The young colonial town of Auckland, built on the isthmus between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours, for centuries traversed by Maori waka, was completely dependent on sea transport.

FLIGHT was used as a Patrol Boat on the Tamar River in the last years of the War. Thereafter , she was used as a pleasure craft, the Flag Vessel for the Derwent Sailing Squadron and hosted the Queen and Prince Phillip during the Royal Tour of 1954

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.

Not one to sit around, Phil was working on her hull that afternoon. Within two days the cabin top and interior fittings were removed, taken to the tip and a bare hull remained.

Last Saturday the 118 year old ALMA DOEPEL was lifted back into the murky waters of the River Yarra after a 10 year restoration. In this film we speak with Ferdi Darley the amazing and articulate head shipwright on the project just four days before the launch.

Reading Bill Cole’s reminiscences of Tumlaren “ELISABETH” which Bill owned in Auckland during the early to mid-1960s ignited a dream that Kiwi shipwright Phil (Blue) Holmes had kindled for some time to do up another Tumlaren.

Today we talk with the three most active members of the YVONNE 97 syndicate, about the restoration of Port Phillip’s famous Tumlaren. And like so many of the best wooden boat stories, its not really about the craft, its more about the people, the friendships and the philosophies embedded into the project. Sit back, enjoy, and hopefully be inspired.

After almost 160-years, an ill-fated unique vessel has returned to its final resting place of Mangawhai, NZ. Built from Kauri by a Nova Scotian boat builder in 1863 and used to transport goods along the coast, only eight months later the the 17m schooner was stranded and reported, wrecked.

From the get go, Leo harnessed the power of social media to broadcast his story building not only a boat, but a remarkable community of volunteers and supporters.

Can we draw your attention to the smile on the chap, about to christen the bow of his boat with a bottle of beer. Sums it all up. Priceless.

Look what appeared on the hardstand at RYCV in Melbourne this week!

Here, summertime Wednesday night racing seems to be a form of sailing cult.

“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.”

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.

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.

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.

The choice between the chainsaw and a full restoration is often a difficult one. WYRUNA is lucky enough to have found two realistic owners and a shipwright who knows exactly what he’s doing. WATCH PART ONE.