Simply Serving Sao Simply Serving Sao

Simply Serving Sao
by Mary Shelley Clark
W
hen the Submarine Miners Depot made Chowder Bay
their headquarters back in the 1890s their high tech
defence installations were mines attached to submarine
cables laid across the harbour. Those days are long gone,
but there’s still an old world atmosphere down in the
Chowder Bay boatshed.
In the roomy covered shed traditional boatbuilders Simon
Sadubin and Ian Smith are currently working in association
on the restoration of Sao. No, they’re not putting together
broken biscuits, but restoring a classic little Sydney Harbour
yacht, built in 1905 in Berrys Bay by the famous Watty Ford.
“She was probably 25 years behind the times when she
was built,” said Simon as I admired her neat lines. “She’s a
miniature Bristol pilot cutter, built in the style of the 1880s.
She’s only 6.1m along the waterline but she draws 1.5m.
There are other yachts of that same era here. You could
count Kelpie (1884), Jenny Wren (1889) Akarana (1888),
Seraglio (1904).”
Ian Smith (Sydney Wooden Boat School) and Simon Sadubin
(Woodcraft Boats) sharing the toil on Sao at Chowder Bay.
Originally a gaff-rigged sloop, Sao was later cutter rigged.
So she’s a bit of a time capsule, a floating piece of the old
harbour heritage. And she’s survived nearly a century of that
responsibility, largely due to the efforts of John and Ann
Dark, who found her in Balmain in the early 1960s.
I read Ann’s 1982 Modern Boating article – thanks to Ian
Macleay – before I spoke to the Darks themselves. After a
forty-year expensive love affair, Sao is still their pride and
Joy.
“We first saw her when we had this little skiff Kurri,” said
Ann. “Sao was an absolute sight. She took our eye, despite
the mess she was in.”
“We eventually found out who owned her,” said John.
“He’d been in love with her, but he’d stopped sailing, and
then neglected her. Water was half way up the bunks inside.”
“And she stank,” said Ann. “We found out that J. B.
Holdsworth, who had Sao built in 1905, was John’s cousin’s
grandfather. John eventually tracked down almost all the
owners and he found that for a time she was called Rover.”
Back in 1964 their first job was to restore Sao to workable
condition. It took many years of hard work. The hull was
dressed kauri on spotted gum ribs. The Darks did much
preliminary work themselves – clearing and cleaning,
carefully removing rotting timbers and adding wood
preservatives.
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38 AFLOAT.com.au
June 2003
Photo Ann & John Dark.
Then they towed Sao round to shipwright Frank Likely’s
boat yard in Sailors Bay, Northbridge.
She began to come to life with new ribs and hanging
knees, some new planking and ply decking glued over the
original. The Darks completed the task of reworking and
strengthening the domed cabin top before repainting and
varnishing. For trimmings, John used 100-year-old teak
rescued from the man-of-war Penguin, rotting in Kerosene
Bay. Structural work on the spars and rigging came last.
Finally traditional sails were ordered and Sao sailed in the
1972 gaff-riggers race, taking second place in the Second
Division. An engine, bilge pump and lights would come
later.
“The main thing we did was go up to the Hawkesbury
once a year – that is our favourite place. We’d spend a few
weeks meeting up with all the old people – Ernest Merrington,
Jack Maynard. And we’d do a bit of harbour sailing.
“The last time we took her up to Broken Bay, about ten
years ago, she was very wet inside, so we panicked. Back at
Balmain Rick Wood reckoned that as an old boat she’d
absorbed so much water she needed to be dried out, so we
stripped her out and she stayed up until she was completely
dry.”
Sao went back in the water, and the Darks continued to
maintain her, but sailing became more demanding with the
passage of time. Recently when they went to get her antifouled it was clear that Sao needed work and should go
under cover.
“So we went to Simon and Ian at Chowder Bay. They
thought the hull was good, but the deck edges were very
poor. They’ve done beautiful work, even made a new teak
rudder bush.”
They also stripped and re-varnished the spars – mast,
boom, gaff and bowsprit. The standing rigging was checked
and cleaned and the running rigging replaced.
Three new floors were needed. One tea-tree floor has
gone in and the other two will go in after seasoning, probably
after the mast is stepped. These things take time and I asked
Ann about the future.
“Well, she’s a heavy boat to sail and John’s now 83, so
it’s getting a bit beyond him. Simon and Ian are determined
that she will sail. We will try to hang on until she’s 100, which
is in two years time, and a few people have said they’ll help
us sail her.
“We reckon it’s up to us to pass her on in good order, and
we’ll get this latest repair money back when we eventually
Sao nearly ready to take to the water.
sell her. All our previous costs are of no consequence – Sao
gave us sailing and pleasure.”
When John jokes that an American multi-millionaire
may want a miniature Bristol pilot cutter, Anne says “There
are Australian multi-millionaires too. Simon says you mustn’t
let her go out of Sydney Harbour!”
I agree, she must stay. Who will take the next responsibility
for Sao, preserving this beautiful boat for future generations
to glimpse the sailing character of the old Sydney Harbour?
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Take monthly with water June 2003 39