Trailer Multihull Yacht Association History

The notion of the trailable multihull in Queensland as a viable concept was developed through the early "Trailertri" folding trimaran designs of Ian Farrier in the mid seventies. In 1978, a group of early builders and sailors of these novel craft met at the home of Geoff and Margaret Finegan to form the Trailertri Club, with Geoff as the inaugural Commodore. In the ensuing years, as these popular trailable multihulls proliferated, a keen racing fleet developed in local trailerable yacht events.

In 1985, the club adopted a more formal structure, as the 'Trailertri Association of Queensland' to better represent the class association interests of multihulls to the organising yacht clubs of these events and to the Queensland Yachting Association. The Association became incorporated the following year. While the Association clearly represented the class interests of "Trailertris" by far the largest group of trailable multihulls still sailing, it also actively encouraged other small multihulls to join the ranks of the association and participate in its events.

In 1983, the association instigated the National Trailertri Titles, later to become the National Trailable Multihull Regattas. Since that time, the event has been held every one to two years at a variety of venues from Bundaberg in the north to Melbourne in the south. Wangi sailing club, with its relaxed ambience and flat water sailing, on the shore of Lake Macquarie in NSW, has become a regular and popular venue.

Cruising in company has always had a high priority in the association, with different committees, giving it greater or lesser emphasis during their term. The versatility of the trailable multihull concept is well illustrated by the choice of cruising destinations. On the one hand, club yachts have cruised the quiet inland waters of Wivenhoe Dam and anchored in the rural seclusion of Hidden Valley. On the other hand, a group of six towed their yachts to the Town of 1770 on the central Queensland coast and set off fully provisioned for an adventurous week exploring the islands of the Bunker group thirty miles off shore.

With the advent of an increasing range of trailable multihull designs, including larger trailable catamarans, the association decided it was appropriate to widen its charter to foster an interest in all trailable multihulls. To this end, the Trailer Multihull Yacht Association Queensland was formed in 1998.

Since then, the increasing expense of putting the newer, more high tech designs on the water, has led to a gradual attrition of association numbers. In this climate, the association opted to become part of the amalgamation of the various multihull interest groups in southeast Queensland that resulted in the formation of the new Multihull Yacht Club Queensland in 2001.

Bob Forster
Jan 2003