Boats and community spirit shine at Bribie Classic Boat Regatta

By Chase Christensen 

The 27th Bribie Classic Boat Regatta proved once again that a little rain forecast was never going to stop a community passionate about life on the water. 

Despite predictions of wet weather leading into the weekend, Bribie Island was treated to bright blue skies, mostly sunny conditions and strong crowds as visitors gathered to celebrate classic boats, maritime history and community spirit. 

Organised by Bribie Aquatic Community Events (BACE) and run entirely by local volunteers, the regatta has grown into one of Queensland’s best-loved classic boating events. This year’s fleet featured an impressive mix of vessels, from elegant sailing boats and putt-putt steamboats to beautifully restored cruisers carrying decades of history. 

Boat owners travelled from across the country, including the New South Wales south coast and as far north as Cairns, highlighting the growing reputation of the Bribie Classic Boat Regatta on the national boating calendar. 

Among the many vessels drawing attention this year was Silver Arrow, a stunning 50-foot Halvorsen bridge deck cruiser with a remarkable story stretching back almost 90 years. 

Owned by Vicki and Bruce Ramsay, Silver Arrow was built in 1936 by renowned boatbuilder Lars Halvorsen at Neutral Bay on Sydney Harbour. The Halvorsen family played an important role in Australia’s boating history after Lars migrated from Norway via South Africa in the early 1920s. 

Starting with little more than determination and the help of his 14-year-old son Harold, Lars began building wooden boats in Sydney before later bringing his wife, Bergithe and their remaining children to Australia for a new life. By the mid-1930s, the Halvorsen business had become one of the country’s leading boat builders, known for producing beautifully crafted timber vessels. 

Silver Arrow was completed on October 31, 1936, but sadly Lars Halvorsen never lived to see her launch. He died just weeks earlier on October 5 at only 49 years of age from osteomyelitis, an illness that may have been treatable only a few years later with the arrival of penicillin. 

During World War II, Silver Arrow served as a patrol boat in Papua New Guinea under the command of the American Navy between 1943 and 1944. Today, the vessel is recognised as historically significant because of both her wartime service and her connection to the Halvorsen family.   

Following the war, the cruiser spent many years on Sydney’s Hawkesbury River under private ownership before later operating as a charter vessel for special events. From the 1970s through to 1999, she was moored in Salt Pan Creek off the Georges River at Lugarno in southern Sydney. 

For Bruce Ramsay, seeing Silver Arrow at the regatta was the result of a dream that began decades earlier. 

“As a young bloke, I would drive across Salt Pan Creek Bridge on Henry Lawson Drive and admire Silver Arrow moored in the creek,” he said. “I never dreamed one day we would own that beautiful boat, but fate stepped in and my wife and I were lucky enough to purchase her.” 

Between 1999 and 2004, the vessel underwent extensive rebuilding work by shipwrights in Pittwater, NSW, although the full restoration was never completed. After sitting largely unusedat Bobbin Head Marina for several years, Bruce and Vicki purchased the cruiser in 2010 and began the long process of restoring her. 

In 2012 the couple relocated to the Gold Coast transporting Silver Arrow by truck to Coomera Boat Works before relaunching her into the Nerang River. 

In September last year, with around 90% of the restoration complete, the Ramsays moved to Bribie Island and built a new pontoon at their Banksia Beach home, where Silver Arrow now proudly sits in the canal outside their house. 

At this year’s regatta, the beautifully restored cruiser attracted constant admiration from visitors and boating enthusiasts, not only for her elegant appearance but also for the incredible history she carries. 

The event itself was filled with color and activity both on and off the water. Bribie Dragon Boats joined Bombora Outriggers, Dragons Abreast and Pink Dragons to create a lively spectacle, while families enjoyed face painting and balloon twisting throughout the weekend. 

The People’s Choice Award went to Percy, a former fishing boat believed to have been built by Kuskopf in the 1960s, while the Pride of Fleet Award was presented to Mahogany, built by Gary Doornbos in Southport during the 1980s. 

After another successful year celebrating Australia’s rich boating heritage, organisers are already looking ahead to the 28th Bribie Classic Boat Regatta in May 2027.