The Barque James Craig was moored in the still waters off Iluka sheltering from the southerly gale blowing along the coast. While in the distant background appearing and disappearing in and out of the mist on the north side of the bay you could see Australia's latest warship, the HMAS Brisbane III.
Watching James Craig swaying slowly in the breeze on the clear, calm water of Jervis Bay is full of romance. Your mind is easily taken back to a time when sea travel was a slow and exciting way to see the world. Of course, the reality was quite different. Working or traveling onboard these old wooden ships was anything but romantic. One only has to read many of the stories contained in this blog to realise how hard, dangerous, life-threatening and arduous it could be. These days the James Craig is equipped with all the modern instruments and amenities to make sea travel an exciting, safe and enjoyable experience. But choosing the right weather conditions is still a key element in having a safe journey.
In contrast, watching the Brisbane crisscrossing the bay, effortlessly cutting through the strong southerly gale like a hot knife through butter, you couldn't help but think how different life at sea is for sailors now compared to the time of the tall ships like the James Craig.
You can keep in touch with the James Craig by going to their facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/tallshipjamescraig/
The first HMAS Brisbane.
Coincidentally the previous post featured the historic postcard of the first HMAS Brisbane at anchor inside Jervis Bay in 1918, today, 101 years later we have HMAS Brisbane III (D41) conducting training exercises inside Jervis Bay.
HMAS Brisbane (III) is the second of three ships of the Hobart Class guided missile destroyers.
The ship was built in Osborne, South Australia. She was laid down on 3 February 2014 and launched on 15 December 2016.
Brisbane commenced sea trials in November 2017. She was handed over to the RAN on 27 July 2018 and was commissioned on the 27 October 2018.
This was her second visit to Jervis Bay, she called in briefly last week, but I missed the opportunity to get a photo of her. Today she could be seen cruising around the bay shrouded in sea mist. The opportunity for a clear photo was limited. This photo taken from Greenpatch shows her on the north side of the bay adjacent to Long Beach.
The third vessel moving about the bay was the Sycamore. She is a regular visitor, almost on a weekly basis, details about her can be found here. http://jervisbaymaritimemuseum.blogspot.com/search?q=sycamore.
