Sailing Tasmania
Friday, August 15th, 2008Lady Nelson History
By: Phoenix Arrien
The lady is small. So small she bears the nickname of the ‘HMS Tinderbox’.
I couldn’t appreciate her beauty when I first sighted her, crowded amongst the other vessels in Hobart, until we sailed out.
The current Lady Nelson is a replica of an original Brigantine built in England in 1798,
arriving in Australia in 1800. In 1988, the replica was launched and has since taken people on short and extended sails around the island and Australia.
Based in Hobart, this is living history, romantic experience and ecotourism rolled into one floating package
Built in Deptford, England and launched on 13 November 1978, she is sixteen metres long by five metres beam and of sixty tons. Fitted with three sliding keels, designed by a Captain John Schanck and referred to as Captain Schank’s system, enables the Lady to negotiate shallow water. This became the reason the English Admiralty brought the original Lady Nelson in 1791.
The original Lady Nelson set out for the fledgling colony of New South Wales in March 1800 as an Armed Survey Vessel. During the eight month voyage she became the first ship to sail from the west through Bass Strait, initiating a shorter route from England to Port Jackson.
Over the next few years the Lady undertook many important pioneering voyages such as surveying Bass Strait including the first survey of Westernport Bay. She was the vessel that ‘discovered’ Port Philip Bay and accompanied Mathew Flinder’s ship charting the eastern coastline.
Tasmania’s connection emerged when the Lady Nelson twice sailed up the Derwent River in Van Dieman’s Land (later Tasmania) to establish the first European settlement. She also brought Governor Macquarie here for an inspection. Macquarie stated: “(Lady Nelson was) the best and safest boat he had ever sailed”:
Next week, we take a sail…
