We are the People that are FREE!  Home  Passage People by edition  Passage People by boat names  From The Coastal Passage, issue #31 Yes, this is that Mango... The boat Bob Oram built and sailed around the Queensland coast. Paul was up from Sydney looking for a Wharram in Bundy and came across an ad in TCP and decided to buy Bob’s boat instead. Then as luck would have it... an opportunity came about to take the boat home where the water is warmer and mangoes grow. So I caught up with the boys doing the delivery. It was good to catch up for a beer at the Boat Club Marina. That’s Paul at left, then Isaac and David and Mark. Thanks for the visit guys, had a great chat! Gary first saw Alexandra J in Mackay, tied up next to 'Alexandra J II'. She is a 27' fiberglass Westerly Pacific, originally from New Guinea. He liked her lines and a partnership was formed. That was about 10 years ago and they have been sailing up and down the east coast since. She is currently in Cairns where Gary is working to top up the sailing kitty and looking to meet that special lady who will share his passion for sailing and adventure. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot Sheena and Hamish are, wait for it, Westralians! Yes, another couple of sandgropers have made their way over to the best cruising grounds in Oz. Their boat is an elegant 42 footer named 'Hidden Dragon' which can't be missed being black nearly all over. She is a Colvin Gazelle junk rigged schooner who, Sheena says, will just as happily go backwards as forwards. They have sailed from Brisbane to Cairns so far, and are planning a trip to the Louisiades either this year or next. Cruising the Kimberleys is also on their list of things to do. Keep your eye out for them at Lizard Island this year, they both love a chat. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot   Watch out for the skull & crossbones flying, it will be Captain and Mrs Pugwash on 'Ulurkura'. Mal and Sharon have just purchased the 37' Alan Payne sloop and are busy tarting her up for this year's cruising season. They are also in the middle of moving over to the east coast from Kalgoorlie WA (yep, another couple of sandgropers), so looks like being a busy year for these guys. Pugwash is an ex-professional fisherman but Sharon is a newbie to sailing, and so far loving it. Being a horticulturalist she thinks she might miss her garden but that's what potted plants are for on a boat. A boilermaker by trade, Pugwash is keen to get going with his mobile welding business in Cairns and as he specializes in stainless and ali, fellow boaties take note. The kettle is usually on and there is always beer in the fridge, so give them a hoy. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot   Matthew and Natasha of Kalida Announce the Grand Opening of their new club. The Lizard Island Yacht Club. The place needed more action but who is gonna run the bar? They also have been advised they need to open a newsagent next door.. for TCP! “Low Budget Cruising but priceless adventures” Capt Robert Cleveland sent in a couple pics whilst delivering a Crowther cat south from Cardwell. The skipper is a multihull man and says, “Fast and flat is fun!" Picture living on a 61' sailboat for 30 years and you'll see Bill and Sheila on Myambla. She was built in Fremantle by Bill yes, another proud West Australian, and is based on a Jean Roux design. The three of them have done the Darwin to Ambon race and sailed extensively throughout Indonesia, with their favourite place being Port Essington. Bill is the musician of the family and happily tinkles the ivories; yes, there is a piano on board! They are in Cairns after a trip down from Darwin a few months ago where, sadly, Myambla is for sale. It will be the end of an era for Bill and Sheila but they are not going to be land rats for very long, with plans for a catamaran on the go. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot There is quite a bit of history to Pangaea, a 16m schooner. Built in 1978 with a fiberglass hull and various SE Asian and North American timbers throughout, she was originally a salmon troller from Alaska, then retired to became a shipwreck locating boat in the South China Sea. She has had quite a chequered past; suffice to say that her current owners Jim and Debbie just enjoy living and cruising on her. Jim works for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority in Darwin, which by his own admission means he tries to manage traditional Indonesian fishing in Australian waters, and Deb is a teacher, also in Darwin. They've sailed her from Langkawi where she was purchased, to Cairns via Thursday Island and up to Darwin. If you see Pangaea, say hello as Deb & Jim are usually good for a chat. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot Tim and Barb just love their 42' motor sailor, Rubicon Star. She is a John Pugh design and a toughie, having sailed from Cairns, where Tim and Barb bought her in 2001, down to Tasmania, then back again. I caught up with 'Rubi', as she is affectionately known, in Bluewater marina, where Tim & Barb were doing all those things yachties do to get ready for a major trip. They will be heading off to Darwin very shortly, there to join the rally to Kupang. After that, who knows where the wind will take them, as there are no plans to come back just yet. Barb, hang onto that hat, it's a beauty. picture & words by Wendy, SY Absolutely Knot