Captain Mia is born and bred on the Island of Lamu in Eastern Kenya. He took me for a sail and explained the basics of tacking and gybing a dhow, the history the area and how the ultra competitive annual dhow racing works.

Having just finished their Championship, competitors and festival goers gathered for a discussion on history and future of the class. The discussion was hosted by SWS editor Sal Balharrie

There are not many boats that can sail competitively in the Sydney-Hobart one month, and then show up at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival the next, and outshine many of the other more pampered exhibitors. You can make a good case that LOVE & WAR is Australia’s most successful ocean racing yacht. Fifty two years ago she was drawn by Olin Stephens when he was at the peak of his extraordinary powers. Since then she has won the Sydney-Hobart on three occasions, and is rarely in the bottom two thirds of the fleet. In the the recent 2024 event, she again won her division, and came 14th overall, in conditions that were not always her forte. It would be a brave pundit who definitively predicts that, given the right weather, she couldn’t win the event a fourth time!

Superb weather on the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Opening Day - and Roger Mills was at the start to record the Classic Yachts racing. AThey sailed a short harbour course for the season opener, in fresh south westerly winds and sunshine. Rawhiti A2 took line honours looking rather overpowered at times with her large Genoa. Ariki was close behind - 41 seconds - and took out the handicap win.

The Story of Holly and Jordy and the yacht CLARE... "I was just scrolling Facebook one day, and we had been in the market for a timber boat for a little while. And occasionally I would send Holly ridiculous things from boats online or on Facebook. I'd come across this Maurice Griffiths boat, and I sent it to Holly. They were asking 800 bucks . And I was like, Oh, you must be dreaming. So I sent it to Holly, and she was like, Oh, you got to get it now. "

To read the full story of EVENING TIDE visit www.southernwoodenboatsailing.com Bob Perry, although well and truly an American, has a small connection to Australia. In 1957 when Perry was twelve, he and his family moved from Sydney, to Vancouver, British Columbia. At the beginning of his ninth-grade year, they moved again to Mercer Island, Washington, an area renowned for its school system. Here, his interest in sailboats really clicked. He met famous designer William Garden, joined the local yacht club, and excelled at mechanical drawing. 60 years on, his designs are some of the most successful cruising yachts around such as the Tatoosh 42, Tayana 37 and the Valiant 40. Throughout his career he has designed boats for many well recognised brands in the yachting industry, such as Tayana, Cheoy Lee, Valiant, Ta Shing, Islander and Passport. But the design we were in Launceston to see is a close relative of the Baba 40, but unlike all her sister ships this is the only one in the world made out of timber. It's called a Perry 40.

Paul discusses the philosophy of the festival, the registration process, its Tasmanian heritage and hints at what he's planning for February 2025

With the 100th Nationals of the 12ft Cadet Dinghies to be held at RBYC in early January, here's a video of the 1987 Stonehaven taken and edited by Trent Read. The regatta was won by Warren Young in the Muir built Volante.II.

An SWS interview with Belinda Joslin and Annie Means

Visit https://southernwoodenboatsailing.com/news/classic-wooden-boats-of-australia-calendar if you would like to by a copy.

The NO MAN'S LAND crew step aboard FAIR WINDS in the Australian Women's Keelboat Regatta

"My name is Holly (22 years old) and my husband Jordy (23 years old) and I are the very proud owners of ‘Clare’. She is a Maurice Griffiths, 40 foot ketch planked in 1 1/2 Jarrah, built and launched in 1951 in WA. She is currently out of the water in Hastings VIC and we are currently completing a full restoration."

We all know what happened to the WINSTON CHURCHILL. But her accomplishments in life have been eclipsed by her tragic demise. Many might not know of her whirlwind circumnavigation in 1967. A time in history when the word “laconic” began to be owned by Australians. What better way to hear the story than from the mouth of the inimitable Warren Neale crew member and so much more!

The most perfect Herreschoff in Australia. We talk to her creators and custodians about the journey in bringing her to life and the next stage of a second custodianship.

The Islands of the Kent and Furneaux Groups are surely one of the great undiscovered cruising grounds of Australia. They are not for the faint hearted and will punish the arrogant sailor, but with preparation and respect, they reward in spades.

Check out the article in this weeks SWS https://southernwoodenboatsailing.com/news/a-very-couta-christmas

Last weekend a Tumlare was relaunched in Williamstown, 84 years after her first racing season in 1938-39. The master of this class was Selim Nurminen skippering this boat - YVONNE #97. Together they were the most successful small keelboat and skipper on Port Phillip Bay.

Preparations begin for taking FAIR WINDS to Tasmania for the summer.

Visit https://southernwoodenboatsailing.com/news/recapping-a-classic-yachts-journey-in-the-bermuda-race for the full story

Named after Edwin Williams Streeter 'Father' of Broome’s pearling industry Streeter was part of the famous Streeter & Male Pearling fleet. Kim Male of Streeter & Male, remembers Streeter’s first crew were Malay with a Japanese diver named Mr Ejiri. Retrieved from Pearling in 1971, Streeter was relocated to Darwin to fish the northern waters as a barramundi and mackerel boat.