whatwitch

What Witch

The Red Witch is a six metre long trailable yacht that offers competitive one design class racing as well as safe, relaxed family cruising.
It is raced as a class at South of Perth Yacht Club and is represented in mixed fleets at most Swan River clubs and also at Rockingham, Mandurah, Bunbury and Albany. The strict one design rules ensure close competitive racing and the Association is implementing a mentor scheme where class newcomers are welcomed into the fold and quickly brought up to racing speed with coaching by some of the top crews who willingly give of their time to improve the quality of the fleet.

Once the newcomer gains confidence with the boat it is possible to enjoy some of the thrills of sailing a Red Witch in strong breezes where the legendary downwind performance of the boat enables it to easily sail away from much larger boats

The Red Witch Yachting Association (Inc) is an active Class Association which organises a range of activities for its members including invitation races at various clubs, social activities and an annual Australian Championship.

The Red Witch is also a practical family cruiser. The mast height is designed to enable the boat to pass under the Fremantle bridges without lowering the rig - a feature that makes it the envy of many other boats. Being simply rigged it is easy to sail singlehanded or with young children.; The number of Red Witches seen anchored at popular cruising destinations such as Rottnest is testament to the popularity of the Red Witch as a family cruiser.

Owning a Red Witch in competitive condition is not a costly exercise. Second hand prices are around $5,000 but can vary significantly depending on condition and inventory. Note that a new set of sails costs over $3000 and so if a reasonable set of sails are included in the boat price then expect to pay more for the overall package. Most fittings are standard dinghy type which helps keep running costs to an absolute minimum.