Harry Neal Batt

Neall Batt was the third member of a remarkable yachting family which dominated yachting in Australia when the premier event was the Forster Cup. Neall came to the fore in 1947 when it was his turn to skipper the famous 'Tassie Too'. He won both the Forster and Albert Cups for interstate 21 foot, restricted class yachts from 1947 to 1950.

He stood down in 1951 and Tasmania lost the series. Neall returned in 1952 and won both Cups again a remarkable record indeed. He also won the Sayonara Cup in 'Erica J' for 8 metre yachts and then turned his hand to International Dragons with equal success.

This winning ability could be traced back to the excellent grounding Neall received in the Lord Stonehaven Cup for International 12 foot Cadet Dinghies when as a l5 year old he won the national title in 'Gumnut' in 1928. He won that event again in 1930.

Neall, in the opinion of many Tasmanians was the most successful yachtsman to sail for Tasmania in those halcyon years when the Forster Cup was the yardstick for national yachting success.