Sail back in time to the 15th century
THE chance to board a fullsized reproduction of a 15thcentury caravel as sailed by Portuguese and Spanish explorers will be on offer in Cairns this weekend.
Designed, constructed and sailed by Graeme Wylie and his wife Felicitie, the Notorious is a beautiful example of the types of fast and highly manoeuverable ships that crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
Two of Christopher Columbus’s three ships on his voyage to the New World were caravels. But for Mr and Ms Wylie, the Notorious is more than a ship; she is home.
And the pair is looking forward to welcoming the Cairns community on deck this weekend.
“Since her launch in 2011 at Port Fairy, southwest Victoria, Notorious has sailed over 45,000km through the Southern Ocean, Bass Strait, the Tasman and Coral seas,” Mr Wylie said. “I built it using reclaimed timber when local farmers pulled out dozens of cypress trees. It took over nine years at our house in south
west Victoria.
“I spent years on the design, before I made the furniture,” he said.
Ships of its kind were designed to sail hard while exploring the mostly uncharted oceans of the 1400s.
“We did our first voyage in
January 2012,” Ms Wylie said.
“Since then we have been living aboard. It’s wonderful.”
Mr Wylie has cleverly incorporated an engine in a massive timber seachest, while the solar panels are out of sight over the forecastle.
The Notorious is open on
September 23-26 from 9am to 3pm daily at the Cairns Cruising Yacht Squadron, 42-48 Tingira St, Portsmith.
Tickets at the ship’s boarding ramp, Eftpos available, adults (15 years and over) $6, Child (2 to 14 years) $3 and infants welcome.