UTIEKAH III for Sale - She Is Unique - 85 Years Young and Still So Alive

It is with emotion that I (Captain, Skipper and Care-taker) have come to realise that the time spent with my beloved yacht is coming to an end.  When I purchased Utiekah III back some 35 years ago, I made a private pact with myself that when the time came that I was unable to monkey-climb the rigging was the time that I was too old to protect her like she has protected me in many oceans for many years.  Saddened that my back and body are telling me `user friendly' is the way I must now sail, I am excited for the new owner who will take over the reigns of this magnificant `lady' but I must warn that this vintage yacht is not for the faint hearted but one who is passionate about the sea and the pure love of sailing.  She is capable, big and powerful and if respected she will reward you.

 

A BIT ABOUT HER:

Utiekah III is a unique sailing yacht for a niche buyer. She has a history that goes back to the time she was first built in 1924, completed in January, 1925 in Tasmania, Australia. She was the first privately owned Australian Yacht to enter a foreign port when she sailed to Fiji in 1927 and was also used as a patrol vessel in Port Philip Bay, Victoria during World War II.  She is 85 years young and has experienced many journeys with her 7 owners and her diversity during her life is worth a listen. She has endured Bass Straight too many times to remember and defies this mysterious, angry ocean with courage and ownership because that is what she was built for.


A BIT ABOUT HER OWNERS (past and present)

Utiekah III was built by the Wilson Bros and assisted by 2 other men and a boy for her first owner, Mr Ireton Elliot (Spuddo) Giles.  Constructed on a river bank in a makeshift yard, she was started and completed in only 10 months, a very short time, considering she was build by hand as there were no such luxury as power tools in Port Cygnet back in those days.  She is magnificantly put together with particular attention paid to her fastenings, along with concrete ballast under her springers up to the waterline.  She had 5 tons of lead placed in her keel and 7 tons of internal ballast that ensured she had a wonderful and kind movement whilst on the water and in the open sea. 

Along with Jack Savage, Skipper (Spuddo) Giles designed this boat for the purpose to teach students at Melbourne Grammer the art of seamanship, blue water sailing and understanding the elements of the ocean, and all that goes with it.  It has been said that over 4,300 young children had the pleasure of adding this skill to their knowledge of schooling and recall the times spent on the decks of Utiekah III amongst their most memorable.  Spuddo managed over 50 crossings of Bass Strait during his years as a teacher and when he retired, he moved to Hobart, Tasmania where he continued to use Utiekah III to teach sailing to the local boys from The Hutchins School.  In many ports and marinas within the confines of Australian waters and sometimes out, men will come and enquire if this is the Utiekah III that their fathers or themselves learnt to sail on.     

A Bronze Bust of Ireton Elliot (Spuddo) Giles was designed in honour of the dedication given to his students at Melbourne Grammer.  A reunion was held at the School in 1996 where Johnny Mahoney spoke to 150 ex-students.  He was amazed at the size of the patronage and recalled there was not a dry eye in the auditorium.  Along with his past-wife Carolyn, they sailed Utiekah III from Tassie to Melbourne at attend this ceremony   





The new `Dog House' being framed allowing those on
board the comforts of staying dry and warm during the times
Utiekah III was plowing through the ocean.




Spuddo sold her at age 90 (died at 92) and in the mid 1960's she became the property of the Fowler Family in Tasmania.  This family fitted her with a deck house and a 1958 Ford Thames diesel motor which still prides itself in the engine room to this day.  The same cannot be said for the deck house that was replaced by her current owner and now protects and shelters the occupants from wet seas and ugly weather. 

When Fowler Senior died in 1972, a syndicate purchased her for the purpose of charter work on the Great Barrier Reef where she founded on a reef somewhere off Mackay in 1974 losing her rudder, lead keel and most of her sails and written off and abandoned to Underwriters.  Nature moved in with a storm and subsequently she was safely washed across a reef in a southerly gale and found floating in a small lagoon to her anchor.  Surprisingly little damage was done and a young Gary Underwood who was visiting in a 36 ft yacht did a swap.  Interestly the rudder was salvaged by a fisherman, replaced and she was then taken to Russel Island, New Zealand mainly under power.  There she was re-fitted with another 3.5 tonne of reinforced concrete keel.  Unfortunately this owner soon discovered he did not have the resources nor initiative to recondition Utiekah III properly so brought her back to Australia for resale on the secondhand market which was thought to bring him a better price than NZ.  She headed off for Brisbane, Queensland but ended up on the East Coast of Tasmania so Hobart became her port of call.  Sold, she then became the property of two friends who later disagreed and to Utiekah III's fortune, John and Carolyn Mahoney saw the potential of her beauty, timber and solid frame structure so a new era in her life began.  The owners were determined to rebuilt this grand lady keeping the appearance in line with the era in which she was constructed so that her history and glory would never be lost. 



Pictures of the old galley as she was
when purchased
by Johnny & Carolyn Mahoney 







Work in progress of the latter stage of the
new galley to become part of Johnny
and Carolyn's new home on board Utiekah III 













In the 35 years of ownership, she has traveled to New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, East and West Malaysia, The Philippines and Borneo but is happiest with winds aplenty thrusting her 38 tons of might through the ocean with gustro and class.

Utiekah III in Bagaman Island, Papua New Guinea with
the entire village of approx 50 men, women and children
on board her deck.

Mr John Mahoney has treasured, loved and lived for keeping Utiekah III in a responsible, safe and sound condition appropriate to sea-worthiness.  To this day he maintains that he is only her `keeper' and she will out-live him which is a testamant to the way ships were built back in the good old days and especially by The Wilson Bros.

CONSTRUCTION:

Utiekah III is built of a rare Tasmanian timber called `Huon Pine' in a small village named Cygnet, Tasmania.  Huon Pine in many ways is superior to teak for yacht construction being light, durable, and resistant to rot and worm. It is a very slow growing tree indeed. A Huon Pine tree grows an average of 120mm diameter every one hundred years and amazingly some trees have been found growing for over 2100 years.  The timber is fine-textured with a delightful fragrance.  Utiekah III has 50 mm planks over 100 x 75 mm frames on 275mm centres in addition to her stringers and shelves of spotted blue gum.  Strong she is.




Her lines and shape are as good
today as when she was first built in 1925.



Her lines and planing are as perfect as the day she was launched 85 years ago. She has a spirit that arises from the hundreds of thousand of tree years necessary to produce her amazingly fast yet moderate lines.  She is 56 ft on deck, 15 ft 9 in beam, 7 ft 2 in draft and a gaffed cutter rigged ketch. With bow sprit and bumkin she is a magnificant 70ft creature of the wind and sea from a past era.

Utiekah III under sail coming 6th our of 60 yachts racing from
 Airlie Beach to  Earlando Bay, North Queensland.





Expressions of Interest in Utiekah III can be emailed to utiekahiii@yahoo.com with your name and particulars.  She is presently sailing in the waters of Malaysia.