In memory
Peter and Nathan Dean to honour lost father in Rolex Sydney Hobart.
Written by Rupert Guinness | RSHYR Media
Photography by © Salty Dingo
26 December 2023
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Peter Dean will never forget the last moment he shared with his father John; it was dockside, just before John sailed off on Winston Churchill to start the 1998 Sydney Hobart.
Tragically, John was to never return, being one of six people who died at sea in the race.
“I was to do the Hobart with him in 99’, the next year,” recalled Peter, then 15. “He took me on board, showed me round and pointed to where I would be, what I would be doing.”
Fast forward 25 years since that tragic race to today and the start of the 2023 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. For Peter, his elder brother Nathan and their mother Penny, John Dean will be heavily on their minds, as he will be on those of so many in the Sydney Hobart community and beyond.
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Peter and Nathan, who is two years older, will both sail in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 628 nautical mile race on the maxi Andoo Comanche which won Line Honours last year.
This will be Peter’s third start in the race, whereas, for Nathan, it will be number two. Both brothers sailed on Andoo Comanche last year, skippered by Peter’s childhood ‘best mate’ John Winning Jnr, whose father John was also a good friend of their father.
When Peter made his Sydney Hobart debut in 2018 on the 20th anniversary of his father’s death, it was Winning Jnr who was instrumental in helping him get back onto a boat for the first time since the tragedy. Winning Jnr skippered Matt Allen’s Carkeek 60, Ichi Ban, renamed Winning Appliances and raced to fourth place overall.
This year will be extra special. “We both know it’s the 25th anniversary of Dad’s death. It’s always in the back of my mind,” Peter said. “We’re fortunate to be doing it now and going through the same water as where Dad was. It makes Nathan and I feel closer to him.”
Peter says the impact of his father’s death was huge. “I went into a dark patch,” he says.
What also helped drag Peter out of that hole was Jessica Watson’s solo around the world sail at the age of 16. Watson, a past Young Australian of the Year, will also sail in this year’s Sydney Hobart on Jack Kliner’s S&S 34 Azzurro.
“Watching Jessica do what she did was amazing. It was really exciting and helped me get back into sailing.”
Of course, the biggest inspiration for Peter and Nathan has always been their parents.
Peter recalls how his father always supported him sailing; from his days sailing at the Vaucluse Amateur 12ft Sailing Club and onwards.
“From when I was a seven-year-old, Dad would always be helping me rig the boat,” he said.
Peter laughs when he recalls his father’s impromptu debut in the Sydney Hobart in 1978.
That year, John jumped on board Apollo at the last minute without his wife Penny knowing. Apollo had passed South Head when he telephoned in to let her know.
“He was not in the good books when he got back,” laughs Peter.
As for their mother, Peter says that she understandably gets nervous before they sail in the 628 nautical mile race. “She always wants to know the weather, whereas I don’t,” Peter said.
Peter says Penny understands the significance of this year’s race, being the 25th anniversary of the death of her husband and plans to be in Hobart for the arrival of Andoo Comanche.
“It’s great … for us as a family and also as a crew.”
Internationally, the race will be available through YouTube on CYCATV or on Facebook Rolex Sydney Hobart page.
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