Syncronicity I

Early January 2008. So there I was wrapping up my 'Velociraptor S' International Moth to send to the USA. Sold and going to its new owner. I closed the container doors and watched the driver attach the seal that will hopefully not get disturbed until LA. The truck pulled away and the space in the front of the workshop where the boat had been suddenly seemed bigger. The boat was a company boat, so it was never actually mine - but I'd built that moth for myself really and now not in some way owning the fastest boat in the county kind of hurt.

A week later and a friend of mine who runs her own PR and media agency and I are chatting about sponsorship deals in sailing - y'know- how do they work, what can the client get in return for their money. I'm throwing up ideas that avoid the obvious route of sponsoring a local sailor and hoping they do well at the nationals. Naming rights to a local race series, find an unusual boat, do something just bigger than usual, when I use the 18 foot league in Australia of an example of how to do it bigger and better than anyone else and I cite boats like Fiat, Rag & Famish, Gotta Love it 7. OK leave that thought hanging.

That afternoon an old mate most famous in sailing for being a bow/forehand on an 18 calls me and we talk about sailing and motorcycles - but then we talk of little else! Then I'm driving home from work and it hits me. How about carbonology get an old 18 footer, one that needs some work, and puts it back together. We can show people how to fix up old composite structure and how just about any properly built carbon fibre boat can be put back together as good as new - and we can link products from the website to the work we're doing... And when it's all done we'll go sailing and have some fun... Brilliant. But realistically, are there any old Bethwaite 18's or early Murray 18s still around? Will we find one that we can afford and yet is worth saving?

A week later and it's the 30th Jan 2009. Somehow, more by luck than any judgement for sure I've found the I18 'Rockport' for sale in the UK and had got in touch with the owner - a top lad called James. He gave me the lowdown - The boat was badly damaged when it got blown off of it's cradle during preps for a respray in 2005 or 6 and has been side lined ever since. It was complete but a lot of the gear is old now and the hull needs a lot of work - like a total rebuild. I did some research... I knew that Rockport was the boat Tim Robinson had won 'The JJ Giltinan Trophy' in (The 18ft class World Championships, held in Sydney every year) - the odd thing was, he had won it almost exactly 10 years ago to the day on the 31st Jan 1999.
Meanwhile James had sent me some pics by email showing the boat as it is now and clearly showing the level of damage. It's going to be a long job and a major piece of 'deck off' surgery and but it's do-able for sure.

So, 10 years to the day after Rockport took Tim to became the first non Australasian skipper to win the 18 foot skiff championships in it's entire 65 year history, carbonology bought the ex Rockport - and a new chapter in it's history began.

We hope you will keep an eye on this blog and see how we bring an ex championship winning boat back to life, and what we find out about her in the process. DC
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