Vintage signwriting....looks cool eh?
I've been staying close to home for the last couple of weeks, and doing a bit to support the Yacht Club. The club had its season Opening Day this weekend, and there was a working bee the week prior to clean the old place up a bit. So even the number on my Pen G14 had a touch-up.
It's quite fascinating to think that the Royal Geelong Yacht Club was actually founded in 1859, (just five years after the Eureka Stockade incident, and around the same time as Great-Grandfather Alexander Smythe Forbes first stepped off the "Chimborazo" from Scotland to set foot in Australia). I sometimes fall into a daydream gazing into the water beneath my boat, wondering what stories lay buried in the mud below me. In its heyday, Geelong was the main port for the Western District wool trade, and the famous clipper ships all loaded their cargoes here. The Ballarat goldfields shipped their wealth out through the very port where "Endurance" is tied up today, and even the venerable Captain "Bully" Forbes (no relation that I'm aware of....) once strode the dock.
It's quite fascinating to think that the Royal Geelong Yacht Club was actually founded in 1859, (just five years after the Eureka Stockade incident, and around the same time as Great-Grandfather Alexander Smythe Forbes first stepped off the "Chimborazo" from Scotland to set foot in Australia). I sometimes fall into a daydream gazing into the water beneath my boat, wondering what stories lay buried in the mud below me. In its heyday, Geelong was the main port for the Western District wool trade, and the famous clipper ships all loaded their cargoes here. The Ballarat goldfields shipped their wealth out through the very port where "Endurance" is tied up today, and even the venerable Captain "Bully" Forbes (no relation that I'm aware of....) once strode the dock.
The "Enterprize" still sails on Port Phillip Bay. She's a replica of the ship that brought the first settlers to Victoria in 1835.
Lanikai Forbes takes the helm....
It hasn't all been work lately though..we had a great daysail with the Grandkids who've been desperate to get out on the boat. We'd been worried about how to keep them captive on board without them hurtling over the side but they both proved to be very safety-conscious sailors and weren't a worry at all. 6-year old Lanikai took over the helm and steered that thumpin' big boat for well over an hour, grinning like a Cheshire Cat .
The youngest Alexander Forbes takes to the sea....
Planning for the big trip is still running on track. The biggest task of all is cleaning up the house. I cant believe how much clutter we can accumulate. We seem to be drowning in "stuff".
But with Admiral Mary finishing work next weekend, we'll soon be able to attack the job with ruthless determination. Getting the family home in a state fit to hand over to our kids to take control is a mammoth task....I'm looking forward to only having a boat to clean up.
But with Admiral Mary finishing work next weekend, we'll soon be able to attack the job with ruthless determination. Getting the family home in a state fit to hand over to our kids to take control is a mammoth task....I'm looking forward to only having a boat to clean up.
The cutest Bum in Geelong! Endurance in her Pen.
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