BALLYHOO vang system detail

Designer Ben Lexcen (1936 - 1988)

Date21 November 1974

Object numberANMS1543[019]

NamePlan

Mediumink on drafting film

DimensionsOverall: 550 × 665 mm

ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionThe boom vang’ system for the 72-foot maxi-racer BALLYHOO designed by Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) and the ‘Miller & Whitworth’ design office team in 1974 HistoryThe boom vang or kicking strap, often referred to as the vang or kicker, allows the crew of the yacht to adjust and control the vertical movement of the boom when under sail. For any racing yacht, it is an extremely important tool to adjust the shape of the mainsail for maximum speed. Growing up racing sailing dinghies as a boy, and later designing and making sails, Ben Lexcen (formally Bob Miller) had an intrinsic understanding of sails. All his earlier yachts, even the 12mR Challenge yacht AUSTRALIA, was fitted with the curved boom vang deck track. With an overall length of 21.97 metre (72.08 feet), BALLYHOO was designed as an offshore racing maxi-yacht by Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) and the design team at ‘Miller & Whitworth’ in 1974. The yacht was built for Jack Rooklyn by ‘Halvorsen, Morson and Gowland’, in Sydney, Australia and launched in November 1974. BALLYHOO was named after Jack Rooklyn’s business, Bally Gaming. With sail number 357, the first major race for BALLYHOO was the 1974 Sydney to Hobart race which started on December 26th. just over a month after being launched. BALLYHOO was second over the line behind the US maxi-racer ‘ONDINE’. The first overseas race was in New Zealand, where she took part in the 1975 ‘Three Kings Islands Race’ before going on to the ‘Transpac Race’. Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) the designer, joined the yacht for the 1,227 mile, 1975 ‘Transpac Race’, race, from the Point Fermin buoy in San Pedro, California to Diamond Head in Hawaii. BALLYHOO was the first Australian yacht ever to enter this race. Following the race, the yacht and her crew, stayed in Hawaii to compete in the annual ‘Hawaiian Island Series’. This included the ‘Round the State Race’ in which BALLYHOO lost her rudder in very bad weather. Remarkably, the crew made up, a temporary rudder using the teak saloon table and a spinnaker pole. This followed a difficult 250 miles back to Honolulu, in 34 hours but BALLYHOO still crossed the finish line ahead of some other yachts. Later the same year, BALLYHOO participated in the ‘China Sea Series’ including the race from Hong Kong to Manilla. It is perhaps noteworthy, that Ben Lexcen (then Bob Miller) was also designing the 12mR Americas Cup challenge yacht SOUTHERN CROSS for Alan Bond in 1973 and 1974. Design work on the maxi racer BALLYHOO took place in 1974 while he was in the ‘Miller & Whitworth’ partnership. Initially, the yacht did not sail as well, or as fast as expected, so in late 1975 and 1976 the weights were adjusted and the ballast keel re-cast. These changes made a significant improvement, making BALLYHOO a fast and highly successful offshore racing yacht in all wind conditions. Design work was also carried out in 1976, by which time Ben Lexcen (still Bob Miller) joined with the Dutch naval architect Johan Valentijn. In 1976 Jack Rooklyn accepted an invitation from the prestigious ‘California Yacht Club’ to race BALLYHOO in the California Cup and St. Francis Perpetual Series. BALLYHOO arrived in Los Angeles in 1976 following an amazing winning streak, which started by winning the ‘South China Sea Race’. In the 1976 California Cup race, BALLYHOO beat the famous America maxi yacht ‘KIALO III’. As one yacht magazine report at the time: BALLYHOO is unquestionably the fastest yacht in the world to windward. The yacht then went on to Honolulu, for the ‘Round the State Race’ again, this time taking line honours and many hours off the elapsed time record. BALLYHOO pioneered the sloop rig maxi, and went on to win line honours in the 1976 Sydney-Hobart race and, many other races during her career. The yacht sailed in all the major off-shore racing events in the coming years, wining line honours at the 1977 Fastnet Race in UK. BALLYHOO was sold to Bill Whitehouse-Vaux in 1978, who re-named the yacht MISTRESS QUICKLY and continued to race the yacht into the mid 1990’s. She took part in the 2001 ‘Maxi-yacht Rolex Cup Race’ in Porto Cervo, Sardinia and is believed to still be sailing today as a charter yacht.SignificanceWith a drawing number of ‘705-101’ the ‘mainsail boom vang’ system is one of the many ‘workshop’ design drawings made during the construction of the 72-foot maxi-racer BALLYHOO in 1974. The design office team will have been called upon to provide design work and plans for the engineering, and sailing systems, which allows the yacht to function at maximum efficiency.