RAGAMUFFIN

Photographer Richard Bennett OAM

Date1980

Object number00055877

NamePhotograph

MediumPaper

DimensionsOverall: 723 × 810 mm
Overall (image): 525 × 661 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Richard Bennett OAM

Terms

DescriptionColour photograph printed in 2017 by photographer Richard Bennett OAM of RAGAMUFFIN during the 1980 Sydney to Hobart yacht race. HistorySyd Fischer's RAGAMUFFIN boats have had a huge impact on the Sydney to Hobart. First competing in 1967, Fischer later took line honours twice with his German Freres-designed maxi RAGAMUFFIN, in 1988 and 1990, before claiming the overall title in 1992. As one of Australia's most successful offshore sailors Fischer competed in 47 Sydney to Hobarts. His legacy lives on through SCALLYWAG, ex RAGAMUFFIN LOYAL, a 100 ft. maxi yacht that has performed consistently well in the Sydney to Hobart, finishing second on the line in 2012 and 2015, and in 2019 falling just short of claiming first over the line due to a collision with a shark. Richard Bennett OAM first photographed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1974 and has captured every race since. Bennett's speciality is low level aerial photography, his yacht photographs characterized by moody seas and the dramatic lines of Tasman landscapes. This style is a product of Bennett's experience as a mountaineer, his love of adventure, and passion for documenting rugged and remote parts of the Tasman Isle. "I love everything about the Sydney to Hobart: the many moods of the sea, the sense of participation in a great adventure, the camaraderie, the tactics, sensing the proximity of the elements, the wildness … the gales, the different light and the dramatic coastline. It’s about putting all those elements together. My most compelling moments photographing the Sydney Hobart are when it is blowing hard. The harder it blows the happier I am…within reason. There is an organisational challenge in being in the right location to capture the peak of the action. (I am not there often enough, according to the yachties!)".SignificanceThe Sydney to Hobart yacht race is an iconic event and Richard Bennett OAM has become synonymous with the history of Australia's premier blue water classic.

Bennett's most notable works feature landmark vessels across multiple decades; they represent significant moments in the history of the Sydney to Hobart. Each photograph is characteristic of Bennett's pictorial style, depicting yachts from unique aerial perspectives set against the distinctly rugged and majestic Tasmanian coastline.

Richard Bennett's approach has led many a sailor to remark "It's not really a Hobart until you've heard the sound of Richard's plane".