A Brief History of the TSASA

1967 to 2021

The concept of trailer sailers began in the 1960's with the design of the Hartley TS16, a 16 foot (4.9M) vessel of wooden construction. Most were home built from plans by their owners and were designed to be launched off the beach, but also could be towed on a purpose built trailer.  Larger Hartley TS18's and Hartley TS21's followed providing for cruising as well as day racing. Others interested in the trailer sailer concept collaborated to improve on the designs resulting in the Randell 20.

Now, with a variety of trailer sailers in the market, a group of individuals interested in this class of boat decided to meet on the 31^st March 1967 with the view of forming an association.  The Trailer Sailer Association of South Australia (TSASA) resulted with its' first Annual General Meeting held on the 2^nd June in the same year, electing Peter Moore as its inaugural President.

Initially the TSASA had a principal focus in racing given that many owners had migrated from off the beach dinghy racing.  The Rosebowl Race is still held every November, while the Grecian Cup Race is held every February, allowing participants to hone their knowledge and skills in yachting.  Starters in the early days numbered around 40 vessels but this has reduced to the present day 12 or so.  The larger and more stable trailer sailers allowed the involvement of other family members and the Association's activities expanded to include social events which catered for friends, partners and children.  A women's race was established and held annually in February on the same day as the Grecian Cup.  It is now called the Women's Classic, but in the earlier days of the TSASA it was referred to as the 'Powder Puff Derby' race!

Membership grew to around 40 within 10 years of establishment and then exploded with 20 new memberships a year, peaking at around 160 with a wide variety of fibreglass boats that had become available.  The club now has a relatively stable membership of around a 100 members.  Like all long lived clubs, membership goes through cycles as people come and go, as boats change hands, as the age of members changes, and as leisure time has competing priorities.

Cruising has become an increasing focus of the Association, with so many great sailing destinations available across Australia and the ability to tow boats to these places.  Members have visited many places with their boats including Hobart and Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania, the Gippsland Lakes and Glenelg River in Victoria, the Myall Lakes, Hawkesbury River, and Clarence River in New South Wales, plus the Whitsunday Islands, the Great Sandy Strait and Moreton Bay in Queensland.  South Australia also has many great boating destinations that involve regular trips including the Coorong, the Murray River, the Upper Spencer Gulf, the Sir Joseph Banks Islands and Coffin Bay to name a few.  Nothing beats happy hour around the campfire with good company, great conversations, maybe the odd camp oven meal and perhaps a batch of scones, all whilst being kept warm if needed with a small pile of coals under your chair!

The number of different trailer sailers has grown over the past 50 years to include Australs, Farrs, MacGregors, Duncansons, Coles, Noelexes and many more.  Most were built commercially out of fibreglass and have maintained their condition, a bonus given that no more of this class are being manufactured in Australia.  The comfort level on board has increased along with safety features making sailing an enjoyable pastime for those interested.  The Association has also focussed on safety for races and cruising, with a full safety framework being developed over recent years to ensure as much as possible (given random weather conditions) that events are safe, well run and importantly enjoyable.

The “Bilgewater”, the Association's monthly magazine continues to keep members updated of meetings, events, members and sponsors.  It now features full colour photos and articles of resent events which enable participants to relive a trip and which can whet the appetite of other members to visit a destination.  With technology continually developing, the Association's website is now an important communication tool to keep members updated on the Association's events and also to attract new members.  Photos of recent events can be posted almost immediately onto the website and the Associations Facebook site.

With a history of over 50 years, a sound membership base, the availability of second hand trailer sailers and some wonderful sailing destinations across Australia, the Association can be expected to continue well into the future.

Acknowledgement to Lloyd Cushway and Trevor Hamlyn for their articles appearing in past Bilgewaters that form the basis of this history.                                                                 Author: Vanessa Rowley, July 2021.