This fleet has proudly called Docklands home for over 15 years, and now they face a critical moment. The Victorian government plans to hand over the current site to developers on January 1, 2026, leaving the fleet without a suitable home.   This places the vessels, the heritage equipment, the volunteers, the community at risk.This has motivated stakeholders to organise a day of action and protest this Sunday the 7th December.

“A properly functioning bridge team requires that all its members maintain a shared mental model to actively monitor a ship’s progress,” Mr Mitchell said. ”This relies on relevant information being conveyed to all members of the team, and actions that are incorrect being identified, communicated and rectified immediately.”

Things started to unfold about an hour later when a single passenger standing port side abreast of the mainmast heard a noise from aloft but dismissed the noise as normal for a wooden vessel and did not discuss the sounds with any other passenger or crewmember.

Due to the action of the tugs and bow thrusters, the Maersk Shekou continued to maintain a port swing of about 10°/min, away from the direct path of the STS Leeuwin II. However, Maersk Shekou did not make a clear turn, and moments later, its starboard bow flare collided with the STS Leeuwin II, dismasting the latter. Two crew members, on board the sailing vessel at the time, escaped via its gangway just as the collision occurred.

“It is disappointing to now be told to leave Docklands with no viable alternative,” Mr McDonald said, adding that it had received a previous commitment from DV “for a future home for the Alma Doepel in Docklands for more than a decade. After all of the work, meetings, plans and advocacy to now end up with ship getting kicked out of Docklands is extremely disappointing.”

150 years ago, the SS Gothenburg - a sturdy coastal steamship - left the Port of Darwin in the Northern Territory on its final tragic voyage. When the ship hit Old Reef off Townsville in cyclonic conditions, over 100 people died. Just 22 survived. The disaster devastated the fledgling community of Darwin (then called Palmerston). Judges, doctors, bureaucrats, prisoners, women and children were all lost. It was said that every house in the northern colony lost a loved one. 

Browsing the Australian Wooden Boat Festival Program it’s hard not to be impressed with variety and quality of the eleven vessels that carry the “Tall Ship” moniker. If you are planning to be down in Hobart for the Festival consider getting onboard one of these awesome craft!

“The Leeuwin has been absolutely smashed to pieces,” a witness said on Radio 6PR Australia. “None of its mast is standing, and it’s listing over and hanging over onto the port.”

Voyage crew will learn and undertake 18thcentury sailing skills, such as haul lines, set or furl the sails, stand watches, and steer the ship, all under the supervision of Endeavour’s professional crew. Although previous sailing experience is not essential, voyage crew are required to commit to a rotating watch roster, be physically fit and not suffer chronic seasickness.

South Passage’s reason for being is sail training, a term which, these days, is lost on many people. To para-phrase Irving Johnson: sail training is not about preparing young people for a life at sea; rather, sail training uses the challenge of voyaging on a sailing a ship to prepare young people for life.

As you can see from Paul’s films, sailing a Tall Ship like DUYFKEN isn’t for everyone, but is your the sort of person who likes a bit of adventure, doesn’t need to wash three times a day, and understands the meaning of teamwork then get involved!

“It is an unforeseen circumstance. No one trains to have a giant mast break on a schooner. Everyone acted with professionalism. Everyone was doing the best they could with the gifts that they had.”

The Oosterschelde was built in 1917 and made a living tramping around the world with general cargo: coal from Cardiff, oranges from Morocco and Baltic timber. She’s survived hitting a second world war mine, abandonment and many storms.

The intersection between the worlds of Tall Ship sail training and our young new Australians, is where the real change seems to happen.

We regret to inform you that an accident has occurred during the maintenance period in Cape Town, resulting in Bark EUROPA partly falling over while attempting to be placed back into the water from the drydocks

Two centuries later, the books used as source material by Flinders during his three-year voyage are back on Australian soil, in the possession of the National Archives in Canberra.

Another major piece of evidence in this discrepancy, is that my model is carrying on its mainmast, now very discoloured, the House Flag of Robert and John Craig, Glasgow

DUYFKEN—Little Dove—was 80 feet long, shoal draft and carvel planked. She had three masts and a total of six working sails. She was fast, sturdy and had a relatively small crew of 20. Her design was a “jacht," which in 16th century Holland meant “hunter” or “pursuer."

My connection with the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, has allowed me to meet many dedicated wooden boat aficionados, perhaps none more so than fellow board member Captain Sarah Parry, so I was delighted to hear that she was going to be on the ABC’s “Conversations with Richard Fidler.”

Discovered in the spectacular Dampier Marine Park, off the coast of Western Australia, the the Scottish-built cargo ship sank with more than 20 crew on board in 1911