51' Sloop H Treharne Deck Layout 3

Designer Ben Lexcen (1936 - 1988)

Date1985

Object numberANMS1543[024]

NamePlan

Mediumpaper

DimensionsOverall: 440 × 830 mm

ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection

Terms

DescriptionPlan depicting a deck layout and general arrangement of a 51 foot sloop for Hugh Treharne. The deck layout drawing of the 51-foot BRIGHT MORNING STAR, showing hull and deck profile together with deck fittings. HistoryRenown Australian world class sailor and yacht designer Warren Muir, grew up in boats and around boatyards. His early sailing started when he was 11-years old, racing dinghies on the waters of Sydney Harbour. After finishing high-school, he completed a four-year apprenticeship as a boat builder, gaining valuable knowledge building wooden sailing and motor yachts. The first two were spent at ‘Clist Boatbuilding’ in Annandale, Sydney. While there he helped built the 39-foot Alan Payne designed LORITA MARIA a later successful competitor in the Sydney to Hobart race, the UK Fastnet, as well as other major ocean races around the world. He became skilled in building yachts, dinghies, as well as wooden masts and spars. He also built the Bill Luders designed 5.5 metre KA14 BARRANJOEY, which won Australia’s first sailing Olympic gold medal, in Enoshima in 1964, skippered by Sir William Northam. He later spent two years at ‘Lewis Brothers Boatbuilding’, at Taren Point, near Sydney, where he became familiar building ski-boats and fast racing motor boats. The 5.5 Metre boat BARRANJOEY (K-14) was the first 5.5 Metre he had seen close up at the yard and it left a lasting impression. Famous Australian boatbuilder Carl Halvorson offered to loan him the building jig of the Luders designed 5.5 Meter SKAGERAK but Warren Muir decided to design his own boat, together with college friend Peter Lowe. He built his first 5.5 Metre INSURGENT which had a successful racing career. He went on to design and build a series of 5.5 Meters which won four world championships. FIRESTORM which won twice, JOHN B7, ALFREDO and BALLYMENA which won the Scandinavia Gold cup three times. Warren Muir also designed and built many boats, yachts and sailing dinghies which later won state, and national titles, in Australia, and raced on some of Australia’s great ocean racers. Before relocating to the United States in 1986, he built the wooden Doug Peterson designed 51-foot cruiser racer BRIGHT MORNING STAR for Hugh Treharne. Also growing up in the ‘Manly Boatshed’, bought by his father in 1946, Hugh Treharne became a highly respected Australian yachtsman and raced BRIGHT MORNING STAR successfully for five years. He also used the yacht to teach hundreds of Australian budding sailors, the joys of ocean sailing.SignificanceWarren Muir and Ben Lexcen collaborated on one or two designs, but according the Waren Muir they did not actually work together. However, the Muir/Lexcen, and other names, do appear on some design work. This work, from July 1985, was probably made during the planning stage prior to the build of the yacht for Hugh Treharne.