Thread: 17th century shipbuilding in Sydney

Good on ya Clinto. I saw the Duyfken when i went out on the James Craig a couple of weeks ago. Didn't get a chance to have a look through at the time.
Do you know how long it is staying in port. I assume till Endeavour gets back.

yes, it will be there for almost another year when the Endeavour returns to us.

Here are some pics

I've been to the maritime museum a few times and have always enjoyed it. I'm heading there sometime this month with my family to look at the Scott exhibition - always been fascinated by the early Antartic explorers.

My Dad (who is visiting at the moment) was the motor room electrician on the Onslow submarine that you have there when it was first commissioned (first Aus crew - there was a scottish crew that brought the boat to Aus in 67, I think).

Actually, as I type, he is giving a presentation to my daughters first grade class about life aboard the Onslow

I've not seen the Duyfken there before. How long has it been at the Museum? Looks beautiful

I'd be delighted to take up your kind offer if still available. Just let me know what I need to do!

Cheers,
Dave

Originally Posted by ClintO

I am a volunteer guide at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney's Darling Harbour and as part of my duties I spent a good chunk of yesterday sitting in the Duyfken a Fremantle built replica of the ship that first discovered Australia in 1606

It is a staggering piece or workmanship using only hand techniques, timber bent using heat to produce complex curves etc.

Interestingly the Dutch ships were built by eye, getting the planks in the correct shape and then installing the frames to hold them in place.

I have 5 members tickets to give to someone that will give access to all of the museum's ships including the Duyfken.

There are 2 catches to the offer. The tickets have to be used by 31 July and I would really like it if some primary school-age children are taken along to learn about Australian history

Like the Endevour replica another piece of WA stolen from the state where it is all happening.
Mac

tickets are claimed but try and get along to look at it if you can

Mac
That's because all of the early discovers didn't know what was below the ground on the left hand side so they mean more to us on the right hand side
Clint

For a number of years I was involved with the Leeuwin Sail training Foundation in WA , in my capacity as volunteer crew on the Sail Training Ship S S Leeuwin 11 I had many opportunities to sailed on a tall ship up and down the coast of WA. A number of those voyages entailed sailing to the Abrolhos Island particular the area that surrounded where the Batavia was wrecked way back in1692.
For those of us interested in Wooden ships of the past we watched with interest the replica of the Duyfkin being built in Fremantle, like the Endevour Replica this replica was a credit to the many skilled people who were involved in the building of these examples of our maritime history.
A number of the volunteer crew from the Leeuwin actually sailed on the Duyfkin on its maiden voyage particular to the north of Australia and on to NSW.
For all those people interested in the maritime history of Australia I would highly recommend members to get hold of and read the book of the account of the wreck of "Batavia "written by Peter Fitzsimons and if they are able to get hold of the publication of the book "Wicked and the Fair" a fictionalised account of the Batavia written by Henrietta Drake- Brockman. The story of the Batavia in my opinion would make a fantastic movie, I can see Rush in the roll of the main villain of the story Jeronimus Cornelisz
Mac

Hi,

I packed the kids, wife and father in the car and headed off to the Maritime museum on Saturday (discovered a deal where you can park in the Harbourside carpark for $12 for the day with ticket validation at the museum...).

I was particularly interested in the Duyfken, the Onslow and the Scott exhibition. The Duyfken was an amazing little boat. Im in the middle of reading Patrick OBrians fantastic Aubrey/Maturin series (made into the Master and Commander movie, so the sailing boats of the era fascinate me. The original Duyfken was launched in 1595 and the Aubrey/Maturin books were written about a period some 200+ years later, so the differences in technology were very apparent. The guns were a lot smaller (3lb as compared to 12-32lb), the ships wheel hadn't yet been invented (they used a Whipstaff) and they didn't use hammocks. The galley was also an incredibly basic and small affair. I loved the way the ship was built in a very original manner - close to original wood species and origin, original wood coatings (the endeavour replica apparently used more modern preservatives). I've never wanted to go sailing in a ship as much as the Duyfken - to see how a ship that was designed to sail fast and beautifully 400 years ago actually goes. Availability of public cruises and family commitments aside, I'd jump at the chance... I was also told that it will be in the Maritime Museum until the Endeavour gets back from it's 12 month cruise, at which point it will probably return to Brisbane (I think).

The Onslow was as fun as always. My Dad always enjoys a trip down memory lane. As a nice bonus, one of the tour guides was an old Motor Room Electrician for about 6 years in the mid 80's. My Dad kept that seat warm from 69-73 (I was wrong about 67 )


The only slight dissapointment of the day was the Scott exhibition. I've read a few books on it lately and was really looking forward to this. They had a number of artifacts, but they were spread out a long way and they weren't that numerous. They had a layout of the winter cabin that they used, which was great (and the redeeming feature of the exhibition) and gave you a feel for their living space, but there wasn't a lot there that gave you a feel for the isolation and extreme conditions. I'm not sure what they could have done differently, but maybe a replica tent to show the cramped living style when they were trekking, or even a harness that you could try on and attempt to move a similar weight to see how diffifult man-hauling really was. I know there would be the ubiquitous insurance issues, but it would add a degree of interactivity and give you more of a sense of what they actually went through. I think it was probably a case of expectations being too high as opposed to any failing on the part of the museum. But then again my expectations of the Duyfken were very high and they were surpassed magnificently

So overall, a fantastic day. I really enjoyed it and my family did to. A Massive thank you to Clint for the tickets. It is a pity you weren't on during Saturday, but you have my gratitude anyway. I've posted a small something to say thanks as well.

Cheers,
Dave

Sounds like a great day was had by all.

Like you Dave, I am a bit obsessed with the days of sail. I've read about 8 of the Lucky Jack series. As well as a few others. I would have loved to do the full tour on Endeavour but too many bills to pay to manage that.
Although it's expensive, I highly recommend the day sail on the James Craig. Great fun, you can get in and help hauling ropes, and there are a LOT of ropes, or you can just sit back and relax.
My wife and I went out a couple of weeks ago and we (not us two personally ) managed to set 19 of the 22 sails. I was glad we did because I hitched a ride on the James Craig from Newcastle to Sydney last year and we only managed to set 1 sail as a training excercise. Headed into the wind all the way.

If you're interested in Scott and the Antarctic, there is a great display at the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Alright it's in another country but it's still good.
You can go into a simulation of an Antarctic storm where they drop the temperature to -20°C. They give you cold weather gear to wear but I thought "How cold could it be? Seriously, It won't be that bad." I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. It took me a while to thaw out.
Thanks Clint, I'll get back to check out the Duyfken before it leaves.

Hi NCArcher.

The James Craig sounds fun. I once went on a christmas party aboard that ship tied up to the wharf, and I spent the whole time wondering what on earth it added to the experience of a party to be on a cramped sailing ship.. Now sailing it would be another matter entirely

Originally Posted by NCArcher

If you're interested in Scott and the Antarctic, there is a great display at the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. Alright it's in another country but it's still good.
You can go into a simulation of an Antarctic storm where they drop the temperature to -20°C. They give you cold weather gear to wear but I thought "How cold could it be? Seriously, It won't be that bad." I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. It took me a while to thaw out.

I was in Christchurch for my honeymoon some 11 years ago, but that does sound amazing. It is yet another reason to make the trek back to NZ. I've been tempted to go for some time.

I really admire the efforts of the NZ govt and community in protecting the Scott legacy. They've done a huge amount of work keeping the Scott base hut preserved and in good nick, as well as plenty of other bits, including what you describe above. My wife runs Video Conferencing sessions at the school she works at, and took a group of kids on a virtual excursion to Scott Base - absolutely fascinating

Cheers,
Dave

Speaking on behalf of the 400+ volunteer guides who run the ship tours, I am pleased that you enjoyed them. The curators are responsible for the Scott exhibit lol

I hope the kids were wide-eyed when seeing what their grandfather did and how he lived on the submarines