The Australian 12 Footer – January 1948

Jan 1948, The Australian 12 Footer

From Seacraft Magazine January 1948.

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THE AUSTRALIAN 12-FOOTER

N the spring of 1914 six 12-foot skiffs took part in Defiance-, a craft built specially for the occasion by a race on Sydney Harbor, conducted by the newlyAlf Whereat. Whereat downed Roff; the class was formed Cremorne Club. Theirs was the first coninitiated in Queensland, and the Australian 12-foot test held in Australia solely for this type of craft. Skiff Championship became an established annual Today more than a dozen clubs in New South event. Wales and in Queensland are devoted wholly to 12Despite her initial defeat, Schemer later won the foot skiff racing. National Title on four occasions. On any one summer weekend more that 150 skiffs A Skiff Council was set up in New South Wales, take to the water in Sydney alone, while crews, club to select State representatives and to handle arrangesupporters and spectators number more than two ments for their interstate visits, or alternately to take thousand. charge of the National Title series, when held on Sydney Harbor. Twelve-foot sailing boats had appeared on the reaches of Sydney Harbor well before the Cremorne With the advance of the class'in New South Wales, Club's inception 33 years ago. They raced in company new restricted clubs also entered the field. These still with 16 and 18-foot open boats until class racing race under the original sail area restrictions, though came into being and mixed events became the preserve their hulls are basically the same as those of unof keel yachts. re-tricted boats. In 1917 a second 12-footer club Some of these 12-footer clubs was organised on the Lane Cove were fostered by yacht clubs and by River. Prior to the formation of this larger skiff bodies, to provide B club, all "twelves" raced under a Class racing for junior members. restriction of 140 square feet of Restricted "twelves" hold their own canvas for working sails and carried State Championship contests, but only small masthead spinnakers. conduct no interstate racing. Lane Cove Club secretary Ben Today the unrestricted division Roff introduced unrestricted 12remains the more popular of the footer racing; with sail restrictions class, and the majority of "twelves" off, the class flourished, and four built since the war come within this more clubs were operating in Sydcategory. ney by 1926. The" New South Wales Skiff In that year Roff took his snubCouncil was superseded in 1946 by type club champion skiff Schemer to a State 12-foot Skiff Association; Brisbane for a challenge race with "Viking" under balloon jib. this move was accompanied by a January 4, 1948.

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