This is a list of a number of the H28's that have sailed on the Swan and further afield.
(Work on this page is in progress and the page will change)
It is fairly extensive, but cannot claim to be the definitive version, for over 60 H28's were built and sailed in WA on the Swan and on the coast line from Albany to Carnarvon and further on up the coast.
A lot of people have contributed to this information and in passing, I thank the contribution of Royal Perth's archivist Jon Readhead for his help and P.C.Basil Twine from Royal Freshwater Bay for his group's contribution.
However the major work has been done by Fay and John Wright, based on the information provided by the late Bob Brearly. Contributions have come from Jay Lawry, Graeme Lewis, Glen Stanley, Geoff Sneezby, Debbie Locke and other knowledgeable H28 owners. For my part, I have been digging around in archives and comparing peoples notes against archival information and trying to make sense of it all. I'm a photographer, so apart from putting this together, I've had the pleasure of photographing these marvellous wooden boats.
This is a work in progress and will change as more information comes to hand. You are invited to help and the Contact page is there for you to add your two pennies worth. Please note that we are not looking at GRP's, Compass versions or editions that were made in other states. These have to have a claim to be WA born and bred. Sorry, but it will save a lot of confusion later on.
A note on the files below.
The software used to translate my notes and image files in Word into files that can exist on the website has a mind of it's own.
Therefore occasionally there will appear to be a typo or a gap in a word. Every so often it will decide to play games with image files.
Because I have to be able to change these files as information comes in, I will have to tolerate it. Unfortunately so will you.
These pages were last updated on the 21st of May 2020
A lot of people have contributed to this information and in passing, I thank the contribution of Royal Perth's archivist Jon Readhead for his help and P.C.Basil Twine from Royal Freshwater Bay for his group's contribution.
However the major work has been done by Fay and John Wright, based on the information provided by the late Bob Brearly. Contributions have come from Jay Lawry, Graeme Lewis, Glen Stanley, Geoff Sneezby, Debbie Locke and other knowledgeable H28 owners. For my part, I have been digging around in archives and comparing peoples notes against archival information and trying to make sense of it all. I'm a photographer, so apart from putting this together, I've had the pleasure of photographing these marvellous wooden boats.
This is a work in progress and will change as more information comes to hand. You are invited to help and the Contact page is there for you to add your two pennies worth. Please note that we are not looking at GRP's, Compass versions or editions that were made in other states. These have to have a claim to be WA born and bred. Sorry, but it will save a lot of confusion later on.
A note on the files below.
The software used to translate my notes and image files in Word into files that can exist on the website has a mind of it's own.
Therefore occasionally there will appear to be a typo or a gap in a word. Every so often it will decide to play games with image files.
Because I have to be able to change these files as information comes in, I will have to tolerate it. Unfortunately so will you.
These pages were last updated on the 21st of May 2020
UPDATES October 1st 2013 Coramandel has been found again. She resides at present in Denmark in the hands of a person familiar with boat restoration and he promises to restore her to a better state than she has been for a while. The data and a new picture will be put up in due course.
June 2014 Te Hana now has a new owner Roghan Anderson (bought it in 2013) Bella has recently been bought by J Lawry to restore and keep in the club; Andrew Bell has bought Jindarra (The first Jindarra) and is restoring her; Mariner has been bought by Brian Cross and is in the process of a major restore and refit. Mariner's cabin interior, forepeak, external hull and decking have been completed 4th Nov 2014
October 2015 Bella has joined Te Hana at RFBYC and Koomela has come up from Rockingham to sail with the fleet. Alma has been sold to the Magee's and we look forward to their company on the river. Regretfully Christa ( Sundowna ) has gone from the river to (Mandurah?) and has been lost to sight. Jedda is now in Victoria at the RVYC and is in good hands. The issue with Ava/Torquata has been clarified (a little) and we seem to be reasonably happy with the result. Georgina continues to sail with Tony and his son taking her out all winter and may be able to continue on this summer.
May 2017. We solved the mystery of the Albany H28's. We have Adissa and Koolena down there. Coramandel is still in the shed waiting to be put together. Genevieve is back on the water again and Chris in Busselton wants to sell her. As do the owners of Georgina (Tony Hermosa) and Soraya (Phil and Kate Lammonby). Cassilda was seen undergoing necessary work at Geographe marina and Greta has gone... originally parked at Claremont YC, the owner contacted us a few months ago to see whether the H28's could help. Greta may very well be in pieces by now. Solo has been reported as having been broken up in the last few weeks. Sitting in a Mangles Bay yard for 3 years was obviously her death knell. Sorry about the bad news, but this is what happens when you don't take care of them. And finally, following a tragedy in the family, the owners of Gundarra have moved her to a marina near to their home in the north of Perth I believe.
October 2017. Georgina now has a new owner George Barr ( not the Geoff who owns Manta ) a fisho out of Hillarys and he is quietly pottering around with her. More later. Gundarra has moved to Hillarys Yacht Club to be closer to her family. Nova has had a nice chunk of history filled in with Heather Steadman telling me of her life aboard Nova in Challenger Harbour when she was used as a live on board. She had her for five or six years (1995 to 2000) and still misses Nova. Heather has found the website so we have another follower in New Zealand. Koomela is sitting in Mark Walters backyard ? undergoing a refit. Probably a good idea! Geoff Reason has purchased Carina, but is staying on David Lockes Corella till the 17/18 season ends and Vic has free run of the boat till at least then. Fair enough.
February 2020 A fair bit has happened since I last put fingers to the keyboard so lets get in to it shall we?
First cab off the rank. Yuna or (Yuna II) I discovered her in the Fremantle yacht clubs sheds in 2018 stripped to the boards and looking very sorry for herself. Stripped bare, with most of the planking needed work, ribs to be replaced, the stringers, deadwood and the cabin tops and decking. You've got to love a boat when you see it at that stage. But the mast had been taken off. cleaned up and rubbed down. Beautiful. Her owner once contacted, admitted to the sin of trying to work too hard and this was to be her resurrection. Well she went into the sheds at AJ Woodall to be refurbished and I hope that the job was done as I had gone in for a new hip and lost sight of her for a while.
Georgina has a new owner and young Cameron Murray has his heart in the right place, but he's between a rock and a hard place trying get the old Stewy Turner motor to work. Electric may be the answer. However he has been out sailing with the fleet a number of times and we look forward to him having a bit more time off to work on the boat.
Solo was found and possibly lost as I was speaking to shipwright Kevin Hart in May 2018 and he was working on an H28 that he had found in the Rockingham area and again all this was happening shortly before I went into hospital. We knew that Solo was down there and this certainly looked like her, but once I'd seen the rudder that had been taken off the mystery boat, there it was. A fine curve cut into the top of the rudder stock. On photos we knew were Solo and on this boat as well. Where it is now.. well.. a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
Anita/Oyster/Jeanita has become our poster boat for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Research had found her in Hobart and a bit of luck had the owners call us. A contact was made. Then last year they announced that they were coming over to WA for the wild flower season and at the same time, the H28's had been asked to be the official West Australian representatives to the AWBF. Putting one and two together we had an H28 in Hobart and didn't need to think of shipping one over there. And Fiona and John were refurbishing the boat anyway. Added bonus.
Anna was involved in a big prang in October 2018 and spent the next 11 months being patiently rebuilt by Ian Weaver to an extraordinary standard. As good as new if not better. She has recently returned to the water and John Wright is once again plying his skills on the water.
Karoleeya is undergoing repair as well. Involved in a bad prang down at the Cockburn Sound regatta, she made her way back up to SoPYC and is waiting to have a considerable sum spent on her. Ian Weaver will be attending to her.
Meanwhile Mariner has had her topsides re worked and Corella has been splined and had a glass coat put on her. All to stop the water from getting in! Soraya was sold out of the club and now resides at East Fremantle Yacht club on a mooring. Needing some TLC by the looks of it.
Tehana's owner Roghan Anderson has had to move back to Sydney and the boat was sold (apparently) but still resides at RFBYC.
May 2020
And Suzanna has made her way down to Crawley. Jack Hennessy bought her in March - April 2020 and removed her from her spot up at Maylands in the amateur boat building facilities on the river. Jack then very kindly contacted the website to tell us of her removal from Maylands and that he was planning on sailing her on Melville waters. Great news to hear that she will be in action on the river. Napea of Carrick was up recently having some work done on her ribs. Apparently the old fridge box had rotted out the timbers below it and the ribs had gone as well.
November 2022
Georgina now sails with the SoPYC H28's on a regular basis. A young man, a red witch sailor Rupert Ledger bought the near derelict boat and gave it a big restoration. All this while he is at uni, studying hard and trying to earn enough to pay pen fees etc. He has great support from his parents, girlfriend and her dad, plus a bunch of assorted friends, all of whom have been seen coping with the relentless sou westerlies of summer.
The First Jindarra was sold by Andrew Bell to Barry Skinner and Peter Broadbent (both club members of long standing) and they assembled a crew of trustworthy bods. Yes they have been competitive, but the death of a diesel motor recently, has them looking at an electric motor which should be installed presently.
Suzanna, what can I say.. She was bought by a young RPYC S80 sailor (Robin Wilkinson) and was given a big clean up. She was run in the retro series and was looking to be a fair partner to Yuna ( fully restored) who also now resides at RPYC. But her owner decided after much thought to sell her and she is another H28 sitting on a mooring. (in Matilda Bay.)
Soraya still sits on a mooring at East Fremantle YC and needs care, Cimba is currently in the pens at Claremont YC and is pining for a run on the river. Karoleeya languishes in her pen at SoPYC and needs a new owner. Carina is waiting for her owner Geoff to return from work and give her the care she needs and Alma, poor Alma.. waiting for someone to take her for a run.
No sign of Tehana, she's disappeared from Freshy and the only way to find out is to do a run down the coast looking for a boat on a mooring. Ditto for Genevieve, the last ketch rig 28 known, last seen in Bunbury on a mooring in the bay inside the western sea side.
Adissa (in Albany) has been sold with a new owner apparently, but despite promises to get in touch, its only rumour range at the moment.
September 2024
A fair bit of water has flowed under the Canning bridge, since I took a look at this page and I can now report a little more.
Alma is now in the hands of Ralph Newton (ex Eun Na Mara and prior to that Wynella) and PC Phil Warwick. More to learn as its just happened, but the boat is in good hands. The First Jindarra has been leased to Len Randell by Barry and Peter as they found themselves getting a little long in the tooth, but they are happy to see the boat being sailed by a good crew. Georgina hasn't moved an inch for the last winter as Rupert has gone up into the York area working in the agriculture industry. A pity. Wynella is firing along as are Swiftsure Saga and Mariner. Andrew Minto has returned from his sojourn in South Africa; Aloha will be readied for summer again, though Steven Hill did a fine job with the frostbite series for Andrew. Rita will return from Fiji shortly and Dave Locke will have a reason to take Corella out again for summer as well. Karoleeya still remains above the water, but only just and Geoff Reason had a nasty shock when Carina took a plunge to the bottom of the pens when the bilge pump packed up. She was hauled out and given a fair amount of work. She is waiting for Geoff to complete the restoration. Napea of Carrick has been out occasionally, but needs to be sailed regularly as does Mark Walters Koomela, still sitting on Jetty 7, looking forlornly at her cousins on jetty three.
Outside the club:
Bella is looking for a new owner as Ben Dinghly had her up for sale at a very reasonable price (2024). Soraya is sitting down at East Freo and hasn't moved for a while and has been joined by Te Hana who is in a much better condition, but whether she will be sailed competitively or not is a different question. (2024) Genevieve still in Bunbury harbour and still for sale (2023). Cimba rests at Claremont YC and is probably gathering barnacles by now. (2024) Gundarra was up for sale (a seriously high price to begin with but the price dropped quickly but she still remains for sale. (2023-4)
A favourite boat at the club by the name of Jedda .. sold a while ago to the eastern states has been recently placed on the market and curiously still carries her club number 207, though the club identifier has changed from SP to R (for the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria) (2024)
And Anita in Tasmania was sold to a young lady and her partner back in 2023. She now carries the name Aria having gone through a variety of identities (Anita- Jeanita- Oyster and now Aria)
The pages will be updated in due course
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Now that you have got this far.... It's your turn to contribute.
1) Old photo's are needed
2) Information is required. If you think something is wrong in what has been put up, say so! Don't just grump about it.
And if you know something about a boat ---tell me!
3) Stories behind the boats are the most valuable of all, as it puts a life into each boat. Eventually a book on the
H28's of the Swan will appear... can you contribute?
4) If you know of a boat that has not been mentioned---tell me!
2) Information is required. If you think something is wrong in what has been put up, say so! Don't just grump about it.
And if you know something about a boat ---tell me!
3) Stories behind the boats are the most valuable of all, as it puts a life into each boat. Eventually a book on the
H28's of the Swan will appear... can you contribute?
4) If you know of a boat that has not been mentioned---tell me!