Always the flats were full of locals fishing with tinnies and poking around for oysters or clams, gathering supper in a simple and unassuming commune with nature, seemingly unhurried and unencumbered by all the expensive flashy gear and equipment that Americans seem to feel necessary accoutrements to any outing. We made friends with whole families who floated chattily down river in tubes of an evening sunset, regardless of the crocs “Oh none here, they’re all over on the Bribie Island side!” In the place where I’d grown up, where the Puritan Work Ethic still ruled bone deep, people would signal that they accepted an outsider by saying something like  “A decent, hardworking, honest person”. In Queensland, you knew you were deemed ok when somebody would say “Fair dinkum story teller” or “Makes a smoko go quick”  or “I got time for them”. 

In the late 90s Jim decided that he wanted to get back into sailing mullet boats in which his family had great tradition.  He bought Tamatea and press ganged his sons and a couple of other likely starters as crew.

I know that winning races isn’t really what owning a classic yacht is about…. But you have to admit that winning is generally more fun than losing! So when SWS was aproached by The Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron to find a new custodian for HIRONDELLE, the first thing that occured to us was the potential this historic boat has, to earn some serious silverware.