Black Swan 43 mast step
Designer
Professor Peter Numa Joubert
(1924 - 2015)
DateSeptember 1972
Object numberANMS1546[014]
NamePlan
MediumInk on tracing paper
DimensionsOverall: 580 × 315 mm
ClassificationsMaps, charts and plans
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Ms Camilla Van Megan
DescriptionConstruction plans for the mast step for a Black Swan 43, hand-drawn to Scale: 3/4 = 1'.HistoryThe plans of the Black Swan 43 design, KINGURRA, are for a large and very capable ocean racing yacht built to the IOR MK III rule.
The only example built was KINGURRA that became designers Professor Peter Joubert's personal yacht. He sailed in many ocean races and Sydney to Hobart events, and was one of the participants in the tragic 1998 Sydney to Hobart race.
KINGURRA retired after it was rolled and a crewmember washed overboard and was later rescued by helicopter.
Professor Joubert was a highly respected engineer and lecturer and was a consultant for a number of private and government engineering projects. He had a sailing background and was a close friend of naval architect Alan Payne.
Professor Joubert's involvement in yacht design fulfilled a desire to be involved in this aspect of engineering without making it a full time occupation. He produced a small number of production designs that reflected his objectives of creating a strong, seaworthy yacht for racing and cruising. He also worked on the design of fast catamarans for racing and setting speed records, this is a specialised and niche area of yacht design, but an area where Australia has demonstrated extraordinary success in the past through other designers and builders who were contempories of Professor Joubert.
SignificanceThe Black Swan 43 design by Professor Peter Joubert represents the design of a custom built wooden racing yacht. The collection of these designs show a typical set of hand drawn plans of the period and reveal the strong construction of this vessel.