Sydney to Hobart supermaxi Scallywag’s tribute to former crewmate John Fisher
No one was more disappointed when bushfire smoke forced the cancellation of the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge than David Witt as he and his crew were racing to honour a fallen mate.
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Skipper David Witt and his crew on Scallywag were more disappointed than most when choking bushfire smoke descended on Sydney Harbour like a thick pea-souper and forced the cancellation of the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge in mid December.
They had wanted to do the annual race to honour a mate lost at sea and raise money for a cause close to his heart.
Forever Fish is written in various spots around the yacht, a constant reminder to Witt and his team of their old crewmate John Fisher, a man who should have been with them as they train for the upcoming 75th anniversary Sydney to Hobart.
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“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him,” said Witt of Fisher, the Australian sailor who died during the last Volvo round the world race.
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Fisher was hit by a mainsheet block and thrown overboard in a violent storm in the Southern Ocean last year. Despite an exhaustive search his body was never recovered.
He was the safety officer aboard the yacht and the Safety of Life at Sea Trust, set up in the wake of the deadly 1998 race, was close to his heart.
“I live with him everyday. He never goes away. I see him in the street, sometimes on the boat. You never get over something like this,” said Witt, who is living at Balmain close to where the Hong Kong yacht Scallywag is moored at Drummoyne.
“He was my best mate. We still carry his logo, Forever Fish, on the boat so he is with us.’’
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The Big Boat Challenge was to be the first and last chance supermaxis Scallywag, InfoTrack, Black Jack and Wild Oats X1 had to check each other out before the 1pm start of the Sydney to Hobart on Boxing Day.
The event was also to have marked the racing return of Wild Oats X1 after extensive repairs to her mast and deck.
The defending Sydney to Hobart line honours champion yacht was damaged during a stormy lead-up race with parts for her repair sourced form around the world so she could be repaired in time for the Boxing Day start of the race.
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