1975 Alan-Payne steel schooner: One Man's Boat

A 42-foot steel Bermudan-rigged schooner called 'Santika'

Any East Coast yachtie planning to cruise around the world has to see an awful lot of the Australian coast before they strike foreign shores -- at least a couple of thousand kilometres just from Melbourne to Darwin.

Darwin businessman Tim Knight found a simple solution to that long haul along our generally unforgiving coastline -- pick up your boat in Darwin and sail across to Bali in only a few days (the reverse trip to all those illegal boatpeople).

Knight and his wife, Julia, were planning to sail their 42-foot steel Bermudan-rigged schooner Santika around the world until he badly damaged his legs and had to abandoned the plan.

So Santika (the name is a Sanskrit word for harmony) is sitting at a marina in Darwin Harbour awaiting a new adventurer.

Knight first spotted Santika when she sailed into Darwin Harbour in the early 1980s.

"I was sitting on a mate's boat and as she glided past I told everyone that someday I have a boat like that and sail around the world," Knight told BoatPoint.

But life moved on and Knight moved to Queensland where he bought and sold three yachts over the years, searching for the right vessel to fuel his dreams. About 10 years ago, and long removed from yachts, he sold his farm and moved to Townsville where the longing to sail away was rekindled.

"We started looking at boats and, suddenly, there she was," he said, "I thought good golly, we meet again."

After buying the rather run-down Santika, Knight started work to bring her back to tip-top condition. "We spent every cent we had on her and eventually went broke, so we had to go back to work."

After a stint at the coalface, Knight had Santika ready to sail and headed off to his home town of Darwin to complete the restoration.

Santika was built in Whyalla by professional shipwright Alan Miell to a design by Len Hedges and Alan Payne. Most Hedges-designed boats were built in ferro-cement but Miell stretched the waterline length and built her in solid local steel, which according to an out of water survey in 2011 is still as good as new.

The yacht sailed around Australia and overseas with various owners until the bloke before Knight found her on a marina in Malaysia. He sailed her back to Townsville via Guam and the Pacific -- but didn't do too much maintenance. Knight says she was in pretty shabby condition when he bought her.

But now, after a complete interior rebuild in Darwin by a local shipwright -- including all the plumbing and wiring -- Santika is ready to cruise the world. However, Knight's dream ended when he seriously damaged both legs in a recent accident.

Santika's multi-chine steel hull draws only 1.4 metres so she can sneak into almost any anchorage and a solid steel shoe on her keel allows her to be run up on the beach and sit upright in those tropical places with massive tides.

Knight says she is a beautiful boat to sail and the Bermudan schooner rig is easily handled by one person. There is a double berth in the bow and a single and a double in the saloon -- but Knight says in the tropics the place to kip is the enormous cockpit that is partly covered by a solid steel dodger.

"The cockpit can comfortably sit 12 people," Knight said, "When we were aboard we virtually lived there."

The vessel is driven by a 36hp Buhk diesel that will push her at around five knots while using just 1.5 litres of fuel per hour. She carries 540 litres of water and 100 litres of fuel in her tanks.

The galley is equipped with a brand new stove and a stand-alone 110 litre fridge and a 40 litre freezer.

"No expense has been spared," Knight says, "With all the fittings and equipment renewed or replaced, there is nothing to do but slip the lines and head to the destination of your dreams."

AT-A-GLANCE

Make: 1976 Hedges/Payne designed steel schooner, Santika.

Dimensions: Length 42 feet, beam 10 feet, draft 4.5 feet.

Engine: 36hp Buhk diesel with 12 inch prop.

Storage: Water, 540 litres. Fuel, 100 litres plus 120 litres in jerry cans.

BoatPoint reference: SSE-AD-957773.

Price: $99,500.

Read the latest Boatsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the Boatsales Network's mobile site. Or download the all-new App.

1975 Alan-Payne steel schooner: One Man's Boat

Tags