The James Craig

This must have sneaked into the harbour yesterday. I found it moored off Queens Wharf this morning on my way to get a sunrise. Sunrise was a dud. It was then a quick walk of the Hs at King Edward and then on to Bunnings where we had a Fundraiser for Delta. I am absolutely knackered and heading to bed now. Thanks so much for the love response to yesterdays.

Oh and the James Craig, I do believe a blipper OzGeoff has sailed to her Newie (not this time) and this is what t'internet says about her:

James Craig , launched as Clan Macleod, was built by Bartram, Haswell & Co. in Sunderland, England in 1874. Her name was changed to James Craig in 1905. For 26 years she plied the trade routes of the world carrying general cargoes during which period she rounded Cape Horn 23 times.

In 1900 she was purchased by Mr J J Craig of Auckland, New Zealand, who used her on trans-Tasman trade routes as a general cargo carrier. In 1911 she was laid up because increasing competition from steam ships made sailing vessels uneconomical. She was then stripped and used as a copra hulk in New Guinea.

After the First World War there was an acute shortage of cargo ships and she was bought by the well-known Australian jam manufacturer, Henry Jones IXL. This gave James Craig a new lease of life after being towed from New Guinea to Sydney for re-fitting. Her return to service was brief because in 1925 she was reduced to a coal hulk at Recherche Bay, Tasmania. In 1932 she was abandoned and became beached after breaking her moorings in a storm. She remained beached until 1972 when volunteers from the Sydney Heritage Fleet re-floated her.

In 1973 she was towed to Hobart where temporary repairs were carried out. She was towed to Sydney in 1981 and restoration work commenced. James Craig‘s restored hull was re-launched in February 1997.