By
Graham Davis
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Representing
MCAUST, CAPT Rod Nairn responds to Captain Parry’s
praise of the Royal Australian Navy.
Photos by ABPH Cristine Mercer and ABPH Yuri Ramsey
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The
master of the brigantine Windeward Bound, which has just completed
an historic circumnavigation of Australia, has praised the RAN’s
Hydrographic Service and its FIMA units for their support during
the voyage.
Captain Sarah Parry and her 23-member ship’s company brought
the square rigger home to an RAN Band fanfare welcome at the Woolloomooloo
Finger Wharf on July 24.
Among the welcoming party of more than 200 were the Governor of
NSW, Professor Marie Bashir, Mr Bruce Baird the Federal Member
for Cook (representing the Heritage Minister Dr David Kemp), descendants
of an Aborigine named Bongaree who sailed with Matthew Flinders
in 1801, CAPT Rod Nairn from the Hydrographic Office (representing
the Maritime Commander) and Mr Michael Stutchbury the editor of
The Australian.
The July 24 homecoming ended a 17-month, 36,000-kilometre voyage,
which replicated the journey Governor King instructed Matthew
Flinders to undertake in 1801, to chart the Australian coastline.
Flinder’s charts became part of the Royal Navy’s Admiralty
charts and are so accurate some were still used on Australian
charts until only a few years ago.
Parry’s mission was to follow in Flinder’s steps and
determine how the Australian coastline had changed in the intervening
200 years as part of the Australian Government’s Coastcare
program.
During her response to the welcome home, Captain Parry said she
watered Windeward Bound at some of the same spots used by Flinders
and found the water still pristine.
Captain Parry praised the RAN’s Hydrographic Service for
its support through the supply of paper and electronic charts
of the Australian coastline.
“I would also like to thank the Navy’s FIMA units around
Australia,” Captain Parry said.
“When we had problems they always seemed to be there to help
out.
“I know we have a little problem for FIMA/Sydney right now,”
she added.
Captain Parry said that as the ship circumnavigated Australia
an experiment was underway beneath the surface.
“We trialled on behalf of Wattyl Paints a number of anti
fouling paints to determine which would be the best for use in
tropical waters,” she said.
Joining the VIPs, the members of the Windeward Bound Trust and
families on the wharf, was the Sydney Detachment of the RAN Band
and officers and cadets of NUSHIP Kanimbla, a Navy Cadet training
ship established at Liverpool last year.
