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 crew of VANITY needed a sailing fix and Race 3 of the Commodore’s Cup on November 13 was to be our antidote. The forecast was not promising — a gusty nor’west to west wind boxing the compass while it decided which direction it really wanted to punish.

In a truly mammoth and unique transport task, an historic 100-year-old paddlewheeler will make its way across three states, travelling on a 1700-kilometre journey to its new home.

Recently I heard, via the SWS grapevine, EGRET is alive - she’s in Beashel’s shed in Elvina Bay. So, this week, for SWS, I’ll rekindle old love and write an article about EGRET. I’ll call Colin and find out what’s going on with the vessel, I believe to be one of the most beautiful in Australia.

Yes we have been slack. 18 months is too long between updates. We could call “COVID” but really its just time and resources. (Hence the “Donate” button at the top of the page!) So here’s a short update on how the beautiful old lady is coming along….And we promise it won’t be 18 months before the next one!

There was plenty of gambling action on Bradley’s Head with bookmakers mingling among the crowd.  Unlike the bookies on the ferries, the Bradley’s Head bookies also had plenty of warning if the police were seen by one of the punters.  

Zane Grey caught some big fish, but, much to his chagrin, every time pictures of his catches were published, some local identity went out in a grubby boat and, with home-made tackle, caught still bigger fish.

What I do know is that we shouldn’t be dismissing this as an “American” issue. With acute problems of housing affordability, spiralling inflation, and murmurs of recession it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, that this story repeats on Pittwater, Hobsons Bay or Middle Harbour in the near future.

‘In the midst of a global pandemic, a young boy is given an extraordinary gift. AGRICOLA 7101 is an uplifting documentary focusing on a group of kind-hearted individuals who come together to rescue a long-neglected and rare classic Australian sailing dinghy - fundamentally changing the life of a young boy along the way.’

From her early days PISCES worked from Apollo Bay, venturing into Bass Strait for shark fishing and netting. After a stint at a few other Victorian west coast ports, she was eventually taken to Queensland where she was used as a vessel for fishing the black tipped reef shark.

Wally Ward was perhaps the last truly ‘amateur’ designer to have one of his boats win the Sydney-Hobart race and also one of the most successful designers to use the metacentric shelf principle.

The portraits will become an evolving display at the Festival with each participant invited to find their image amongst the sea of faces and handwrite on their print what wooden boat custodianship means to them.

Every craft has a few special items that define the character of the vessel and its owners. They add to the moth-eaten brocade of history that is every old wooden boat

In many ways it was like a traditional four-day Sydney Hobart Yacht Race squeezed into just three hours.

TARKINE, is a 40ft Pilot Cutter inspired design by Paul Gartside, and she’s starting to come together in away that gives the viewer an understanding of how this elegant craft is going to look and function.

Recently the clever people at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum, in conjunction with the Queenscliff Literature Festival received over 600 suggestions in response to a rather unusual competition. The aim? To find a word to describe a group of lighthouses. In other words the competition sought to find an official collective noun.

After years of building a dinghy collection, Tony now wants to develop a place to celebrate these boats, the people who built and sailed them and the Swan River environment itself.

PAID CONTENT

Consider an extended excursions aboard the beautiful MARGARET PEARL promising excitement and adventure, (and a touch of comfort!) in Victoria and Tasmania’s southern waters.

And along the way, we’ve met people like you who appreciate the craft, relish in the history and simple enjoy the stories and beautiful images that seem to turn up in their inbox on a weekly basis…Jokes and melancholia aside - here’s the BUT - we really need your help.

Wally Ward designed a well-known series of yachts in Sydney over a period of 30 years from 1937 to 1965. His first yacht JANAWAY paved the way with her perfect hull balance and unmatched performance for her size.