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Lucienne

Vessel numberHV000609

Sail NumberG1918

Date1917

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 9.22 m x 7.31 m x 2.44 m x 1.42 m (30.25 ft x 24 ft x 8 ft x 4.66 ft)

DescriptionLUCIENNE may be based on a John G Alden design, an American naval architect well known for many yacht designs and plans at this time. It was planked in NZ kauri and was 9.14m long. The owner and builder JC Dowdle lived in Richmond, just east of Melbourne’s city centre, where he built the boat on his property.

It was sold to S. Bird in 1926 and in 1934 it was sold again and left St Kilda to sail with Sandringham Yacht Club. It was later recorded sailing from the Royal Victorian Yacht Club during the 1950's, and then in the late 1950's the boat was sold to John Collins of Royal Geelong Yacht Club. During its time in Geelong the boat competed in a race to Devonport Tasmania, and John and his wife spent their honeymoon on the yacht at Swan Bay, returning to Geelong some weeks later when they had run out of food and supplies.

During the early 1970's John sold the boat to Mr Best and the boat returned to Sandringham. Best removed the original dog house style coach house to a more contemporary style at the time. In the mid-1980's the boat was sold to Russell Venables and returned to Geelong where it was moored at the Lagoon Boat Club.

In 1987 the boat was purchased by Denis Taylor and Scott Powell of Melbourne, and they trucked it to their Melbourne factory for a major overhaul, including a redesigned coachhouse more sympathetic to the age of the boat, a complete new fit out in Honduras mahogany and NZ kauri, new beech laid decks with a jarrah and Huon pine bowsprit. Mahogany was also used for paneling in cockpit and the coach house, jarrah was used on the gunwales and rubbing rails. A new Oregon mast and boom were crafted and a time capsule was placed inside the hollow boom by Scott and Denis.

After four years of work, the boat was relaunched in 1991 at Geelong and renamed LUCIENNE. The boat was moored and sailed out of Lagoon Boat Club. It has now changed hands again and the current owner is preparing to do some additional work and keep LUCIENNE sailing so that it will be able celebrate a century on Port Phillip in 2017.

SignificanceLUCIENNE is a yacht that was built in1917 at Richmond, Victoria by its owner JC Dowdle. Originally named BERYL it has always sailed on Port Phillip, where it originally raced with St Kilda Yacht Club before going to Geelong and then Melbourne. It has sailed on Port Phillip for almost 100 years.