Clipper Ship's Final Voyage. Stage #4 June 13 -16 2024 

Hello tom 7173. Thank you for that snippet. It only got worse after that! In 1991 she "mysteriously sank" (that's how the incident was publicly reported as) & was COMPLETELY submerged for 13 months. Re-floated & towed to Irvine..... I'm sure you know the rest of the story. Now that she is finally on solid ground lots can, & will start happening.

Hi SearTrip. Thank you for your comment. I am a great believer in the "Desire Factor", not luck. Our maintenance team (all volunteers) are very dedicated AND capable with whatever they are faced with.

Thank you grumbo39. Now that we are at long last on solid ground, the exterior resto/repairs can now be undertaken (this was not permitted whilst she was on a moving base) Internal works have been ongoing for some time. Two of the first class passenger cabins are almost complete......

Hello joachim4728 Many thanks for your comments, & shall pass it onto The Team

Hello mark9213. Thank you for your comment sir. The re-furb of the exterior can now finally proceed, now that she is solid ground. It was not permitted whilst on the barge (very limited type of works could be carried out up till now)

Hi mike7122. It most certainly has been (and will be) a fantastic effort many persons & businesses for many years.

Thank you almac2598. She must have been a depressing sight to see in person in Irvine. I'm only going by the visuals that I have access to, & they tell the sad story. You can hold me to this....There will be a visual external change in her & her surroundings s in the next 12 - 18 months. Then you will most certainly have to pay a visit down under to view for yourself

Hi user. If you had viewed all the images that I have been fortunate to have at my disposal, it would almost make one weep in despair! Now that we are off the barge, work can finally proceed on the external appearance. It was not permitted to erect scaffolding etc; as required to conduct any form of external repairs due her location on a non fixed base (read, floating barge) Dock 2 where we are, will over time become a Maritime Village with the emphasis on complete family entertainment/enjoyment.

Many thanks for your thoughts & comments. Just showing your interest & telling others about this massive project is just great. Have you been able to view her before or since "The Move"? The whole of the site will see some quite major changes from here on in now that we are finally on solid ground.

Grateful thanks Astrid. A massive team effort by so many.

Thank you for your interest tom6890 Yes...The sinking under "suspicious circumstances" has never seen any hint of why it was "allowed" to happen. You possibly have heard over the years (as we have) of whom/what may have caused this catastrophe! Anyway, the ship that never dies, is most certainly alive & well, AND improving all the time. Wait another 2-3 yrs & you will see a vast improvement inside & out.

Hello & thanks kafunkalear. We ALL take this project very, very seriously & work toward the ultimate goal in having as many people as possible to visit this old lady of yesteryear high seas.

Thank you for your comment jcmac47. Those SPMT'S are something else aren't they! The ones you saw in action were "on loan" for the day (it was actually more like 4 days!!) from ANI (Australian Naval Infrastructure) & they move subs &/or sections of, at the submarine base here @ Port Adelaide.

@@edster9221 To what degree is she going to be restored? With mast, etc, or hull only? Either way she's enough to make me want to visit eventually just to see her! Cheers from Canada.

Hi jcmac47 Thank you for your interest. Restoration over time shall go something like this... 1/ Three First class cabins will be built (2 almost finished) 2/ Hull exterior will be caulked & sealed against the weather (original caulking between the planks has long since gone!) 3/ 3 Masts will eventually be added, & with the appropriate type of supports as per (they will also be that of original dimensions) Interior in general terms will require minimal extra work (apart from the caulking) as we have already held several musical & interactive events. If you care to check out some of my earlier videos, it should give you a much clearer understanding of what has been achieved to date.

@@edster9221 That's wonderful! Thanks so much for your reply. Much appreciated.

Couldn't agree with you more. It has taken mountains of patience, perseverance & help by so many people & businesses to achieve this.

Many thanks sean7245. Almost anything can be achieved if one has the "desire factor".

​@@edster9221 absolutely 💯 %

Hi pcka12. Does anyone have any photos/sketches of said ship at all? Just curious. We migrated to NZ in '49-50 (Latvian origins) . One still has memories as a 8 yr old of this 6 week long journey. Then onto Oz in '85

@@edster9221 I doubt it now, there are stories such as the wine which spilt over Great Grandmother’s dress as the ship rocked in the swells & the child that she was carrying was subsequently born with a red 'wine stain' birthmark! They sailed from England. PS, boarding lists for ships seem to survive, they may have become a necessary formality at some point which is worth investigating.

so did a lot of mine, from England in 1820 and 1835 ,non voluntary, and as free migrants from Prussia in 1845 ...Like the Old Split Enz song,Six months on a leaky boat. 😁😁

@@Mercmad my relatives on both sides dealt in grain, providing the staple food of people & animals at prices which remained stable throughout much of the 19th Century unlike the runaway inflation of much of the 20th & 21st centuries.

Easy buddy. I'm from the UK so may not fully understand your message, can I ask what is hswing11?... And what is ATO? I'm trying to understand, it looks like someone had a bad attitude or something? The whole story of this move is incredible, and it's fantastic to see history saved for future generations, I'm just left a little confused by your comment, please buzz me, daz :-) manugg

@@darrendonbavand8924the ATO is the Australian Taxation Office. If you scroll through all the comments you’ll find a comment from @hswing11 who wrote “WHAT FOR WHO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THIS WET DREAM” and I think you’ll find the comment you’re replying to from Steve is a bit of Aussie humour mate

@paraplegicbradleyschubert1328 hi :‐), I tried to find a related post to understand , I didn't see it ,I've worked the building trade and see some volunteer's with attitude ,im so glad that it was humourous ,thankyou for taking the time to clear that up for me .the project to save this magnificent ship is maybe for some a life's ambition or has become that way ,this type of history is important ...I mean just look at the size of that thing, it's massive ,we humans are just awesome .thankyou n have a great day :-)manugg

Thank you for your comments greg8106. Very much appreciated by all involved. Our Maintenance Team were on site by 5-5:30 am for the preceding 2 weeks prior The Move. I raise my hat to them all!

Hello david4721 We proved "them" wrong, didn't we!

They did, but more like they didnt want to and the Maritime Museum in Irvine sadly didnt have the resources. :(

Hello RetiredPilot. Sadly, I was not involved in 2014 when it arrived here @ Pt Adelaide (was not until 2017) There is a DVD available at our info centre compliments of Ch 7 (John Riddell) that has this vision in it. I will look into whether I could/may be able to "obtain" footage & not infringe on any copyright in an answer to your question.

Hello taxidude. Thank you for your interest. She must have been a depressing site to see back then! I can assure you that she will NEVER be permitted to deteriorate as she had been in times past!

@@edster9221 Always saddened me even as a child to see her trapped between old road bridges on the River Clyde. I am delighted she is being restored. Well done to you and all involved in the restoration. It is only fitting she's in Oz and reclaiming her old name.

Hi TurboHDT It most certainly is Port Adelaide. The SPMT'S (self propelled modular transporters) that you see in operation here, has a load bearing capability of over 4,000 tons! The ship + cradle = less than 600 tons

@@edster9221 think ill take a cruise down to the port and check it out, thanx for that mate😀

No problemo TurboHDT Enjoy your visit.

Hi andrewhull7296 Not restored in the true sense as such, but more like long term preservation as she is now. The three masts will be installed with appropriate rigging etc, in the future.

I tend to agree with you BUT........., the expense would be phenomenal! The maritime safety requirements etc; would have all involved jumping through hoops for years to come. In the end, we would basically have a new ship & therefore NOT original.

@@edster9221 They said the same thing about the cutty sark, when it that fire it had another 2 to 3 years of work to go, and she would have been in the water You are going to replace every bit over time

@@southerneruk Hello southerneruk. From the information I am privy to, that is not likely to happen. The repairs/renos that have taken place to date, is only just sufficient to preserve her originality as much as possible. You have given me food for thought though i.e shoot some footage with one of the Board members of what is planned in relation to replacing/renewing items or areas.

It is very sad. Watch some of the recent videos of the interior. Between that and the condition she was in when I last saw her at Irvine, she would need to be rehulled, which would then mean she was no longer original. I am just grateful she has been taken to a warm climate.

Hello grumbo39 You mention "warm climate".... Since the move, it's been everything but that. Absolutely dead lucky to move when we did (as mentioned in the video) Since we had the choice of....Wet, wet & wind & then wet some more!! I know full well how she had to withstand the weather for years in that part of the globe. Will shoot an update mainly of interior, but also externals since arriving at her new home. Thank you for your interest sir.

Hi jaynorris3722 I sense your pain! You need a team such as ours to get things rolling before it's TOO late.

From what I've seen they've been fund raising for many years.

Well we failed in Scotland thanks to the lack of funding, very happy that Australia loved her enough to save her. Considering the money that is wasted/stolen by Governments and individuals around the World, you can hardly call a worthy historical project that is a surviving fundamental part of the history of Australia, a 'Wet Dream'. Also shows your lack of any sort of vision or appreciation of the value of these things.

@@grumbo39 It is a wet dream . That vessel will only deteriorate further and further . To what end? Just a broken back pile of old wood needing millions just to maintain stability. Its a sad dream that has been oft repeated and failed. Sydney maritime Museum gets all the bucks . Melbourne lost her wonderful museum through scandalous mismanagement .Good on you for believing and I hope all the best for your efforts.

@@grumbo39 Thankyou for explaining things so perfectly, but remember, some people have low intelligence.

@@blackstone3323 I like to stick with the optimist approach and take the time to explain rather than the American MAGA approach and yell abuse or assume stupidity. Sometimes it gets through, so even 1 result is a victory. ;)