Videos

Legendary Boatbuilder Joe Donnelly

Joe Donnelly was considered Sydney's finest boatbuilder of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and had a big input into the origin and evolution of the Aussie 18-footer. This revision of the original video from last year has been edited to add in the news that we now have a commemorative plaque on his grave.

Historical 10-footers at Teralba 2024

Here's some footage from the last day of the Australian Championships, Monday 6 May, won for the 7th time by Miss Marlene (Dale Jacobson). It was a wet and squally day, and I would have got more footage but the boat I was on spent much of the time towing capsized boats! Full results on the News Page.

Historical 10-foot Skiffs Australian Championships 2023

AHSSA President Ian Smith filmed the 4th and final heat of the 2023 Championships where 6 boats went out and 3 came back.

18-Footers in 1940-41

Thanks to the Australian National Maritime Museum we can show this rare colour (but silent) footage of a race of the NSW 18-Footers League fleet during the season 1940-41. We can be sure it was this season, those sail insignias were only ever seen all together in that season. The opening sequence shows The Mistake (2+2=5, Sam Monkhouse steering) leading Dee Why II (Red D Y, Billo Hayward) and Hope (Black and gold vertical bars, Wally Holmes). The main boat featured in closeups is Gloria II with the black crescent with red bar and the skipper is Eric Parsons, seen sometimes with a felt hat and sometimes without. Gloria II was built in 1938 by Crowley in Brisbane as St George. It was one of the boats that was sent to Auckland for the 2nd World Championships in 1939. The boat still exists having been converted into a small yacht.
Others we can identify in the fleet are City Tatts II (Red Cross- a brand new boat steered by Harry Prince Jnr, and occasionally by his grandfather the legendary Chris Webb); Eileen II (Red diamond, black bar, E.Ellis), Jean (Red and Yellow diagonal stripes, A. Boyce); Malvina (Red ball, R.Rawlings); Ada A (St Andrews cross, B.Barnett); Alruth (Gold A on blue shield, Alf Beashel).

CNN's Mainsail show from 2014

CNN's Mainsail team visited Sydney in 2014 and produced this show about the JJ Giltinan, but included a lot of historical footage and some of the AHSSA's replica fleet as well as interviews with legends like Bill Barnett, and John "Woody" Winning. youtu.be/kpRDp1xN-EU

A new angle

The GoPro is taped to the bumpkin 2.4m (8 feet) from the stemhead of Britannia to give a different view of a historical 18-footer under sail. All shots from the one race on 3 December 2022. Britannia was 3rd, the winner was Australia IV who can be seen catching up from behind (Union Jack insignia) in the video. youtu.be/CsOhjl2nZT0

18-Footer Britannia at the Balmain Regatta 2022

We haven't been to the Balmain Regatta since Covid, so this year we were determined to make it, even though we had to combine 2 boats' crews and we were the only entrant in our division. But we managed to display our Balmain Tigers jerseys and our Balmain Tigers spinnaker. Here's the link if clicking on the image doesn't work: https://youtu.be/8tQcGOa0L9I

Australian Historical 10-Footers Championships 2022

Final heat of the 2022 Australian Historical 10-footers Championship. Race and series winner was Ramona II (Grant Sheldon NSW) with the red outline triangle insignia. Raced out of Teralba Amateur Sailing Club, Lake Macquarie NSW, 30 April-2 May.

Australian Historical 18-Footers

This short film was made for the Virtual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in 2020, and is a collection of some of the best action footage of the replica fleet in the few seasons previous to that, with a commentary that highlights a few of the distinctive features of these great boats. Here's the link youtu.be/feYMx_fkUio which should work if clicking on the image doesn't. There's more footage of the replica fleet on the Ian Smith Boats Channel on YouTube, at www.youtube.com/c/IanSmithBoats .

The 27th Historical 10-Footers Australian Championships 2021

All races of this series were filmed as the fleet raced on the Brisbane River in 2021.

The Balmain Bug: Historic Six Foot Skiff

The Balmain Bug is a replica of the 6-footer class that raced on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River from the late1890's to the 1920's. This film by Crosbie Lorimer shows the boat on an outing from the Balmain Sailing Club where she is the mascot. The story of the 6-footers is on the 6-FOOTERS Page on our sister site www.openboat.com.au

Myra Too - launching and maiden sail

Myra Too is a replica of the Australian and World Champion 18-footer of 1950 under the legendary Bill Barnett. The replica was built in 2013 by Bill's former apprentice, the late Bob Macleod. Film by Grant Wakefield. Link www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-h3zmeD3M

Australian Historic 18footer skiffs - National Championship 2014

Another one from Grant Wakefield, this time from the Australian Championships in 2014, with some great footage from onboard the boats.

Race 2 Highlights Historic 18 Footers Championship 2011

Going back even further, here is the film shot by the late great Bob Killick's team at www.18footers.com.au in 2011. This is the one where Australia takes out the superstructure of the committee boat crossing the line!