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classically proportioned, and was located on one of the city’s bustling thoroughfares, Castlereagh Street. Its robust design, with windows, doorways and awnings heavily highlighted, was typical of the colonial architecture of the time.
    One of the CYC’s founders, Peter Luke, knew that the Royal Navy’s Chief Engineer at its wartime Sydney Harbour base at Woolloomooloo, Captain John Illingworth, was a pre-eminent ocean racing yachtsman from England. In fact it was said of Illingworth in one prominent Sydney magazine at the time: “He was perhapsthe greatest exponent of sailing and ocean racing yet to visit Australia, and he greatly impressed Australian yachtsmen with knowledgeable lectures substantiated by victories in leading offshore and harbour events.” Little wonder that Luke invited him to be the guest speaker at the dinner.
    In its embryonic days, CYC members would hold what they described as “very informal and low-key” club meetings in the photographic studio owned by Peter Luke’s father, Monty. It was next door to Usher’s Hotel. When there was a need for members to get together over dinner it was usually at a small place near Wynyard, the mid-city rail and bus terminus. “It was called Sue’s Café,” Peter Luke said, “but the food they served was sufficiently bad for us to always call it the Greasy Spoon.”
    The dinner at Usher’s was obviously a very special occasion. The small audience was captivated by Captain Illingworth’s vivid stories of offshore racing in England. Later, as they relaxed over port and quality cigars, Bert Walker – who was the club’s first president – remarked somewhat casually to Illingworth, “Jack Earl and I are cruising down to Hobart after Christmas. Why don’t you join us?” Illingworth thought it a splendid idea and accepted the invitation. Enthusiastic conversation followed until someone in the group piped up, “Let’s make a race of it.”
    The great race was conceived.
    Until the proposal for the Hobart race surfaced most of the CYC’s sailing activities had been short coastal hops out of Sydney. Over the Christmas–New Year period of 1944, Earl, Luke and a few others had ventured some 200 miles south on a cruise to the beautiful little coastal town of Eden, near the NSW–Victorian border. The success of that adventure had excited Earl and his family and they began talking about a casual cruise farther souththe following Christmas. The plan was to sail aboard their stout ketch Kathleen Gillett – a veritable floating home.
    It was pure coincidence that Earl and Walker – who were CYC founders – planned to cruise to Tasmania together. Earl, who later became a marine artist of international acclaim, was also the second Australian to cruise around the world. One weekend, when he and his family were aboard Kathleen and anchored off an isolated beach on Sydney Harbour, their plans took another step toward fruition.
    Anchored nearby was Bert Walker’s yacht, Saltair. Earl knew that Walker, a Tasmanian, would have charts of the Tasmanian coast so he rowed his small dinghy across to Saltair and asked permission to step aboard. “I thought I’d ask him about ‘Tassie’ [Tasmania] and the Derwent River. He got very excited about that and said he would like to join us, to make it a cruise in company.” For the next hour the pair enjoyed a few drinks, checked charts of Tasmania and planned their voyage. Jack then rowed back to his yacht and revealed to his family the exciting new developments. It wasn’t long before Peter Luke heard of the plans for the cruise and he asked if he could join them with his yacht, Wayfarer.
    Once the decision had been made at Usher’s Hotel, there was no slowing the momentum. The start date was December 26, Boxing Day in Australia. It was considered to be an ideal time as it was the height of summer and it would allow competitors and their families to enjoy Christmas Day at home. Unfortunately, for Earl’s family,