Dreamtime - The Beginning - January 1974

Описание: In July 1971 at 23, I started building Dreamtime, a steel 36ft (11m) Cecil Boden design called Helena. This was a ketch multi chine version of his other round bilge steel design call Germaine, nominally a sloop or Cutter. The multi chine version allowed flat steel plate to be used without the compound curves required to be pressed for a round bilge.

I was working full time to earn the money for the build but managed to complete the build part time in 2.5 years launching in January 1974. In July we set off from Melbourne for a 6 month cruise up the east coast of Australia to Townsville where we stopped for 18 months to replenish the coffers.

In July 1976 we set off again, testing systems for a couple of months sailing down to the Whitsundays and up north as far as Lizard Island, before setting off from Cairns in September 1976 for a 15 month cruise through Melanesia. We visited Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands out to Tikopia, then against the south east trade winds to Fiji, back west to Tuvalu and New Caledonia before crossing back across the Coral Sea via the Chesterfield Reefs to Mackay in Australia. Finally sailing back north to Townsville.

Remember that all Media is digitised from more than 50 year old 35mm slide film and 8mm Super 8 film.