Flotsam & Jetsam 16.01.26
January’s stories from around the world and the web
Back to Inverloch
One of our favourite community events is back!
The Inverloch Classic Dinghy Regatta hosted by the South Gippsland Yacht Club and with the assistance of local service clubs, community groups, runs in mid-February and heralds a renewed focus on the joy of sailing these classic dinghies on Anderson Inlet. Building on the success of past years, the purpose of the regatta is for owner/sailors to get these boats on the water and to display to the public the variety of timber dinghies that were once common along Victorian beaches, but are now quite rare. Details for the next event are being prepared and entries generally open early-November with NOR and other documentation available on this site here.
So dust off your wooden dinghy and plan to get back on the water this summer in the company of fellow enthusiasts!
To give a flavour of what to expect,have a look at some of the previous SWS articles HERE and HERE
Classic Wooden Boats
The Inverloch Classic Wooden Dinghy Regatta focuses predominantly on racing dinghies of the era of around, but not limited to 1940-80 and in particular the Moth. These will typically be of (but not limited to) timber construction.
The Moth, which is now sailed around the world, is of special interest because the Moth class originated in Inverloch. Len Morris built the first boat, which is on display at Albert Park Lake yacht club .
Dinghies we are encouraging to participate include:
Moth, Vee Jay, Cherub, Heron, Mirror, Javelin, Sabot, 125, Canoe, Skate, Minnow, Flying Ant, Light Weight Sharpie, 12 Sq Metre, 14 foot skiff, Fireball, FJ, Flying Dutchman, Lazy E, Finn, O.K., Cadet, Fairy Penguin, GP 14, Gwen 12, Minnow, Many Junior, Miracle, NS14, Rainbow, Sabre, Solo, Elwood Seahorse, Port Phillip 12, Sailfish.
Over the last few years many of these classes have either sailed and/or exhibited at the Regatta and the event continues to grow from strength to strength. Some of these boats may be in their original condition, others may be restored and some may be new built to original plans and designs.
Other Wooden Boats
There are also a number of other wooden boats of historical interest that we hope will participate, such as:
Fishing boats such as the Couta sailing boat-clinker or planked.
General purpose or recreational sailing boats built in the classic style.
Additional activities and attractions with a historical link to Inverloch typically complete the weekend’s program, making it a great way to spend time around Classic boats on magnificent Andersons Inlet.
More information HERE
Classic Boat Awards 2026
It’s always fun to browse the nominations in the eight categories for the “Classic Boat Magazine” awards for 2026. The “Best Film” and “Best Director” equivalents are for… A Restored Sailing Vessel Over 40ft and A Restored Sailing Vessel Under 40ft.
In both categories there are only four finalists.
Over 40ft includes Cambria, Gudgeon, Light Horse and Vigilance of Brixham
And there’s and Australian flavour in the Modern Classics list, with VOLUNTEER the Cliff Gale designed, Ian Smith built Ranger gaff sloop.
“The original Ranger of 1933 is a Sydney legend. Seven were built since, all still in commission. VOLUNTEER is the work of (clearly not) retired boatbuilder Ian Smith, with an exotic spotted gum keel, a blackbutt stem and sternpost, spotted gum frames and Huon pine for the planking. Since her launch, she has been racing locally; Ian plans some well-deserved cruising.”
To vote or read about the full list of awards and finalists visit the Classic Boat site HERE
Last chance for L'Hermione
Published on January 8, 2026 by Boatnews. Written by Maxime Leriche
In dry dock since 2021, the frigate L'Hermione, a replica of La Fayette's ship, is now threatened with permanent closure. With less than three weeks to go before a crucial hearing scheduled for January 28, 2026 before the La Rochelle judicial court, the Hermione La Fayette Association is continuing its search for funding, sponsors and takeover solutions. The ship, stationed at the Grand Carénage shipyard in Anglet, has not resumed restoration work, due to a lack of funds.
The project went into recievership on September 18, 2025, An announcement to find a buyer was published at the end of November, giving candidates until January 5, 2026 to make themselves known. Several letters of intent have been received, but no financial deal has been reached, making the Association's future particularly fragile. In the absence of a concrete commitment, the frigate could be placed in liquidation, which would signal the end of the project and the dispersal of its knowledge and IP
But Public support continues unabated. In 2025, over 430,000 euros in donations were collected, including 130,000 euros at the end of the year, three times more than in 2024. This surge demonstrates the general public's attachment to the frigate, its history and its crew. But despite this momentum, needs remain much greater: without structural support from institutional or private partners, relaunching the work remains unthinkable in the short term.
If the Association Hermione La Fayette were to be wound up by court order on January 28, the frigate would legally become an asset to be disposed of. Without an associative structure to operate it or continue the work, the ship could be sold to the highest bidder, including to a private or foreign player, with no guarantee of preservation of the original cultural and heritage project. The Grand Carénage shipyard, the jobs linked to the ship's maintenance, the educational activities and the network of volunteers would be immediately dismantled. The risk of seeing L'Hermione transformed into a static attraction, moved or even abandoned in a secondary port cannot be ruled out. She could also be destroyed.
Such an outcome would not only mark the end of an adventure that began more than 25 years ago, but also the loss of a strong symbol of French maritime know-how and a unique intergenerational transmission tool in the French nautical landscape.
Setting the Record Straight
We were delighted to receive an email this week from the legendary Lindsay May OAM. Just in case you don’t know, Lindsay sailed in the Sydney-Hobart Race 50 consecutive times, winning overall three times and getting line honours once.
Well, Lindsay, not content with excelling out on the water, has taken on the task of upgrading the CYCA archive on the race, especially between 1945 and 2010 where much of the data is missing. So far he has reached 1962, correcting misinfomation, filling gaps and removing contradictions.
The reason he contacted SWS was that we had a few significant errors and omissions in our 2022 article “Wally Ward designs and the CA’s”. These have now been fixed thanks to Lindsay’s detailed research.
It’s rewarding when different publications work together to establish the reality, rather than compete for clicks with questionable “truths”. Thanks Lindsay.
Barracuda, grouper, tuna – and seaweed: Madagascar’s fishers forced to find new ways to survive
Image by Claudio Sieber
As you may have realised the East African coast holds a special interest for your editor. This article from the Guardian is worth a read and makes me want to go and find out what’s really going on for myself!
By Claudio Sieber
Along Madagascar’s south-west coast, the Vezo people, who have fished the Mozambique Channel for countless generations, are defined by a way of life sustained by the sea. Yet climate change and industrial exploitation are pushing this ocean-based culture to its limits.
Coastal villages around Toliara, a city in southern Madagascar, host tens of thousands of the semi-nomadic Vezo people, who make a living from small-scale fishing on the ocean. For centuries, they have launched pirogues, small boats carved from single tree trunks, every day into the turquoise shallows to catch tuna, barracuda and grouper.
“We rely solely on the ocean,” says Soa Nomeny, a woman from a small island off the south-west coast called Nosy Ve. “Whatever we catch today, we eat today. If we catch nothing, we don’t eat.”
Read on HERE