Charlie Nicol

Charles (Charlie) Nicol OBE is the only Port Macquarie yacht club member, living or dead to have been recognised by the Yacht Club by having an event named in his honour. Charlie passed away in 1991, and, sadly, is unknown to many current members.

Charlie as a person had a wry wit together with a great sense of fun, and was a keen competitor during the early days of the Yacht Club, in his redoubtable Compass 28, not the fastest boat in the fleet, but certainly, well sailed, and definitely, one of the most regular participants in the early days of the Port Macquarie Yacht Club, and an integral part of the glue that held the fledgling club together.

Meeting Charlie you would find a diminutive man, with his always neatly trimmed snow white hair, his rakish equally white moustache and often wearing his Greek sea captains hat. Charlie occupied several positions within the club, displaying immense organizational experience and knowledge including the position of publicity officer for the club, something he relished, having, in his working life, been press secretary to high ranking federal politicians including ministers, for which role, in part, he had been awarded his OBE.

Charlie was an accomplished sailor. While it was possibly not known to many members who knew him, before moving to Port Macquarie from Canberra, Charlie had been one of the founding fathers of the Canberra Yacht Club, holding various flag positions including both Commodore and Vice Commodore over time, and, unsurprisingly, also, press officer for that club. Charlie was a champion 505 sailor with the Lake Burley Griffin located club, and, largely of his own bat, organised the first Australian 505 championship held on Lake Burley Griffin during the 1966/67 sailing season.

Charlie was always approachable, notwithstanding his impressive career in Canberra. Previously, Charlie had been a meteorologist during World War II, whose duties principally at been preparing reports for pilots heading out on raids over occupied territories.

Charlie relished telling stories about how weather forecasting was an especially imprecise science, something akin to witchcraft. Charlie would have a wry smile when remembering how, after tabulating the reports received from within occupied Europe before preparing his final forecast for waiting pilots he would first take a look out the window of the weather shack, before from time to time rewriting his final report and passing on his prognostications to the assembled pilots awaiting take off. This was indicative of Charlie’s attitude in sailing and in life which he once expressed as “see what’s in front of your, deal with what you see”.

A fair weather sailor, Charlie definitely wasn’t. Neither was he foolhardy. Charlie was, however, always competitive and a more than competent yachtsman who never balked at sailing his sturdy Compass 28, often shorthanded, in the conditions in which racing frequently conducted in his day up to and including the Force eight winds often encountered in races. His never say die attitude was inscribed in club folklore when, in extremely light conditions during a Twilight race, and working against the tide, Charlie made in excess of 20 attempts to round a mark, while other lighter boats had long much lesser troubles and fewer attempts in rounding that particular (no longer used) mark placement.

The early club included in its program Laurieton events such as the one now named in Charlie’s honour. Fitting, as Charlie enjoyed those events almost as much as he enjoyed entertaining skippers and crews that overnighted with a multitude of yarns that never failed to capture his audience.

If Charlie’s impact and influence during the early years of the Port Macquarie Yacht Club were to be fully documented, it would occupy volumes. It is fitting that his contribution to the Port Macquarie Yacht Club be recognised and honoured as it has been.