ENTERPRIZE - 25 Years On.
Thanks to Martin Bryan for sending us a copy of his log from the inaugural 1998 voyage across Bass Strait of the Topsail schooner ENTERPRIZE.
Background
The schooner ENTERPRIZE, originally built in Tasmania in 1830 by John Pascoe Faulkner, sailed over Bass Strait during August 1835 bringing the first European settlers to Victorian shores to settle on the banks of the Yarra River and establish the township of Melbourne.
The replica ENTERPRIZE will depart on exactly the same day in 1998, sail the exact route to Victoria and in taking six days arrive in Melbourne also on the exact date as the original ENTERPRIZE
The replica ENTERPRIZE is an all timber carvel planked topsail schooner She is planked in Jarrah and Huon Pine on steam bent frames. Her masts are Californian Redwood, and her spars are Douglas fir. Her rigging is all tarred hemp and her sails are hand-sewn flax canvas
Length on Deck: 16.1m / 53ft
Length overall: 27m / 88ft 6in
Beam: 5.4m / 18ft 4in
Draft: 3m / 10ft
Height mast to deck: 17.7m 58 feet
Height mast to waterline: 19.1 metres 62ft 6in
Displacement 68 tonnes.
Much of the timber used in the ENTERPRIZE is second-hand or grown in urban environments.
Her Jarrah planking was salvaged from Fremantle wool store.
Her New Zealand Kauri laminated frames were salvaged from the staves of old brewing vats in Ballarat.
Her Californian Redwood masks were planted by Melbourne water in the 1920s at King Lake as an experimental timber crop.
Her jarrah floor timbers was salvaged from station pier, Port Melbourne.
Her bulwark planking is Cypress and is from Royal Melbourne golf course.
The Enterprise is powered by a Cummins 5.9 BT diesel engine and an Onan 20 KVa generator.
Preview.
Several unique things were very impressive about schooner ENTERPRIZE. The boat has handmade flax sails, hemp and tar rigging and is a magnificently built wooden boat.
There was plenty of headroom in the main saloon and galley area with comfortable dining for 12 and cosy long warm bunks accommodating eight, two heads to showers and further up forward, more accommodation for six. Down aft is the skipper and first mates cabin, which is also the navigation and radio room.
Some people say that when you go to see you eat poorly, but that was not the situation here. In fact, the opposite. The chef is a fanatical sailor and lover of tall ships, and also runs a restaurant in South Australia. We ate like kings, bread baked daily on board, his homemade cheeses, and each meal was a revelation, always being eclipsed by the next
The skipper was a delight to sail with and his knowledge and boat handling exemplary. We had a first mate and watch masters as we all were on four hour duty with time off between these. Discipline was strict but fair, as this was indeed a hands on vessel and good teamwork was expected. ie alcohol was not allowed unless tied up at anchor. Even John and I managed to abide by this rule.
The other most noticeable aspects of the vessel is that she's tiller steered and what a tiller! 12 feet long and a huge piece of red gun and although she was responsive in light airs, off the wind and with a beam sea, she was a handful for two (you needed an extra crew to help). So we only had thirty minutes at the helm and then a rest.
Saturday 22nd August
Arrived Launceston 9am Saturday 22nd of August 1998.
John Gash and self went to stow away gear on ENTERPRIZE at the Launceston landing on the banks of the Tamar River.
Winds blowing 50 knots from the north northwest with rain squalls. The ENTERPRIZE was open to the public from 12 noon until 4pm. And considering the horrible conditions, over 1000 people turned up. There had been a lot of advanced publicity in the media. And so the people of Launceston were very keen. A dinner was held for the crew, by mine host of the Batman Fawkner Hotel, and after plentiful drinks and an excellent dinner we retired for our first night on ENTERPRIZE.
Sunday 23rd August
Departed Home Point Marina at 1pm in 35 knots, north, north-westerly winds, but today at least no rain. Big crowd and media people were on the docks to see yourself. It was a moving moment. And as the crowd cheered and the horns blasted the ENTERPRIZE fully decked out in naval flags pulled out under motor on and up the long stretch of river.
A journey of five hours through beautiful countryside, pristine waterfront homes, people waving and tooting. Upon dusk we arrived at Low Point pilot station, where the Tamar River meets Bass Strait. After berthing the vessel, drinks and dinner on board with the full crew of 15. We retired for the night excited because tomorrow we enter Bass Strait, regarded and respected as one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world.
Monday 24th August
A beautiful morning at Low Head with no wind and a clear sky and the skipper advised us that at this time of the year the windows of opportunity for crossing Bass Strait in good conditions are small, so we leave at noon. Unfortunately the breeze being north / northwest and light, were motoring along at five knots. And by dusk the watches have started. My first duties are from midnight until 4am. And so it's 7:30pm turn in for asleep.
Midnight ‘till dawn prove the skipper correct. The breeze turned east / northeast 25 to 30 knots and wet but in the early hours of Tuesday the 25th just on dawn, for the first time on the trip the ENTERPRIZE's sales were set. This did two things, firstly increase the boat speed slightly, but more so to steady her movement in the now quite large seas. A beautiful breakfast of sausage, eggs and bacon and into the bunk.
9am Tuesday the 25th of August. And what a great feeling to lay in the cabin, hear the rush of water beside the hull of this magnificent vessel and to think back on our reason for being here. And our predecessor's’ trip in 1835.
Tuesday 25th August.
Woke to a fine morning and full sail now with set breezes east / northeast with 10 to 15 knots, the boat looks a picture with everything up. I was up the main mast to help unfurl the top yard and it was spectacular looking down on the ENTERPRIZE and across the vast ocean, not to mention the motion because of the swell. Upon dusk the sails were lowered and the engines fired up for the approach to Western Port Bay approximately due midnight Tuesday 25th. We can see a way to the starboard side, the faint hills of Wilson's Promontory, and Skipper wants to come alongside Cowes Jetty where the original ENTERPRIZE visited. My next watch duties from 8pm tonight until midnight, so I'll be up to help with entering Westernport and docking.What a surprise the people of Coweswill have in the morning when they awake to see ENTERPRIZE in town?
Wednesday 26 August
Exactly on midnight we entered the channel lights leading up Western Port bay. By 1:30am. The ENTERPRIZE docked at the Cowes Jetty. After settling the ship down, several rums were taken and we retired about 3am. After a big breakfast the day was spent relaxing and a few jobs on ENTERPRIZE prior to our departure scheduled for 5pm. We had a lot of people visit the jetty and get information on the re-enactment and Skipper was again online to the ABC News and other journalists. The afternoon saw a beautiful east southeast breeze fill in exactly 5pm We literally sailed away from the jetty and with the tide and breeze taking hold, we were soon doing a steady eight knots and by 7pm we were again back out in Bass Strait. This is going to be our last night out in the “Strait”. And as we are entering Port Phillip Bay heads (the rip) at 11am tomorrow. We have a bit of time on our hands.
So skipper and crew agreed to let her have her head and with an 18 to 20 knots southeast breeze, the moon up and clear sky. We reach out to sea. John and I are due on watch 4am to 8am. And so retire after dinner for the reach into Port Phillips heads. This will be a magic moment.
Thursday 27th August
Thursday 4am And we've tacked back 25 miles out from the heads southeast breeze and doing six knots.
A beautiful sky and by 6:30am the sky was a glow in the east.
The sunrise was spectacular and by 8am we tacked about and ran out to see for a while being too early to enter the heads. (flood tide due at 11am) We had all the sails up as we made our approach at 10:30am. And what a sight she looked. A beautiful sunny morning, flat sea and the Southeast breeze and right on 11am as we entered. a lot of television helicopters buzzed overhead, taking footage of the ENTERPRIZE.
After all the excitement of entering the heads. We slowly motored up the South Channel, dropping sail as we went and bound for the Rye pier for a media engagement. We spent a very pleasant afternoon at the jetty in the sun with well-deserved drinks. A beautiful dinner with red wine and lots of good sleep.
Friday 28th August
Early on the 28th we had a Channel 7 news crew down to film a segment for “Today Tonight” being shown on air that night. We took the crew out of Rye and sailed for about two hours and they interviewed some of the crew and did some shots of action on a topsail schooner. After dropping them off, we set sail along the east coast of the bay past Dromana to Mornington where we changed course for the western side of Port Phillip, where we will anchor for the night for our last time together as a crew. For tomorrow we are due at the Boyd St. Pier, Williamstown by 12 noon, and the reception is apparently going to be quite grand.
We had for the first time dinner together as we have previously been on different watches. And what a night, a flat calm, we were anchored on the western shores of Port Phillip Bay with our riding lights on and after a magnificent dinner and speeches we had a rewarding sleep.
Saturday 29th August
We weighed anchor promptly at 8am and motor sailed the remaining 20 nautical miles to Williamstown and a flotilla of small yachts joining us on the approach. Approaching the Boyd St. Pier exactly at midday, we had a rousing reception from the media, family and friends. It was with some regret that I packed my belongings and farewelled my new friends. It was an adventure for all of us, and a huge learning curve on the ways of sailing and boat handling, and if the opportunity arose again, I would go tomorrow.
Martin Brian 1998.
