Sailing Yacht Seasalter 1937

26/05/2023

25/05/2023

A week ago I brought Huntress up on the railway slips at Wilson's Boatyard in Cygnet, Tasmania with the express purpose of taking the deck off and rectifying all the issues I expected to find there.

25/05/2023

So this is a short clip on the final leg of the delivery to Tasmania. My crew at the time was Colin Rick from Cygnet who had joined in St. Helens, Tasmania. Just listen to that Gardner purring! We are passing though Marion Passage on the way to Denison Canal at Dunalley. If you look at the foredeck as the camera pans across you will see a vast open expanse of laid teak deck. But it is not in good condition. Attempts had been done in the past to address the sponginess of it. But it was always piecemeal and never addressed the real problems.

25/05/2023

So this is Huntress. She was built by H&J Griffin in Mona Vale, Sydney in 1969. Until recently she lived her whole life in Western Australia. Her length overall is 44 feet and she is powered by a Gardner 6LX.
I worked for the previous owner for a couple of years helping him finish the boat off with internal doors, wiring and varnish.
Pam and I acquired the boat towards the end of his life with the hope we could save the boat from becoming a total loss through lack of maintenance and lack of care.
She languished in a marina south of Perth for a couple of years before I was able to organise some time to bring her the 2000 miles to Tasmania. That trip took way longer than it ought and she lay on a mooring at Cygnet. She showed at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February this year.
Now the opportunity has come for me to do the remedial work I know the boat has craved for 15 years.

25/05/2023

Well it is a very long time since I have made a post here. Now, however, work has begun on the launch Huntress and I would like to share what I have been doing and what has yet to be done.

31/03/2022

Yes it has been a very long time! Seasalter has been waiting patiently for me on her mooring at Cygnet. Last month was the famed Cygnet Regatta so I hauled and antifouled her before entering her in the feeder race from Beaupre Point to Kettering. We were late to the start so just sailed in company in light winds. As the day progressed so the wind increased and by the time we got to Oyster Cove finish line it was a very pleasant 15 knots. The next day was the return race with a fleet of over 40 boats also in light winds. Although we kept the fleet in sight it isn't the wind strength for this old lady and we eventually retired for the run to our mooring. For the Regatta itself I sailed in our Etchells coming first over the line and third on handicap in the Etchells fleet.

04/07/2021

It is with a very sad and heavy heart that Pam and I have decided that the return of Huntress to Eastern States waters will not happen this year. This latest set back of the damaged freshwater pump and the encroaching winter systems is just a bridge too far.
Much time, money and effort has been expended to get Huntress looking and being as good as she is right now. But the winter seasons have come a little early for us to make the passage around Cape Leeuwin safely.
A new pump make take a month to arrive and longer if parts have to come from the UK. So for these reasons we will find a place for her to await my return in the New Year.
To all who have been following and who have sent their good wishes I sincerely thank you for your support and care.
Gary will be returning to Cygnet nest week and I will return soon after.
I will have to prepare Seasalter for another winter's existence whilst I take up work at Wilson's Boatyard.
I will post updates on this page from time to time.

02/07/2021

Well Western Australia and particularly the Peel region has done the right thing and haven't infected themselves any further and Mr. McGowan has released us from the bonds of lockdown. Huntress is fueled, watered and provisioned. The varnish is spruced, the decks scrubbed. We have fare welled, with love, our neighbours and thanked our helpers and supporters. We've handed in our cards.
And now dear friends it is time for Gary and I to head South Westwards towards Cape Naturaliste on the first part of our 2000 mile odyssey.
Gary is asleep now in preparation for his first watch and I am rumbling around the boat with a skipper's worry.
Wish us well.

01/07/2021

Hi you lot.

I hope the Covid Winter is staying away from your doors!

Presently I am in Wannanup in Western Australia also known as The Cut in Port Bouvard near the Bouvard reefs about 20 kilometres south of Mandurah; and if you need more info than that you will have to ask Dr. Google.

I have been here just a tad over 6 weeks preparing Huntress to come back to the east coast; specifically south eastern Tasmania.

It has been an intense period of work getting wiring done for auto pilot, depth sounder and VHF; converting some systems from 24V to 12V new water pressure pump and sullage pumps; engine room extractor and blower fans; installing a 24V Muir anchor windlass and the 70 metres of chain as well as a new 32kilo Lewmar Delta anchor. And then there is the myriad simple things like drying out the mattresses, getting cutlery and crockery on, getting the 24V freezer operational etc etc.

My crew Gary Pritchard of Cygnet flew in last Wednesday and everything looked good for a departure today. A small sting in the tail delayed us a day by which time a silly physiotherapist came from Darwin visited as many hotspots as she could in Bondi and brought the Delta strain to Perth. Hence the Perth Peel region is in lockdown for 4 days. The window of opportunity still exists to make Albany (that's Albany not Awlbany) before the next low and associated fronts attacks the SW coast.

Huntress is a 44' timber launch powered by a Gardner 6LX. Recently coming back from Mandurah where we slipped and antifouled we were making a very easy 7-8 knots on less than 1000 rpm. Anecdotal evidence suggests she consumes about 1 litre per mile. The total passage is around 2000 miles and the fuel capacity on board is 1400 litres. She also carries about 2000 litres of water.

The plan is to do the trip in relatively easy stages of 2-300 miles each. The longest leg is from Esperance in WA to Ceduna in SA. It is just shy of 600 miles although there is Isrealite Bay just over 100 miles from Esperance and Dunby Bay about 80 miles before Ceduna.

So friends that is what I have been up to over the last couple of months. I have to hurry on home to Cygnet as Wilson's have a boat they would like me to work upon and I am not looking forward to a protracted stay in the Southern Ocean's wintery ways.

All the best to you all

13/06/2021

By popular demand here are some photos of the recent haul out of Huntress

12/06/2021

The classic launch Huntress is getting closer to being ready for her first foray into waters outside of Western Australia. Last week she was slipped antifouled, topsides sanded and repainted. new anodes and a depth transducer installed. The week before was the mounting of a vertical windlass, 70metres of 10mm chain and a new 32kg Lewmar Delta anchor. This week has seen the installation of a TMQ Autopilot and the associated wiring for that, windshield wipers and engine room blowers. After all this work the passage itself will feel like a holiday!