A vessel is registered as historic after a rigorous process, including their relevance to Australia’s social history, and their particular significance to our maritime heritage.

On a moonless night in August 1943, a US torpedo boat commanded by Lt John F Kennedy, on patrol in Solomon Islands, was rammed by a Japanese destroyer.

The Couta Boat Association has posted a wonderful record of the early years of the Class on its website. There are about 50 Editions of “SCOOP” on line, starting 42 years ago in 1981 and ending in 2011.

Prof Morieux said: "When we are separated from loved ones by events beyond our control, like the pandemic or wars, we have to work out how to stay in touch, how to reassure, care for people and keep the passion alive. "These letters are about universal human experiences, they're not unique to France or the 18th Century."

Entering a maze of muddy islands, the mouth of the Victoria is a vast delta within the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf that does not easily explain itself to mariners. We are in the 65-foot Island Explorer, decked out for group fishing tours but now temporarily repurposed in an attempt to locate two anchors that were cut free from the Beagle at a point on the river named Holdfast Reach 180 years earlier.

While not a boating story, it’s boating related in so many ways; Surrounded by Australia’s most recognisable sailing ground, emblematic of the canvas of wind powered craft and designed by people with maritime history running through their veins.

Following on from last week’s Article The Lost Loot of Lima we had a wonderful update from Richard Bell, on the ground in Queenscliff. These Documents are part of a Queenscliff Historical Museum project about the Fishermen and Families on Fisherman’s Flat, Queenscliff.

In thinking about trade routes in the parallel universe of Indian Ocean sail cargo it is important to understand that in spite of the desert, the heat, humidity and the vast areas, there was an active trade of considerable size and variety centuries before the discovery of oil or the building of the Suez Canal.

It's an ignominious resting place for the 99-year-old wooden paddle wheeler, which attracted national headlines when it was trucked nearly 1,750 kilometres from country Victoria to Longreach in May 2022.

It is deceptively easy to get bogged down in the dominant paradigm of Traditional Sail that is centered on the archaeology and history of square rigged ships and fore and aft rigged work boats. This is, admittedly, a broad generalisation, but it is also one that I would defend.

After a few small adventures, the Enterprize eventually found the Yarra and, warping the ship upstream for a way, eventually moored at the same spot that Batman’s men had found. They chose this spot for the same reason as Batman’s party, for the fresh water that was available above some small falls (which have since disappeared).

The ARHV benefits all historic vessels by creating public awareness of the important role vessels have played in Australian history. This builds an environment for historic craft and their stories to be recognised and valued by the public, and through this, support from various sources will be encouraged and realised.

I was reading the inscription when the words “Astrolabe” struck a chord. I remembered she was one of the vessels with the La Perouse Expedition that landed in Botany Bay when the First Fleet were there

“To young Gatz, resting on his oars and looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world.” - The Great Gatsby.

The digitally rendered image shows the stadium looming over the iconic streetscape of Hunter Street, dwarfing the Henry Jones Art Hotel and celebrated Mac 1 hotel.

After some sixteen journeys a Sergeant Major on the jetty told them not to come back anymore because the Germans were on the pier. Ron and Alan told him they'd keep coming while he was still on the pier.

It was very, very important to both the authorities in London and those in the colonies that those who participated in this event were held to account. Somebody was going to swing for the piracy of the CYPRUS and they would swing in spectacular fashion.