I had been invited to crew on Bardoo in the Parade of Sail opening the Wooden Boat Festival and on the rally which circumnavigates Tasmania starting a couple of days after the Festival. However the owners, David and Linda Ashenden, had to pull out due to a family crisis.
Bardoo was designed by Sparkman Stevens and built by Halverson in their Bobbin Head yard in 1973. She is a 52' triple planked Canadian oregon carvel ketch. |
| My grandfather racing his Burnham-on-Crouch 24' One Design in 1909 |
I arrived in Hobart a landlubber but James Wood offered me the opportunity to crew on Windward II for the opening Parade of Sail. It made the Festival for me - no longer a landlubber. The forecast predicted winds up to about 15 knots but by late afternoon it was blowing at least 24 knots and gusting 30 knots. With only one staysail set we were flying. I recognised the design as similar to one my grandfather used to race in 1909 (see above). I was correct. Norman Dallimore, who I met when I was a child in Burnham-on- Crouch, designed both.
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| Huon Pine 43'11" carvel cutter built 1929 designed by Norman Dallimore |
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| Sam Woods and Pam after the opening Parade of Sail
I was staying with my old friends Sally and Mike in Hobart. Sally, now a Chinese Australian, wanted to celebrate Chinese New Year on Sunday 10 February so I offered them a New Year gift - an afternoon cruise on James Craig. The James Craig is magnificent, but she is iron not wooden. We had a great time. After motoring down the Derwent head to wind we turned and with the wind behind us the crew broke out 4 square sails so we were able to sail majestically back to our berth alongside Princes Wharf.
James Craig is 179'8" Iron Barque built in England in 1874 and lovingly restored in Sydney after sinking in Recherche Bay. In 2001 she hoisted all 21 sails for the first time in 80 years.
I was standing on the wharf admiring "The Admiral", the oldest rowing ferry in Australia, built in 1865 when I realised that they were taking on passengers so I jumped at the opportunity. Initially we were rowed round Constitution Dock basking in reflected glory as the crowds busily snapped us. Then the cox asked for volunteers to row and of course I put my hand up.
 
The Wooden Boat Festival ends with a second Parade of Sail and I was keen to get afloat again, so I signed up with Windeward Bound.
 Windeward Bound is 81'0" modern wooden Brigantine run by a trust providing youth development under sail programmes for all Australians.
Captain Sarah Parry, Master of Windeward Bound
This Wooden Boat Festival was the largest ever, almost 600 entrants. with about 340 in the opening Parade of Sail, ranging from tiny dinghies to tall ships and everything inbetween, some recently built and others lovingly restored classics such as Windward II. Here are just a few:
  Notorious replica 15 century Portugese caravel built by Graeme Wylie in Melbourne (below)
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