A few weeks ago I spotted a new and interesting boat on the river while passing by on a friend's yacht, by coincidence the following day I was rowing Mrs BB down river for a coffee and cake, stopping by the new boat to take some photo's the owner Daniel invited us on board and shared some of the history about the boat.
Built in Western Australia in the 1950's by the Driscoll brothers to a design by Len Randell, the then young Driscolls having finished the yacht to a high quality apparently didn't have the time or funds to fit out below but sailed the boat to South Africa with very spartan comforts, sleeping in hammocks and cooking on an old paraffin stove.
The story continues, a Mike Saunders from Rhodesia found Walkabout abandoned near the small island of Bartholomew Dias in Mozambique. Following a refit, with his wife and four children, he then sailed around the Cape, via South America, the West Indies and the Azores and ended up in Emsworth.
At some stage Walkabout passed onto an accomplished shipwright called Clive, who lived on board and owned Walkabout for some 35 years, before selling to the current owner Daniel.
The quality and construction is evident throughout the boat seen above the solid dodger is a relatively new addition which provides a secure and useful space in the cockpit.
Some photo's sent by Daniel of Walkabout sailing and history
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It is great to see Walkabout looking so good. I met the Saunders family in Durban, and later, Cape Town, South Africa, when I was a boy of 20. It always amazed me how they all fitted in down below! Like many people, I have always loved the book Mike Saunders wrote about their voyage from Mozambique to England. It was such a happy book, though I read somewhere that the book caused some friction between the parents, from memory, because Liz felt it exposed the children too much. It would be interesting to hear the perspectives of the kids, now adults.. Mark Saunders, the second-eldest child, made a comment in 2009 on the YBW Forum in 2009, mentioning that his parents divorced a few years after the voyage. I think the other comment that I now cannot locate was also written by him, and suggested his wife was happy to go off on their new boat for another tradewind voyage, but Mike wanted to sail to the Antarctic! In the end the boat was sold and they did not sail anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI did not realise where to add my email address when writing the above comment. It is yachtrarion@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteHaving difficulty getting this sorted, typical solo sailor! Thanks for the Walkabout post, brought back some memories. My email address is yachtarion@hotmail.com
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