Philip Hammond

WITH their huge tan-coloured sails unfurled, rounding the buoys off Clacton, racing

Thames barges made one of England's more memorab l e maritime spectacles. Bundaberg yacht delivery specialist Kitt Woodward used to compete in those events, sailing with the skippers who knew just when the shallow-drafted vessels could tack across the mud banks of the Thames estuary.

More recently, he spent six months crewing aboard the Endeavour replica on its voyage around Australia, and was called in to help re-rig the Bounty replica in Sydney.

But how does a working merchant seaman afford to own a seagoing traditional sailing vessel of his own? In Woodward's case, it started with the discovery in 1978 of an old Scottish sail ing trawler, pushed high into the mud flats of the Thames.

The Rainbow Gypsy became a spare-time renovation project, with the Woodward family eventually moving in.

A dozen years later, their floating home had taken them to the West Indies and twice to the Mediterranean.

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By 1992, the family was ready to settle in Bundaberg, the childhood home of | Woodward's wife, Robin, and it wasn't long before the pair was planning to recapture the spirit of the old timber-hulled trawler.

In September, 1992, a start was made on the boat that Kitt built.

"Hundreds of people have helped. I've taught a lot how to do things, and many have practised different skills along the way," Woodward said.

"Eighteen months ago, we launched her — that was nerve racking. The day before we didn't have windows in the dog house. They had to be cut out of the steel. "

"The job list was huge. It was a big team effort, right up to midnight, and next morning we put on the antifoul. "

"Between 9am and noon the whole boat just changed completely. It went from red primer to a blue Colour, the name was painted on. It was just incredible."

At 2pm, Rainbow Gypsy was launched, with 80 supporters in attendance, along with a pastor to bestow a blessing.

The Department of Natural Resources came to the party. Woodward selected forest hoop pine trees for the main . and mizzen masts and used the felled trees' own water drawing capillaries to impregnate the timber with preservative.

Weighing in at 31 tonnes, Gypsy was beginning to look like an 1879 sailing vessel.

Climbing aboard, one wouldn't say she was a beauty. Cast-offs too big for normal yachts have been put to service on this vessel. The portholes are inspection windows salvaged from an old sugar mill boiler. A large and heavy brass vent - was bought for $24. Odd-sized teak doors were salvaged from a wreck.

After 10 years of "hard graft '' and having gone through 1.5 tonnes of welding rods, the Woodwards have a very solid ship.

Inside, it's still rough but the Woodwards have plans for a trip to the Solomon Islands, taking equipment and supplies to support an island church and bringing back rosewood and other timber to panel the interior.

Rainbow Gypsy is 80 per cent complete, with tests still to be conducted by a naval architect. New fire-fighting and other safety requirements also have to be met but the couple hope their project soon will be approved for day charters.

Meanwhile, Bundaberg's "pirate ship" is , an eye-catching feature at anchor on the Bumett River.