| YEAR |
DESCRIPTION |
| 1963 |
After entering into correspondence with the prominent Naval Architects, of the time, R. J. (Bob) Green eventually decided on a design offered by Sparkman & Stephens. This design offered was a modification of the successful S&S design, “Hestia”. The designers suggested several things, which they thought would improve the Hestia design, all of which were adopted by Bob, save for the suggested “reverse transom”. Construction commenced in 1963, in the large garage at Bob’s home, on the corner of Bluff Road and Middleton Street, Black Rock. Glen Stuart did the lofting, and then set up the jarrah backbone, and attended to the planking, (after he had finished the same work, first on Des Baxter’s “Blythe Spirit” design, and then Maynard Mappin’s,“Caraiya”). Bob continued on with the build, assisted by crew, until Jimmy Sly, and apprentice Bob Peckham, attended to make and fit the mahogany cabin and combings. The owner was in the timber and hardware game, so only the best of materials went into her build. The timbers were all carefully sourced, Queensland White Beech for the planking, with the sheer plank being a thicker mahogany plank, laminated silver ash for the ribs, jarrah for the backbone, and mahogany for the cabin trunk and combings, with an extensive use of monel metal in the fastenings. |
| 1964-1966 |
The front of the garage had to be demolished to get Tamboo out, to be launched in the summer of 1964 and, to quote from the Murray Davis book, “Australian Ocean Racing”, “…she immediately began to win important races of up to 100 miles on Port Phillip. She was completed late 1965 and was sailed into 13th place, eighth in Division 2, in that year’s Sydney-Hobart. This was considered a highly creditable performance, for her crew had little ocean racing experience. In 1966 she was third…” (The first Victorian yacht to place in the Sydney-Hobart Race). In common with other S&S designs, (with their triangular underwater shape, and rudder well forward, at the aft end of the keel), Tamboo was a wild ride, downhill in a blow; three on the tiller, with full spinnaker and sea-way. Investigation turned up that John Illingworth, in England, was solving the problem, in his boats, with a “dagger-board” through the horn timber. Bob learned that Norm Brooker had done that to his “Seawind”, a 43ft Sparkman & Stephens yacht, in Sydney. Bob flew up to have a look, to be told by Norm that “it helped a bit”, but that, instead of using the dagger board, they were now strapping the spinnaker down hard, by leading the spinnaker sheet forward, through a snatch block; when that technique, now common knowledge, was employed on Tamboo, she behaved very differently. |
| 1966-1970 |
Tamboo competed in a few more Sydney-Hobart races, the last being the 1970 race, considered to be a “big boat race’ (as, after initial hard running, there was a 50 hour gale,”on the nose”, which affected the smaller boats ,more than the larger boats, and brought about a then record of 14 retirements); Tamboo placed 12th overall, considered to be “good”, in the circumstances. |
| 1973 |
Tamboo was sold to make way for a yacht better suited to comfortable longer distance cruising ( the replacement yacht being a Savage 42 , named “Restive”). However, Tamboo, under her new ownership, went on to twice circumnavigate the world. |
| 2018 |
Extract from article on mysailing.com.au website 25-12-2018 from Tim Cassidy: The sea-kindly behaviour of Kintama sold me on the traditional S&S hull and it did not come as a surprise when I espied Tamboo, a Hestia class wood one tonner in a Gold Coast marina. She now resides in my backyard in Deagon on the banks of Cabbage Tree Creek. I have been stripping her Queensland beech planks prior to splining. It is a good thing for a major refit to have one’s craft at home and accessible to power tools and a compressor. Tamboo has completed three Sydney to Hobart’s and a circumnavigation under previous owners. My goal is to take her cruising once more and the Pacific is quite close. |
| 2020 |
Extract from YachtHub website showing Tamboo for sale: Stored and maintained in exceptional condition by its very experienced owner, this vessel has competed in two Sydney-Hobarts in addition to having circumnavigated the globe - this boat drips in history. Built professionally in Melbourne to the S&sS Hestia class design she has a jarrah deadwood, laminated silver ash timbers, and is planked in Qld white beech. The original engine has been replaced by a Yanmar 2GM20 shaft diesel, and it sports a fairly new main, roller furling headsail, and 7 bags of sails. It has been stored since 2012, is regularly started, and the brightwork is all done, it requires some caulking, the mast and fittings to be re-stood, and it will be set to go again for many years of pleasurable sailing. |
