Sail Number: 13
Type: Sloop
LOA: 45’0” / 13.72m – LOD: 45’0” / 13.72m – LWL: 32’5” / 15.50m – Beam: 10’0” / 3.06m – Draft: 6’7” / 2.05m – Displacement: 25,933lbs / 11,763kg – Ballast: – Hull material: Wood – Sail Area: – Designer: Robert Clark, plans with Maritime Museum of Tasmania – Built by: Vivian Innes – Year Launched: 1951, Port Cygnet, Tasmania – Current Name: Caprice of Huon – Original Owner: Charles Calvert – Official Number: 199191 – Club: Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA)
Historical:
Caprice of Huon is a Robert Clark design, 45ft in length, launched in 1951 from Port Cygnet on the Huon River. She was built by Vivian Innes for the Tasmanian orchardist Calvert family. Her build and early days are documented in Hedley Calvert’s book Always a Competitor.
Caprice of Huon has a famous racing history under skippers Bill Northam, Gordon Ingate and Gordon Reynolds. Caprice is a 7 time winner of the RSYS Gascoigne Cup. She was a member of the Australia Admirals Cup team in 1965 and won 3 of the 4 races in the series. Caprice returned to Cowes with Mercedes III and Balandra to win the 1967 Admirals Cup.
Caprice was extensively restored in 1999, including new engine and mast, and enjoys an active schedule of cruising, club races and classic yacht events from her home at the CYCA. Over the past few years Caprice has cruised from Sydney to the Whitsundays, Lord Howe Island and Tasmania. In the 2006/2007 CYCA Short Haul Series Caprice won both the IRC and PHS point scores and again won the overall IRC in 09/10, 10/11 and 11/12.
In 2000 the UK’s Classic Boat magazine named Caprice of Huon as one of the world’s top 150 boats.
Provenance. (The Wall of Remembrance – The Owners, Crew & Notable Guest):
Owner/Guardian: (1951-1958) – Charles Calvert
Owner /Guardian: (1958-1962) – Bill Northam
Owner/Guardian: (1962-1976) – Gordon Ingate
Owner/Guardian: (1976-1983) – Gordon Earl
Owner/Guardian: (1983-2000) – Robert Eltringham
Owner/Guardian: (2000-2013) – David Champtaloup