“…above all, keep simplicity in mind when looking over a boat. The push-button temptations of our age are fine, but strength and craftsmanship are a far better investment for most sailors…”
— Rod Stephens

The Calendar, The Centenarian, More MJOJO, mining (or not), Hoddle’s Grid and much more

This is how I like to think of wooden boats. Infinitely repairable, like grandpa’s axe. And even though philosophers have long debated whether an object consisting of multiple parts is still fundamentally the same object if all of its parts have been incrementally replaced over time, very few of us are curmudgeonly enough to question the authenticity of boats like TALLY HO, PEGGY BAWN or VARG

More recently, official guidance has diverged on what to do in the event of an interaction. Portuguese authorities advise skippers to 'play dead' or reverse if conditions permit. Whereas the Spanish authorities advise motoring away as fast as possible towards shallower water.

Near Sinkings, saved habitats, boxes ticked and books worth reading. All in this week’s news page.

A centralised repository of all the Traditional Maritime Events you can think of in this corner of the world!

I have rarely met someone so passionate about his yacht. We sat together in the whisky drinking armchairs in the saloon, as he pointed out the details and features, the fixtures and finishes, even the movement, smell and noise which brings this timber creation to life. It appeals to all the senses.

“As we decided to install a 15 H.P. Gardiner (sic) Engine, I have provided for, so you will see by the specifications, a strongly built boat. I consider the price submitted by Forsyth & Templer is reasonable and I strongly recommend accepting their tender.”

The boats on display at Jellicoe are the beating heart of the festival. The quality and longevity of the craft is an extraordinary testament to two things. The passion with which Kiwis look after their boats and the rot resistance of that gold standard timber, Kauri. Here in Australia we may have developed a rich and broad tapestry of tradition around wooden boats, but in no port on the big island can you walk past restored gaff rigged centenarians, one after the other, for 200 yards.

A wide-screen sky refreshed itself with menacing patterns as a distant gloaming approached. An oblique, low hanging, long dark finger spearing in from the South east. We came to the bridge. Duck! Our skipper commanded, we ducked, sweeping under with over a foot to spare. Yes, this was an adventure! No! We were not attempting a moonshot. This was adventure in a pastoral landscape, nothing more serious than a bruised roll cloud gathering speed across the horizon behind, heavy rain poured out of it.

Rule 5 presents another problem for the single-handed boater: “Every vessel must at all times keep a proper lookout by sight, hearing and all available means in order to judge if risk of collision exists.” The single-handed skippers I know seem to get away with their best attempts to manage these issues. But if there is an accident, the solo boater is exposed to significant liability. If the master of a vessel is found to have violated one or more of the COLREGS, he or she may be found liable for costs of rescue efforts, property damages, loss of income, salvage costs and environmental cleanup. In the event of a death, even criminal gross negligence charges are not out of the realm.

The results are resins that are not only sustainable but also outperform their fossil-based counterparts! During testing, the glass fiber-reinforced composites with a variant of the plant-based resin exhibited improved toughness and significantly higher tensile and flexural strengths and toughness than DGEBA resins. These results represent a big win for sustainable composite alternatives.

The biggest news page yet, with boats for sale, boats for free, events, opinions and awards from around the wooden boat world.

But my over-riding impression of the adventure is not one of privileged white folk having fun on the back of the colonised, but of an fast disappearing attitude of discovery and adventure, where the only rules worth obeying, are those that you set for yourself.

Autumnal news from around the wooden boat world.

Nowadays, surfing is throwing a lifeline to this struggling community. Attracted by the Pacific swell and world-class breaks, surfers flock to Huanchaco, and many become enamoured of the caballitos, one of the ancient precursors of the sport. Many of the younger generation in fishing families become talented surfers and some have opened their own surf schools. The Australian embassy in Peru has taken caballito fishers to the Gold Coast and has backed Huanchaco’s surf tourism as an economic alternative.

The omens were not looking too good a day or two before the Rally.  A fierce thunderstorm went through the area on the Wednesday evening, and a bolt of lightning struck and destroyed three boats in a yard in Paynesville.  Luckily, these were not Rally boats, but even so…

Plying a small corner of the Western Hemisphere, Haitian sailing craft must surely represent one of the simplest and most successful designs in history, having changed little since their presumed introduction to Haiti by French colonizers in the early 18th century.

Wrapping up February with lost crafts, Gippsland craft, Norwegian know how, and Trans-Tasman cancellation.

Now I’m not a shipwright and I’m certainly not an an academic, so my knowledge of dhows is anecdotal, coming only from talking with the craftsmen and sailors (in broken Swahili/English) and spending a few days, joyously racing on the lateen rigged flying machines.