mistral II’s second life with the windeward bound trust
Mistral II is an important piece of Australia's maritime history, having competed in the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 1945. She was donated to the Windeward Bound Foundation Ltd by the family of the late Ron Burton to be used as a training "tool" for young Australians.
Thanks to Tasmanian State Government support, Mistral II’s restoration is being completed by energetic groups of young people who are part of the MISTRAL (Multi Industry Skills Training Reaching All Levels) program. This program provides valuable workplace skills and training to young Tasmanians who have been unemployed for a long period, so they can go on to further training or enter the workforce.
Once restored Mistral II will join her sister ship, the STV Windeward Bound, in offering life-changing youth development Adventure Under Sail programs to young Australians. We're so proud to be the custodians of Mistral II and we look forward to seeing her out on the blue water once more.
Getting Mistral II to Hobart
The story began when the head of the donor family, Barbara Burton, contacted our Managing Trustee and advised her of the family’s desire to donate Mistral II in order to see her both preserved, and used to develop the future prospects of young Australians. A thorough inspection of the vessel was then carried out by Captain Sarah Parry and one of her Tall Ship colleagues, Jon Simpson. Having spent several days going over the entire inside of the hull, pricking and poking into every surface, it was decided to accept the challenge, and bring her to Hobart, firstly for restoration and secondly as a future adjunct to our youth development programs.
While Sarah began exploring the development of a future program, Jon managed to cement an agreement with a shipping company that had one of their ships calling into Sydney for fuel whilst on their way to Hobart. However, time was short, the window of opportunity was narrow. A cradle to support Mistral II was required. Barbara Burton made contact with a family friend, a structural engineer, David Hall, who agreed to design the 8 tonne steel cradle. Having done so, Barbara contracted with a fabricator to build the cradle. The cradle was so large it had to be de-mountable to transport it to the wharf area….. We then had to wait for the ship to arrive at Sydney. The weeks sped past, the ship was held up by cargo problems in various ports and several potential loading dates came and went.
In the meantime, Jon had enlisted the aid of The Sydney Heritage Fleet Tugs to move Mistral II around as required, and Australian Bridge and Wharf Pty Ltd agreed to provide an alongside work berth, a crane and appropriate personnel to lift the masts and bowsprit out, many days were spent by a growing group of both Sydney and Hobart based volunteers filling a shipping container with Mistral’s fittings, hardware and equipment, a large quantity of Burmese Teak, and countless other items.
Then the year ran out, the loading wharf in Sydney was needed for the NYE Fireworks preparation, and the ship was still running behind time. Enter the Royal Australian Navy to the rescue. We discovered that the Navy’s Heavy Lift Transport ship HMAS CHOULES was coming to Hobart from Sydney for the Royal Hobart Regatta and the My State Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival. We submitted a request under the Defence Assistance for Civilian Communities program which was, in due course, approved. The Commanding Officer of HMAS CHOULES, Commander Scott Houlihan and his team enthusiastically embraced the challenge, agreeing to carry Mistral II, her cradle and two shipping containers of equipment to Hobart with them.
Read about Mistral II’s exciting early races in Blue Water Warriors
Join the crew from the comfort of home, reading these exciting first-hand accounts of Mistral II’s early Sydney–Hobart yacht races.
We are still working hard at restoring her and always need donations to help her along, if you can help go here https://drct-windeward-bound.prod.supporterhub.net/donations/mistral-100-donation-page-celebration If you can help with a gift of materials call us on 0438 120 599. All donations gratefully accepted and remember all gifts of over $2.00 are tax deductible
