HISTORY IN THE MAKING
Wylie spent two years researching the
project. Caravels were a revolutionary
design in ship construction, being the
first European vessels with a transom
and the steering board mounted at the
rear of the ship. Rigged with a lateen
sail, borrowed from the Arabian dhow,
caravels were fast, manoeuvrable
and easily handled by a small crew- characteristics much favoured by
pirates, in their ships.
Notorious’s keel (an ironbark beam
salvaged from the viaduct at the
Warrnambool breakwater) was laid in
April 2002 and she gradually took shape
over the next 10 years – measuring
17.5m long, with a beam 5.5m, a
draught of 2.1m, and displacement of
58 tonnes. For stability, she carries 12
tonnes of bluestone ballast.
The interior is an authentic period
design, including a cooking fire, but
is fitted with modern GPS navigation
equipment and powered by a 170hp
“Caravels
were fast and
manoeuvrable
and easily
handled by a
small crew –
characteristics
much favoured by
pirates, in their
ships”
Detroit diesel engine. Painted black,
Notorious looks every inch a corsair.SETTING SAIL
She was launched at Martins Point,
Port Fairy on February 7, 2011 and set
sail on her maiden voyage in January
2012 from Port Fairy through Bass Strait
to Geelong. Since then, Wylie, with wife
Felicite and Jack Russell terrier ‘Seadog
April’, has sailed more than 16,000nm
between Hobart and Port Douglas,
through the Southern Ocean, Bass
Strait, and the Tasman and Coral seas.
At sea, they live the dream on their
very own pirate ship; in port, Notorious
becomes a museum ship, open to the
public for inspection. She left Hervey
Bay marina in January, the Wylies
setting their compass southward on a
return voyage to Victoria.24 tradeaboat.com.au