Two foot skiff

Hull of a Two Foot Skiff

Two foot skiffs also known as ‘Balmain Bugs’ were model racing skiffs[1] typically raced on Sydney Harbour between the 1890s and 1950s.[2] The model skiffs were crafted by shipwrights in their spare time.[3] In the sports hey days the 1940s and 1950s there were up to 10 clubs at Abbotsford, Drummoyne, Balmain, North Sydney and Double Bay.[4] They raced with large rigs including four foot bowsprits to hold the oversize jib and spinnaker, with masts which were up to 10 feet (3 m) high, the keel was designed as a dagger blade fin with a lead bulb weighing up to 24 pounds (11 kg).

In 1956 the racing came to an end when two bookies had a disagreement and one pull out a pistol. The NSW Police shut down the racing due to this event.[5]

The Balmain Two Foot Model Sailing Club had a big following, with spectators and families of the sailors hiring a ferry every Sunday to watch the race. Betting on the race outcome was available with bookmakers providing the odds.[6][7]

Rear view of a Two Foot Skiff named ELMIRAT
  1. ^ "The Lure of the Australian Balmain Bug". Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Model racing skiffs make a comeback". Australian National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Payne Yachts". Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Pond Skiffs Episode 5, Friday 3 June 2011". ABC Collectors. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ^ Mundle, Rob (January 2005). "Maritime Model Museum". Afloat. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Two-footer recollections". Post written from Harry McGoogan’s handwritten notes. First published in the museum’s magazine, Signals. Australian National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. ^ Carlin de Montfort (2010). "Sailing". Dictionary of Sydney. Dictionary of Sydney Trust. Retrieved 19 December 2015.