I watched the dramatic events unfold in the early stages of the Prada Cup last weekend. I must admit that subconsciously I was hoping to dislike the whole event.

Peter writes, “The CYAA has named the passage race as The Topsy D Race to recognise the contribution to the history of yachting on Port Phillip by the 21 foot restricted class and in particular the Digby Family with their three boats.”

However, as a photographer I have always enjoyed the concept of Instagram…Of course, 95% of it is drivel…however, in the wooden boat community there are a few feeds that educate, inform and amuse.

In Breaking News // This morning SWS spoke with HIRW Regatta Director, Denis Thompson and asked the question: “Denis, what would it take to get a Classic Division at Hamilton Island in 2021?" His reply? “It only takes seven.” We only need seven boats to have a Division, but to make it interesting, let’s aim for 20!

I am!

…Into the nothingness of scorn and noise // Into the living sea of waking dreams…// John Clare 1848

For almost 150 years, excluding the odd war and pandemic, SASC has held races every Saturday in summer. January 9, 2021 was no exception. Here are some fantastic photos of the fleet in action, captured by Andrea Francolini.

“Owning a timber Dragon has been a dream of mine for a long time, and when I was lucky enough to notice Siena on eBay in 2009, I knew my heart had to rule my head and I had to put in the winning bid.”

…Somewhere in this spectrum fits Tim Severin who died three weeks ago in West Cork, Ireland. In my teenage years I read “The Brendan Voyage” a few times, relishing his account of both the research and the execution of his greatest adventure…

Karen Batson is the mistress of reinvention! In this interview we chat balancing work and boats, what it means to take on the job of custodian and, we attempt to answer the question, why don’t more women sail?

The photographs and article come all the way from Hungary.  The images speak for themselves of family bonds, of patient learning, of persistence and of dreams. This is the story of Eight And A Half.

This is one of the things we love about old wooden boats…For less than AUD$7000, you can own this incredible piece of history!

When it comes to capturing the true nature of boats and the essence of sailing there are few finer than photographer Andrea Francolini. Join us in this exclusive interview.

I refuse to call THE ENDLESS SEA a coffee table book. It’s so much more than what that mildly derisive term implies. Once in a while a beautifully designed book such as this, lands on my desk, and …

Here are the tunes you’ll need for these holidays. All songs reference boats and sailing in at least a fleeting way.

The famous Sunstone is for sale in Nelson, New Zealand, and for the right custodian she would be the most rewarding combination of form, function and provenance.

With just a week remaining in this bizarre year, it would have been surprising if there wasn’t a twist in the tail of 2020.

Every week you’ll find snippets of stories from around the globe. This week in Flotsam - The AGE profiles Wyruna.

“When Melbourne went into stage three lock down in July 2020, we lost the opportunity to go sailing in our beautiful wooden boats.”

In the spring of 1895 Charles Bailey Jr and his younger brother Walter, trading as “C. & W. Bailey”, built the 5 rater Ida for their good customers, merchants Jagger brothers and W. Frater Jr. …. The restoration process commenced with cutting off the rotting, cabin top, decking and beams.

it’s good to see that despite the cancellation of the 2021 Australian Wooden Boat Festival, the organisers led by Paul Stephanus, have decided to go ahead with the spectacular biennial Parade of Sail on the Derwent. on Sunday 7th of February 2021.