Images(5)

CULWULLA on Sydney Harbour early in the 1900s

Culwulla

Vessel numberHV000306

Designer Logan Bros

Builder Logan Bros

Date1901

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 13.31 m x 9.14 m x 2.54 m x 1.98 m (43.66 ft x 30 ft x 8.33 ft x 6.5 ft)

DescriptionCULWULLA was built in New Zealand for Walter M. Marks of Sydney, New South Wales, who had by then established himself as a winning skipper on the Harbour. CULWULLA's success under his ownership led to Marks becoming involved in racing at the highest level with subsequent yachts of the same name. He was also an important business man and well respected in all his activities.

CULWULLA was built to a design by Arch Logan. It is double diagonally planked in kauri, with a combination of floors and stringers as supporting structure. CULWULLA 's dimensions were reported in contemporary newspaper reports as LOA 43 feet (13.1m), LWL 30 feet 11 inches ( 9.44m), Beam 8 feet (2.44m), Draft 6 feet 4 inches (1.9m). Compared to three other very similar 30 Foot Linear Raters also built by Logan Bros, CULWULLA was shorter in length overall but longer on the waterline, had slightly more beam and was flatter floored under the mast.

In its first race on Sydney Harbour, CULWULLA had the misfortune of being run into by a ferry. Shipwrights did a remarkable job to cover up the damage and the yacht then went on win many trophies racing with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. These included the Squadron Cup, Gascoigne Cup and, on two occasions, the 20 Footer's Pennant for the season's racing.

A total of eleven 30 Foot Linear Raters were built for racing on Sydney Harbour, including Logan's five, three designs by Bailey from New Zealand and one by Fife of Scotland. CULWULLA was the final development of the Logan type, which began with AOMA in 1899, then PETREL and HEATHER (later renamed RANEE) in 1900, SUNBEAM late in 1900, and finally CULWULLA in 1901. CULWULLA, AOMA, PETREL and HEATHER were gaff-cutter rigged, had cabin houses, fit-out below decks and long keels. SUNBEAM was the exception, with no cabin or fit-out, an open cockpit, a fin bulb keel and a sloop rig.

In 1909 Marks sold CULWULLA to Mr A Mullins who renamed it YEULBA, and it continued to be successful in its first season under new ownership with another win in the Gascoigne Cup race. During the 1911-1912 season YEULBA won a number of trophies, including the prestigious Basin Cup, a 60 mile ocean race from Sydney to Broken Bay, around Lion Island, and then back. In later years YEULBA won the Rawhiti, Albert and Sir Rupert Clarke Cups.

The next owner was Mr F J Doran and YEULBA continued to be one of the most consistent yachts of its class in Sydney winning the Sir James Fairfax Trophy. Doran sold it in 1915 to RC Griffiths and Partners, then in 1920 it changed hands firstly to Arnold Cook, then to Fergus Heath. Finally in November 1920, YEULBA was sold to the new Governor General of Australia, His Excellency Lord Forster, a keen, experienced and respected English yachtsman. YEULBA was then shipped to Melbourne. Despite being Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV), Lord Forster kept YEULBA at the Brighton Yacht Club, now Royal Brighton Yacht Club, which was nearer to Government House. YEULBA was in poor condition by then and Lord Forster had the yacht completely refitted.

Lord Forster was a capable skipper in his own right, but due to his official duties, he was unable to skipper YEULBA as often as he wished. However the yacht raced with much success with stand-in skippers. These included Frank J 'Bluegum' Davies, Jim W Moffat and A T ‘Bert’ Crick. Just prior to the end of Lord Forster's term of office in Australia he represented the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria skippering YEULBA to win the prestigious 'blue ribbon' yachting event of Port Phillip, the Victorian Yacht Racing Association's Perpetual Challenge Cup (better known as the Association Cup). In July 1925, YEULBA was sold to Lord Stradbroke, then Governor of Victoria, who kept her at the RYCV. He sold YEULBA in December 1926 when he, too, returned to England.

YEULBA's next owner was Mr E H 'Teddy' Webster of Hobart, who only kept the yacht for a short period, selling quickly to Angus Cumming. Both were members of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania and keen supporters of Tasmanian yachting. YEULBA was then used mostly for day sailing and cruising. On the rare occasions it did race, YEULBA was one of the fastest yachts in Hobart. In 1938 a new Huon pine deck was laid and it was re-rigged with a Bermudan mainsail rig.

YEULBA remained in Hobart until 1948, when it was sold to Mr Neil McAllister of Royal Geelong Yacht Club. During the delivery to Geelong the yacht was caught in a gale off the east coast of Tasmania, which broke gear and caused the deck to leak. The crew put back to Hobart for repairs that became a major refit. The topsides were raised, a new ply-wood deck was overlaid with Tasmanian celery-top pine while the rigging and gear were renewed. When completed, YEULBA made an exceptionally fast passage to Geelong.

Within a few years YEULBA was sold to owners in Western Australia, where it again had an impressive record. YEULBA remained in Western Australia until 1999, when it was sold and taken to Sorrento, Victoria. In 2009 it remained awaiting restoration.
SignificanceCULWULLA is the last of five 30 Foot Linear Raters built by Logan Bros of Auckland New Zealand for Australian owners, which raced on Sydney Harbour early in the 1900s. The fleet of 30 Foot Linear Raters was instrumental in reinvigorating yachting during this period. The Logan boats were acknowledged as superior to other designs in the fleet, including one from Fife in Scotland, then considered to be one of best designers worldwide. CULWULLA's success demonstrated that southern hemisphere designers were as good as any others in the world. CULWULLA is an example of the Logan's typical diagonal planked, frameless construction which was a feature of their workmanship.