Next morning CONIDAW joined the armada of little ships rescuing the remaining French and British soldiers off the Dunkirk beaches. Her shallow draft allowed her to go close inshore to take the starving, frightened and exhausted men out to waiting ferries in deeper water.

They sit flat and stable on the deck, their convex sides, called “bilge,” give protection from bumps and pressure. They can be stored upright in cargo holds and still have air circulating around their curved sides. They can also be made from varieties of a widely available and sustainable material called “wood”.

We repeatedly emphasized that we were aboard a small 8-meter sailboat, but the response was the same each time: "We are a 50-meter three-masted sailboat, and we offer our assistance in towing you to Paimpol."

No romance, though! Bill was a working man with a work boat. He changed the oil and patched the bottom as necessary, but always in the unsentimental way you would care for a cash cow. He loved the chink of coins in the worn leather bag he wore on one shoulder.

The ancient continent of Sahul was comprised of Australia and PNG, when sea levels were much lower. It’s to this continent that the ancestors of Australian Aboriginal people came.

Abandoned at sea by commercial fishing boats, these ghost nets once drifted aimlessly along the ocean floor, silently trapping and killing marine life

So a Knot is a Nautical Mile per hour, but it is much more than that! It links us humans to our Planet in a very unique way, plus of course it is the original decimal system.

The video really does have one of the most annoyingly saccharine voice overs ever recorded, but once you get past that, you will hear about an amazing Marlborough family that have owned the 1912 built – BALAENA for 62 years.

The phased withdrawal of paper charts from production will take place over a number of years and is anticipated to conclude in late 2026.

In celebration of this rich dialogue and in expectation of more to come, we are republishing (in no particular order) some of our favourites comments from this year.

When one of these massive, shiny, floating apartment blocks is made out of (mostly) timber then its worth reading about, and taking on board the possibilities.

If Pete’s home was on AirBnB – which it is not – but if it was, his balcony would get a 5 star rating – the view is spectacular and it was from here, I first spotted Chris Naden’s family owned, Broome built, pearling lugger STREETER.

Driving south on a family holiday, our road rounded a point to open a view over Kahana Bay - a shallow open bay protected from the south-east winds which were currently blowing at 25 knots. Working its way back and forth across the bay was a small craft with what appeared to be a lateen sail.

Motoring under the Harbour Bridge on Saturday morning headed for the SASC, there was a sudden and very loud bang from the engine.

In a truly mammoth and unique transport task, an historic 100-year-old paddlewheeler will make its way across three states, travelling on a 1700-kilometre journey to its new home.

Every craft has a few special items that define the character of the vessel and its owners. They add to the moth-eaten brocade of history that is every old wooden boat

This week we discover for you, four interesting options combining a love of timber boats with an unapologetically indulgent sailing holiday. And not a flotilla in sight!

Its alway sad to see pictures such as this, but it’s important we put it out there….”They were seen heading out from their mooring at Flinders and around the point.”

Through this imagery, Ricardo presents poignant observations of the human condition – some of which allow us to laugh at our own behaviour.

“I came to understand that life is best to be lived with many adventures, preferably enjoyed on or by the water.”