So he hightailed it to Sydney and ended up in the surf at Whale Beach – not that far from where he lives now. “I was a ten pound Pom” he told me. I find that hard to believe. I don’t think he was being literal. I see him arriving with a crate of Margaux and a vintage Morgan sports car with a set of plans for a beach house in the boot.

Participation in the discussion was broad, ‘animated’, lively, inclusive and positive. For the first time since the DV eviction notification, members of the HF were able to actually discuss the challenge of eviction, the specific needs of each project as well as any shared concerns in relation to the eviction threat to include developing a coordinated HF response.

Too many sailors are reliant only on training regulation set forth by authorities. They are educated that if they tick a bunch of boxes, they are safe. They think because a boat has an EPIRB, they are wearing their PLB in their lifejacket, and have ponied up cash for the best gear, that they are safe. Hardly! 

If you’re out and about on a Sunday Morning, and Radio National is feeling a little too highbrow for your mood, and Macca’s red-necked intolerance is sounding very 1980’s, and the adds on Sports SEN are driving you mad, then flick over to Triple R’s Radio Marinara.

Modern safety technology is brilliant, and training programs are essential, but neither are really effective without time on the water in real life circumstance, experiencing what works, and what doesn’t. Rules that limit this are dangerous.

The proposition that a measurement-based regime would encourage owners to better maintain or upgrade their yachts is illogical. Any classic yacht that races regularly will already be adequately maintained. Upgrades would add to a handicap, which is hardly encouraging. Inevitably, this would soon lead to the rise of an optimisation scramble lead by the professional "rating whisperers" who have become such a blight on IRC racing.

Spectating is breathtaking, but with a little persistence and the right greased palms, a ride with a competitor is not out of the question! Stay for a few extra days. It’s special!

“We’re very excited to see more native species now rats are no longer eating them. Seedlings of tamanu and puka are increasing and we’re seeing and hearing more birds. Wood pigeons and red-tailed tropic birds have returned to Home Islet. Crabs and lizards appear to be more abundant.”

“It is remarkable that an unlikely story about a mad heretic plotting a massacre has been repeated uncritically for almost 400 years,” Koehler says. His alternative scenario describes “extreme violence driven by famine”

As the techniques developed so did the control lines and on today’s craft, the Patí de Vela ‘skates’ feature an array of control systems that can alter the forestay tension on each tack (the boats have two forestays, one mounted on each hull) to control the bend of the mast and aid direction.

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.

Other reports have the unstoppable showman driving a car down the city's Smith Street blindfolded and apparently guided solely by the gift of mental telepathy.

After that whirlwind of stunts, Calvert boarded the Sea Fox in Darwin with his crew, including the banana-loving Jimmy. Unlike the other passengers, Jimmy boarded the yacht in a cage and, it was claimed by Calvert, was the chimpanzee that played Cheetah in the 1940s black and white Hollywood versions of Tarzan. More diva than monkey, Jimmy was known for off-screen antics, from demanding the odd banana to drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

We take a breath, set the sail, and before we know it, we’ve capsized to port and our whole crew is in the water. We count off to make sure everyone is present.

When Jim saw the article we published last week in SWS entitled “A Final Stitch Through the Nose” he wrote to us asking to remind the readers, that here in Melbourne we have a beautiful historic vessel that is ready and waiting, in survey, and most importantly very experienced in handling the most important and emotional moments of your family’s journey.

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.