The boat yard needs a good tidy up, as most good boat yards do. There are two working slipways, quite a few interesting timber boats around in various states of disrepair, and a great big shed that appears to house generations of maritime objects that “might just come in useful one day”. It’s picturesque, it’s mildly functional and just for a fraction of a second, the romanticism the of prospect trumps the daunting realities.

"These findings not only open a new chapter in Australian, Melanesian, and Pacific archaeology but also challenge colonialist stereotypes by highlighting the complexity and innovation of Aboriginal communities,"

Built as a shallow-draft yacht, WHOOPER was mostly cruised, but her natural reaching and downwind speed exceeded expectations. Anecdotes from Peter Bruce recall crossings back from the Channel Islands in the 1960’s, at average speeds over 10 knots!

It’s not recorded whether Dick was the sort of bloke who would have enjoyed a 420nm bluewater cruise to have an informal BBQ on the beach, but there are obviously plenty of sailors out there who do, as the Lord Howe Island BBQ plans for its 22nd iteration

The cover pictures two of the most storied yachts currently based in Tasmania, neither of which has her origins in the Island State… The famous TE RAPUNGA and the Aage Nielsen’s Newport Bermuda winner, HOLGER DANSKE

Every week we get sent gems of information and interesting enquiries. Not every one is substantial enough for a fully blown article but each is worthy of sharing. This is where we do it!

On January 15, 2021, S&S filed this lawsuit alleging that the Museum breached the 1989 Agreement by selling copies of S&S plans for use in the restoration of boats, failing to properly preserve S&S materials, and failing to maintain a log of sales for the years 2000 to 2004.

Only in June 2020 did the number of people visiting Challenger Deep exceed the number of people who’ve walked on the Moon.

The brownie box camera seen on deck may have been an aide memoir- that diary we all carry around with us. All this when the curve of the earth prevented a view of the city skyline from Mornington harbour.

In 2021, I was invited to sail on Sir James’ beautiful timber boat Nerida in a classic boat race on Sydney Harbour. Sir James had retired from competitive sailing, but came down to wish us well. He was about to turn 90, so I told him I was about to turn 60. He decided to give me some three pieces of advice for my 60’s…

It’s very low key event held on the beach at Sorrento to the west of the launching ramp. It's more of a family gathering, based around the extended Wooden Boatshop family. The Phillips boat shed opens onto the beach providing a vantage point and shade to keep the ice boxes cool. The dinghies are rowed or sailed and anchored ready for the rowing and sailing races later in the day.

This was an age before helicopter parenting became a thing, but even so, the Saunders children were given a remarkably free rein, and were often riotously exuberant. WALKABOUT's dinghy was stowed upright on the cabin top, and it was a favourite haunt of the kids,

SailGP persisted and a series of rules were agreed (the Marine Mammal Protection Plan) that would allow the race but protect the dolphins. The most important rule was that racing must stop if dolphins were sighted in or near the racing area.

This is going to be expensive and drawn out. Numbers at this stage are guesstimates, but market chatter suggests insurers should be very pleased if they can keep payouts much below $1bn.

A broken wrist while wakeboarding in 2015 turned out to be a pivotal moment for Kelsy. Despite the setback, it led to her first opportunity to helm a boat, as it was the only task she could perform with a cast. This experience opened doors for her and accelerated her career as a professional sailor.

So began an unlikely tale of man and bird that has captivated Turkey as the passing years — and a deft social media campaign by a local nature photographer — have spread the pair’s story as a modern-day fable of cross-species friendship.

He is the true sea-wanderer, in these hurried days, when the professional seaman sees little but ports…. and the wandering globetrotter has his soft way sped until the whole earth is fast developing-for him-into nothing but a nerve-racking kaleidoscope of which, his voyage made, he remembers little. No, give me a wandering such as Dwight Long’s and a little ship, stout as the IDLE HOUR

This short documentary features more wooden boats than you would see in a year, here in Australia, but that’s not what its about.

He knew his time was up – just couldn’t give up the ‘bungers’ – and lung cancer came calling. Passionate about life, he continued to live it with zest, right to the end. I last saw him in person at the Festival of Sails in Geelong last year. Despite his obvious illness, he’d been racing and was bagging out the opposition – loudly.

As the name suggests, the rally is held on the main waterfront of Paynesville on the edge of the beautiful Gippsland’s Lakes with McMillan Straight separating Paynesville from Raymond Island, a five-minute, 150m ferry ride away. Raymond Island has a famous koala colony to its name.