BOAT SAILING
St Helena Cup Regatta WYNNUM MANLY SAILING CLUB
Photos by Jules at Vidpic Pro
By Frances Mulcahy
The idea reached fruition in 1976 when Mick Patterson kindly donated his family’s treasured silver cup as the winner’s trophy. Commodore Vince Hayes accepted the cup on behalf of the Club, and the proposed yacht race was named the St Helena Cup. The Cup was handcrafted in England in sterling silver and its long history dates back to 1890 when it was a trophy for a rifle shooting competition held on St Helena Island. It was won by Mick Patterson’s grandfather Edwin Cloherty, who was a warden on the island when it was a notorious prison from 1865 until 1932. The President’s Cup, as it was known in 1890, was won by Edwin. It was inscribed with his name and went into the family’s heirloom cupboard. Mick inherited the Cup from his Aunt Helena who was the first white child born on St Helena Island. (Excerpt from A history of Sailing and Boating on Moreton Bay by Peter Auld)
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ynnum Manly Sailing club is proud to conduct the biggest weekend “big boat” regatta, the St Helena Cup, held in Southern Queensland each year. It is also the only team event on the local sailing calendar. Around 100 yachts regularly enter either the monohull teams competition, the cruising division or the multihull division. Shore-based activities are hosted at Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, with signon day on Friday, 4 October, and entertainment and prize draws on Saturday night, 5 October. Meals, refreshments and breakfast are available over the entire weekend. Berthing options are also available for visiting yachts. The St Helena Cup regatta dates back to 1976, but the Cup itself was awarded to the winner of a rifle shooting competition held on St Helena Island in 1890. It was kindly gifted to Wynnum Manly Yacht Club by Mick Patterson, the grandson of the 1890 winner, Edwin Cloherty. Sadly, Mick Patterson passed away on 27 July this year, but his legacy lives on with the St Helena Cup. Proudly sponsored by Nautilus Marine Insurance, Manly Hotel, Muir Marine, Hood Sails, DisplayCraft, AustraliaWide Boat Sails, and Multihull Central, the event is offering several thousands of dollars worth of prizes for the various winners and placegetters. For more details and the notice of race, visit wynnummanlysailingclub.com.au
THE ST HELENA CUP 1976 goes down in history as the first year of the Club’s signature event – the St Helena Cup. The idea came from long standing members Stan Davey, Mick Patterson and Rod Florence, who in the early 1970’s began planning a yacht race in Moreton Bay of equal importance as the Bribie Cup or the Myora Cup events run by other clubs. They wanted a team race similar to the Admiral’s Cup raced in the UK at the time. BOATGOLDCOAST.COM. AU
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