It’s small, it’s fast (well, comparatively for a 15th century exploration ship) but sailing in through the Tuncurry Forster breakwall last week was a ship that could hardly be called inconspicuous.
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In fact, the country’s only replica of a 15th century caravel is both Notorious in name and its black appearance.
“When the kids see it they think it’s a pirate ship,” laughs owner and sailor Felicite Wylie.
It took Felicite’s husband Graeme two and a half years of research and 10 years to build and since 2012 the couple spend up to 11 months of each year sailing the boat from port to port, from Victoria up the east coast of Australia.
“This is our fourth voyage, but first time to the Great Lakes,” Felicite said.
The couple’s adventure began when Graeme, then a furniture builder in their hometown of Bushfield, Victoria, decided to build a boat from what Felicite described as the “hundreds of trees being bulldozed everyday” in their corner of the State.
Monteray cypress was originally planted by shepherds in the 1800s as windbreaks, and Graeme became determined to find a use for them.
“The logs are solid wood.
“They’re fabulous, stable, have high levels of resins and kino. It’s very undervalued.”
So after pouring over historical books, Graeme came up with the Notorious and built his boat in their backyard from the keel up.
Like days of old, the process involved steaming some of the timber for the bow above the water. Finally ready at 60 feet long with a mast just over 13 metres above the waterline, she set sail.
Her maiden voyage in 2012 included eight crew, all learning to work with a foreign style rig.
Today, sailing the boat it’s just the three of them –and that includes the dog, April.
A lesson in history and vision, the ship was open to the public last weekend for a small fee.
“The Notorious has a strong attraction to a wide variety of people,” Felicite, said.
