The Steamtug Blog

Look where I was on the weekend. Another bucket list item ticked off… the Mississippi steamboat Natchez, pride of the “Big Easy”, New Orleans Louisiana. (continue reading…)

I was in awe of the sheer size of South Steyne’s engines when I got to be her engineer while she was in Victoria, many years ago. The largest of Sydney’s Manly ferries and the only one to remain steam powered, had a 4 cylinder, triple expansion engine (LP divided into 2 cylinders) balanced on the “Yarrow, Schlick and Tweedy” system and producing a massive 2,000 horsepower. But a recent trip to Texas USA put things into perspective as I crawled all over the main engines of the USS TEXAS, a world war 1 veteran and now museum ship. (continue reading…)

Is that a corvette I see? Did you know the Corvette stingray was actually named after a small navy ship. But this one is a full sized destroyer, USS Orleck. She was built in 1945 and just missed out on service in the second world war, but made up for it in the Korean and Vietnam wars. I was desperate to be in the engineroom of a steamship, and luckily these chaps didn’t mind me snooping around down below. (continue reading…)

1 week after the auction, steam yacht Ena has not sold after failing to reach her reserve price. Her owner now tells me he might have to re-think the plan and have another try at making a go of it on the Melbourne market. I was disappointed we didn’t take her to tassie for the wooden boat festival and was thinking she won’t be around much longer for us to enjoy. But now that might not be the case. (continue reading…)

The latest news with the majestic Steam Yacht Ena is that circumstances have changed for the owner over in Melbourne and she is up for auction on the 19th May next month. It will be a very sad day, but I am extremely grateful and feel lucky to have been her chief engineer while she was based over this end of the country. I was also fortunate to have been part of her delivery voyage from Sydney to Melbourne in May last year. See the post “Sail of the century” if you have not seen it. (continue reading…)

The “Sud Hamburg line” ship Cap Capricorn  finally arrived with my boat trailer after being laid up in San Francisco, then going to New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney and finally arrived in Brisbane. I got notification that it was ready to be picked up, so got together all the paperwork and my brother picked me up from my office and we drove together down to the docks together, only to be met by a big surprise! (continue reading…)

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

I was rostered to start work 24th December. So all my family from Geelong decided to come to Brisbane and do Christmas at my brothers house up here. He was recently married and his new wife likes to cook. (continue reading…)

I recently sailed an antique steam yacht built in 1901 from Sydney to it’s new home in Melbourne. Steam yacht Ena is a magnificent vessel, and typical of those built in a bygone era when money was not considered to make her the best and most oppulent in Sydney. (continue reading…)

Did I tell you I left Shell? They refused to give me my holidays, so I took the rash step of threatening my manager that I would leave. He happily accepted it! So 2 weeks into my 1 month notice, I was offered a job with Origin Energy and accepted it to work in their Brisbane central control centre. Then I brough the steamboat I have been searching many years for, and got roped into helping a mate with the world’s most beautiful ship, the Steam Yacht Ena! read on…. (continue reading…)