75 Lower Parriwi Road, The Spit, Mosman NSW 2088
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Vale Gilbert ‘Tig’ Thomas

Memorial Service for Gilbert (Tig) Thomas

Gilbert (Tig) Thomas, a Middle Harbour Yacht Club Life Member, recently passed away on Wednesday 30 August, 2017, aged 91 years. A memorial Service is planned at Middle Harbour Yacht Club on Monday 16th October at 12 midday.

Tig started sailing in Wagga Wagga, where he was born. He started sailing in Heavyweight Sharpies in 1949 and then Gwen 12s and later became Commodore of the Wagga Wagga Boat Club.

On moving to Sydney in 1962, he sailed his Gwen 12 at the Lane Cove 12ft Skiff Club until 1966. He joined Middle Harbour Yacht Club in 1966 and raced with some success winning the 1970 and 1971 State Championships in Endeavour 24's.

ln 1971 the idea of hitting the "big-time" got to him. With the financial support of a favourite client and friend Max Bowen, he had Bob Miller (later known as Ben Lexcen) design a half-tonne ‘Plum Crazy’. It was built by Doug Brooker and launched in December 1971, just in time (10 days to spare) to compete in the 1971 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. The crew comprised of ‘Tig’ and his brother Ted, Doug Brooker as navigator, Rolly Bull and Richard Hart.

He said “The greatest buzz was for the smallest yacht in the fleet to be still leading the fleet of 79 yachts up the harbour in this little 30-footer, ‘Plum Crazy’ (named after its purple colour), for the first 20 minutes before the maxis could catch us. (l have a press photo of ‘Kialoa’ crossing our stem on her way up the harbour). We managed to win Division 2B and second division and were 16th overall in our first race in ‘Plum’"!

Tig represented Australia at the World Half Ton Cup in Denmark in August 1973, as the sole accredited Australian representative, sailing his own yacht 'Plum Crazy'. She was crewed in Denmark by Tig Thomas, Ted Thomas, Roland Bull, Kevin Shephard and Robert Hart. ln 1974, he again represented Australia at the World Half Ton Cup in La Rochelle, France in a chartered yacht 'Creizic'.

The greatest challenge of Tig's sailing career was surviving 70 knot winds in the 1975 Sydney to Hobart Yacht race with a crew of five including Bob Beesley, Robert Ogilvie, John (Joe) Hooton and Martin (Ferdie) Leschkau. He was again the first of the Half Tonners to finish, winning Division 2B, but was placed 70th overall in the year that ‘Kialoa II’ set the race record that stood for many years. Plum Crazy’s own elapsed time that year of 4 days 01 hours 18 minutes and 16 seconds was also a record for a yacht under 9.5m LOA – and it still stands in 2008! Tig and Max later presented to the CYCA a half model of the little boat as the Plum Crazy Trophy” for the first yacht under 9.5m LOA to finish the Hobart Race.

Tig sold ‘Plum Crazy’ in 1988 and ended up buying and sailing various other yachts. But he still had a love affair for the beautiful plum crazy purple ‘Plum Crazy’. In 2005, he bought her back.

In the yachting scene in Sydney he served 6 years as Honorary Treasurer of the Austrian Yachting Federation, President on the Half Ton Association of NSW and inaugural President of the Australian Half Ton Yacht Association.

Tig was elected Commodore of MHYC twice from 1976–1979 and 1995–1997. He was nominated as a Life Member and recently received his fifty-year pin at the Seniors Lunch.

From 1976-79 the club needed to find extra revenue and during that period they in increased the membership from 700 to 2,689. The club had about 400 yachts on its register and 200+ raced regularly in a number of divisions (inshore and offshore). For the other 200 he helped re-established The Cruising Division which has been an integral part of our activities ever since.

In his second term from 1995 to 1997, Tig’s biggest challenge was to keep the club from being closed down. He introduced a "Commodore's Table" inviting a small group of members from various sections of the club to join him for dinner each week to "get to know" the committee members and each other. This helped to restore a happier club membership. He also went on to preserve the clubs history in producing the book “Middle Harbour Yacht Club: The First Sixty Years”.

Besides his love of sailing Tig is an accomplished guitarist and also pilot. For his 90th birthday in 2016, he was given a skydiving experience. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU-CbF6kJ4g ). After that all he could says was ‘Bloody Marvellous’.

He was a kind and generous man who lived life to the fullest. We will all miss him greatly.

Julie Hodder

You can find more information on Tig and Plum on the Boat Genealogy website

http://www.boatgen.com.au/Gilbert%20Thomas

http://www.boatgen.com.au/Plum%20Crazy

Keeping the History of Yachting Alive!


 

Read more: Vale Gilbert ‘Tig’ Thomas

Ikon38 walks away with Sydney 38 trophy at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Kirwan Robb and his Ikon38 crew from Victoria have walked away with the inaugural Sydney 38 OD International Championship trophy at Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Harbour Regatta this afternoon.

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Read more: Ikon38 walks away with Sydney 38 trophy at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Junior Sailing Open Day

Hi all,


Hope you're well!

The Club's Season Opening Day is on this Saturday 3rd September, 2016, from 9am.  

Come down to the Club to join in the fun to toast the opening of the 2016/17 Sailing season. Everyone is welcome to come down, bring the family, friends etc.

 There will be a super fun water slide for the kids - the Sea Scramble - plus the annual sail past with our boats decorated to the theme of "Family Entertainment", sandcastle building competitions, opti races and our famous Treasure Hunt!  

The Club Optis will be available for anyone to go for a sail, with wind forcasted, it will be a fun day.

 

 

 
 

Read more: Junior Sailing Open Day

Ikon38 maintains Sydney 38 lead at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Big conditions on Sydney Harbour pulled racing up short by one race today when 30 knots was registered on Sydney Harbour, but it was water off a duck’s back for Kirwan Robb and his Ikon38 crew, who continue to lead the Sydney 38 OD International Championship at Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Harbour Regatta.

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Read more: Ikon38 maintains Sydney 38 lead at Sydney Harbour Regatta

Sunrise Show Weather Cross-overs @ MHYC

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all well!

Tomorrow morning (16th August), Channel 7's Sunrise Morning Show will be at Middle Harbour Yacht club. Tom Burton (Mens laser) has secured a Olympic Medal in Rio and are waiting to find out what colour he'll bring home after tonights racing. GO TOM!

Would be awesome to get as many people as we can to support sailing as a sport and show our smiling faces on the TV screen. 

Any of you feel up to being part of the Olympic crowd at MHYC tomorrow morning, please feel free to come along between 5:30am & 9am and let anyone else know who might be interested. The more the merrier to support the club!

 

Make sure you dress in the Australian Colours (Yellow and Green)

 

The café will be open from 7.30 am 

 

Looking forward to seeing you bright and early,

Cheers, Nick Connor

 

 

Read more: Sunrise Show Weather Cross-overs @ MHYC

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