Sydney Tall Ship Experiences

A trip on a tall ship is just perfect for friends, families and groups. It is a great gift idea and is affordable family fun. With Sydney Tall Ships you get a daily Barbecue and dinner sailing. Experience the old world charm of Sydney’s only authentic timber tall ship. Get involved and hoist the sails or sit back, relax and enjoy the entertainment. But make sure you book early as there are limited tickets or they will book out, because it if first in, best dressed. Do not miss out, book now.

A tall ships cruise includes a Barbecue buffet meal with fresh seafood, a two hour lunch and twilight cruises from 1.30pm and 5.30pm. Tall ship cruises depart daily from Campbell’s Cove, the Rocks, Sydney. Get your tickets from Wharf 5, Circular Quay. See the website at www.sydneytallships.com.au.

Special Events

New Years Eve

Be at the heart of the celebrations when you cruise around Sydney Harbour on the tall ship adorned with lights as part of the Harbour of Lights parade. This is the experience of a lifetime – you will get front row seats for the Famous Sydney fireworks at 9pm and midnight. Enjoy a substantial and delicious finger food dinner with open bar on the tall ship. Soak up the magical atmospher whilst parading around the harbour enjoying the live music and entertainment.

Boxing Day Tall Ship Cruise

Experience the excitement of the lead up and start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. Each year the harbour comes alive with hundreds of boats. Get amongst all the action while enjoying live music and entertainment. A sensational barbecue lunch with fresh seafood and steak will be served along with desserts and all wine, bubbly, beers and soft drinks.

Contact sydneytallships.com.au for you tall ship experience in December and January.

Modellers Shipyard

Build your own model wooden tall ship and enjoy the great age of sail with a model kit from the Modeller’s Shipyard. The Modeller’s Shipyard are located at Glenbrook in New South Wales, Australia. They are specialist suppliers of historic wood model ships, kits, plans and accessories for model making of wooden tall ships. Their kits are imported form Spain and Italy and they manufacture their own Port Jackson Schooner as well. Go and have a look at their website at modelshipyard.com.au and they will send you a free catalogue to peruse their wooden tall ship modelling products.

Model ship building is one of the most interesting, satisying, and creative hobbies in the world. Discover the rewarding and fascinating hobby of model ship building. When you hand craft a wooden model ship you can experience a fabulous sense of pride and accomplishment in your work. When you have finished your model wooden tall ship you will have a detailed and beautiful model ship which is a work of art and on show for future generations.

Modeller’s Shipyard have special starter kits and for those starting out they offer a range of kits including Lady Nelson, Flying Fish, Port Jackson Schooner. They offer a personalised service to meet all their customers’ ship modelling needs. They have an extensive range of kits, books, plans, tools, ship fittings, and timber. They will give you all the assistance and guidance that you may need. They will be also willing to try and locate specialized books that are not in their current stock list.

Sydney Heritage Fleet Courses

Originally posted on June 22nd, 2008

Sydney Heritage Fleet courses that will start soon:

1. JAMES CRAIG NEW CREW TRAINING
Open to all members of the fleet who may wish to try a new activity – Sail as crew in the James Craig.
Open to all current crew who may wish to improve/refresh their knowledge by attending and/or helping.
This course will be run over two weekends – 5 & 6 July and 19 & 20 July.

2. ROPE AND RIGGING COURSE
Open to all members and the general public.
Course starts on 22nd July and runs for 6 weeks. Starts at 6.00 pm till 8.00pm.
Cost to members $110. This covers materials etc.
Free parking at the ANMM right next to the venue.
Contact the Sydney Heritage Fleet for the Application form.

3. JAMES CRAIG CREW HANDBOOK
Copies of this handbook are available to all crew. The handbook contains all new crew training modules plus additional modules covering different aspects of the ship. The handbook is in loose sheet format so that it can be kept up to date with changes to the ship, equipment and procedured.
Holders, are registered on a mailing list and sent changes etc by email.
Order form is attached, return electronically, fax or post.
To cover production etc cost to crew $40.00.

Garden Island Walk

Originally posted on July 1st, 2008

Walk around historic Garden Island

Graeme Wong is a Lieutenant Commander in the RAN. There is an opportunity for naval history fans to participate in a guided walkaround Garden Island in Sydney on Sunday 13 July. This walk is part of the fundraising efforts of the NSW Variety Bash Team. All proceeds from the event will go to Variety the Childrens Charity via the Navy Team in support of the the Teams entry in the 2008 Bash (7-17 August) Details of the walkaround are below. Tell other maritime enthusiasts that you know of this opportunity. Your help would be greatly appreciated by the Team, Variety and the Australian Children who will benfit from your support.
Walk around historic Garden Island

When 13th July 2008 (start 9.30am and finish by 3.30 pm).

What Morning tea,
look over a warship (HMAS Sydney TBC),
visit the dry dock,
walk through the WW2 tunnels,
view Sydney Harbour from the top of the telegraph station,
visit the Heritage Centre,
see the first ever graffiti by a white man in Sydney,
finish with a BBQ lunch and raffles in the Wardroom at HMAS KUTTABUL.

Cost All included, only $75 per adult and $45 per child (under 14).

Who Interested? For more information or to book a place, contact Graeme Wong from the Navy Team. Numbers are limited.

Why All proceeds to Variety the Children’s Charity in support of the Navy Team entry (cars 817 and 805) in the 2008 NSW Variety Bash.

Australian National Maritime Museum

Originally posted on July 1st, 2008

Australian National Maritime Museum Events

M’Andrew’s Hymn – marine steam, men and machines
9-10.30 am Thursday 24 July at the museum

Join us to explore the way steam engines revolutionised shipping aroundthe world and led to the demise of sailing ships. Learn about steamengine history from Newcomen’s engine of 1712, developing through theVictorian era to the tripleexpansion engines of the 20th century. Marineengineers Steven Adams (ANMM fleet manager) and Neil Brough (ex-ANMM)unbolt history and delve into the flanges and conrods of marine steamengines, while a special guest – the ghost of immortal engineer M’Andrew- will appear to recite Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem. Meet 0900 at the Kara Kara steam engine in the Navy exhibition followed by smoko in theduty mess.
Members $10 guests $15. Includes morning tea

Vintage model skiff race on the harbour

10am-2pm Sunday 17 August at the museum and off Rodd Island

Balmain Bugs – racing model skiffs – are a unique part of Sydney’sharbour heritage tracing their roots to the water sports of the boatmenof Balmain, all the way back to the 1860s. Those who couldn’t race afull-sized skiff turned to sailing models that, like the skiffs, carriedenormous rigs dwarfing their hulls. The competition was stiff in popularraces conducted regularly on the harbour up until the 1950s. Join Dennisand Harry McGoogan, both lifelong Sydney Harbour sailors and passionatemodel skiff builders, who talk about these model boats and theirhistory. We then head out by ferry to watch Dennis and Harry pit theirtwo-footers against each other in a match race off picturesque Rodd Island.
Members $50 guests $60. Includes talk at museum, light lunch and refreshments on the ferry

Special: Annual HMAS Vampire wardroom dinner
6-9.45pm Wednesday 13 August on HMAS Vampire

On 13 August 1986 HMAS Vampire was officially decommissioned by theRoyal Australian Navy. After 27 years she had steamed 808,026 nauticalmiles. Exactly 20 years after her decomissioning, join us to celebratethe ship’s service in the RAN with a Navy dinner in the Vampirewardroom. The dinner president will be CMDR Mike Taylor RAN (Rtd) whocommanded Vampire 1980-82. Former ship’s officer CMDR Bill Ruse RAN(Rtd) will be the vice-president. Includes predinner cocktails,traditional three-course meal, passing of the port and the loyal toast.
Members $99 guests $110. Strictly limited places due to the size of thewardroom. Black tie

Sydney Heritage Fleet

Originally posted on June 17th, 2008

The Sydney Heritage Fleet has been a volunteer organisation since 1965 and is the proud winner of national and international awards for excellence.

There will be a Fleet Morning Tea on Friday 20th June at 10:30 am at the James Craig.

The monthly Morning Tea takes place on the main deck of James Craig this Friday from 10:30. Please bring a contribution if you would like to such as cake, biscuits, savouries, fruit.

People together enjoy this opportunity to take a break in their work for the Fleet to meet each other.

Come and join them. No need to book; just turn up and you will be warmly welcome.
Volunteer Services
Sydney Heritage Fleet
02 9298 3870 (leave a message)
www.shf.org.au

————-

Rob Stirling is the CEO of Superyachting Challenge Events (SYCE) http://www.superyachting.com/about.html and Pacific Rim Maritime http://www.pacificrimmaritime.com.au/Marine_projects.htm ,companies which offer a range of services to maritime participants such as

The maritime industry,
The movie/ TV industry,
The media community in general,
Maritime special events/venues,
The marine racing community (both sail & power)
The travel industry for specialised expedition of all marine related projects.

Recently, for example, it was announced that SYCE had entered into a long term agreement with ROLEX for a three year commitment to supply a number of the SYCE Protector RIB’s for their media coverage of the lead up regattas to, and during the start of, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.

In a generous act which demonstrates Superyachting Challenge Events’ support of Sydney Heritage Fleet, Rob Stirling has donated a 4-hour skippered Sydney Harbour cruise for 8 guests aboard the high speed Superyachting 8.5m Protector RIB. The outing includes a picnic hamper for the 8 guests and a supply of non-alcoholic beverages. The offer is valid through to the 15th November.

In order to raise funds for the Sydndy Heritage Fleet they have agreed to auction the item to the highest bidder so please get those bids coming in by phone or email. Bidders who are outbid by a subsequent, higher, offer will be notified and given the chance to increase their bid. Offers for this unique day out will close on Wednesday July 30th.

This will be a great day out so please get those bids coming in.
Sydney Heritage Fleet- a volunteer organisation since 1965 and proud winners of national and international awards for excellence.

Jesse Martin Circumnavigation

Jesse Martin – the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Jesse Martin is just like any kid looking for expression and sailing around the world was his way of doing that. It started with a dream and he honestly believed that he could sail around the world and when people said he could not do it, he wanted to do it because they said it could not be done. He took eleven months to sail around the earth single-handed. His yacht was the Lionheart, a 34 foot boat. It was not about sailing, it was just doing what he wanted to do and achieving a goal. We are capable of doing things if we set our minds to it.

In the beginning all he had was a dream – his mom had to mortgage the home and he went looking for sponsors. A lot of people supported Jesse but also a lot of people thought his parents were being irresponsible for letting him go. His first plan was to stop at various places but then he thought there might be the opportunity to break a record. Jesse Martin always loved the sea and adventure – when he was fifteen he went to New Guinea on a kayaking adventure trip that he organised himself. In the west young people do not have a rites of passage – we are not passing our own tests, we are passing other people’s tests.

Jesse says that his mind plays tricks on him – half way through doing something he forgets what he was doing, it all merges into one. When you go out in the ocean, your boat becomes your home – it sometimes is like living in a washing machine. First of all you know what you want to do, Jesse was looking to do an adventure and sent his CV to his sponsors. They are not so sure about Jesse at the Sandringham Yacht Club and Mistral – he submitted his plans and asked for sponsorship. He went and looked for a boat to sail around the world and jesse martin was the youngest person to Circumnavigate solo in the lionheart. There was a lot of fear about the boat because the yacht had never been in the water until the day he had left.

He asks a nutritionist for advice and he has to plan for more than three hundred days of food. Food kept him busy out on the ocean. The pancake ritual kept him busy and it gave him a reward for all his hard work. Towards the end of the circumnavigation he is starting to run out of food and has to eat all the food that he does not like. Traditional circumnavigation means going with the wind around the southern ocean and keeping the five capes to your port. He sails under new Zealand and catches the swells and winds to South America. He gets through the first of his bad weather, and has to go south into colder weather to get around Cape Horn.

He gets through one of the toughest parts of the circumnavigation getting to Cape Horn and he gains confidence in himself to complete the circumnavigation. He is on the way home, and going around South Africa gets the worst hiding of his voyage. The storms brew up and the barometer is dropping quickly and then it hits him, storms with winds to fifty or sixty knots and seas up to twenty meters. He crosses down the bottom of the Indian Ocean to Australia and sails to Melbourne and home.

Jesse Martin’s book has sold well and is firmly entrenched into the best seller list in Australia. He would read his journal and remember little things that would trigger his memory. Jesse seems ordinary to other people but does this amazing extraordinary thing. If Jesse Martin can do it, then anyone can. The trip has inspired other people and inspired them to do what they wish to do.

Pirate Glossary

Arrr me hearties, shiver me timbers or I will keelhaul the lot of ye! Learn to speak like a pirate, using the Glossary below.

Bahamas – A group of islands in the west Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida and north of Cuba. The Bahamas was held as a British colony in the eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Booty – Money, jewels, silks and other valuable cargo that has been seized off a ship by raiding pirates.

Bribe – An offer of money or other valuable items made in order to make something do what you want them to. It was often given to government officials to stop them arresting a pirate. Still in use to this day.

Buccaneers – These were men who raided and captured ships belonging to nations that they were at war with. The main place that this happened whas off the Spanish coasts of American during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Caribbean = The islands and area of the Caribbean Sea – it covers the area between Florida and South and Central America.

Cutlass – a short, curved sword which has got a single sharp edge, and often used by pirates and sailors.

Dagger – a knife-like weapon with a handle and a pointed blade.

Dysentry – a disease of the stomach and intestines which is characterised by diarrhea and often caused by infection.

Flagship – The larges and most important ship in a fleet. The flagship is the ship that the commander of the fleet sails in.

Letter of Marque – An official document granting a ship captain permission to use his personal armed vessel for capturing and raiding ships of another country. A letter of marque is used by governments or kings to expand their naval forces at a time of war.

Navigator – The person in charge of plotting and directing the course of a ship.

Pirates – Rugged outlaw sailors who capture and raid ships at sea to seize their cargo and other valuables. They usually do so without a letter of marque from any country.

Privateers – Ship captains and crew members who operate under a letter of marque, attacking and raiding ships from countries that are at war with their own country. They are also known as “gentlemen pirates” and may be considered loosely to be buccaneers as well.

Schooner – A two-masted ship that is easy to maneuver and can be navigated in shallow waters.

Scurvy – A disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C in the body and is often due to insufficient amount of fruit and vegetables in the diet of the pirates. Symptoms of scurvy include general weakness and bleeding gums.

Sloop – A fast sailing vessel with a single mast that is outfitted for war. A sloop had a single gun deck with ten to eighteen cannons.

Queen Anne’s Revenge – the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard. It may have been located in Beaufort Inlet North Carolina. Several artifacts such as bronze bells and cannons have led archaeologist to believe that it is indeed the ship of the infamous Edward Teach.

Blackbeards Skull – The skull of Blackbeard the pirate was acquired from a collector by the Mariners Museum in Newport News , Virginia. After Blackbeards gruesome death in 1718, his severed head was placed in the mouth of the Hampton River as a warning to other pirates.

Tony Bullimore Rescue

Below the roaring forties there is no law, below the roaring fifties there is no god. In the Southern Ocean there exists the ultimate challenge for human beings. Tony Bullimore braved the Southern Ocean and survived. He was rescued at sea and he described it as an absolute miracle. Tony Bullimore was two months into a race around the world called the Vendee Globe Around the World Yacht Race. He was down to 57 degrees South and wanted to go down to 60 degrees. He had been across the Atlantic many times but this race around the world was the toughest he had been in. The barometer had started dropping. Tony Bullimore had tremendous respect for the sea – it can be calm one day and monstrous the next. The sky was getting very grey, so he got some food into his belly.

If you do not hang on in rough conditions you will not make it. The waves were massive – fifty to sixty feet, and they were rumbling along like an avalanche. When the wind gets to hurricane strength, the sea can be a horrendous place to be. He opened a can of corned beef, rolled a cigarette and he felt relaxed – the boat was being steered by the automatic pilot and he thought everything was going to be all right. His wife gets lonely when Tony Bullimore is away. Back on the ocean, Tony Bullimore felt a crack and the boat went over. He was way past 50 degrees south and there was no chance of rescue. He went to sleep to wait until the storm passed over. There was no point in being frightened – the greatest fear was fear itself.

The window blows out and he is very cold, the cabin starts filling with water and he had to get his survival suit on. If the hull fills up completely he will have to get out. The life raft is pinned down and he cannot get to it. He gets the distress beacon out and turns it on, then dives down to the broken window to poke it out. If the rescue does not come in a few days, then he will die. The SAR co-ordinator get the distress beacon and set the wheels in motion. There is another yacht in trouble at the same time.

Back at sea, Tony Bullimore is assembling the things that he will need to survive. Bits and pieces of equipment and food are floating off into the sea. It is like a washing machine from hell. He eats the last of the chocolate. In South Australia, the Australian Navy receive news of the accident, they send out aircraft to look for Tony Bullimore and terri dubois. Tony Bullimore tries to get the life raft free but cuts his finger. The HMAS frigate Adelaide is sent to rescue the stranded sailors. They have to sail 1400 nautical miles and they still have to find them. They are going as fast as they can, but have to conserve enough fuel to get back. The mission is very dependant upon their helicopter.

The Orion search planes are doing their search and rescue operation looking for the capsized yachts. It is extremely difficult to search with the white horses in the ocean. They spot Terri Dubois clinging to his upturned hull. They drop a life raft and supplies. Terri hauls the rope in and he has got the raft. They still had to find Tony Bullimore.

Tony Bullimore Rescue Part 2

The Navy have to get to Terri Dubois to rescue him. Tony Bullimore has a mechanical water maker and uses it to make enough fresh water for him to survive. The Orion aircraft spot Tony Bullimore and drop sonic buoys. They hear no response and they think there is no sign of life.

Tony Bullimore’s wife turns on the TV and she sees the bottom of the boat with the number on it. It all came flooding back to her all the past accidents he had been in. She knew it was serious. Tony Bullimore has to get the life raft free – he swims out about a dozen times to try and loosen it but cannot hold his breath long enough. Tony Bullimore is getting very cold and thinks he might freeze to death. Another cold front is on the way and it going to be a race to rescue the yachtsmen. The HMAS Adelaide has to increase speed to beat the approaching weather. They are still two days from the yachts. Tony Bullimore is so tired and cold. His wife is petrified and she knew that Tony Bullimore would not give up and would fight until the end.

At one time Tony Bullimore thought that he was a goner. HMAS Adelaide searches for Tony Bullimore and they will have to go into the hull to see if he is still alive. They do not know if he is still alive. It has been three days since his yacht has capsized. They do not know if anyone can survive that long in the freezing southern ocean. Tony Bullimore is thinking about his life while his wife is praying a lot. His family stay united and strong. On the 9th January 1997, HMAS Adelaide is ready to pick up Terri Dubois. The helicopter picks him up. It is three hours to Tony Bullimore and they think that they will have to cut through the hull to get to him. The crew is on edge as they get near to Tony Bullimore – they do not know if he is alive inside the hull.

A rubber ducky is sent out while the Orion flies overhead. Tony Bullimore thinks he hears a plane but is skeptical. The rubber ducky goes alongside Tony Bullimore’s yacht and they start banging on the hull. Tony Bullimore says it is like heaven, he dived out the boat and up to the surface to the rubber ducky. The diver jumps into the water to get him and drag him onto the rubber duckie. Tony Bullimore was glad to see them and did not stop talking. Tony Bullimore is winched on board still talking away. The Air force pilots call it a miracle.

Tony Bullimore’s wife and family receive the news that he is still alive and all the stress evaporates. The lesson for everyone was not to give up hope. Tony Bullimore says it was an absolute miracle. Tony Bullimore’s yacht was called the Exide Challenger and was sixty foot long. He was thirteen hundred miles south of Australia in the Southern Ocean when the disaster struck. He lost his keel when the yacht overturned. He is a survivor and a hero. It was the biggest sea and air rescue in the history of the Royal Australian Air Force and Navy. They used four aircraft, six air crew, as well as HMAS Adelaide. This was a battle for survival and a miracle at sea.