1949 Sydney Hobart - EXCITING STRUGGLE UP DERWENT - Truth (Brisbane, Qld. : 1900 - 1954), Sunday 1 January 1950, page 13

 TRADE WINDS MAY BLOW-IN AS WINNER

HOB ART, Saturday. — Fortunes fluctuated as the three- leading yachts in the Sydney— Hobart race, Margaret Rintoul, Trade Winds, and Waltzing Matilda, headed for the entrance of the Derwent. this morning when they were first sighted off Tasman Island, about 46 miles from the finishing line.

The 46-foot cutter Waltzing Matilda was leading the 43foot cutter Trade Winds by five miles with the 43-foot yawl Margaret Rintoul a further four miles behind Trade Winds.

'W7ALTZING MATILDA maintained her lead due to favorable conditions all the morning: Early in the afternoon, however, a drop in the winds apparently caused Waltzing Matilda to veer southwards to the hope of catching a southeasterly. The gamble was not successful and, shortly after 1 o'clock, Waltzing Matilda was moving slowly in a slack south-westerly. Waltzing Matilda's change of course enabled Margaret Rintoul to pass Trade Winds and take the lead. By 'mid-afternoon, the vessels were still in Storm Bay, about 27 miles from Hobart. Conditions were almost calm and all vessels were rolling heavily. It was anticipated that the first yacht would not cross the line before 7 pm. Experienced yachtsmen believe that Trade Winds has every prospect of winning the event on corrected, time. She is nicely handicapped and although she was trailing Margaret Rintoul by two miles, she is also considered to have a good chance of being first across the line. All entrants to the event have now been accounted for except the 40-foot ketch Horizon and the Tasmanian schooner Wanderer.  An aircraft this .morning noted four yachts becalmed. They were the Lass Oluss and Nocturne, which were standing off Maria Island, about 80 miles from the finishing line, the Seasalter which was stationary near Schouten Island, about 100 miles from Hobart, and the Peer Gynt. Gipsy Queen, Mistral and Fortuna were off Tasman Island, 60 miles from Hobart. Unfavorable sailing conditions are being experienced by almost every entrant. Since 9.30 this morning, the three leading yachts have made only 15 to 20 miles. A large crowd has been gathering on the Hobart foreshore since before lunch to see the first -yacht cross the line.

Editor: For another slightly later account of the struggle up the Derwent see the link below

https://margaretrintoul.blogspot.com/2022/02/949-sydney-hobart-exciting-struggle-up.html

1949-1950 Hobart Race Report -Truth, Brisbane, Qld.: 1900 - 1954, Sunday 1 January 1950, page 13

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Editor's Note: 1949 Sydney Hobart Race Report

The following article appeared in the Truth Newspaper in Brisbane on Sunday, Jan 1, 1950, on Page 13

TRADE WINDS MAY BLOW IN AS WINNER

HOBART, Saturday. — Fortunes fluctuated as the three- leading yachts in the Sydney Hobart race, Margaret Rintoul, Trade Winds and Waltzing Matilda, headed for the entrance of the Derwent. this morning when they were first sighted off Tasman Island, about 46 miles from the finishing line.

The 46-foot cutter Waltzing Matilda .was leading the 43foot cutter Trade Winds by five miles with the 43-foot yawl Margaret Rintoul a further four miles behind Trade Winds.

'WALTZING MATILDA maintained her lead due to favourable conditions all morning. Early in the afternoon, however, a drop in the winds apparently caused Waltzing Matilda to veer southwards to the hope of catching a southeasterly. The gamble was not successful and, shortly after 1 o'clock, Waltzing Matilda was moving slowly in a slack south-westerly.

Waltzing Matilda's change of course enabled Margaret Rintoul to pass Trade Winds and take the lead. By 'mid-afternoon, the vessels were still in Storm Bay, about 27 miles from Hobart.

Conditions were almost calm and all vessels were rolling heavily. It was anticipated that the first yacht would not cross the line before 7 pm. Experienced yachtsmen believe that Trade Winds has every prospect of winning the event on corrected time. She is nicely handicapped and although she was trailing Margaret Rintoul by two miles, she is also considered to have a good chance of being first across the line.

All entrants to the event have now been accounted for except the 40-foot ketch Horizon and the Tasmanian schooner Wanderer. An aircraft this .morning noted four yachts becalmed. They were the Lass Oluss and Nocturne, which were standing off Maria Island, about 80 miles from the finishing line, the Seasalter which was stationary near Schouten Island,  about 100 miles from Hobart, and the Peer Gynt. Gipsy Queen, Mistral and Fortuna were off Tasman Island, 60 miles from Hobart.

Unfavourable sailing conditions are being experienced by almost every entrant. Since 9.30 this morning, the three leading yachts have made only 15 to 20 miles. A large crowd has been gathering on the Hobart foreshore since before lunch to see the first yacht cross the line.

Editor's Note:

This was a long race, it's the afternoon of the 31st and no yacht has finished.

Finish of 1949 Sydney Hobart - Sydney Morning Herald

Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW: 1949 - 1953), Sunday 1 January 1950, page 3

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Editor's Note: This Report of the 1949 Sydney To Hobart race appeared in the SMH on Jan 1, 1950, on page 3.

EXCITING STRUGGLE UP DERWENT

Waltzing Matilda First Over Line In Hobart Yacht Race

LEADS MARGARET RINTOUL ACROSS BY TWO MINUTES

Waltzing: Matilda, 46ft cutter, was first across j the finishing line last night in the annual Sydney Hobart yacht race.  In the most exciting finish in the history of the event, the cutter crossed the line at 9.33 p.m.-two minutes ahead of the 43ft yawl, Margaret Rintoul

Third to finish was another Sydney yacht, the 43ft "mystery" steel cutter Trade Winds, which came in at 9.40. It is thought that Trade Winds may win the handicap section of the race.

Thousands lined Hobart's Castary Esplanade to cheer as Waltzing Matilda drifted across the line in an almost dead calm.  It was a thrilling finish to a race packed with excitement and incident.

Trade Winds, which had contested the lead with Waltzing Matilda and Margaret Rintoul in an exciting battle of tactics in the Derwent, came in at 10.9 p.m.  The flag of the finishing box hung limp as the craft drifted slowly to the line in the moonlight.   The only indication spectators had of the craft's whereabouts were the navigating lights glimmering in the distance. No one knew the position of the yachts until the line had been crossed.

OTHERS TO-DAY

Women in evening dress on their way to New Year parties were among the excited crowd. Gypsy Queen and Independence, in fourth and fifth positions, are not likely to finish until today.  Under a barrage of movie cameras and Press photographers, Waltzing Matilda's crew stepped ashore.  They looked very fit.  Captain of the cutter, Phil Davenport, was greeted on the wharf by the Governor of Tasmania, Sir Hugh Binney, and Lady Binney.  In his summary of the voyage, the captain said it had been a "fairly good trip. There were no unusual incidents."

Waltzing Matilda gives the Muir brothers, Tasmanian boat builders, their third success.  Westward, sister ship of Waltzing Matilda has won the last two races.  Trade Winds has a corrected time advantage over Margaret Rintoul of about 3 hours and a 2-hour advantage over Waltzing Matilda.  Lass O' Luss, about 20 miles behind the leaders in the Derwent, also has an excellent chance on handicap.

ALL HELD LEAD

The first three yachts to finish all held the lead at one stage or another in the struggle up the Derwent.  With only four miles to go, at 8.15, Trade Winds had a lead of a mile and seemed certain to be first across the line.  At that stage, Margaret Rintoul was in second place and Waltzing Matilda was a half-mile further back.

Soon after turning into the Derwent, for the 45-mile run-up to Hobart, about 10 o'clock yesterday morning, the three leading craft lost the breeze and at dusk, after painfully slow progress through the day, the trio still had about 20 miles to go.

First to make the turn up the river was Waltzing Matilda.  Next, and closely behind, came Merv Daley's (Davey, Editor's correction) Trade Winds, and nudging her astern was Margaret Rintoul. Yachtsmen were not surprised when the cutter Trade Winds showed up.  The cutter had not been sighted since she led the bunched field off Eden, but as the other widely scattered craft failed to glimpse her yachtsmen generally put her in the lead.

Slowly moving up the river, Trade Winds took the lead, with Margaret Rintoul next and then Waltzing Matilda.

However, Margaret Rintoul reached Betsy Island on the northern side of Storm Bay, two miles ahead of Trade Winds.

Editor's Note:

Merv Davey went on to become the skipper of Margaret Rintoul the following year 1950 when they took line Honours and were beaten by Nerida sailed by Colin Hazelgrove (Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron) on handicap.  Sir James Hardy, the present owner of  Nerida now keeps her on a mooring at the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron next to Margaret Rintoul 

PK June 2020