Spiesy’s salute

Built at the Watney Brewery in London c. 1904 for the proprietor, Katwinchar has a long and storied history. E. J. Mossop sailed her from England to Sydney for the 1951 Sydney Hobart, during which the yacht went missing, then turned up in Hobart on January 3 having retired from the race.

Bill and Kendall’s father, Frank Barry-Cotter acquired the yacht and the family competed in many regattas around Sydney Harbour and Pittwater during the mid-1950s until around 1958 when they sold it.

In the intervening decades, Bill Barry-Cotter established Maritimo Motor Yachts and dedicated considerable effort and expertise to competing in offshore powerboat racing, and the Maritimo team triumphed on the international UIM XCAT circuit as well as winning a record 16 Australian Offshore Superboat AUS1 Championships.

In 2015, after a 10-year search for Katwinchar, Bill Barry-Cotter found her for sale on Gumtree, though in a dilapidated state. He shipped the yacht to Maritimo’s headquarters on the Gold Coast and spent another two years restoring her.

Over 15,000 craftspeople hours and $2 million have been invested in the restoration of this one-of-a-kind yacht before she returned to water and competitive sailing.

Katwinchar sailed its most recent Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2019 for the 75th edition, winning the ‘Grand Veterans’ division in an impressive time of 4 days, 6 hours, 27 minutes, 47 seconds.

In 2025, under the leadership of Sailing Master Michael “Spiesy” Spies, Maritimo Katwinchar will compete in the 80^th RSHYR. The crew of four are in expert hands. Spiesy has won every category of the RSHYR, including Overall, Line Honours, and breaking the Race Record.

In between training on the yacht in Sydney and driving back to his home on the Gold Coast, Spiesy spoke with Sails about his affinity for the offshore yacht race that enthrals a nation.

When was your first Hobart and what number are you at this year?

This is my 47th RSHYR. My first was 1976 on the then new One Tonner Matika III. We had a solid result but not spectacular. Coincidentally, one boat that did beat us was Ghost skippered by Bill Barry-Cotter. Being the youngest on board I didn’t get a bunk the whole way down. It was quite a hard race and I remember thinking ‘what am I doing here?’

The year after, I had progressed to be the Forward Hand on the then top boat, Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin where we finished second.

Any stand-out memories or challenges you recall?

The Race has been a huge part of my life. I was competing in the 1970 Sabot Nationals held at Hobart (I finished second) and I was in awe of the boats finishing. My father couldn’t drag me away. It was then I aspired to be part of it. Christmas Day has always been Boxing Day Eve for me as long as I can remember.

Who have you got on board this year?

Finalised crew is Michael Spies, Peter Vaiciurgis, Scott Kaufman, Max Herkovics and Courtney Macris. This will be Max’s first RSHYR and he is a Alumina of the CYCA Youth Academy. He is studying Advanced Electronics at Uni.

How do you prepare? Any rituals? Training? Special items that go with you? (Chicken pies?)

No real rituals except absolutely no bananas on board!

What do you think is the allure of this race? What makes it special?

While it is great to be part of the fleet and watch the boats evolve and get faster the race really is about the people – not only your fellow competitors but the folks who follow and support you.

How is Katwinchar to sail – have you got the hang of her now?

Like every development sport, yachting is no different as we attempt to go faster and make the boat more competitive. Despite its age, Maritimo Katwinchar is no different, and as we pioneer various innovations, they trickle down and find their way into our Maritimo Motor Yachts.

What is life like on board – sleeping, routines, meals – does somebody cook or all preprepared?

Being small, the boat is cramped and wet and, to be honest uncomfortable. You have to start the race with the mindset that it is only one and a half percent of the year, and you have to tough it out and post-mortem the other 98 and a half percent!

Katwinchar is obviously much different from the current composite and GRP yachts – how does it perform differently?

Maritimo Katwinchar, being an orphan with no other comparable boats, has its own idiosyncrasies and is completely different to get the best out of her. It’s an easy boat to sail but a very difficult boat to sail well.

How do Maritimo Katwinchar and Maritimo 100 competing in the RSHYR fly the flag for Maritimo and its motor yachts?

The RSHYR is one of Australia’s and indeed the world iconic sporting events and as such captures the general public’s, including Maritimo loyal customers’ imagination. Maritimo Katwinchar and Maritimo 100 are their boats as much as ours and they ride with us through the highs and lows.

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