The body needs to be properly prepared for burial at sea. It is appropriate for the body to be sewn into a shroud made of a very strong, biodegradable material that does not contain plastic fibres or has been chemically treated (e.g., Calico). The shroud should be  adequately weighted (all plastics must be removed) to ensure rapid descent and permanent submersion of the body and include slits or openings to minimise flotation.

It's a delightfully informal and un-serious get-together where boats and their stories are the main game. That's not to say that the personnel attending aren't serious players. Wayne Parr, Tim Helliwell, Chris Johnson and others from the Wooden Boat Shop are all experienced professional shipwrights who brought their own small vessels.

News, questions and comment from the SWS readership over the last week.

“Twenty miles an hour under sail, which is by far the greatest speed ever attained with canvas and a hull drawn through water, has been made by a catamaran…A sail on the new craft, which carries a modern canvas rig, is said to be not easily forgotten, particularly in a fresh breeze.”

In 1887, in the waters of Penobscot Bay, Maine, a girl named Ellen beat two fellows named Charles — all racing boats of identical design — and these Dinghies have been competitively sailed each summer ever since.

Stand awhile with the Little Ships in view, cast your eye to the open sea, imagine how it looked in 1940; Ramsgate was one of the harbours used for the landing of rescued soldiers.

The regatta usually marks the close of the Caribbean sailing season in April, and is famous not only for its racing but also its social scene — think laid-back Caribbean vibes, live music, and sunset parties, all while being surrounded by living pieces of sailing history.

“Nothing can be more ridiculous to my mind than our open boats here with their enormous sails and unseaworthy qualities, they are always on the brink of capsize and their owners seem to measure their sport to the nearness they can go to the inside of a shark.”

Walking around below decks and seeing the names on the bunks and the pots in the galley and the nav station where Mike Quilter sat for days on end, makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

In the 1960's PA25 came to grief when David and a friend were out fishing one night. A passing Scallop boat hooked their anchor, dragging the boat underwater, and tipping the occupants into the water. They were extremely lucky that their screams were heard by the Scallop boat crew who came to their aid. The boat was in the water for some days, before being salvaged by a Mr Ireland (of the Florist family), who placed tractor tyre tubes under the boat. He inflated them which brought the boat to the surface.

Why should anyone care about the disappearance of sharks in the Saya de Malha Bank?  Ernest Hemingway once described going bankrupt as something that happens gradually… and then suddenly. The extinction of species is like bankruptcy, and when it finally occurs, there’s no going back. If we keep draining the Bank of one of its most previous riches, a “sudden” reckoning may be soon.

The AWBF has just released a recording of the panel discussion between a gang of Derwent Class sailors and SWS’s co-editor Sal Balharrie at the recent festival. It’s not your standard symposium fare!

The outcome of both day one races saw the long time champion, YVONNE, continue her progress through the record books of the Tumlaren Victoria State Titles. With around 30 Sydney-Hobarts, an America’s Cup Campaign and a Whitbread Race between them, the helm (Dave Allen) and main sheet hand (Aaron Cole) were always going to be hard to beat!

A selection of News Items from the week in wooden boats.

The idea has taken a life of its own! We now have an enthusiastic Committee dedicated to the task, and the Centenarians Rally is mooted as a bi-annual October event, taking turns with the Club's well-established Gaffers Day. An approach to the Australian National Maritime Museum saw them seize the opportunity with both hands.

On International Women's Day on Saturday, a crew of 10 women and 30 female passengers sailed on Hobart's River Derwent to pay tribute to the contribution of women throughout maritime history.

Victorian Tumlaren State Championships, 2025. Day One.

The story of mosquito nets in Lake Mai Ndombe shows how solutions created thousands of miles away can have unexpected consequences, and why local communities must lead conservation efforts. 

One of the remaining trees was this 700 year old specimen, bought and felled by the late Dick McIlvride whose goal was to build an all-Kauri 47-foot ketch to the plans of the naval architect John Alden.

For nearly eight decades the name POLLYANNA has been inextricably linked to Rotnest Island. The initial catalyst to this strong and enduring bond between three classic motor launches bearing the name POLLYANNA and Western Australia’s much loved holiday island was Roland Smith – affectionately known to generations of the state’s business and boating sectors as Roly.