Kathleen Gillett The Artist Cruising Ketch is a photograph by Miroslava Jurcik which was uploaded on April 15th, 2015.
Kathleen Gillett The Artist Cruising Ketch
Kathleen Gillett was one of the cruising yachts to enter the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1945. Built in Sydney between 1933 and 1939, it is... more
Title
Kathleen Gillett The Artist Cruising Ketch
Artist
Miroslava Jurcik
Medium
Photograph
Description
Kathleen Gillett was one of the cruising yachts to enter the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1945. Built in Sydney between 1933 and 1939, it is well known as the second Australian yacht to complete a circumnavigation of the world, from 1947 to 1948. During and after the voyage the owner and skipper, marine artist Jack Earl, became widely recognised as a result of the richly illustrated articles and logbook he created during the voyage. The voyage and the yacht are also a story of managing to get by on very limited funds. The crew supplemented their small funds with the sale of Earl’s paintings along the way. In this way it was an inspiration to the public and Earl and his crew probably achieved greater recognition for their voyage.
Kathleen Gillett was built by Charles Larson at his Wharf Road boat yard in Gladesville, New South Wales. Larson was Swedish and had been a ship’s carpenter on square riggers, and he appears to have changed his name from Larsen to Larson.
Kathleen Gillett is a wooden gaff ketch, just over 13 metres long, and her design was based on an unknown set of plans from the famous Norwegian naval architect Colin Archer.
The Norwegian government bought the boat from the Tyndziks in 1987. The ketch was shipped back to Australia for restoration by Halvorsen Boats Pty Ltd (in consultation with Jack Earl) in preparation for its handover to the Australian National Maritime Museum as the Norwegian bicentennial gift to Australia in 1988. Kathleen Gillett was accepted into the National Maritime Collection in 1991 where it has been maintained in sailing condition at the museum wharves.
This image was taken during the International Navy Fleet Review, 4th of October 2013, in Darling Harbour Sydney.
Uploaded
April 15th, 2015