Celtic Lady

She’s 105 years-old and her latest consort, Steve English, is number 25. Meet Granuaile (pronounced gran-nu-al), a 50-foot 1905 teak Bermudan cutter and the oldest yacht in the 441 racing fleet that contested this year’s Audi Victoria Week at Geelong last month.

Trade-a-Boat went out on Corio Bay to greet the fleet on Saturday, January 24, in the 6m Coastryder-Evinrude prize package we’re giving away to one lucky reader. This year’s Passage Race attracted 335 contenders for the 34.3nm dash from Williamstown to Geelong. Their arrival officially opened the four-day regatta.

The Passage Racers are a sight to see, an endless line of canvas steaming over the horizon and along the narrow shipping channel into Geelong. Leading the way, the sleek IRC Div 1 yachts are the first to touch base, completing the trip in around 3½ hours. South Australian Geoff Boettcher’s Reichel Pugh 51 Secret Mens Business 3.5 was the overall winner.

Once the cream of Australia’s ocean racers are in, we travel back down the line passing all manner of craft, one designs, trimarans, cats, old and new, big and small. The parade includes visiting boats, too, all intent on whooping it up that night with the racers and for the next three days.

Then there was old Granuaile. She took almost double the time to complete the race than the IRC yachts, but her aged ribs surely revelled in the brisk 25 to 30kts southwesterly wind, says her principal owner, Steve English. You see, his Irish-built girl was a formidable ocean racer in her day and a forerunner of the modern yacht. Steeped in history, a book could be written about Granuaile.

“She held the record for the most consecutive transatlantic races contested, 43 I believe,” said English. “In the Fifties and Sixties she competed in the Fastnet, and finished third one year.” Granuaile headed to Australia in 1968, spending time in Asia, but returning here competing in a Sydney to Hobart, countless West Coasters and other races before being put to work as a charter boat in the Tasmanian wilderness.

“Granuaile is teak on teak frames and measures 50 feet by 12 feet (beam) with an eight-foot draft. She has a teak fitout inside, all original, and has never been gutted,” English said.

DOYLE DESIGN
She was built in Dublin by James E. Doyle (1848-1910), a second generation boatbuilder and a naval architect of some repute. “Doyle built a (22ft) gaff sloop, the Colleen, which became the first One Design international class,” explained English.

“Put it this way, when Herreshoff was in nappies, Doyle’s designs were already established -- things like having the beam after the mast and a deep draft -- and he would go on to influence all the early modern American naval architects.

“Doyle died only five years after Granuaile was built and that makes her pretty special,” said English.

Launched as Granuaile -- after the 16th century Irish aristocrat lady, pirate and trader -- she has raced as Hilda, St Mary and Cholorphyl, only returning to her original name two years ago when current owners saw it as a fitting gesture to her history.

“She’s in good shape and was doing 8 to 9kts on a reach in the Passage Race,” said English. “Granuaile didn’t appreciate the light airs at the start, but once going, she mowed them down.”

Finishing fourth in the Parks Victoria Classic Yacht Series division of the Passage Race, Granuaile was in her element. “Although it was downhill afterwards, we were only 10 minutes behind Kookaburra in the Passage Race!” said an elated English. The latter boat, also from RYCV, is a 1985 aluminium-alloy hulled America’s Cup 12m class yacht, one of three Perth businessman Kevin Parry had constructed for the unsuccessful 1987 defence of the America’s Cup in Fremantle, WA.

AGED CARE
“Granuaile’s sail plan was as a topsail gaff without a backstay originally. Now it’s a mainsail and three headsails. We had her up to 11.8kts on a broad reach in a 25-knot south-southwesterly coming home on Tuesday, but we don’t like to her race her hard. We reef the main down to take the pressure off the old lady, and use only the no.2 headsail. The no.1 would tear her apart,” said English.

Maintaining working antiques is a labour of love and in Granuaile’s case, not for some. The reality was too much for a fourth syndicate member who has pulled out. He said: “She’s very usable and very strong, but very original and needs a hell of a lot work to bring her back. Got a spare $2 million to fully restore her? At least $800,000. There’s 20 coats of oil and lacquer to strip back… and how good are 1905 fasteners?”

But English is pressing ahead to have Granuaile in charter. “She was put in survey in 1987 doing wilderness tours in Tasmania and as a charter boat up to 1997, so she isn’t lacking down below… bilge pumps, radios, electric heads, autohelm, wiring redone. Probably the newest piece of gear is the fully-battened main,” he said.

Audi Victoria Week 2010

1. S&S Martini (Williams Clark) RYCV
2. Henry Morgan 31 Maatsuyker (William Newman) RGYC
3. Kaufman Mercedes III (Martin Ryan) RGYC
4. Columbia 7.9 Coco II (Tony Legg) HBYC
5. S&S 30 Banshee (Graeme McNie) RGYC
6. 12m class Kookaburra I (Ray Richards) RYCV
7. James E. Doyle cutter Granuaile (Steve English) RYCV
8. Giles Brittany 34 Wanita (Richard Gates) RYCV
9. Herreshoff 38 Kokoda (Marc Skelton) RGYC; Creese 43 Seaquella (Col Anderson) RYCV; William Garden Brannic (Bill Clark/Craig Man) RMYC