49' Holm Pilothouse Ketch (1953) - LAURABADA

Laurabada is a treasured member of our family. Designed and built (singlehandedly) by an extroardinary man – Ivan Holm OAM. (1913-1997)(my father). While designed primarily to cruise she has had a lengthy racing career completing in 2002 an( unlikely to be broken) record of 50 consecutive years of the annual Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race( Like the Sydney to Hobart but shorter and in warmer Queensland waters).Built by Ivan in his back yard between 1947 and 1953.She was constructed with the best available Australian timbers during post WW2 austerity. War ‘surplus’ was utilised extensively- the original engine a Gray 671 ‘gifted’ from the American Navy in Papua New Guinea (where Ivan served as commander of an Australian patrol boat). The original masts were salvaged from an American radio installation near Brisbane that utilized 80 foot Douglas Fir poles.
Ivan cruised the Australian coast and took the boat on several extended trips into the South Pacific. She has probably logged about 200,000 nautical miles in her travels over the last 68 years.In my ( Ivan’s youngest son) care since 1997she has had extensive restoration work without changing her soul but with the goal of her continuing sailing for at least another 68 years.