All Hands on Deck
This book is about the history and restoration of the James Craig
Because it was there
The preface from Marsden Horden
If you ask Michael York why he became one of the most passionate supporters, fund raisers and tireless workers behind the restoration of the James Craig, his simple answer says much about the man:Because it was there
I first met Michael York as a crew member of the 65-foot schooner, Mistral II, preparing for the 1947 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. He quickly made an impression on the rest of us. While working near the truck of the schooner's lofty mainmast high above the heeling deck, and needing to get to the top of the foremast, he grabbed the triatic stay connecting the fore and main mastheads and hanging by his arms moved hand over hand across the yawning gap to finish the job. That direct approach, and that devotion to the job in hand, has enabled Michael York to confront and solve many difficulties and achieve much.
As a marine engineer by profession, the love of ships and blue-water sailing, often in his own yachts, has dominated his life. He has competed in 15 of the classic Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races and, in Kialoa in 1975, helped set a race record which remained unbroken for 21 years. He crewed as bowman in Gretel in 1962 during Australia's first challenge for the America's Cup, and in Caprice of Huon in the 1965 Admiral's Cup. He also took up flying and gained his pilot's licence.
After serving his apprenticeship at Cockatoo Island Dockyard from 1943 to 1948, Michael went to sea, circling the world with the Shaw Savill Line. He subsequently supervised power stations for Melesco Superheater Company, founded and successfully ran his own shipyard and vending machine businesses, managed a dredging operation for Farley and Lewis, was founder and managing director of Borg-Warner Mechanical Seals Australia, East Asia, and established its international operations. He was also a founding director of Barlow Winches.
In 1980 Michael York was elected President of the Sydney Maritime Museum and is now a lfetime Governor. Since joining the Museum, he has devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to raising funds to preserve and restore historical vessels and sites - amongst them - among them the Waratah, John Oxley, Lady Hopetoun and the Heritage Dock at Rozelle Bay
But Michael's crowning service to Australian maritime history has been his long and victorious battle to save, restore, and preserve the James Craig. That is the story of this book and for that achievement he was deservedly awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2001.
- Marsden Horden -
Of course we had all the arguments internally about how we were going to proceed with this restoration. The biggest controversy was over whether we were going to have it in survey or not. There was a whole school of thought that said no, it had to be absolutely authentic, it had to be 1874, and therefore you couldn't have it Maritime Services Board surveyed. My immediate response was, "Well, gentlemen, (they were all gentlemen), how are you going to maintain the ship in any sort of condition so that it will continue to float, let alone be seagoing or anything else?" They said, "We'll just fundraise". And I said, "How are you going to fundraise if the only people you can take on board are the volunteer crew?" Oh," they said, "everybody will be a volunteer crew member". But, "No," I said, "it's got to be commercial". The argument continued backwards and forwards.
- Richard Morgan, - previous General manager, Sydney Maritime Museum -
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