Non of that Gallic rubbish for the Brits! Keep the emotion out of it, tell it as it happened, and for God sake don’t let on that you’re enjoying yourself!

I was reading the inscription when the words “Astrolabe” struck a chord. I remembered she was one of the vessels with the La Perouse Expedition that landed in Botany Bay when the First Fleet were there

It’s been a month since the announcement of the re-designed and re-energised 2023 CUP REGATTA and the level of interest has been impressive (if a little daunting).

The Grand Parade, led by the drum of dragon boats and the sails of a tall ship, invites all boats to the water, spiriting all vessels past a crowd of thousands waving from the foreshore.

1100 Entries
4 yachts capsized
There were 3 dismastings
2 helicopter evacuations
178 boats did not finish
And more than 20 crew members ended up in hospital.

The Elwood Seahorse possibly originated as a response to the uncontrolled enthusiasm of some paddling canoeists of the day to hoist a sail or two for the odd impromptu bumping race on Port Phillip Bay.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that for many, it was as traumatic as losing a dear friend. Severn II was built in 1934 at the Bute Slip Dock Company at Ardmaleish, Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. To describe Severn II, built of carvel mahogany on oak frame, as ‘beautiful’ is a huge understatement. Gorgeous striking, amazing. These 8s would be museum pieces, were they not still energetically sailed racing boats.

Members with “boat names that denigrate a person, or group of people based on gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity”, will be asked to rename their vessels or leave the club

Were is a boat building village. This year we again visited while sailing a non-wooden yacht through the Indonesian archipelago. This time with a camera, on the beach we found numerous smaller craft, dugouts, small fishing boats with outriggers, and larger planked boats…

The thought of rowing nonstop back to Australia looks very attractive at the moment, in which case, I can expect to make landfall in Australia in about 120 days, perhaps a little less. But, of course, this is all conjecture.

The SWS library keeps growing. But unfortunately the shelf space doesn’t! It’s a torment trying to cull… but editing your life frequently and ruthlessly, for me at least, brings much needed clarity.

The Bolger Whalewatcher was designed with cruising the Chesapeake...on a budget...in mind. It only draws 10.5 inches with the leeboards up and has raised, windowed sides that give the boat knockdown recovery with no water aboard.

“To young Gatz, resting on his oars and looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world.” - The Great Gatsby.

The oceans are typically and correctly viewed as a marine habitat. But they are much more than that. They are a workplace, a metaphor, an escape, a prison, a grocery store, a trash can, a cemetery, a bonanza, a tinderbox, an organ, a highway, a depot, a window, an emergency, and, above all, an opportunity

For her launch Fred loaded the boat onto a timber wagon pulled by eight bullocks for transportation to Milang. There he was assisted by his father Frank and the boat was slung from the wagon by crane into the lake off the Milang jetty.

On the waters of Port Phillip Bay, where Melbourne's 1956 Olympic Games races will soon be contested by the yachting nations of the world, Aa triangular contest has just been completed for a silver cup.

Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query: "What does this vaingloriousness down here?"

Planning and executing Wooden boat events can be a chicken and egg situation. People will sign up if they know it will be a rousing event, and yet it will only be rousing if people sign up! We urge you to take a leap of faith.

A yacht may elect to race using celestial navigation. If a yacht elects to be celestially navigated, she shall have her elapsed time reduced by 3%.

I’ve worked with the best sailors in the world. Pretty much all of them have an absolute feeling and instinct about the wind and the nature of the wind they’re sailing in. But if you scratch the surface, they know bugger-all. And if you could put a bit of science into it, they could learn a lot more.