The caravel in Geelong

from w
Yesterday it was sunny and nice for a stroll along the Geelong waterfront. It was the windup of the Wooden Boats Festival, and a chance for us to see the 'Notorious' a replica of a Spanish/Portuguese style boat of the 15th century. It took the passionate boat-builder, Mr Wylie, down in western Victoria, ten years to build it. Amazing. It was only $2 each to clamber all over it and take a few photos and think about how once upon a time our ancestors (or their enemies) worked or pirated from these kind of ships! Top photo is from an article in the Herald Sun, the rest are my pics. Some info from that article - Replica Portuguese caravel the Notorious sails into Corio Bay, Geelong
Matthew Schulz From: Herald Sun January 20, 2012 12:00AM and a video on it.

In the 10 years' full-time work it took the cabinet-maker and keen sailor to craft the 55-tonne wooden ship by hand in his Bushfield back yard, many were quick to laugh at his apparent folly. Mr Wylie, 54, said he never wavered in his belief that he could and would build a ship to sail the world. The result is a 21m wide, 17m tall marvel that can cruise at up to seven knots and take spectators back in time. That is no accident.

Mr Wylie was inspired by the legendary Mahogany Ship, a Portuguese explorer thought shipwrecked in 1522 on the wild coast west of Warrnambool. But despite sightings dating back to the 1800s of a ship part-buried in the dunes and a $250,000 reward once posted to prove it existed, the ship remains a mystery.

Mr Wylie brought his mystery ship to life with just $20,000 and old-fashioned methods. He drafted the design - without a computer - from pictures of the ships used by pirates and conquerors - Portuguese caravels - fashioning the "nimble and shallow- drafted" vessel by salvaging fallen cypress trees off farms and using an abandoned ironbark for the keel.