Gale off Jervis Bay nearly claims another ship

April  - May 1870 - The weather along the coast had been frighful.   The coast had been lashed with torential rain and strong winds and monsterous seas,  flooding at Windsor saw the water rise over 20 ft above normal,  Penrith, Dunbar and Wagga Wagga were all flooded,  Yass had it's new bridge washed away. 4 people were drowned in the Shoalhaven.               The storm  caused severe damage to coastal areas,  many ships were badly damaged and lucky to make port or ride out the storm,  some were never seen again.

The Storm

The schooner Alcandre.

After a harrowing time the schooner Alcandre bound from Newcastle to Melbourne,  put into Port Jackson, in a distressed state.  She encountered a fearfull gale off Jervis Bay,  she lost a lot of canvas, a boat,  and her main boom,  the bulwarks were washed away. During the same gale the schooner Hannah was wrecked at Bulli with all hands lost. The schooner Notion foundered at Broken Bay,  The ketch Dauntless was wrecked at Port Hacking,  and one of the crew drowned.  The brig Spec became a total wreck at Bulli;  the crew were lost. Portions of two wrecks - but of what was never known_ was washed ashore at Wollongong. The beautiful schooner the Walter Hood was wrecked in tragic circumstances near Bendalong,  with the loss of the captain and 13 hands.   A story of hardship, desperation, loss and heroism. Continue reading.

Life was tough at the best of times for the sea going men on sailing ships, sailing in what was regarded as state of the art technology for it's time,  they gained their knowledge from years of perserverance,  experience and the tough life they endured every working day.

The schooner Alcandre broke up in 1877 and the remains of her hull could be seen rotting in the water near the Lime Loading wharves at Waratah Bay Victoria,  as depicted in this wood carving featured in the Australasian Sketcher 1879.