Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Wizard of Oz

In contrast to the high-tech Etoile Horizon (below), these photos depict a humble thirty foot sharpie ketch, designed and built in wood, by Ozzie Whittley.

Ozzie Whittley has been designing and building boats all his life. He's eighty-two and still designing and building boats.
Wizard of Oz is a junk rigged sharpie with lee boards and 18hp outboard motor.

Around Australia a sailor must be able to navigate very skinny water.
Built with twin cabins, dual cockpits and homemade sails, Wizard of Oz was conceived for efficient single-handing by Ozzie, as his own cruiser, when he was seventy.
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2 comments:

  1. Bursledon Blogger22 February 2011 at 09:13

    Michael - what a great boat, I really would like to sail a sharpey first hand - sadly very few and far between over here, although we have pleanty of thin water to explore

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  2. doryman22 February 2011 at 20:47

    Max,
    Did you see those tiny lee boards? I guess they work fine - Ozzie claims this boat has no vices. She certainly seems to be moving along! I understand she can exceed hull speed with her 18hp motor.

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