years. The name Eolo is Italian for the Greek God of Wind. The previous owner loved all things Italian and wanted the boat to reflect that and Neal liked the name and could see no reason to change it. Bec is very keen to learn more about sailing and hopes to enrol in some CYCSA courses during summer when the weather improves. Eolo was built in France in 2001 and from 2003-2014 stayed in the Mediterranean where the then owners lived aboard. In 2015 she changed hands to some Australians and for two years the new owners sailed her from Croatia to Brisbane via Greece, Sardinia, Spain, Gibraltar and the Canaries. They then crossed the Atlantic to Barbados, Granada, Panama, Galapagos, Marquise, Tuamotos, Papeete, Maupiti, French Polynesia, Niue and Fiji finally arriving in Brisbane. In 2018 Eolo was sold to a retired Aussie who later sold her due to ill health. She is now safely in the hands of Neal who brought her to the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia. She has proved to be a very seaworthy vessel after the distances she has cruised across the oceans. The Dufour Gibsea 43 has wide side decks and many handrails that enable safe movement from bow to stern. Sail controls are centralised in the cockpit with the main furling into the mast. The cockpit is large with 195cm standing room under the bimini. The boat has twin helms and the engine is a Volvo 50. As you step below the warmth of wood greets you. There is standing headroom of 195cm and enough berths to sleep six comfortably or eight if very friendly! There are two bathrooms and two toilets. The galley has a gas two burner stove with oven together with a double sink and fridge with a freezer built in. The gas fittings are all ready for a BBQ to be added for use in summer. The galley is adjacent to the saloon where comfortable seating surrounds a table with the navigation station close by. Everything is aimed for style and comfort. Neal has quite a history of sailing achievements. He has owned a few sailing boats for both cruising and racing and has been competitive at several clubs both on his own boat or as crew on others. His sailing life began on 16’ cats, crewing on a Hydra cat then owning his own Hobie cat Katie May II. He wasn’t able to sail continuously as several years were spent working in rural Australia. However, Neal has travelled and been a member of a few yacht clubs. These include the Royal Papua Yacht Club, PNG; the Lae Yacht Club, PNG; Dubai Offshore Sailing Club; Emirates Palace Yacht Club, Abu Dhabi; Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club; Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Club, Darwin; the Darwin Sailing Club, and now the Cruising Yacht Club of South Australia. He has been on committees in some of the clubs taking on various roles. While at the Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Association Neal bought an Alan Wright design Nova 28 called Ballerina which drew his wife Bec into the sport. Since then they have had fun with a Joubert design Magpie 34 named Scot Free II in which he had some race placings and handicap wins. In 2006 an Adams 42 named Lothlorien came to Neal’s attention. He bought her and came second outright in the Dinah Beach Cruising Class. In 2010 he raced her the 460 nautical miles in the Darwin to Dili (East Timor) International Yacht Race coming third outright in Division 1 and won the Best Presented Yacht trophy. In 2008 Neal was crew and took part in the Darwin to Ambon race. They came third on handicap and won the best presented yacht award. Neal has lived in Papua New Guinea and raced on Port Moresby Harbour. His work also took him to Jordan, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Darwin. While living in Abu Dhabi Neal bought a Beneteau Oceanis 40 named Olivia in which they cruised around the Arabian Gulf. When intending to settle Eolo in South Australia, Neal asked friends in Papua New Guinea, Queensland, and South Australia which would be the best yacht club to join. Everyone said the CYCSA. A good choice and we warmly welcome you! The yacht was safely transported by truck and is now settled in her berth in Marina East. At this stage racing is not on Neal’s agenda due to a small sail wardrobe but cruising around Gulf St Vincent should bring a lot of satisfaction in such a beautiful boat. Thank you Neal, I wish you and Bec many happy years of sailing.