A long lockdown can lead to mould & mildew

Above: Hopefully this is not what awaits you when you get to return to your boat. By Mal Riley Covid has affected many sailors. I was told how lockdowns have caused problems for Hamilton Island Race week with boats berthed at Hamilton Island and…

The Golden Era of 18ft Skiff Racing

The 1970s is often referred to as the ‘Golden Era of 18ft Skiff Racing’ as it produced large, competitive fleets at both the Australian 18 Footers League and Sydney Flying Squadron, a strong, fleet at the Brisbane 18 Footers Club on the Brisbane River, and an…

Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon

While some battles of WWII like Pearl Harbour, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima are famous, the battle of Truk Lagoon is less well known, writes videographer Max Gleeson. Truk or Chuuk Lagoon as it is now called was given to Japan as…

The not-so-great divide

David Salter ponders the development that has changed how we acknowledge performance in the sport of offshore racing.  There is a neat compound word in the German language – luftpause – meaning “a brief pause in which to take breath”. The regrettable cancellation…

The Spirit of Sailing and The Sea

A collection of interesting and evocative quotes compiled by David Salter This glorious unpredictability of sailing David Salter – Reflections: Three Score Years (2020) “There is so much to like about sailing. It demands a unique combination of skills – physical,…

Busy time ahead for Noakesailing Team

The next three months will be a busy time for the Noakesailing 18ft Skiff Racing team as crew members prepare for a Sydney-Hobart Race campaign, the 2021 JJ Giltinan world Championship while still maintaining the Noakes Group business activity during the present difficult time.

59 days at Sea

Main photo: The author and the skipper with Tehani-Li, their home in the back ground Dash for home in times of Covid-19 by Karel Dimitri I looked at him aghast: “There is no way, and no need for us to sail…

The dismasting of Gun Runner

This account of the dismasting of the Army Sailing Club’s 30-foot Jarken Gun Runner on the return from the 2019 Sydney-Hobart is recounted by the skipper, Murray Stewart. I tell the tale of the dismasting of Gun Runner so you may be better prepared…

The 18 Footer Spectator Ferry

Main photo: Ribbon presentation to 2014 JJ Giltinan Champion, Gotta Love It 7 When Mark Foy formulated his plan to popularise sailing as a sport on Sydney Harbour in 1892 a critical component of his plan was a spectator ferry, which would become a…

Deep Sea Sink

If you think marine plastic pollution on the sea surface is bad, the real horror story lies hidden deep beneath the waves, on the ocean floor. According to the latest CSIRO research there are now some 14 million tonnes of microplastics on the seabed.

NUYINA, Australia’s newest Antarctic research ship

The $1.9 billion RSV Nuyina, will be three state-of-the-art vessels in one – an exceptionally powerful 160 metre icebreaker, a cutting-edge scientific research platform and a robust resupply ship providing a 30-year lifeline to our three stations on the Antarctic continent, as…

Santa’s Zip-Line

This is an extract from When the Ship Hits the Fan by Captain Rob Anderson (Affirm Press), out now. WARNING: If strong language offends you, read no further The ship was a cargo liner – much like a standard cargo…