Monthly Archives: January 2020

Movement – Altona to Williamstown – December 2019

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So after many months with some debate, some hesitation (although not much on my part), we arrived at the point where we would lift Wyruna and lodge it safely in Ferdi’s shed. It sounded easy – the owner had cleared the path down the side of the house, Ferdi had the space. Add lifting power, and some transport and off it goes. We thought maybe five hours would see it done – from loading a cradle at Williamstown, lifting on, short drive, lift off and push into shed. Some complexity given the site had a narrow side access, and some low power lines across the front yard which impacted the size of the crane that could be brought in.

Wyruna on the morning of the lift.

18 December 2019 was chosen, with a challenging weather forecast of 43C – one of the warmer days in Melbourne for a while. 20 tonne crane arrived at Williamstown by 7.30am, and after cradle loading, we were at Altona by 8.30am, pondering next steps.

Taking out the last fence post – easy.
Successfully off the ground (difficult to see), but what also can’t be seen is the rear wheels of the crane also lifting. Some rethinking required!

The first lift was successful, but it was clear the 20t crane was too small for the reach required. The load was finely balanced on the front wheels of the crane, with the rear wheels also off the ground (well, only just). Gaining a few feet forward reduced the load on the front wheels, but it was clear that the 20t was not going to do it. Happily, the company had a 25t crane just around the corner, and it soon arrived.

Successfully off the ground, only just red lights on the 25 tonner.

Probably worth stating that the plan at this point was to lift to the side of the house, rest Wyruna, place the cradle in front, then lift onto the cradle. The cradle would then be lifted (or dragged) to the footpath, lifted to the road and placed on the low-loader. Easy!

Progress – shows the gap to work through. The apple tree was stuck fast in some fittings.
Wyruna’s new home for the next little while – the cradle at least, not the geographical location. Extent of timber damage to the stern quite evident here – as is some of the damage to the internal frame. Port side has some broken ribs and some unfastened planking – leading to the asymmetrical lines quite evident here.

At this point, it was about 12.00pm, which was a little late to schedule, but all good. Temperature was still climbing – there was a slightly cooling breeze off the bay out the front of the house, but it was getting quite warm. One of the things I had forgotten about lifting stuff (which to be fair was only a small amount of information, but it still managed to go) was that everything associated (chains, spreader bars etc) is heavy, but needs to be quite precise in some respects. It takes time and effort, that on a warm day quickly becomes tiring.

Showing the power lines from the front yard, causing some restrictions here.
8.5 tonnes leaves quite an imprint on sandy soil. Replace your divots.
More success – just some surgery to the bits that will catch the power lines in the street, and Wyruna can retrace its steps back to Williamstown. After 30+ years in Altona.

I imagine this seemed like quite an achievement at the time for the lifting team – the temperature felt like it was still climbing, and the breeze had died off, but they had done the hard part. It was a great sight for me, but while I wasn’t a casual spectator, the hard work was done by others. It was 2.30pm, which was about the time I thought I’d be back at work, so a little behind it.

A short drive to Williamstown , and Wyruna was in the yard and ready to be lifted off.
Nearly there.
New home – 5.00pm 19 Dec 2019

With that, we finished the first day with a quick beer before I head home.

Many decisions to make over the next little while – but the first task (of many) will be taking apart the interior, retrieving the fittings, and mapping what we can. There are some details in Recent Images for the task here. I’ll need some strong guidance along the way!

For anyone reading – the key question, that we have some time to answer, is whether we go for the original gaff rig or with the more cruising friendly ketch rig that it currently has. Thoughts please!

How did we get here?

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Every journey starts somewhere, and for me at least I suspect this one commenced before I even knew it. My father had a love of sailing, and used to often talk of his own dad’s boat Wyruna (my grandfather). There were stories of the yacht squadron, day trips and longer trips to Kangaroo Island – and it all sounded pretty exciting. When I was young, he took the most of his limited opportunities to go sailing, which was a challenge as a young dad of four kids. We had a Mirror to race and play about at the beach in, and a friend’s yacht to borrow from time to time. I remember quite vividly dad returning home one night from probably his last Goolwa to Milang race sometime in the 1970’s (at least I think it was this race) – I remember he was wearing a huge smile from a challenging race, although it was outdone by my mum’s temper at his late arrival. I heard a few stories of bouncing across Lake Alexandrina when the wind was up, and the water low, and that sounded like fun also. For my partner in this venture, Linda, her journey started much later, but she enjoys a challenge, and takes joy from the happiness of others – she saw the excitement in my dad, and that was enough!

Our houses always had several artefacts from the boat – being some wonderfully heavy old brass navigation lights, and the bronze letters for the name. One letter has been missing for as long as I can remember, but I always knew the name. These items were carried from house to house for over 40 years, and always seemed to be present somewhere. He also carried a set of photos (slides) of Wyruna, that always held some fascination for me. Some of these will feature on this site.

Dad often wondered aloud where Wyruna had gone, and it seemed likely that it had either gone interstate or suffered a mishap not unknown to occur to wooden boats, or boats in general.

As it turns out, both things were true.

During 2018, a chance internet search revealed a recent article in the CYAA newsletter advising of Wyruna’s current circumstances, which then carried to discussions with the owner. Wyruna had moved from South Australia, and had subsequently spent more than 30 years in a backyard in Altona (Victoria) specifically purchased for it. Dad was keen for one last look, and made some arrangements. Good news!

I got over there to Altona in late 2018, and the first look revealed there had been a few challenging years while on land – a combination of weather, time and circumstances had created quite a restoration project. Not too dismayed and more than a little curious, a tentative look at restoration possibilities, and for an appropriate boatbuilder started. In the meantime, my dad came over to look, which brought out a few stories and a sparkle in his eye not seen for a while. This provided some nice additional motivation.

In the meantime, it was clear that the vessel had some history outside my own family that was worth preserving. The designer, builder and original owners are all well known in their own right, as are several subsequent owners. It seemed to be a vessel that carried a strong feeling with it. The designer, Walter Reeks, has a limited number of vessels still in use but was prolific during the earlier part of the last century (I understand). The original owner was from a pioneering South Australian family, and there are connections to other owners from the family. Some of this will require additional research, and hopefully we can put this together over time.

Under advice of the owner, we engaged with Ferdi Darley, a shipwright with the formidable skills required to bring Wyruna back to life. The move to his shed was planned for December 2019, and the journey started.

I am still puzzling over my own motivation. While I haven’t been an active sailor for many years, I have always enjoyed it. As a young boy just out of school, I had a dream of living on a yacht, and purchased magazines for several years looking for something that might be suitable. This was back when things were sold in things like the Trading Post and if I recall, sailing yachts had their own flashier versions full of glossy pictures. Given I couldn’t afford a car at the time, this was always a bit of a dream. But here we are.

More shortly!