The YVONNE project has been an integral part of the life of some of my closest friends for seven years now. So when we heard that the seminal British publication “Classic Boat” had selected her to be on the short list of best “Restored Sailing Vessel under 40ft” then it is cause for celebration.

First noted in the 3rd century BCE, the Romans called this game ‘capita aut navia’, meaning heads or ships, and both its invention and its name are shrouded in mystery.

At days end my retreat is a cool wine bar overlooking the fleet. Young cosmopolitans mixed with grandmothers and priests, not a sailor in sight, endless delicious anti-pasta free with the excellent local wine. I have realised that pretty well every boat here except ours is professionally crewed. A youthful full-of-it-ness camaraderie characterises their beery off-duty hours.

Today’s big news is that a vessel heading east has agreed to take myself and Jon out to Panawina on their way to a nearby island on a cargo run. We leave tomorrow afternoon and will be sleeping on the laid decks under the stars as she steams through the night under the watchful eye of her owner, Samuel.

I could not believe my luck! Ten days earlier I had a small glimmer of hope that Maiwar had landed on an isolated island, but this was solid evidence!

The Arka Kinari – a name formed from the Latin word for vessel, and a Sanskrit name for a half human, half bird musician that guards the tree of life – is a 70-tonne sailing ship that serves as a home, touring vessel, music venue and creative project for Filastine and Nova, who mix Javanese folk with psychedelic synths and percussion.

“This was our first Christmas at sea.  My wife surprised me with a large tin of tobacco, and I surprised her with a package of her favourite cigarettes. She had certainly bought both, and I had been aware of their existence all along, but that did not lessen our surprise or render the presents less appreciated.”

A vessel is registered as historic after a rigorous process, including their relevance to Australia’s social history, and their particular significance to our maritime heritage.

“One of the best things about the class, he says, is the people. “I've met a lot of good people and some of them are my best mates now which is pretty amazing. If they aren’t mates they become mates pretty quick.” 

Lars Halvorsen’s five sons and family created what became the largest and most famous Australian boatbuilders of their era, later taking their skills to Hong Kong and China, with exports all over the world. The story is one of hardship and passion, stoicism in the face of great adversity.

You look out onto the vistas of forests, or plains or desert and absorb their stillness and beauty, taking it all into your heart and mind. This is made easier if you are horseback or in the company of a good dog.

With constant evolving sailing technology and boat designs, it is becoming increasingly more important to remind ourselves of the heritage of yacht racing. A nod to the enduring legacy of classic yachts and their pivotal role in shaping the RSHYR has given rise to a dedicated two-day regatta

HOANA, like most old wooden boats, has a tenuous monetary value. Humanity's notions of progress place little value on the thousand-year-old particles in her veins, even less on her vanished forest ancestry.

There is a growing awareness that focusing on tragedy and despair in our daily news cycle is not only an empirically unbalanced representation of the truth, but it is also harmful to the prospects of solving the problems we do actually face by creating despondency and a sense of zero agency.

So when you learn that here in little old Melbourne, there is a fully restored Fife 8m for sale, with immaculate provenance and a practical set up, for much less than the cost of a twenty year old, questionably constructed, production fiberglass floating caravan, then you should sit up and take notice.

Graham had raced with the who’s who of Australia’s golden age of racing. His skills were sought out by the great yacht designer, Olin Stephens from New York. Known colloquially as The Yacht Doctor, the boats Graham had tuned for success stand as a litany of that age; Vittoria, Ragamuffin, Love & War, Stormy Petrel, Salacia II, Mark Twain. Queequeg.

“A laser is focused inside a droplet that locally hardens in the focal spot of the laser,” said researcher Daniela Kraft. “By moving the laser through the droplet in a controlled way, we can write the swimmer shape that we want.”

“I’d like to live to be 100 and die at sea,” Peter Mounsey says. The way he's going he'll live well beyond that. And why isn't he a “National Living Treasure” I ask?

A heritage craft is considered to be viable if there are sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation. The four categories are “Extinct in the UK”, “Critically Endangered”, “Endangered” and “Currently Viable”

Just in case you enjoyed Part One, a reminder that part two is now out! In this episode they take delivery of a lovely piece of oak and make the keel. They also make the stem and put all together on the strongback and the GoPro starts to develop a mind of its own.