This summer we spent a month living on board, cruising through Bass Strait and the Southeast coast of Australia. In was another special adventure aboard this extraordinary craft. Anchoring 30 meters off the beach at Erith Island on New Year’s Eve with no other human in sight; sailing 220 miles from Flinders Island to Eden, with the windvane nodding and nudging us back on course as the miles disappeared under our transom. These and hundreds of other memories will never be erased.

Waitoa was part of a flotilla boats used by a pearl cultivation enterprise, run by Japanese investors in 1960’s. As time went on she became a ferry for Islanders working at Escape River to travel back and forth to TI. When an oil spill wiped out the cultivation business in 1970 we returned this lugger and few others to fishing for pearl shells, called mother-of-pearl, in the Torres Strait.

The door slid open again and the room lit up as an unassuming bearded man in a dusty cable knit jumper walked towards me. He moved through the shed, feet wide as if crossing a moving deck, held his hand out and with a beaming smile and a soft Hudson Valley lilt said, “Mark? I’m Nat”

“I have mentioned the influence of Claud Worth, the English doctor, writer, and designer, whose TERN IV I greatly admired. Those who know Worth’s boat and my BRILLIANT design may see this inspiration; both are shaped and built not as racing yachts but as sea boats intended to survive the worst weather and to make good passages.”

So when you learn that here in little old Melbourne, there is a fully restored Fife 8m for sale, with immaculate provenance and a practical set up, for much less than the cost of a twenty year old, questionably constructed, production fiberglass floating caravan, then you should sit up and take notice.

In about twelve days time the oldest yacht in Australia will either have an appointment with a chainsaw or become the subject of one of the bravest rescue missions seen in the last decade. Crazy things have been going on in the wooden boat market recently. Let’s hope it’s the latter!

E.F. Schumacher wrote in his seminal work Small is Beautiful that “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.”

A lot of thought went into how she should look and It was about this time that one of the crew said, “this would be a great boat to take to Southport”. There is a world of difference between harbour racing and heading offshore for a 400-mile race, as I was about to find out.

ETTRICK is ready and waiting for her next custodian. Whether you want to win The Cup Regatta In November or the CYAA series next summer, with ETTRICK you have a boat that can do it!

PAID CONTENT

Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron Is Selling The Vessel Mistral IX Pursuant To An Order Of The Magistrates Court Of Victoria Made 1 June 2023, to Recover Money Due To RMYS By Order Of The Court And For Unpaid Marina Fees And Other Expenses.

“A Huon Valley boat yard with a 160-year history has hit the market offering a rare buying opportunity. This historic and well-known property sits on the water’s edge with a Crown Lease in place.”

The plan to restore YVONNE was never about becoming the long term custodians of this unique yacht. It was always focussed on saving her, bringing her home and ensuring that she has the opportunity to sail with the growing fleet of Tumlarens on Port Phillip for the next 50 years

“The yacht is characterised by a classic design that focuses attention on her unique wooden frame, finished in a high-gloss clear coat. “

The owners of JOLLY ROGER are looking for someone to take her on, gratis. She’s lying afloat, but sad, at Claremont Yacht Club.

Perhaps before embarking on the new build of a wooden boat, first consider if there is an existing craft that, given a full restoration, would fulfil your needs and dreams as well as one built from scratch.

MAFALDA was first Launched in 1926, so I guess she wasn’t named after the character in Harry Potter or the famous Argentinian comic series of the 1960’s.

I know that winning races isn’t really what owning a classic yacht is about…. But you have to admit that winning is generally more fun than losing! So when SWS was aproached by The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to find a new custodian for HIRONDELLE, the first thing that occured to us was the potential this historic boat has, to earn some serious silverware.

The Tancook Whaler is one of those boats which evolved over many decades to do a particular working job, in this case to fish off the rough coast of Nova Scotia in all weathers and which at the same time took on a shape which is a thing of beauty. They were fast and seaworthy and kept on moorings off the rocky coast all year round.

I’m just about over online events… I’m craving reality. I’m done with “virtual” for the moment…. However, If you’re going to have an online event you might as well do it properly.

I am not a “marine professional” - I’m a pharmacist – but I do know what I like. And I love timber boats. Today, having bought two old timber boats and advised a number of friends, I’ve learned a thing or two about the purchase process and becoming the custodian of a piece of maritime history.