Camille
Camille sails up the Derwent to Hobart Camille Moored at Pittwater 2021

Country	Australia
Sail Number	53 MH 111
Club	Middle Harbour Yacht Club
Owner (s)	Ron Swanson
Designer (s)	Ron Swanson
Former Crew	Curley Curlewis Dave Linton Frank Likely Leo Reilly Peter Mounsey

Camille

From MHYC: The First 60Years

Article by: Frank Likely

In 1963 Australia announced that it would challenge for the Admiral's Cup and there was considerable excitement as owners prepared for the selection trials. Ron designed a minimum rated, double ended sloop like Carmen called Camille. Trials were held in which Camille tied for first place with the Halvorsen Brothers Freya, while Caprice of Huon tied for third place with Salacia. The selection panel finally gave the nod for the third boat to Caprice of Huon - an emotional moment for Gordon Ingate and his crew. Normal Ridge's Lorita Marie went along as a private entry.

Club moral was running high over Camille's selection of the Admiral's Cup team and all sorts of functions were held for the MC team of Ron Swanson, Frank Likely, Peter Mounsey, Dave Linton, Curley Curlewis and Leo Reilly. Finally the yachts were loaded on board a ship and shipped off, with the crews following by air.

Although we were quietly confident we would not be disgraced, we were not prepared for the horse laughter of the English yachting press. One of their quotes read: 'Very sporting of the Australians to send over a couple of cruising boats (double-enders) and a very old Robert Clark design'.

Once the racing started, attitudes began to change. Caprice loved the smooth water of the Solent and English Channel and won three races. Meanwhile Camille and Freya had experience one bad Solent race which they soon made up for in the Fastnet Race (triple points) when Camille came sixth. The proud Australian team came home with a well deserved second place for the series, with Caprice the top Australian scorer.

General Pictures

Pictures of Camille

Camille

1964 Ron Swanson and Leo Reily

Camille Photo at MHYC

Camille article my Max Barnett

Camille in Great Race

SWS Article

Wally Ward designs and the CA's - Southern Woodenboat Sailing

Ron Swanson was keen to contest the pinnacle of ocean racing at the Admirals Cup in Cowes. As the minimum size for this event was a 30' waterline, Ron asked Wally to design a new, larger boat which he called CAMILLE of Seaforth.

Wally designed the 37ft CAMILLE in 1964, aimed at representing Australia in the next Admiral's Cup in England. Admiral's Cuppers had to be at least 30ft on the waterline and that's what the shoestring budget allowed. Originally designed with a larger rig, Ron insisted on a smaller sail area to get a better rating, hoping for big breezes.

In the 1964 Ocean Racing season CAMILLE came 2nd in the Sydney-Hobart Race and equal first in Admirals Cup selections.

CAMILLE went on to compete in England in the 1965 Cup, skippered by Ron Swanson with sailmaker Laurie Mitchell and MHYC stalwart Frank Likely as part of the crew, in an Australian team including Caprice of Huon and Freya. This was Australia's first entry into the Admirals cup in which we placed a very creditable second. [12]

On her return to Australia from the UK, CAMILLE was based at Middle Harbour Yacht Club and entered her glory years winning many Club Championships. In 1994 she finished 2nd in the 30 year veterans division of the 50th Sydney Hobart-Race and in 1997 she won the Veterans division of the Sydney to Southport race. She also won the 2007/2008 RMYC offshore season, and more recently has sailed in two Brisbane to Gladstone races and a Pittwater to Coffs race.

Peter Moran became CAMILLE's custodian a year before that Pittwater Coffs race in 2014 and instructed Colin Beashel and his boatyard team in Sydney to go over her with a microscope and bring the boat up to the required category two safety standard. [16]