Windrush 600 - #26

John Boetje and John Woods were racing #53 at Harwood, on the Clarence River in Northern NSW. The Big River Sailing Club hosts the annual ‘Bridge to Breakers’ regatta, and the strong winds and flat water suit the Windrush well.

After the race we were approached by an elderly spectator … “You guys interested in buying another one of these? My son has one for sale”

We followed this up quickly. First visit to the property a little up the river there was nobody home. We could see the Windrush on a trailer, but no mast and fittings.

When the owner returned, all was explained … he told us he just used the boat, with an outboard, to launch into the river for fishing! Mast, sails, fittings, even a genuine W600 spinnaker and spinnaker pole, were all stored safely in the shed.

Getting the vessel home to Brisbane was a bit of a challenge, the trailer was VERY rusty, but we took the chance and succeeded. Here we are giving the boat a ‘trial run’ on Lake Samsonvale.