Two foot skiffs also known as ‘Balmain Bugs’ were model racing skiffs typically raced on

Sydney Harbour Port Jackson, consisting of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta Rivers, is the ria or natural harbour of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The harbour is an inlet of the Tasman Sea (p ...

between the 1890s and 1950s. The model skiffs were crafted by shipwrights in their spare time. In the sports hey days the 1940s and 1950s there were up to 10 clubs at Abbotsford,

Drummoyne Drummoyne is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Drummoyne is six kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative center for the local government area of the City of ...

, Balmain, North Sydney and

Double Bay Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of ...

. They raced with large rigs including four foot bowsprits to hold the oversize jib and spinnaker, with masts which were up to high, the keel was designed as a dagger blade fin with a lead bulb weighing up to . In 1956 the racing came to an end when two bookies had a disagreement and one pull out a pistol. The NSW Police shut down the racing due to this event. The Balmain Two Foot Model Sailing Club had a big following, with spectators and families of the sailors hiring a ferry every Sunday to watch the race. Betting on the race outcome was available with bookmakers providing the odds. Rear view of a Two Foot Skiff hull named ELMIRAT

Rear view of a Two Foot Skiff hull named ELMIRAT

References

Sources

* * * {{Cite book , author1=Crewes, Stephen , title=Sydney's model racing skiffs : a history , date=2002 , publisher=The Author , isbn=978-0-9580191-0-1 Sydney Harbour Model boats History of Sydney