VIM England 1939The day I sailed aboard 12 metre VIM
By Richard Greswell
VIM England 1939
Here another Photo coming soon.
Hi Used to spend a while there in Sydney years 1974-1977. I liked
boats then, and still do.
Made my own sailing dinghy at 14 and wrecked it sailing in heavy pacific ocean- four meter
waves. Just in front of our summer schack in Chile. This to explain that I was a very
keen sailor.
While in Aussieland and while lodging at Neutral bay and everytime I passed North Sydney
bay I
would stare at a beautiful enormous tall single masted yacht moored at North Sydney bay
You could see that boat from the Sydney harbour bridge too. I worked nights at Warman
International in
Artarmon and mate there called Leo turned to be the owner of this beautiful sailing ship.
It's
name turned out to be VIM. He learned that I loved boats and he pointed out to me that I
should go do some sailing with him some day.
Day soon arrived and was summoned by Leo to arrive there before 9 o´clock. I was standing
at the pier at 9 and wandered if it all were true. The boat rested peacefully there no
signs of
life in it. Then a figure emerged vaguely on deck and minutes later a small dinghy
struggled
closer to the pier. It was Leo at the oars. I gather Leo at that time must have been some
68
years of age. I was 26.
I jumped upon the small boat and Leo asked If I knew how to use the oars. You bet I said.
In total some five or six Leous mates turned later to that sailing rendezvous. I would
handle the
boat and be the oar man too. Leo explained that at a given order I must raise the main
sail with the hand
winch. So I got ready to receive the order . The main sail and the spinnaker lay there and
occupied a great portion of the under deck. The winch was underneath the deck too.
Half way the main up and I was ready to vomit. I was almost dying. And I was young and had
strong arms being a 1st class machinist then.
Some how I managed to raise it all and reached a halt. The boat was moving and the boat
had
no engine to it. The boat had nothing inside either . No division panels, or rooms... it
had
nothing . The hull was absolutely empty apart from miscellaneous racing gear. Don't recall
even seeing a toilet. Leo said to me .. This is a racing vessel ... This is how they look.
We set off outside the Sydney bay into de pacific and I was allowed to steer her for
awhile.
Leo`s mates were very were happy indeed that day same, with Leo. They all wore white
shorts
Leo asked me not to speak with their mates about the job, politics nor religion.... it
was some sort of etiquette with them... At around sunset we were nearing North Sydney
again. Leo handed me a hook and asked me to grab the mooring buoy. He said to
me. Don´t miss please. The sails were downed maybe half a mile before we reached the
mooring
and Leo took her around the buoy and made a sort of a loop bringing her back with the
inertia
into the buoy . Later I learned that if the buoy
wouldn't have been caught, a sudden set of actions would have been obliged to be performed
including the immediate raise of the main sail again, to avoid crushing against the shore.
That was a great day for me. I have not forgotten it. Leo thanked me and I thanked him
too.
VIM 1975 Sydney Harbour
Some how I lost trace of Leo for a while as I shifted to another job.
I could not understand then that some other fellow boatsman would not believe my story
that I had been aboard VIM .
By then I´d met some boatsmen from Sydney. Bob Blaikie who made his
ferro-cement skooner called SPANTRAM and Chris Michaels who made a similar one called
VIVALDI. Then I met and became friend of Mike Caponus who made MARQUEEN a straigh bowed
square rigged
ferro cement vessel. Met Tim O´Connel in fact I mixed all the cement of his boat at
botany bay. At the
end of that day he made a barbecue to his mates. Must have been some30 mates heping that
day and I was lying in the floor with cramps all
over . Tim had his boat at Tony Fisher´s place who had made HELSAL, a boat that had
become
quite famous by then in Australia. HELSAL stood by Helen and Sally both Mr Fisher´s
daughters so I was told.
At that time I also used to
paint marine subjects and was quite impressed by a beautifull painting in Mr
Fisher´s home of his boat HELSAL. The painting represented HELSAL sailing slightly in
between or on
top of a wave while sea foam and surf was generated everywhere. There was a boat there,
and there was water and wind in that painting....
I was invited for a harbour day cruise aboard HELSAL, but for a reason that I cannot
recall, I did
not acomplish to that invitation. Stupid decision I was to learn later..
Self 1990
Chile Pacific
Then they would not say it but my newly made friends would not believe much that I sailed
for
a day aboard VIM.
I knew nothing much about that boat then except it was an old wooden 12 meter class made
in America that took place in America's cup competitions. People respected that boat in
Australia. It would show in some sports magazines every now and then.. Now I
know more about it, learning in the web that it won some twenty contests in pre war
England.
¡Boy! that was a real history ship and I´d sailed aboard it...I have also learned that
it still exists
somewhere ...somebody bought it in ITALY and maybe restored it a little. I remember it had
two 90 feet
aluminum alloy tapered masts.-
Don´t know what VIM stood for and after making a little gathering of ideas I have come to
the
conclusion that the V may stood for Vanderbilt and the " I " could have stood
for International? but I
am stranded upon what could the M stand for. Maybe somebody knows. Vim should be 66
years old by now... A lot of gezzers that had to do with her have gone away and in the mean
time she sits there
more beautifull and fresher than ever.... I have seen a video of her taking place in a
mediterraean sailing contest this year ( 2006) and "winning it" . So much
the better for her.
After I returned to my country in Oct 1977 the best I could do was to buy a laser dinghy..
that
kept my interest in sailing for a couple of years must I say and I enjoyed it enormously
but
now, sailing, its all remembrances for me now except I like to paint marine subjects
and that
it makes me feel I am actually sailing.
Boatmen from Right to left Mike Caponus,Bob Blaikie,Tim O´Conell ... Sydney 1980
SPANTRAM self at left, Bob Blaikie Steering right
Sydney Harbour Australia