Speaker 1: Near the end of World War Two, a group of
Speaker 1: sailors in Sydney Harbor wanted to reinvigorate the sport. They
Speaker 1: loved the open air, the salty ocean, the exhilaration of
Speaker 1: possibly being eaten by a giant squid. It had been
Speaker 1: a few lean years on the water, and they hoped
Speaker 1: the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia the CYCA, could be
Speaker 1: a way to promote the cruising and casual racing they'd
Speaker 1: been missing. The men started meeting in a photography studio
Speaker 1: and the club's first official event was held in nineteen
Speaker 1: forty four.
Speaker 2: The following year, a special.
Speaker 1: Guest changed the fate of Australian yachting forever.
Speaker 2: Hey, I'm Tony Armstrong.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the poolroom where we celebrate the winners, losers
Speaker 1: and the weird stuff between. And today we're putting on
Speaker 1: our life jackets and crossing Bass Strait as was the
Speaker 1: weather holds out. Captain John Holden Illingworth was Chief Engineer
Speaker 1: in the British Royal Navy. He spent most of his
Speaker 1: time below the water on submarines. He will go on
Speaker 1: to achieve great success and win many awards, but there's
Speaker 1: really only one we're interested in today, the Great.
Speaker 2: Sydney to Hobart yacht Race.
Speaker 1: After the war ended in nineteen forty five, Captain Illingworth
Speaker 1: found himself a long way from home in Sydney, Australia,
Speaker 1: where he was getting British ships repaired after fighting in
Speaker 1: the South Pacific.
Speaker 2: While he was there, he got roped in all volunteered.
Speaker 1: The history books aren't clear to give a guest presentation
Speaker 1: to these guys at the CYCA.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure on what exactly, but good chance.
Speaker 1: It had something to do with boats. Some of the
Speaker 1: members had planned a cruise to Hobart after Christmas. Each
Speaker 1: would take his own respective yacht, as you do. The
Speaker 1: club's vice president, Peter Luke, took the opportunity to ask
Speaker 1: the captain if he'd be interested in coming along on
Speaker 1: his own yacht. One presumes Captain Illingworth allegedly responded, I
Speaker 1: will if you make a race of it, and so
Speaker 1: it was. An official notice appeared in the Australian Powerboat
Speaker 1: and Yachting Monthly, a magazine that advertised essentials for every
Speaker 1: boat enthusiast, from sales to deck varnish and lavoratories, alongside
Speaker 1: important upcoming events, say Sidney to Hobart yacht races. Allow
Speaker 1: me to quote from the notice yacht Race to Tasmania.
Speaker 1: It is expected that an ocean yacht race may take
Speaker 1: place from Sydney to Hobart, probably starting on December twenty sixth,
Speaker 1: nineteen forty five. Yachtsman desirous of competing should contact Vice
Speaker 1: President mister p Luke entries close. December one, nineteen forty five,
Speaker 1: Illingworth bought and sailed the thirty five foot double ended
Speaker 1: cutter named Rani. The yacht was designed by Arthur Barber
Speaker 1: and built in Sydney.
Speaker 2: To feed seven people.
Speaker 1: They took a bunch of supplies, including Bonnox, which is
Speaker 1: like if.
Speaker 2: Veggimite were a drink.
Speaker 1: A scrapbook from the journey shows photos of a motley
Speaker 1: crew made up of Royal Navy officers and local amateur yachtsmen.
Speaker 2: Their weather beaten but smiling.
Speaker 1: Nine boats started on the day in Sydney to Hobart tradition,
Speaker 1: the weather was horrendous. It wasn't long before Rannie was lost,
Speaker 1: struck by subtly wins that put her main sail out
Speaker 1: of action. The yachts were scattered. One retired while others
Speaker 1: looked for shelter. When the weather improved, plane scour at
Speaker 1: the waters, Rannie was nowhere. She was presumed missing and
Speaker 1: her crew feared drowned. Actually, unbeknownst to the pilots or
Speaker 1: to Rannie, she was so far ahead of the fleet
Speaker 1: that they simply hadn't looked in the right place.
Speaker 2: Several days later, she reappeared.
Speaker 1: In the Derwent River, where spectators watched as Captain Illingworth
Speaker 1: asked how many boats had finished ahead of him.
Speaker 2: The answer was none.
Speaker 1: Illingworth and his crew had claimed victory six days, fourteen
Speaker 1: hours and twenty two minutes to win line and overall honors.
Speaker 1: For his efforts, he was presented with a wooden bowl.
Speaker 1: You can still see it on display at the Australian
Speaker 1: National Maritime Museum. Peter Luke, the guy who'd invited the
Speaker 1: winning captain along in the first place, must have been salty.
Speaker 1: His yacht, The Wayfarer, came dead last worse. He and
Speaker 1: his crew finished in a time so slow it's still
Speaker 1: the longest anyone's ever taken to complete the race back home.
Speaker 1: John Illingworth became a celebrated sailor.
Speaker 2: He was made.
Speaker 1: Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club and launched a
Speaker 1: sloop called the Myth of Mallam, which went on to
Speaker 1: win so many races. She now has her own race
Speaker 1: named after her. Captain Illingworth died in nineteen eighty. They
Speaker 1: called him quote the father of postwar offshore sailing racing,
Speaker 1: which is both an honor and a mouthful. The last
Speaker 1: remaining sailor from that in oral event was Honest long John,
Speaker 1: who definitely.
Speaker 2: Sounds like a pirate.
Speaker 1: He died in twenty twenty one, aged ninety three. Old
Speaker 1: long John called the flight down the East Coast and
Speaker 1: into the treacherous Tasmanian waters bloody hard work, which sounds
Speaker 1: about that Sydney to Hobart winning vessel Rani sadly met
Speaker 1: a less than glamorous fate after being sold in the
Speaker 1: late forties. She was refurbished, but soon afterwards run aground
Speaker 1: on Mungo Beach. She was a total loss. Her portrait
Speaker 1: now hangs in the place where the race was born,
Speaker 1: the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and to this day
Speaker 1: Rannie is still the smallest yacht to ever win it.
Speaker 2: You've been listening to the pool.
Speaker 1: Room and iHeart production. I'm Tony Armstrong and I'll speak
Speaker 1: to you soon.