Triumph over Tragedy
CONGRATULATIONS FRED!!!Skandia Squad 2006 is finally announced! “We are absolutely thrilled with both the quantity and quality of entries. There are some amazing stories with close synergies to our core values. We thank all those who made the effort to enter and we look forward to hosting our winners”, Jody Ellem Sponsorship & Events Manager Skandia Australia. Winners will be notified in the upcoming days. The final winner (Contribution) will be announced within the next few days.
Hearty congratulations (and an early Xmas present) to the following crews:
Commitment:Oedipus Complex (Mumm 30) Port Esperance Sailing Club, TasmaniaCreativity: Rolls Ross (Ross 780)Sandringham Yacht Club, Victoria
Courage: Triumph (Farrier 31) Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, QueenslandPassion: Need for Speed (Elliott 7) Canberra Yacht Club, ACT
Contribution: To be advised?Winners receive: free entry to the regatta, Henri Lloyd crew clothing, invitations to Skandia prize giving functions, Skandia branding and much more.
Stay tuned for further Skandia Squad news in early January!
Here is the submission I (OG) made on behalf of Fred Gans, owner of the Farrier 31 "Triumph"
Triumph over Tragedy
Some folk dream of gold
Some folk wish for glory
Some folk desire great fortune
But most never tell a true story…
Let me tell you of man
Whom needs no gold or glory
Who’s fortune lies deep within
And immersed in a heart wrenching story…
Born in Germany some seventy two years ago, Fred Gans could never have imagined where the journey of life would take him. Forced to leave his home in France at the tender age of fourteen Fred managed to make his way to Australia where a new life with a fresh start would greet him. The curtain was raised and the show began as this innocent boy from a distant land befriended the Australian lifestyle and settled into a clean and healthy existence.
Years of hard labour and intense days soon got the better of Fred and at 50 years young he was downed with heart disease and serious vertebrae injuries. Two spinal operations and a heart bypass later, Fred was left wondering if all the years of hard work from dusk to dawn had been worth the pain. For what was this adopted Australian going to do now? He wondered if he would be confined to a wheelchair and hooked to mechanical support for the rest of his life. As the tears of devastation wept down his cheeks and as defeat loomed above his crown Fred decided to take one last leap into life…
With one last effort of strength, Fred made his way to the Doctors office to await the inevitable. A decision by one medical professional that would change his life forever was just over the horizon. As he waited in the white walled room, Fred pondered the thought of lawn bowls and golf. Two activities he promised would not enter his life until the very last moment.
As he made his way into the private room, taking a seat in the chair of decisions, the Doctor slowly began to release the details of Fred’s condition.
Your heart will repair…
Your bones will remould…
Your existence will flourish!!!
From this day forth I demand you sail the seven seas, lakes, rivers and bays until the day you part this earth!!!
Having never sailed before, Fred plucked the courage from the pit of his stomach and climbed aboard a trimaran for what would become the ride of his life. The jokes and laughter began, as Fred fell in love with the “Boat with training wheels” or the “Pickle Fork”.
“Pickle fork!!! Wash your mouth out! A catamaran is a boat, a mono is half a boat and a trimaran is a boat and a half!!!” Quote from Fred Gans himself!
Now completely immersed in the racing way Fred decided to purchase his own trimaran and begin the lifestyle of a “yachtie”. This clean cut businessman from yesteryear was quickly transformed into salt drenched sailor and the natural abilities of this amazing man began to unfold.
Heads turned at every event Fred entered with hushed whispers muttering “who’s the old guy??”
Those laughing at his defined features were shocked to learn that this man actually knew his stuff. With only a handful of races under his belt, Fred began claiming titles port, starboard and centre with races once dominated by others, now showcasing his name in gold forever.
“The OTC Australian Multihull Offshore Championships (AMOC is a bi-annual event for Australian offshore racing multihulls, and is usually held near Brisbane, the multihull capital of Australia… In 1990 OSTAC (Triumph) won this series with the Farrier designed F-27. Now in 1992 it’s two in a row for OSTAC with the latest Farrier design – the F-31 (production version of the F-9A)…
Race 1 – The lead was closely fought out between Doug Trott’s HARD YAKKA and Fred Gans’ OSTAC TRIUMPH with the F-31 victorious by just 4 seconds…
Race 2 – Confirmed the F-31’s first win was no fluke with OSTAC TRIUMPH easily taking line honours…” Farrier Marine, June, 1992
“Latest News: OSTAC TRIUMPH took line honours in Brisbane’s 100 miles Great Bay Race on Feb 29th… The F-31 suffered a blown spinnaker; yet winning margin was still over 30 minutes” Farrier Marine, 1994 – OSTAC TRIUMPH, 6 times Line Honours & 3 times Handicap winner of the Great Bay Race.
“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up, but I plan to sail until the day I die. My commitment to my crew and boat is what keeps this heart ticking, oh and the cold glass of rum at the end of each race!”
“Some people wish for a large home, or a shiny car, but if I won a million dollars, I would get myself one of the French Open 60 Trimarans. Much to my wife’s disgust!!!”
Those close to this amazing man know and understand that life has not always been easy for him. Coming to a foreign land at such a young and tender age, battling his was through the business world, only to then be struck down with several illnesses. Regardless of the heartache placed upon him, Fred has always played an integral role in local and interstate racing events, and along the way, he always manages to make a dozen people smile.
Written by OG
Submission for entry into the Skandia Squad
