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Having lived aboard the 53' narrowboat 'Starcross' in central England for two years before migrating to Tasmania in 2004. Mark returned in 2024 and set off one day to walk down the Lea Navigation from the northern edge of London to the river Thames looking for Starcross as he had heard that it had been recently spotted on that canal.
A bit of the history of England's canals interspersed with a few stories from living 'on the cut'.

The Hope was a colonial trading brig purchased in London and refitted by Major MacIntosh in 1821 for the journey to Tasmania. Major Hugh MacIntosh and Peter Degraves (founder of The Cascades) sailed for Hobart in 1824 where it was wrecked on April 29, 1827, on a sandbank at Hope Beach near the Derwent River entrance.
After it was wrecked the Hope spawned one of Tasmania's great treasure stories as it supposedly contained the Hobart Garrison's quarterly pay chest, about three thousand pounds in coins alegedly buried in the sandunes.

Photgraphs highlighting the amazing coastline around Tasmania gathered along the course of a circumnavigation walk.

From a well known Tasmanian ship builder’s back yard, to fishing boat, to a wreck ready to be burnt, to a live aboard coastal cruiser.
Our member Simon tells the story of how the Kellie-Jayde has come back to life, the restoration process for a wooden boat and the fit out.

Spending 6 months caretaking on Maatsuyker Island in the South West National Park over the summer of Sept 2023 – Apr 2024. They shared stories of what unfolded for them through yarns, soundscape and imagery, providing a sense of what it is like to live and breathe the environment; daily tasks; breakages; weather observations; 8-10m swells; sculpted tea tree; barking seals; partying Shearwater; humidity; grass in your navel; visitors; caretaker traditions; maintenance; separation; sky country; sea country; radish leaf soup; changes; stability; heart, and (we might as well throw it in) … soul of the experience..

Insights from the 2025 Women Who Sail Australia Gathering on the Bay at Port Stephens. The event is primarily for women, but includes opportunities for Blokes on Boats (Bobs) and everyone to return with fresh ideas and inspiration.
Chrissie Rowland from our club presented on the Tasmanian South East Coast as a cruising destination. Also sharing their expertise and experience were world renowned sailors Wendy Tuck & Lisa Blair.

Ben Tucker has now spent seven summers over nine years, starting in 2015, working in Antarctica. He has taken charter boats to the Antarctic Peninsula and worked for the Australian Antarctic Division on inflatables and barges, transferring cargo from the Aurora Australis to shore, including handling up to one million litres of fuel.

Ben’s sense of Antarctic adventure began in 2006 when he sailed his yacht from Hobart to Mason Hut. Before that, in 2000, he completed a single-handed trans-Tasman voyage on his 26-foot folk boat.

Vanuatu is a draw card for many cruisers wanting to complete an ocean passage with the excitement of experiencing a different culture. Vanuatu is made up of 86 islands that were cruised from the South to North in the chain. Some villages only speak French with English becoming more popular.

Peter has recently completed a quest to circumnavigate Tasmania's coastline by foot. He showed a collection of photographs from the most remote sections of our coastline.

Member Alex in January 2024 Rusalka sailed from Hobart to Bluff at the very bottom of New Zealand. There, the weather prevented any further progress to New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands. So Rusalka sailed to Picton where it waited until November 2024 to make a second attempt. This time it successfully sailed to the Auckland Islands at 50 degrees south. Two weeks were spent exploring coves and bays, seeing the unique flora and fauna, experiencing the raw weather and immersing in the beauty of the place.

Ian Talked about his experiences and journey in becoming an "experienced" seaman, touching on his world circumnavigations and vessels. Explaining what makes a boat and crew safe. Touching on boat handling, maintaining a state of readiness, coastal navigation, MOB, anchoring and boat handling while under sail and motor.

A session on using the club website/App;
* Update your profile so members can identify you.
* Protect your identity.
* Book events, & how to see what events you have booked
* Auto payments
* Accessing the extensive library of documents
* Where all past Albatross issues are stored

A presentation on anchoring providing practical examples with check lists of things to watch out for including dragging.

Choose to depart from Australia or New Zealand or join us in the Pacific and explore your choice of Minerva Reef, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia. Return to New Zealand or continue on to Australia. Island Cruising rallies are flexible and packed with fun events & content to help you prepare..
intensive pre-departure training to help ensure you feel confident and prepared on departure day. You can tap into some excellent discounts from our marine business partners. We support you on the passage with weather and tracking you on passage, help you find crew, assist with all the documentation and entry/exit formalities, provide detailed resources and destination information to save you lots of time doing all the research, provide assistance if you have any issues en-route, and we have fun events along the way and connect you with others heading in the same direction. Choosing to cruise with the group or do your own thing and sail independently.

Helicopter paramedic Adam shared his experience and provided some guidance for sailors requiring Helicopter medical assistance.