Redpa
Vessel numberHV000855
Builder
EA Jack
Date1908
DescriptionRedpa was designed and built by prominent Tasmanian boatbuilder EA Jack. Redpa was ordered in 1908 by Stanley Tasman Perrin, Secretary of the Tamar Yacht Club, as a ‘fast knockabout’, and was constructed at EA Jack’s boatshed Launceston in just over a month in time to compete in the Rosevears Regatta. Redpa was built to an American design and is 30ft in length, its hull carvel and timber planked. Its hull is made up of Huon Pine over spotted gum frames, with a plywood deck, coach house, coamings and topsides glass sheathed, bottom caulked and puttied. As of 2023 Redpa is under the ownership of the Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum and is on a hard stand for public display.
Over the first four years of its existence Redpa raced successfully on the Tamar. During this period, it was common for yachts to cruise down the Tamar on weekends and some families, such as the Perrins, took up residence at Low Head at the mouth of the Tamar during the Summer Holidays. An account of one of these trips in 1912 that led to do Stan Perrin’s severely abrupt departure from Tasmania is as follows:
Stan in Redpa was accompanied by his mate J. L. (Jack) Tyson in his yacht Ventura. Someone reported to Stan's father Walter that there was beer and tobacco aboard Redpa. Walter was a devout Methodist and whilst he used to import gin for his wife and scotch for himself he did not condone such behaviour in his offspring. He disinherited Stan and ordered him to leave Tasmania. Stan made his way to Sydney and Redpa was sold in Hobart.
A further account of Redpa’s prolific race history has been compiled by Peter Higgs with reference to Broxam and Mays, Those That Survive: Tasmania’s Vintager and Veteran Recreational Vessels, 2023:
Perrin sold Redpa to a Hobart syndicate, and the vessel appears to have been sent south by rail. Its owners sailed with the Derwent Sailing Squadron, in races of which Redpa was competitive. However, in the open field of the Hobart Regatta its results were mixed, and organisers found some difficulty working out whether Redpa should be treated as a first or as a second-class yacht. The vessel’s biggest moment was undoubtedly winning the A Class Yacht Race at the 1923 Regatta, the year after Elf beat it in the equivalent event. After that Redpa raced as a B Class yacht, winning in 1928, 1939 and 1944, coming second in 1927, 1932, 1938 and 1940, and finishing third in 1934-38 and 1943. Long-time owner Henry George Gourlay (1872-1962) was noted as one of Hobart’s oldest active yachtsmen when he replaced Redpa with Bronzewing in 1944. Warren Hart of Snug then purchased the vessel, using it solely for cruising purposes. In the late 1940s he installed an Austin 7 h.p. engine. Redpa made a return to racing when sold in early 1950 to Basil de la Bare, formerly of the Sharpie Red Bill.
In the late 1950s new owner Neall Batt converted Redpa into a more comfortable river cruiser with raised foredeck and cabin, in which form the vessel completed the century. Redpa did manage to score a third place as a Second Division yacht at the 1963 Hobart Regatta. For many years it sailed as a unit of the Bellerive Yacht Club, including under the ownership of Barry Bedford.
Redpa was eventually purchased by a grandson of the original owner and taken to Sydney, where the vessel was extensively restored to its original configuration. In 2008 he donated Redpa to the Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum, where the it is now preserved ashore. Redpa is displayed in a cradle to help maintain its shape as well as sheathing it for water protection. It has been a major drawcard for visitors to the museum.
Completed with the assistance of Peter Higgs, ARHV Steering Committee member and ARHV Council member and Dr. Dougal Harris ARHV Council member
SignificanceRedpa is a 30ft racing yacht that was built in 1908 by prominent Tasmanian boatbuilder EA Jack. It was built in just over a month in Launceston, and shortly after launch it competed in the Rosevears Regatta on the Tamar River. Redpa had a successful race history, winning the A Class yacht race in the 1923 Regatta, and winning the B Class in 1928, 1939 and 1944. Redpa was converted to a river cruiser in the late 1950s, however still raced in the Hobart Regatta in 1963 in the Second Division, finishing third. In 2008 Redpa was donated to the Low Head Pilot Station Maritime Museum. This is Australia’s oldest pilot station, dating from 1807. Redpa is now preserved ashore on a cradle and is representative of recreational boating and racing on the Tamar River.
