The man behind some of Australia's most famous yachts never once set out to design a racing boat but they won all the same! It is a point that Jock Muir is still adamant about: "I emphasise it because it is behind my whole philosophy of what a boat should be." "I always set out to design - within the requirements of what the owner wanted - boats that were easy-to-handle, sea-kindly, safe, off-shore cruising boats." They also had to be easily driven and this was what so often made them good racing yachts. His strong, sea-kindly yachts kept ploughing on, especially in heavy weather that sent other, lighter boats scuttling for shelter, or worse, retiring from the race with broken gear. What he will say is that none of his boats have ever been lost because of anything that failed on the boat. "I say that a properly maintained and cared-for wooden boat will last a century or more and you can equate a traditionally built boat's lifetime with that of a man." He did not seek to constantly change his designs seeking perfection and in fact most of his boats bore a similar relationship between length, beam and draught. "In other words, I started with an equation early in life and hardly varied from that." Jock said, despite the hiccup of the Depression, which saw him forced to take another job, he had always wanted to design and build boats. "There is no doubt it is hard-earned money but my heart was in it and I am supremely happy I was able to work at something that I loved for most of my life.