Flotsam & Jetsam 03.07.26
Sailing a 1911 Zulu Pilot Around Britain
Rely. Credit: Sandy Miller
Great Story from Classic Boat Magazine this week about young people making their own adventure in an old boat.
Who are the couple sailing the 1911 Zulu Pilot Rely around Britain?
Dreaming of pausing the normal day-to-day and setting off around Britain? A young couple are doing just that, at the helm of the 1911 Zulu Pilot Rely.
Frequently taking part in the OGA events calendar on the East Coast, this restored vessel is continuing her already full life, taking on the next adventure.
We caught up with the couple, Vicky and fiancé Tom, to hear about Rely and the journey ahead. Look out for our regular updates along the way.
Vicky, Tom, Nyx. Credit: Vicky Black
About Rely
Rely was built in 1911 by Nobles of Fraserburgh, commissioned as a ‘Zulu’ pilot vessel with two lug sails and without an engine. Her life as a pilot boat was short lived and she was bought by three ladies in Aberdeen who fished her out of the Orkneys. She was fitted with an auxiliary engine in 1915 and her ‘Zulu’ stern was adapted to allow for a shaft and rudder. The original auxiliary is now in London’s Science Museum. Rely disappears from the fishing registry at the start of the Second World War. We believe that she was taken into service and there are stories of her being at both Dunkirk and D-Day. The fishermen of Shetland came to the South Coast to pick her up in 1946 and she rejoined the fishing register until 1955.
What Classic Yacht restorations teach us
When Rockport Marine’s comprehensive restoration of Adventuress was completed in 2012, the 83-foot William Fife schooner emerged not as a replica, but as herself again entirely: structurally renewed, historically faithful, and ready for offshore passage making.Adventuress was launched in 1924 in Fairlie when Wm. Fife was sixty-seven. Even within his prestigious legacy, she is a masterwork. By the time she arrived in Rockport, Maine, she carried nearly a century of history and had earned every hour of the restoration she needed.It was over 70,000 of those hours that Rockport Marine rebuilt her structure, converted to the original schooner rig, and built the interior, systems, and deck entirely anew. The result reclaimed her Lloyd’s Register ✠100A1 classification and earned many accolades.“We learn the most through restorations - the historical context is enormously important to our new construction. When a man-made object, especially one requiring great care, lasts 100 years you know the design and the structure have worked,” says Sam Temple.Resurveyed with recommendations completed in 2024, Adventuress is now for sale through Rockport Marine and Sandeman Yacht Company. Click here for more about Adventuress. Click here for more about Adventuress.
A Super Yacht Armada Came To Miami, Leaving A Marine Graveyard In Its Wake
By Michael Smith
Jun 27, 2026 (Bloomberg) –Not far from the super yachts docked outside the island palaces of Miami’s new billionaire class, smaller boats abandoned by people who couldn’t afford them languish in Biscayne Bay.
Since October, Miami Beach police have identified and removed about 140 vessels that were left to rot in the tropical heat. More sit half-submerged or anchored across the Bay, near some of the most expensive real estate in America.
“A lot of people buy a boat but don’t realize how much it costs for fuel, maintenance and marina fees,” said Sergeant Javier Fernandez, commander of the Miami Beach police marine unit, as he surveyed the abandoned vessels about 100 yards off Star Island aboard the department’s 32-foot Contender center console patrol boat.
Suddenly, a sunken cabin cruiser, more than 30 feet long, came into view in the clear, shallow waters ahead, the top of its rotting wheelhouse jutting out at an odd angle. Fernandez’s boat turned to port to avoid a dangerous collision.
“This is where they end up,” he said.
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
From the Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network
A timely reminder that, however distant events may seem, we all share the same ocean.
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast system of currents that acts like a giant ocean conveyor belt. It carries warm tropical waters northwards across the Atlantic, where they release heat into the atmosphere before cooling, sinking and eventually flowing south again. This circulation helps regulate climate patterns far beyond the Atlantic itself.
Scientists are increasingly concerned that this system is weakening. Should that trend continue, Europe could face colder and harsher winters as the supply of warm water diminishes. More troubling is the possibility that the AMOC may be approaching a climatic ‘tipping point’. Researchers describe it as a ‘bi-stable’ system, with two relatively stable states – effectively switched ‘on’ or ‘off’. If the system were pushed beyond a critical threshold, it could shift into a very different state and remain there for thousands of years.
Some projections suggest the AMOC could slow by as much as 51 per cent by 2100 – around 60 per cent greater than earlier average estimates. Meanwhile, record-breaking ocean temperatures and other unusual marine observations are reinforcing concerns that our oceans are changing in ways that demand close attention.
This is why sustained ocean observation matters. The buoys, research vessels, satellites and monitoring networks quietly collecting data around the world provide the evidence that allows scientists to detect emerging risks and improve future projections. As Helen Findlay, a biological oceanographer at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the United Kingdom, observed, ‘without them, we are effectively choosing to navigate an increasingly volatile ocean with diminishing visibility.’
At a time when good information has never been more important, the United States is withdrawing support from parts of the ocean observing system that contribute critical data to the global scientific community. It is a sobering reminder that the benefits of ocean monitoring do not stop at national boundaries. Neither do the consequences of failing to understand what is changing.
For those of us who care about maritime heritage, the sea is more than a backdrop to history. It has shaped trade, migration, livelihoods, recreation and identity. The oceans that connected past generations continue to sustain and influence our lives today. Investing in their understanding is not simply an environmental concern; it is an act of stewardship for future generations.
After all, we share the same ocean.
What are those Fishing boats Doing?
We were sailing along downwind in 20+knots yesterday when two fishing boats appeared close together on the horizon ahead. We were on course to pass between them but it quickly became obvious that that wasn’t a good idea! This led to a little research, and although THIS PAGE from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority obviously is Aussie centric, I presume the techniques it describes are more or less global.
Its worth a scan before you head off shore next time….
And when you have read about the full range of techniques open to commercial fishemen its surprising there’s any fish left!
Golden Rule - Call out for Personnel
The Golden Rule in New York City, July 4, 2023 by Ed Hedemann, War Resisters League
Remember the GOLDEN RULE? Well they are one of our favourite sailing enterprises and we received their newsletter this week.
“We need organizers, authors, speakers, videographers and photographers, poets, musicians, and your creative energy!”
If you would like to help us plan or participate in events, please fill out our volunteer form.
If you would like to crew, please fill out the crew application form.
If you would like to sail as a guest, please fill out the day sail form.
Please invite us to give a presentation at your school, club, church or other group.
Email Michelle at vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com to request a speaker.
We look forward to reconnecting with old friends, raising our sails for nuclear abolition, and welcoming new supporters who feel called to this journey for peace.
Weekly Old Boat Browsing
Last week we told you about Classic Boat’s list of boats for sale. This week we stay in the land of warm beer and cold tea, and bring you the listings from National Historic Ships Register.
Only vessels on their National Registerof Historic Vessels, National Historic Fleet, Overseas Watch List, and Replica List are eligible.
The full list is HERE
