TASSIE II on display at the 2007 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania

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Tassie Too

Vessel numberHV000234

Sail NumberT2

Sail NumberT4

Previous owner Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania

Designer WP 'Skipper' Batt

Vessel class 21 Foot Restricted Class (1907 - 2007)

Date1927

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 7.62 m x 6.4 m x 2.44 m x 0.76 m, 1.97 tonnes (25 ft x 21 ft x 8 ft x 2.5 ft, 2 tons)

DescriptionTASSIE TOO was launched from the Battery Point slips on 26 November 1927 having been built by Charlie Lucas and Chips Gronfors. The 21 ft Restricted class yacht was designed by W. P. "Skipper" Batt in conjunction with Alfred Blore and John Tarleton with principal measurements of 25 ft overall x 7.5 ft beam. Class requirements called for a vessel of 21 ft on the waterline, 25 ft overall with a maximum beam of 8ft. TASSIE TOO was commissioned by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania (RYCT) and paid for by subscription to allow a second Tasmanian boat to compete for the hotly contested Forster Cup; the national event for the 21 ft Restricted class. Skippered by several members of the Batt family, including Skipper Batt, his brother Harry, and later Harry's son Neall, the vessel was a standout at the Forster Cup, winning the event ten times between 1928 and 1952; a statistic unmatched by any other vessel.

TASSIE TOO was designed by W. P. “Skipper” Batt, with assistance from Alfred Blore and John Tarleton. All three had collaborated on the first TASSIE and again combined to draw the plans needed to construct the hull of TASSIE TOO to Skipper Batt's lines lifted from his model. The first TASSIE was built on a shoestring budget, and rushed together for the 1925 Forster Cup series, which it won convincingly. It then repeated the wins in 1926 and 1927. This encouraged the Tasmanians to build a second boat, but in more organised circumstances. The RYCT raised the funds by subscription and TASSIE TOO was launched in November 1927. It was made ready for the Sydney series, held in early 1928, which it won, skippered by Harry Batt it won. The original TASSIE finished second at the event.

TASSIE TOO is planked in Huon pine on hardwood frames as specified in the class rules, and features a pivoting centreboard - a detail introduced to the class by the Tasmanians. The centreboard was also designed to flex when sailing upwind. The thought was that this would create more lift and improve the yacht's windward abilities. The round-bilge hull shape was designed to be at its best in heavy conditions, but it performed well in all conditions. It was considered an extreme design by other sailors in the class.

TASSIE TOO was skippered by Harry Batt again in 1929 and 1930, N. Winzenberg in 1930 and 1931, Skipper Batt in 1934, 1935 and 1936, Harry Batt in 1937, Skipper Batt in 1938, A. K. Ward in 1939, Neall Batt in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950, Ediss Boyes in 1951 and Neall Batt in 1952. It won the Forster Cup in 1928, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950 and 1952; a statistic unmatched by any other vessel. The original TASSIE won the event in 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1929. A third boat, TASSIE III, was built by Charlie Lucas at Battery Point in 1929, based on a model by Skipper Batt with plans drawn by P. C. Douglas, but it only triumphed over TASSIE TOO at the Forster Cup on two occasions (in 1931 and 1938). Plans were made for a TASSIE IV, a half model at the RYCT shows the hull shape, but the vessel was never built.

TASSIE TOO was also very successful with seven wins in the Albert Gold Cup race, an event that preceded the Forster Cup series on the calendar. Six of these wins were in succession from 1947 to 1952.

The demise of the 21 ft Restricted class following World War II was gradual. After 1952 the Tasmanians no longer contested the series, and after 1955 interstate racing stopped. TASSIE TOO, like many of the class, competed in mixed fleet events and by the 1960s was racing on Port Phillip Bay in Victoria under new owners. The vessel remained in Victoria for several decades and was rescued from decline in 2003. It was then restored by owner Tony Siddons to its original configuration, including the gaff rig sail plan, in time to be re-launched at the 2005 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart. Veteran skipper Ediss Boyes, who had successfully taken the helm of TASSIE TOO in 1951, was welcomed aboard again and remarked on how wonderful the yacht was to sail. The vessel returned to Melbourne and was kept on a mooring at the Sandringham Yacht Club in the intervening years.

TASSIE TOO made a triumphant return home to Hobart in September 2017. A “Friends of Tassie Too” not-for-profit organisation (www.friendsoftassietoo.org) has been established to coordinate administrative, financial, insurance, scheduling and maintenance efforts. With support from the Tasmanian maritime industry, maritime history and sailing community, the “Friends of Tassie Too” organisation will ensure that TASSIE TOO is well cared for into the future, and well used.

SignificanceTASSIE TOO is a wooden racing yacht built in Tasmania in 1927. It is a 21 Foot Restricted Class yacht and it won the Forster Cup, the premier trophy for the class, an unequalled ten times between 1927 and 1952. It is believed to be the only surviving one of the three 'TASSIE'-named boats which represented the state and dominated the class for more than two decades.

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