Resolve

Two and a half years in the making, this beautiful 1903 Lakes Gaffer glinted in the afternoon sunshine. Principal Mr Tom Batty, boatman Bob Lachal, Charlie Booth (Year 12 – Sea Scouts Captain) and Andrew Jelbart (Year 12 – Sea Scouts Vice-Captain) spoke of her development from eccentric idea to glorious beauty beside the waters of the Yarra.
It was a story of passion, tireless hours, friendships made and the apprenticeships of many a young shipwright. So when Carol Lachal splashed that all-important champagne across the Resolve’s bow, the boys beamed with a kind of pride not seen since the launch of the Queen Mary herself! No other school offers this opportunity to create beauty on such a grand scale. The boys’ pride at their creation was testament to the immense value of the project.
Scotch College Sea Scouts wish to thank Bob Lachal and Richard Blake, the boatbuilder, for their wonderful work leading the boys, the generous donors, as well as the school’s administration for recognising the value of the project and allowing it to take place.
Charlie Booth said the boatbuilding project has consumed the lives of 32 boys over the past two and a half years. He said Resolve is a replica of a traditional fishing boat that would have fished the Gippsland Lakes under sail power at the turn of the 20th century.‘These boats were designed to be strong to cope with the rough seas,’ Charlie told Great Scot. ‘Every single component in Resolve was made traditionally with no short cuts: this took hours of commitment from each boy to learn and master what he needed to do.
‘Richard Blake is a traditional shipwright who took every hour out of his busy agenda to see this boat through to the very end. He worked closely with every boy and taught them all the tricks of his trade. Bob Lachal managed the boat-building project, and he inspired the boys along with giving them every piece of wisdom he knew.
‘Both these men have provided boys with memories and skills that will last a lifetime; just the concept of building this boat has left many boys grateful.‘Resolve was finished at the start of June, and by the end of the month we had planned a very special ceremony for its first sail. Carol Lachal had the great honour of christening the boat, and she wished Resolve all the best for its long life ahead. Mr Batty joined the first sail and without any issues the boat didn’t sink!‘Everyone who attended on the day was given the privilege to go out on Resolve, and this is when they could capture the great craftsmanship that has gone into this yacht.
‘As much as the launch day was very exciting, it left many people filled with emotions looking back at the great experience that they had around the boat every Thursday afternoon. Resolve is now anchored at Port Melbourne where everyone who has been involved with the building process will have the opportunity to sail it around Port Phillip Bay.’ GS