My name is Holly (22 years old) and my husband Jordy (23 years old) and I are the very proud owners of ‘Clare’. She is a Maurice Griffiths, 40 foot ketch planked in 1 1/2 Jarrah, built and launched in 1951 in WA. She is currently out of the water in Hastings VIC and we are currently completing a full restoration.

Like the preservation of our built environment, historical buildings only live on if they are living breathing things that people can engage with. Historic vessels surely the same?

There is of course in the community a finite amount of time, resources and money to go into restoring old boats. Not every craft can be saved. I estimate that of the wooden boats in Australia that are currently “out of commission” perhaps one in ten will ever float again… So what should be the criteria for deciding which craft are worthy of a new lease of life?

But as I stood in the new machine shop and glanced out the window, I saw an unassuming little boat that without a doubt had been drawn by the inimitable Laurent Giles.

Over the last 2 years, I have spoken to many people associated with OLIVE MAY to try and ascertain her provenance. From descendants of convict Thomas Doherty who built the ALICE AND ANGUS in Port Davey in 1800s, to members of the Appleton family who owned the OLIVE MAY up until the mid 1980’s.

I think to myself, isn't it great that we have people in the world, passionate master craftsmen like my good mate Eddy, who put all their love into a project such as Boongown, until it just seeps from every surface and inspires the admiration of everyone who sees it or is lucky enough to climb aboard.

“The day I on got on-board that thing at Palm Beach, I sat in the corner and thought, ‘shit this feels good’, Roscoe says.
“You don’t fall in love with every boat”, he adds.

She now sits happily on her mooring in Mill Bay, Mangonui in the Far North of New Zealand awaiting her new life. At this stage future plans for ELIZABETH are to race her with the Mangonui Cruising Club on Doubtless Bay and take her south to race against other classics in the Tall Ships Race in the Bay of Islands in January

Brendan’s vision was to rebuild her graceful design. And to create a yacht that would be both beautiful and very user friendly for himself and his family

After custodianship by the Calverts, the history of VENTURA becomes a little more vague. We know that VENTURA made her way to Sydney when she was acquired Captain Kennedy of Phoenix House around the 1960’s.

Taking her for a cruise today has been described as being akin to accompanying a beautiful lady to a ball: Everyone stares at her, ignoring her rather motley partner(s) … except to wonder how he ever became associated with such a stunner.

The adventure started by putting her on a truck to come back to my region, in Brittany. The mast was put on a different truck. It took a while to organiSe the expedition and I decided to create my own shipyard to start the renovation.

Turns out you can teach an old Regatta new tricks. For the very first time, The Balmain Regatta includes a Work Boat Convoy.

Nurminen was regarded as a wizard for his ability to work his chartered Tumlare class yacht YVONNE to windward. He was rarely beaten by the top skippers pitted against him. In YVONNE, he won over 300 races, including 17 State titles, the last 11 in succession.

As a piper played and the crowd looked on, the cradle holding this perfect little craft, eased down the slipway gently returning the Huon Pine planks to the salty waters of the Bay

The relaunch of the 1894 Logan Gaff cutter on her 100th birthday, was a turning point in Australian perceptions, of what was possible, and more importantly worthwhile, when it came to the restoration of our sailing heritage.

The Yachting World Keelboat #1 ZEST was presented ‘on the pool’ at Earls Court Boat Show in 1961 and in an article by Yachting World as A-BUILD-HER-YOURSELF DESIGN BY JACK HOLT. In 1967 the boat was renamed the YW Diamond. Here’s Jack sporting hair a la Cosmo Kramer, writes Charlie Salter.

In the words of custodian Juha Sironen - “My original plans are not feasible anymore and I am tired. I have brought KALUA home and there she will stay. I will auction her as soon as I get import approval.” The fate of KALUA awaits.

In March 1886 the now Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania conducted a race to Port Esperance for 28 footers with a sweepstake prize of 10s. per boat. Entries included F Turner’s SUNBEAM, Mr Calder’s MAGIC, Mr Knight’s TERRA LINNA, Mr Lewis’s MILLY, Mr Cheverton’s MABEL, and Mr Maddock’s MYRINE.

''I am not in a position to to carry out the necessary renovations myself, either physically or financially, so unless someone steps forward in the next couple of weeks, I’ll have to start scrapping her.”