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Australian Anniversary Regatta Official Program 26 January 1892
Australian Anniversary Regatta Official Program 26 January 1892

Australian Anniversary Regatta Official Program 26 January 1892

Date1892
Object numberANMS0201[010]
NameProgram
MediumPaper
Dimensions176 x 120 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Mary Shaw
DescriptionThis is a program for the Australian Anniversary Regatta on 26 January 1892. It lists the officers, Flying Squadron band program, rules and regulations and the seven races to be held. Mark Foy's 26ft KANNANOOK participated in the fifth race, with a 5 minute handicap and a green and white emblem.History"Who cares who wins when no-one knows? And the kernel of this sport is always wasted, not only to the spectators but to the competitor... who cares what the boats are doing when they sail out of sight?" In 1895, entrepreneur and founding Commodore of the Sydney Flying Squadron Mark Foy (1865-1950) wrote this about the manoeuvres of the big yachts in regattas. He preferred the potential of Sydney's smaller open boats. Open boats, or skiffs, were beamy boats with huge sails - and large crews of waterfront workers for ballast. Based on workboats from six to 24 feet (1.8 - 7.3m) long they were a spectacle on Sydney Harbour. Skiff racing was a tough working-mans sport. Foy introduced rules to make the sport more lively - coloured emblems for the sails, a short triangular course with handicapped stat, large prize money and spectator ferries with punters following the races. By the 1920s the open boats were standardised as 18-footers and were racing in Western Australia and Queensland.SignificanceThis program represents the activities of Sydney sailing fleets in the late 19th century, and Mark Foy - the founding Commodore of the Sydney Flying Squadron - who made a major contribution to the sport of sailing in Australia.