I've added a page to the "Documents" area of the VMCA site with clippings from old copies of Australian Sailing, which relate to Mosquitos. It's an interesting glimpse into the history of the class.

So far I have put up items from 1978 and 1979. I have more from 1980 which I'll add to the page later. If anyone has any more since 1980 please let me know.

There are a few familiar names that pop up, and the list of VYC handicaps as they were in 1979 makes for amusing reading (it certainly blows a hole in at least one major myth which I will let you all spot for yourselves).

Excerpts from Australian Sailing 1978-1979

I've now added the rest of the articles. They are mostly from 1980 (including another VYC list - they changed!), and one from 1989.

The 1989 article mentions my current boat, then called Zeus(1704) and sailed by Rick Thomas won the SA states, now renamed Top Gun(not by me) the boat won the states again last season, 16 years later, shows what a good design the Mosquito is and the class rules are working.

Rick also won the Nationals twice on Zeus (1989 and 90).

Darryn

My first reaction was "how could they have reached 1704 by 1989".

I have Whiteside Express which I believe was built in 1987, but it's sail number is 1659. That made me doubt that you have the same Zeus.

But I've looked into it a bit more and I see that Bob Wilson won the Nationals on Shannon (now Itchy) in the 1989/90 season, and that boat's number is 1736.

That means around 80 boats were launched in 3 years. Wow! Any class that could do that these days would certainly get noticed.

It looks like Zeus also took the National Title in 1991. Not a bad run.

Hi All

Rick Thomas was certainly a fast man with a cat, I clearly remember when I was going into the senior ranks. After the moz he went an A Class, also called Zeus. Haven't seen him around for a while, he was with the Rivolli Bay Yacht Club in South Australia.

Another success story would be Noel Grellet on his mozzie, Froggy.

Has anyone seen a boat that was called Sticky Finger, was owned by Leigh Hein, Portland? Very fast boat and skipper considering the age and weight of the boat.

Here is a rough count of mozzies in the West of Victoria. Mind you some of these are from probably 15 years ago +.

Noel Grellet - Froggy
Doug Park - Mr Bitchy
?Armstrong - Stinger
Leigh Hein/Brad Hein - Sticky Finger (formly El Gato III)
Luke Donovan - ??????
Gary Lane - Mighty Mozzie
Matt Harper - Ballistic
Ben Harper - Firefly
? Lindsay - Blood,Sweat & Tears
Clive May - Eccles
Brett Snibson - Out of the Blue
? Holliday - ???????
Rod Pike - ??????
Theres probably something between 5 - 10 more, I can't think of the boat or owners names off the top of my head.

Regards

Hi Matt,
I started sailing in Portland in the 80's, and can fill in some names and probably even find some photos :

El Gato 3 was sailed by Gary Hein - maybe Leigh's Dad? Maybe the sail number was 752.
Greg Lindsay sailed BS & T
Rodney Barker sailed a Mozzie Mk 2 - cant think of the name at the moment, but I do remember him repairing it more than once!
Other boats I have memories of are Seabird - Maybe sailed by a guy named Greg ?!? and Mozzie number 444 called Double something or other (from Warrnambool?).
There were usually 3 - 6 Mozzies sailing at Portland in those days, I was sailing an Arrow (1265) then and always last in the fleet!

Lots of blanks in the memory, but some old photos helped a bit!

Rod Pike sails "The Right Stuff" and was at the Altona States not that long ago.

Hi Guys

Yeah I just needed a push, couldn't remember the name of Pikeys boat, orange hulls. Yes Gary Hein is Leighs Dad, Leigh sailed as El Gato III, then a major refurbishment produced Sticky Finger. I left out the one that has the closest connection, the one here at the farm, Double Didi, orginally owned by Dr.Ivor Scott, Warrnambool, bought me into the world!

Greg from Portland? Maybe Greg Stanford?

Dennis Baker from Hamilton/Portland also had a Mozzie for a while, can't picture the name of the boat.

I know a fella called John Murrihy, at Hamilton still has a original mozzie association kit boat, not yet assembled, complete with Dacron (white) trampoline.

Regards

I always liked this photo of The Right Stuff.

Yeah it is a good shot. I think thats another sail from Horizon, we cut it out for him and he stitched it together, he was a canvas guy a few years ago and had his own sewing machines.

My brother has Firefly which he bought off Carl Blitz, is he still around? Was with Hood Sails.

Regards

Last I heard Carl Blitz was "OS", where? No idea.

There is a an A class sailing locally called Zeus, another X Rick Thomas boat, I'm not sure if he is still sailing.

I wonder if there would be still be demand for a pre-cut plywood kit Mosquito, similar to the Sabre kits
www.fhboats.com.au/Sabre%20sailing%20dingy.htm

Darryn

There may be market for kits, a lot of people I talk to would like to build their own boat, but some don't know much about the materials and where to get them. I'd have to ask the old man to find out what you actually got in a kit.

Anyone seen 'Sticky Finger' yet, be good to know where it went.

first steps to building a new boat,
buy the plans from the assosiationm, lots of info in plans well worth the $90 also included in plans is a step by step gide to building a timber boat, put together by Phil Pearce of S.A.
the assosiation has a deck jig that can be borrowed
templates are available.
ply wood can be purchased for about $40 a sheet 3mm gaboon 6 required from marine timbers or construction plywood airport west, ply with equal cores cant be purchased any more but dosent seem to effect the shape much from 3mm may be a problem with 4mm.
the assosiation has masts and beams available

Yeah, thats what you want. But, I'm talking 30 years ago, you got pretty much all the materials to build your hulls, a mast, a boom (blank sections) as well as the plan set.

I'm just about finished building another cat, and keeping in mind where I am, which is the middle of nowhere really, I had to get ply from Queensland, because Marine Timbers couldn't supply the sheets I wanted, bits from here and bits from there etc.. This boat has or will probably cost somewhere around $1000 in freight alone.

I don't know whether it is worth looking into, but maybe the associations could benefit, and keeps the costs down for new owners by putting together 6 sheets of ply, 1 sheet of foam, a few bits of WRC, the beams and a mast. The rest would obviously be subject to personal opinion (fittings and systems, sails etc..) I'm NOT saying this is the way to go, but who knows, just an idea from the past.

Regards

Is there any way of tracking history of a Mosquito or in my case simply boat name? My sailing number is 957 and that all I got.

Cheers
Joe

Theres a boat registry on the South Aus mozzie site, I don't actually know what is on there, I can't seem to open it.

Where did you buy the boat, Joe? Was there anything on the beam, such as a yacht club? If you knew the which club it came from, they could probably give you the name.

Someone told me many years ago, that boats shouldn't be re-named, bad luck or something, but I've never had a boat sink <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> But ive never had much luck before or after re-naming boats <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Regards

Joe,

I had updated the register some time ago with Mozzies from Westernport Bay and listed it on the forum. I shall now resurrect it and put it at the top of the list. It is relatively easy to download; just right click on the attachment and save it to your hard drive. Rename the file in windows explorer with a .xls extension then open it up.

Regards,

Peter

Hi Matt

I bought the boat in Sydney. I think the previous owner shipped the boat from South Australia though.

No, there is nothing on the Beam. It has a registered trailer so I might be able to trace through the trailer.

Yip, I have to say I am a little superstitious about boat names. I have been sailing in Europe for most of my Life where it is considered very bad luck.

I will check out the register

Cheers
Joe

Thanks Peter