Thread: Pearl Lugger /Gaff Cutter

Hi Tony, my how time flies, I recall seeing several vessels sunk at T.I early 60's outside the Fed Hotel. The engines laying on the deck of another at anchor nearby. They would do this every couple years to clear the cockroaches and rats out. As you will be aware there was nothing in a lugger, just a bench around the hold to stack belongings on, crew lived on deck. cooker a 20 gallon grease drum on a sheet of flat iron on deck. Most had a pair of bronze screw bungs in each garboard, lay the ship in a quiet spot and unscrew the bungs, after a few days dive down, replace bungs, jamb 44 gallon drums under the decks and float her in. Pity about "Dahlia" I thought she was well maintained.There was several luggers built in NZ around the turn of the century and sailed up to T.I. mostly by Lane & Brown at Whangaroa( I think) Regards Ray

Here's a couple of pics of a very nice TI lugger I recently took the lines off, the SONGTON. She was built in 1956 in Cairns, so is one of the last in a long line that started in the 1870s.

I have no record of their names, but I'm slowly scanning my father's slides from our time on TI in the late 50's.

I upload them from time to time on my Flickr pages as I get through the scanning, but it'll be a while till it's all finished.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitingm...7603668260915/

Here are a few from the collection so far:











If you want bigger, grab them from the Flickr link.

Cheers,

P

WOW! Biting Midge, that's a treasure trove! I especially love the colour picture of the stern, great detail. Here's what I can tell you about some of the boats in the pictures.

A23 is a boat named RELSIE NONA, one of the fleet operated by the Nona family of Badu Island (recognisable by the red dot on the bow). She was previously named GONAH and operated by Saibai Island. I don't know much about her because the Department of Native Affairs (which owned the boats on behalf of the Torres Strait Islanders) didn't have to register their boats in the British register of ships.

In the picture above, the boat in the centre is A35 VERA. She was built at TI by a Japanese shipwright named Furuta in 1901 for the well-known pearler Herbert Bowden, who owned her up to WW2. She was operated by the Army during the war, after which she was returned to Bowden. She only carried the registration number A35 from 1958 to 1960, so that dates the photo fairly closely.

The boat on the right in the same picture is A37 DAHLIA. I assume this is the boat built by Fred Bowie at TI in 1950 for Bowden. Again, she only carried this number from 1958 to 1960. Bowdens went bankrupt early in the early 1960s and DAHLIA was sold to owners in Tasmania. I believe she subsequently turned up in the Whitsundays where she was one of the boats that initiated the Fun Race. As mentioned above, she was eventually sunk in the Brisbane River.

There is also a picture in the file on Flickr showing A63 CANDIA. She was built at TI in 1909 by Furuta for a pearler named Hodels, but was soon sold to the Wyben Pearling Co (owned by Burns Philp). During WW2 she was operated by the RAAF at Port Moresby. After the war she was operated by the Hockings family, who have a long history of pearling at TI. I don't know what her eventual fate was.

Thanks for sharing these, I can't wait to see more!

Regards

Tony Hunt

Biting Midge, LOVE it! That's the sort of material that makes nutters like me go weak at the knees and start salivating...

Really, really useful stuff for documenting the way pearling, or "pearl shelling" was done - and the beautiful boats developed to do it from.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Wild Dingo

Well I'll be buggared eh!! That worked! I told you before old son your a bloody legend!

So I wonder where in blasted bloody blue blazes it is hiding in Carnarvon?? I was just up there a week or so back and in my wanderings around town and out at the main town jetty or out the back of Pelican Point and Babbage Island I didnt see it anywhere... mmmm I think I can feel a road trip coming on again

Interesting bum on her eh :

Last time I saw her, she was lying across the tramway from Wilson Tuckey MP's horse racing stables... but help has come to hand, and she's no longer neglected. Have a look either inside the Carnarvon Heritage group museum grounds, or inside the railway mob's sheds, both at the foot of the jetty. BTW, those plans were drawn by the members of the Maritime Heritage Assoc of WA who documented her - worth joining that mob!

Just to help you salivate, Tony H has mentioned her sister BRITANNIA, but there's another, MAFALDA, which is still about on the Swan somewhere...

Cheers!

Hi Luggerite

Great to hear from you. Drop me a PM some time, I'd love to chat.

And I'd love to see a picture of MAFALDA if you have on to post, too!

Cheers

Tony

Thanks Tony and Luggerite for the feedback. I'm sorry it's taken a while to respond, I overlooked this thread for a bit!

I'm hoping to find some more gems as I work my way through the collection, and I'll post them if I do!

Cheers,

P

Great photos Biting Midge ! Really marvelous !

Hi Tony ! Hi Shane !

Here a photo of Crest ,as Tony said still for sale last I heard .

Anyone know where the site for the sale of Crest is? I would like to have a bit more of a looksee and see what theyre asking for her.

Worth asking but if shes still available are you up for a bit of a survey journey Tony? Just to get a feel first then I'll wander over and get a proper survey done if we are looking good.

Cheers
Shane

Mate ,I'd email Tony .Last time I saw him he said the price was down from the $20k , but how much I don't know. She not a live aboard by any stretch though ,quite small really .A great boat for Moreton Bay .

Cheers mate
Shes around 29ft if I remember rightly... so unless Im missing something surely enough to at least be converted to live aboard at least for 1?

Will get more info and see whats what with her

Cheers
Shane

A few pics Shane .You could live aboard , but you would need to be a hardy type ...and very short . She's a lovely little boat but does need some work .Mainly a pile of ribs aft,port .

Well I make it as the shortwheeled based type... hardy? mmm okay ive done rough and ready but may have to treat her to a bit of lovin an tenderness give her a few pressies and such along with the workout

Tony must be busy with other things... mmmm since you have the pics maybe you know where she be hiding? and price would be good to know

Cheers
Shane