The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing woodenboats
in Australia, New Zealand & The South Pacific.
the 1946 Sydney Hobart Start by A.D.Blake
What is almost as impressive as the aesthetic, is the historical accuracy of the paintings…”The start was off Rose Bay between Clark and Shark Islands. Rose Bay beach is in the background.”
At the Bottom of an Icy Sea, One of History’s Great Wrecks Is Found
The first images of the ship since those taken by Shackleton’s photographer, Frank Hurley, revealed parts of the vessel in astonishing detail. An image of the stern showed the name ENDURANCE above a five-pointed star
More Brands-more sailmakers
These brands act as a reminder of a time when local was good, when small could be beautiful and one craftsperson with a sewing machine could dream of powering the boats of champions.
The extraordinary voyage of Rose de Freycinet
From dancing at Governors' balls in distant colonies, to evading pirates and meeting armed Indigenous warriors on remote Australian shores, to surviving shipwreck in the wintry Falkland Islands, Rose used her quick pen to record her daily experiences
Consider a holiday in Queensland!
There are two enticing small craft events on offer, both with a proven track record and within a fortnight and 60kms of each other.
Wine, Olives, Oil and Garum
One squally day or stormy night about 1,700 years ago, a boat carrying hundreds of amphorae of wine, olives, oil and garum – the fermented fish sauce that so delighted the ancient palate – came to grief during a stopover in Mallorca.
Branding the Cloth
A couple of weekends ago, while covering the Inverloch Classic Dinghy Regatta for SWS, I was struck by the history and beauty of retro design encapsulated in the cloth badges of the sailmakers from the 1950’s 60’s & 70’s.
THE 2022 CUP REGATTA - A CLASSIC COMMUNITY
This was a weekend to celebrate the boats and the shipwrights who maintain them. The willingness to share information, answer questions and put in for each other is the way. While we like to sail well, winning races has small interest for this classic community.
Even Number years at the AWBF
There is a varied and enriching selection of events on offer, that brings to live the wooden boat building and associated crafts of the Huon Valley and the Channel Region South of Hobart.
“The Enemy of All Mankind”
When the English pirate Henry Every seized treasures from the 1,500-ton GANJ-I-SAWAI owned by India’s Grand Mughal Aurangzeb, off the coast of Surat in September 1695, it was the heist of the 17th century.
Building a Community with Plywood. The Inverloch Classic Dinghy Regatta.
Then throw into the mix a beautifully preserved Rainbow, a stunning diagonal planked Finn, an original Cherub, a few Minnows, a 145 (the bigger brother of the well know 125) a couple of cruising dinghies, a brace of Sabres and you’ve got yourself a regatta.
The Worldwide Classic Boat Show
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.
Pioneers and Trail blazers
We just said to family and friends, that we would contact them in about a month when we arrived. “We'll see you when we see you”.
Striving for Truth in a Post Truth World
“We’re totally thrilled to have the participation of our Australian mates, but there are ethical protocols within the field of archaeology that everyone should respect.”
Polished Time Capsule Or Beast of the Sea
The Kettering Wooden Boat Rally 2022 – if you didn’t happen to make it, here’s what you missed. Welcome to a place where you can smell the wood shavings. Here varnish is thick, history alive and passion is real. Old boats are and always have been, a way of life in Tasmania. Old boats don’t come to Kettering to die, they come here to thrive.
“The only journey is the one within.”
A Photographic Essay-450NM, five friends, a 66 year old boat, a home made tender, a double rip swimmer, a mainsail with 12,000NM on the clock…(time for a new one!)
traditional sailing, conservation and health promotion in a unique way.
“She was a beautiful boat, and what made it good for my wife Rhona and me was that we were the first to fish at Sandy Cape with a decent boat. We learnt to catch crayfish there before they ever knew there were crayfish off the continental shelf.”
A Pleasant Step Back To A Better Time
Despite most major sports events being cancelled in New Zealand, the Mahurangi Classic Yacht Regatta took place on Saturday in picturesque Mahurangi Harbour - about two hours sail north of Auckland.
Procrastination, compromise & Hofstadter’s Law
For the next year I was a bit aimless and couldn’t help thinking about how I missed sailing. As a mental health professional I know the importance of having activity, hobbies, time outside, exercise, and human connection.
Books, Sailing & a tenuous Australian Connection. RUNAGATE Sinks
The vessel has long held a place in the imagination of Shute fans who embarked on a search for the yacht several years ago, tracking it down to a harbour in Newcastle where its owner lived on board with his parrot.
SWS IS A SURPRISING SUCCESS STORY
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