Historic Sharpie fund

John Bertrand launches appeal to fund restoration of classic Ben Lexcen design

The legend of flamboyant sailing larrikin Bob Miller reached another milestone in Sydney on Friday when John Bertrand officially commissioned his unorthodox 47 year old sharpie Taipan for restoration at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Bob Miller born in the New South Wales country town of Broggabri cast aside the experience of a harsh and deprived childhood and limited education to become a creative sail-maker, yacht designer, boat builder and skipper. Remarkably Miller turned his immense talent to yacht designing while recovering in a Brisbane hospital from a near fatal fall while taking sail measurements on a yacht at Norman Wright & Sons Bulimba boat yard.

These initial drawings which he signed off as ‘a snake box’ was built and launched in 1959 as Taipan shocking the staunch world of 18 footer racing with it’s unmatched speed. Then Bob Miller designed and built another snake-box Venom which he skippered with Norman Wright III and Craig Whitworth as crew to win the James J Giltinan World 18 footer title trophy on the Brisbane River in 1960.

Both super fast and lightweight sailing boats had revolutionary speed enhancing ‘winglets’ on their rudders a thought and design process which later propelled the ‘Aussie Battler’ to International fame in 1983. Meanwhile Bob Miller expressed his exceptional skill as a one-design racing helmsman representing Australia in the Soling class at the 1972 Olympic yachting regatta in Kiel Germany. The sailing genius returned to yacht designing with his sloops winning major races around the World including the Sydney-Hobart and Brisbane-Gladstone races.

His life which started humbly in Boggabri in 1936 changed dramatically when he elected a name change to Ben Lexcen before claiming the Holy Grail of world yachting when his highly secretive winged-keel design proved the significant feature behind Australia II winning the Americas Cup off Rhode Island (New York) in September 1983. Sadly the self-made yachting genius Bob Miller/ Ben Lexcen died in 1988 leaving behind a legacy of unparalleled history in sail-boat designs starting with Taipan and ending with the Americas Cup champion Australia II.

Sailing Olympian Carl Ryves a lifetime friend of the late Bob Miller / Ben Lexcen has endorsed the restoration of Taipan which will be undertaken by specialist wooden boat shipwright Simon Sadubin of Sydney.

Taipan will be meticulously restored to her 1959 configuration; this will include hand crafting replicas of her original hollow spars from Queensland Bunya pine rigging her with new Dacron sails and duplicating the plywood winglet endplate on the centre-board a concept that was trialled and then perfected 23 years later as the wing-keel on Australia 11.

The overall restoration of Taipan including historical research is expected to cost an estimated $100,000.

John Bertrand a beneficiary from the design genius fittingly launched The Taipan restoration appeal with prominent Australian businessmen including Alan Bond, Olympian Denis O’Neil and Admirals Cup winning skipper Colin O’Neil making substantial donations.

All donations in excess of Aus$2.00 are tax deductible.

The end result will be a fitting tribute to a remarkable ‘Aussie Battler’ who humbly overcame adversity to change the history of World sport.

Donations can be mailed to the Taipan project c/o Australian National Maritime Museum, GPO Box 5131, Sydney NSW 2001