From Martin van der Wal

Hoana, the vessel I’ve maintained through thick and thin for thirty-eight years, will turn one hundred in October. An idea struck me as I motored across the harbour: why celebrate only Hoana’s milestone? Why not bring all the centenarians together for a rally? I’d seen it done before. Surrounded by the cheering Essex Smacks-men I sailed with back in those days, we enjoyed post-race celebrations at the Kings Head in Tollesbury. The television in the snug showed that day’s Centenarians Rally on the BBC, a brief snippet of light relief to conclude the parade of misery we call The News (nothing changes).

That U.K. rally attracted considerable interest, picked up by various forms of media in the weeks that followed. Interviews with owners, the tracing of historical tales of derring-do, piracy, wartime exploits, fishing tragedies, and great storms- everything the British people revel in. Above all, it highlighted the indisputable fact that a well-cared-for timber vessel can endure for a very long time. Thirty to forty million fibreglass craft are currently reaching the end of their useful lives. You can pick up every plastic bag on the tideline ’til kingdom come; your feel-good factor is just a speck in the ocean compared to the tidal wave of micro-plastics these end-of-life craft will contribute to all food chains-land, sea, and air.

When a timber boat reaches the end, it largely returns to whence it came. But suppose you commit to looking after it as the intrinsically valuable object that it is. In that case, there is a high probability it will usefully outlast its petrochemical cousins, with the added reward of knowing you are minimising your contribution to toxic outcomes for ourselves, our children, and our fellow species.

Mori Flapan joined the then-Lady Hopetoun & Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum as a volunteer in 1971 at the age of fifteen. His achievements in the maritime field since then merit a book of their own. He and his Register of Australian and New Zealand Ships and Boats were my first resource to determine how many centenarians might be found in Sydney and its surroundings. His prompt reply yielded seventy-four names on the list, twenty of which were already on the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club register. I felt confident enough to raise the idea with Peter Scott, the Club Commodore. With his encouragement, I proposed it at a special meeting convened by the Classics Committee to discuss ‘Where now? The Future of the Classics. '

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. The Museum is talking about displaying the craft for two weeks in conjunction with the Rally and having three boats of their own participate. The Sydney Heritage Fleet is also onboard; their fleet includes some stunners, both power and sail. Oh, did I mention that we are quite catholic about our criteria? If it floats and it’s over one hundred years old, it’s welcome.

The point is, if you or anyone you know has a vessel one hundred years or over and you’d like to participate, contact the Sydney Amateurs Sailing Club. We are still ironing out the final dates in October, but this thing has built up a head of steam. Watch this space.

Below are nine suggestions from SWS. Captions withheld. How many can you identify?