Anyone from Oz out there? Help on Regs

[alant]

On another website, www.optumet.com.au , a heading stated that Gaff Rigged boats were 'illegal' in Oz & required special licences.

Anyone with knowledge of this??

Reason is that a mate is considering purchase of a 60' LOA gaff Rig in Oz & is unaware of any regs that might apply.

Vessel is a Chappelle design - may not be correct spelling?? possibly a replica of an older boat.

 

[pyrojames]

Sounds like cobblers to me. Plenty of gaff rigged boats knocking round in Sydney when I was sailing there. I grew up there, sailed all my life and left in 99, never heard anything of it.

 

[macd]

Sounds cobblers to me, too:

From a recent notice of race:

"A cordial invitation is extended to owners of all yachts including one-design keelboats, gaff-rigged and classic yachts to enter this historic event on Australia Day, Friday 26 January 2007 on the waters of Sydney Harbour. The Regatta will be conducted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (RSYS)..."

 

[fishermantwo]

Never heard of this one. Sounds like an insurance problem to me. Plenty of Gaff rigged boats about although none in this port.

 

[ytd]

hundreds of em at the last wooden boat festival in Hobart. Maybe it refers to a type of fishing equipment rig on trawlers which are all pretty heavily controlled due to dwindling fish stocks

 

[snowleopard]

I can't open the link. As you suggest it may be to do with fishing. In fishing terms a gaff is a pole with a sharp hook on the end which is used to hoist a fish into the boat by spearing it, a particularly brutal instrument which deserves to be banned.

 

[alant]

"A gaff rig has more ropes to pull and play with than Bermudan or Marconi rigs ..... Even more fun since it’s illegal in Australia without a licence and boat ..."

Found this as a heading on an Oz website, may have mis-read it. Last time I was in Oz, saw so many 'disclaimers' because of litigatious attitudes entering your 'culture', thought this might be another one!

(Disclaimers - "if you drink beer, you could become an alcoholic" "If you play on the pokey machines, you could become a gambler" "if you slip on a wet floor, you could become paralysed" etc - whatever happened to C.Dundee machos?? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif)

 

[snowleopard]

I think you may be sailing a bit close to the wind putting the word Culture in quotes.

Australia has a culture that's very much alive. You can get it in any supermarket, it's called yoghurt. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[alant]

"Australia has a culture that's very much alive."

The other often quoted saying, is, that


" Oz is 70% arid desert &
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90% kultural desert",

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif