LOVE AND WAR

Photographer Richard Bennett OAM

Date2004

Object number00055878

NamePhotograph

MediumPaper

DimensionsOverall: 737 × 810 mm
Overall (image): 540 × 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 LOVE AND WAR during the 2004 Sydney to Hobart yacht race.HistoryThe Sparkman and Stephens designed LOVE AND WAR is one of the most successful yachts in the history of the Sydney to Hobart. It has claimed the overall winner title three times, in 1974, 1978 and 2006, a record only matched by the Halvorsen Yacht FREYA. Deriving its name from the well known quotation "all is fair in love and war" the yacht can be seen to embody the character of one of its famous former skippers, Peter Kurts. Kurts had a love hate relationship with ocean racing the 1970s, building up a highly successful crew on LOVE AND WAR, to which he carried on to his second yacht, ONCE MORE DEAR FRIENDS. 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".