“Unremarkable little boat lives on a mooring and is little used in recent years, The family finds it too hard to look after. By this time it’s in disrepair and probably too late to sell it as a going concern”

Nothing remarkable there!

The arrival in Auckland in September 1953 of Eric and Susan Hiscock on the WANDERER III is believed to have inspired SCARLET’s first owner to commission her construction choosing Kauri planking over hardwood frames, Mahogany Cabin and deck of Queensland Beech.

Wooden Boat Festivals are strange ritualistic occasions. Beautiful (and occasionally not so beautiful) craft gather in one spot, flaunting their curvaceous bodies, and sparkling varnished jewels in the bursts of sunshine, as crowds mill around the pontoons, pontificating on the worthiness and attributes of each vessel

The only antidote I can see is increased commitment to analog activities that engage us in the real world, especially real-time communications with other humans.

Many Thanks to all those who have contacted us with messages of support (and condolences!) on our decision to move on from FAIR WINDS. In the meantime we have created a dedicated page on SWS with all the information on her that we can muster.

As I write, Cole Brauer should just be finishing the Global Solo Challenge having just spent four months at sea, to becoming the first American woman to race non-stop around the world alone. She took her 457,000 instagram followers with on the journey, allowing them to experience her emotional highs and lows, vicariously through their screens. However on International Women’s Day we thought it would be poignant to jump back 250 years to when the first women ever, encircled the globe, without even a facebook page.

The Noosa Gaff Rig Regatta boats can be constructed of traditional or modern materials. This year we are expecting over 20 traditional Gaff rigged yachts of all shapes and sizes sailing on the beautiful Noosa river, which will created spectacular events to watch!

Back in the 1980s, Iain pioneered the concept of building traditional boats in epoxy-ply construction. His designs combine sweet lines with a meticulous attention to detail and a delightful drawing style. He achieved a lasting legacy, but always remained modest about his achievements.

Thanks to his 1895–98 solo circumnavigation in his 36′9″ sloop SPRAY and his 1900 book about the experience, Sailing Alone Around the World, Slocum would become a famous man, and he was called upon at times to sit for a portrait. When he did so, Slocum usually, though not always, presented his scar-free right side to the camera. One can only guess what Slocum thought about as he awaited the shutter’s click.

Staying on top of the SWS inbox is time consuming, but rewarding. Much of the correspondence covers interesting gems of information, perhaps not substantial enough for a stand alone article, but definitely worth sharing.

Suppose that you are a fisherman from several centuries past. You have built your boat, sewn her sails and made her cordage. The Land Breeze/Sea Breeze fact-set allows you to go out to sea in the morning with the wind at your back—sailing large, a point of sail also known as a Soldier’s Wind. In this case the land breeze.

In the course of its existence, the forecast has saved thousands of lives but its practical application has long been superseded by more precise meteorological and satellite data: the forecast is said to be around 93 per cent accurate. Hence, the vast majority of its remaining 6.5mn listeners today are landlubbers, tucked up safe on dry land.

This summer we spent a month living on board, cruising through Bass Strait and the Southeast coast of Australia. In was another special adventure aboard this extraordinary craft. Anchoring 30 meters off the beach at Erith Island on New Year’s Eve with no other human in sight; sailing 220 miles from Flinders Island to Eden, with the windvane nodding and nudging us back on course as the miles disappeared under our transom. These and hundreds of other memories will never be erased.

If you have a classic dinghy (by the broadest of definitions) you are welcome and you are supported. Some of the boats are spectacular and some them look like they have been dragged of the rafters in the garage for the first time in forty years.

From its earliest days, the Ocean Cruising Club has celebrated those who dared to brave the ocean in small boats, and many of its early members are now legend.

It is interesting to compare Slocum to Pidgeon, and their boats.  Slocum was  the hard-bitten sea captain who'd come up through the hawsepipe, and who had fallen on hard times.  His voyage was a way of fighting back, and he did a magnificent job of it.  Harry Pidgeon seemed to breeze through life, guided by his sunny disposition. 

Three wood specimens were tested and showed no deformation after space exposure," the researchers said in a statement in May. "Despite the extreme environment of outer space involving significant temperature changes and exposure to intense cosmic rays and dangerous solar particles for 10 months, tests confirmed no decomposition or deformations, such as cracking, warping, peeling or surface damage.

Waitoa was part of a flotilla boats used by a pearl cultivation enterprise, run by Japanese investors in 1960’s. As time went on she became a ferry for Islanders working at Escape River to travel back and forth to TI. When an oil spill wiped out the cultivation business in 1970 we returned this lugger and few others to fishing for pearl shells, called mother-of-pearl, in the Torres Strait.

Reality check No.1: this is on an island that is a public reserve administered and maintained by the taxpayer-funded National Parks and Wildlife Service. Anyone has a right to be there.

Steve's approach to minimalist sailing, and the challenges of getting off the grid, should inspire anyone with big adventuring dreams and a small budget.