The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania's annual Bruny Island race was first held in March 1898, over today's same course, but was simply referred to as 'The Ocean Race' in those early years. In November 1947 the RYCT introduced another offshore competition in the Maria Island race, mainly due to the growing popularity of the sport and also as a lead up for the Sydney-Hobart competitors, giving them some valuable offshore experience. Two other races were also introduced: the Wedge Island and the Mewstone Rock, but neither managed to capture the same support of the initial two events. Jock Muir first entered the Bruny Island race in 1938 as skipper of Westwind. This was a record-breaking year and the record stood until the 1980s. "1938 was Hobart's Centenary Regatta Carnival, and in typical regatta weather we set off in very rugged wintry conditions, causing some early retirements. In fact, only four finished the event." Acrospire W, sailed by Commodore J. White from Melbourne, was first across the line, 17 minutes in front of Percy Coverdale's Ninie (previously three times winner of the event). Guy Rex in Landfall was a further two minutes behind in third place and Westwind finished one hour later fourth. "We encountered strong westerlies down the Channel and were forced to drop our mainsail approaching Courts Island when a 50-knot south-westerly squall, with hail, hit us. "At the end of the race, we encountered calms and virtually drifted from Sandy Bay all the way to the finish. However, we still managed to win the event on handicap. All four yachts had beaten the old record finishing within 17 hours. "Acrospire IV had won in a new record time of 14 hours. She was sailing back to the Royal Yacht Club from the finish line when we were rounding Sandy Bay Point." The Second World War halted races for a six year period to 1945, and it wasn't until 1947 that Jock Muir entered another RYCT offshore race in Westward. He was invited to be her sailing master in the new 174-mile Maria Island race by owner George Gibson. The inaugural race started at 9.30am, Saturday, November 1, and one of the best-known yachts of the Derwent, Percy Coverdale's cutter Winston Churchill, won the race crossing the line at 12.46pm on Monday November 3. She finished 50 minutes ahead of Colin Philp's Southern Maid. Westward was third just 42 seconds behind Southern Maid which was enough to see her placed first on handicap, with Winston Churchill placed second and Southern Maid third. The 50-foot cutter Active finished fourth on both counts.