For the better part of five decades, one yacht returned to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart race more than any other.
The timber and fibreglass hulled Mark Twain was built in 1971 and has competed in the race a record-breaking 26 times.
But since its last effort in 2018, it has languished at port.
The yacht’s new owner, Rob Payne, who refers to himself as the boat’s custodian, has grand plans to refurbish the vessel, a Sparkman and Stephens 39, and return the Mark Twain to its former glory.
Although he hopes to return the boat to the starting line of the Sydney to Hobart, he also believes the yacht can be used for a greater good.
Along with Beaconsfield mine disaster survivor Brant Webb, Mr Payne has plans to establish a group called Old Saltys, which will aim to use sailing as a vessel to empower youth through sharing knowledge.
“Sailing is a metaphor for life. You’ve got to trim your sails and set your course and you’re gonna get buffeted around,” he said.
The Old Salty’s motto will be ‘well-weathered wisdom’, and the men believe they have a lot of life experience they can share with young people anywhere Mark Twain can sail.
Mine collapse survivor finds solace on the sea
Brant Webb, who was one of two miners rescued after spending 14 days trapped almost a kilometre underground when a Tasmanian mine collapsed in 2006, says sailing helped him after the ordeal.
“After Beaconsfield, if I was having a bad day I’d call up the GP and he’d say ‘get the boat ready, we’re going sailing’.
“I’ve been sailing since I was eight years old. All my life. That’s the great thing about it, you can turn your phone off out there and no-one can find you.”
Mr Webb said the Old Saltys group was intended for “sailors who are too old to race and too young to cruise”.
“It gives us old folk a new lease on life. The whole thing is to connect people, to put the unity in community, which we lost during COVID.”
Mr Payne, a recent transplant from New Zealand, said he was heartbroken by the condition of the Mark Twain when he first found it in 2020.
“When I saw it, it broke my heart,” he said, adding that he had the opportunity to “do something about” refurbishing the “old girl”.
“We’re only ever the custodians of these extraordinary vessels.”
Once a fine racing yacht, the Mark Twain had fallen into disrepair in port at George Town in recent years.
From its first entry in the Sydney to Hobart in 1971, the boat long held the steadily increasing record for the greatest number of entries in the iconic race, even managing to clinch podium finishes for its class on several occasions.
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, it competed in more than 20 Sydney to Hobart races, and in 2002 became the first-ever boat to have sailed in 25.
“Thousands of men and women have sailed on this beautiful vessel,” Mr Payne said.
It was bought and refurbished for its 26th entry by veteran Sydney to Hobart skipper Michael Spies in 2018, but that was the last time it took part.
Mr Payne spent several months last year refurbishing the boat’s hull himself and on Wednesday, March 27, the mast and boom were removed to be restored by a Beauty Point shipwright.
Along with Mr Webb, he hopes to take the Mark Twain around Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand and share their knowledge of the seas.
“My encouragement to youth is to get into sailing and you know, become part of the community within those sailing clubs,” Mr Payne said.
“You don’t necessarily have to own a huge boat … you can be in a little sabot [dinghy] and have that experience on the water. It’s life changing and transformational.”
He is keen to share the refurbishment project with anyone who wants to be involved and hopes the Mark Twain will sail again in the next two to three years.
LoadingLoading…