D7 Gremlin
(Modern Folklore)
A mischievous creature from modern folklore associated with sabotaging machinery and causing unexplained faults.
Gremlin was built by F. Heerey, P. Lovett and G. Isaac, all former members of the RAAF. Construction began in March 1946 at Mr Heerey's home in Haig Street, Lenah Valley, and she was launched at Constitution Dock on 7 December 1946. She competed in her first race at the Dover Regatta on Boxing Day that year.
Her name comes from the wartime folklore of mischievous creatures blamed for mechanical failures in aircraft.
One of the more memorable episodes in Gremlin's racing career came when she was famously "T-boned" during a race, with another D Class yacht's bowsprit punching through her porthole and damaging the cabin. The resulting rebuild gave her a slightly taller cabin — a modification said to have been influenced by a former owner's fondness for longneck beers and the desire to enjoy one below deck in comfort.
After spending ten years sitting in a cradle with rotted deck beams and repairs long overdue, Gremlin underwent a major restoration by shipwrights Matthew Stevens and Jonathan Minnebo in 2024–25.
The restoration retained much of her original character, including her Celery Top Pine planking, Huon Pine frames, bilge stringers, transom, rudder, deadwood and ballast. She received new deck structure, cabin, mast, spars, rigging and sails, along with extensive re-fastening and repairs throughout. Gremlin returned to the water in 2025, bringing one of the older D Class yachts back into the fleet after a decade ashore.
