The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing woodenboats
in Australia, New Zealand & The South Pacific.

RESTORATION Charlie Salter RESTORATION Charlie Salter

Selim & Yvonne #97

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.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Tom bailed after forced entry

During last week’s phone call he very excitedly told us about two of his most recent reads. He’s awarded “Greatest Book Ever” to Small Is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher and “Most Favourite Book” to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Life in the Woods.

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RACING Mark Chew RACING Mark Chew

The First Ocean Race in the Southern Hemisphere?

Here at SWS we are big believers in safety. But we wonder how sailors are meant to learn to handle bad weather if they are never given the opportunity to experience it while racing. Whatever your feelings about the pros and cons of abandoning an ocean race, the admiration for the first crews in this historic race can only be enhanced by such a decision.

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FILM Sal Balharrie FILM Sal Balharrie

FREE OCEAN FILMS (and dogs)

ADVENTURE REELS TV - it’s all in the name - a platform that collects stories about Adventures, Water, Boats and Dogs - the perfect combination in our book.

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RACING Mark Chew RACING Mark Chew

Capturing the (Classic)Moment

The boats themselves are the sculptures…. but sometimes too much “trickery” shouts “look at me, the clever photographer” rather than look at this image and understand a little of what it is like to witness this awe-inspiring sight.

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WOMEN ON WATER Sal Balharrie WOMEN ON WATER Sal Balharrie

The Curiosity of Floating

The child of Cambodian refugees Rita found her way to boats via a ‘curiosity of floating’. This led her to questioning, how do boats work? Having just completed a three month introduction to boatbuilding, this young shipwright is looking for an apprenticeship. Can you help her?

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RACING Mark Chew RACING Mark Chew

The Insoluble Problem of Handicaps

Given the development of user friendly measurement handicap systems over the last few years I think the time has come for one of the Australian or New Zealand Classic Yacht fleets to trial a system based on actual data rather than performance.

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BOOK REVIEWS Mark Chew BOOK REVIEWS Mark Chew

LONG LOST LOG: Diary of a Virgin Sailor

The twist comes when the skipper early on brings his mistress aboard—a sanctimonious Bible-quoting woman named Carola—to join in the voyage. Though the two are living in sin, they seem always to be looking down their noses at their young libertine deckhand.

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ADVENTURE Mark Chew ADVENTURE Mark Chew

SARIMANOK-The reincarnation of a goddess

The SARIMANOK was entirely made of vegetal elements, not a single nail was used, and was modelled upon the Filipino Vinta. There were no modern navigational instruments on board and the sailors relied only on the sun and stars to guide them.

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FILM Mark Chew FILM Mark Chew

Winning the Sydney Hobart with a wet well.

Jock liked to remember WESTWARD as the only yacht with a fish well to win a Sydney to Hobart race. Her building virtually marked the start of Muir's Boatyard and her first race and handicap win kicked off Jock Muir's illustrious career as a blue water ocean racer.

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RESTORATION Mark Chew RESTORATION Mark Chew

Waitangi-Where She Belongs.

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.

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