TAHITI KETCH - CALYPSO III

Design: John G. Hanna – Tahiti Ketch

Builder: Ron Mitchell


Keel laid: 1947

Date of launch: 1953

Style: Gaff Ketch

Location: Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia

Registration: Australian Registration 317639

Queensland Registration OR660Q

LOA: 34’

LOD: 30’

LWL: 27’

Beam: 10’

Draft: 4’

Construction Material: Carvel planked in spotted gum to waterline
and Queensland Cedar above waterline.

Oregon bowsprit

Hardwood stringers.

Spotted Gum steam bent frames.

Cabin Queensland Maple

Interior Queensland Cedar.

Deck plywwod, white beech laid deck with
plywood and dynel over. All fastenings copper nails and roves,
bronze bolts and screws

Keel and ballast: Full length keel with hollow heel, 1.5 ton cast lead shoe
secured with bronze keel bolts, internal ballast of 1.5 ton lead
ingots in bilge.

Skin fittings: Bronze with bronze gratings.

Sounders: External transducer on starboard side

Log: Propellor type on starboard side

Anodes: Two aft in vicinity of propellor

Propellor: Fixed 3 blade with castellated nut and split
pin Shaft 7/8” stainless steel, free turning through
bronze bearing

Rudder: Wood aft skeg hung in four bronze gudgeons, rudder copper
sheathed below waterline.

Tiller: Honduras mahogany, spare emergency tiller

Deck: Full length bulwarks, deck beams 75 x 50mm
@ 330mm centres, non skid deck paint, forhead
access hatch, rear engine room access hatch, lazarette.

Anchoring: 180’ 3/8” galvanised chain, Simpson Lawrence two speed
manual and electric anchor winch with chain gypsy, fibreglass
lined chain locker drains to dedicated copper tank in fo’csle
with bronze drain tap. 35lb plough, 60lb fisherman.

Cleats and fairleads: Large timber Sampson post, timber horn cleats forward and
bronze horn cleats aft.

Stemhead: Round Oregon 4’ bowsprit with stainless steel cranze iron
supported by stainless steel whisker stays and stainless steel
rod bobstay. Two rubber anchor rollers in stainless steel
fitting at stemhead.

Pulpit and Pushpit: Stainless steel forward and aft fixed to capping rail.

Coach House: Constructed in Queensland Maple covered in canvas. Full
length timber grab rails, four bronze port lights each side
with opening bronze port lights forward and aft. Stainless
steel rain shades. Stainless and bronze rotating vent. Dodger.

Cockpit: Varnished cockpit coamings. Lazarette. Instrument housing
including tachometer, water temperature, oil pressure,
engine warning light. Forward and reverse gear control and
throttle control. Brass binnacle and Saura steering compass.
Storm boards teak on 170mm high deck mounted sill. Laid
planked hatch cover to cabin. Two cockpit drains
to lower topsides and two deck drains.

Winches: Two Barlow 16 chromed bronze on deck and two on main
mast.

Auxillary Steering: Spare tiller and optional traditional wheel steering.


Staunchions: Single untapered stainless steel bolted to deck and innals.

Lifelines: Two run of light guage stainless steel wire.

Interior: Traditional fitout in Queensland Cedar. Double berth
forward. Galley forward to port. Enclosed head forward to
starboard. Hanging locker. Gimballed table in saloon. Two
threequarter berths in saloon. Four lockers. Chart table. Two
metho burners and grill. Stainless steelbenchtops.Crockery
lockers. Food lockers. Hand water pump fresh and sea water.
Separate enclosed engine room with work station.

Bulkheads: Three timber bulkheads part sized.

Frames and Ribs; 45 x 30mm ribs at 250mm centres

Stringers: 115 x 35mm sheer clamp, deck beams half checked into top
of clamp, 2 x 150mm stringers nailed and roved.

Chain plates: stainless steel external bolted through topsides.
Keel Bolts: Bronze 16 and 25mm.

Marine Toilet: New manual Jabsco. Plastic abd bronze seacocks. Vented and
looped.

Seacocks: New bronze x 5. New piping and double clips.

Refrigeration: Large icebox with eutectic system engine driven

Engine: Lister twin diesel SWM2 15HP Serial No 155W2Z20 Age approx 1970.
Electric and hand start . In excellent condition, regularly
serviced. New water hoses. Jabsco water pump and separate
electric emergency pump.
Solid mounting on timber beds.

Gearbox: Generic 2:1

Sternbox: Bronze stuffing box with remote greaser line.

Fuel: Deisel 27 gallon GRP vented tank under saloon berth with 6
gallon header tank in engine room. Manual fuel pump for
header tank..

Electrics: New tinned copper wiring. New switchboard.
Lights and switches to all areas. Traditional light boxes for
navigation and bronze stern light.
Alternator charging, one main battery with isolation switch.

Water: One 27 gallon water tank under port berth in saloon and 60
gallon GRP tank under cockpit.

Masts: Gaff ketch, varnished in Werdol with white tops.
Main 6” diameter, mizzen 4.5” diameter
All spars in Douglas Fir. Mast Hoops. Mizzen with bronze sail
track. Copper sleeve on mast for gaff jaws. Spinnaker pole.

Standing rigging: Stainless steel with mixture of roll swages, poured bronze
sockets and Norseman style ends. Heavy duty stainless
turnbuckles and pins.

Running rigging: New white 12mm double braided.

Sheeting: New white 12mm double braided, headsail.
Sails: New Egyptian cream. Main, Mizzen, Genoa x 2,
Headsail x 3, staysail (storm).

Bilge pumps: Manual x 2. Electric x 1.


Radio: VHF, aerial on mizzen masthead.
AM/FM/CD, AC/DC. TV

Additional equipment: Digital Sounder, Furuno Paper Sounder,
EPIRB, Hand held compass. Clinker 8’ traditional pram
dinghy, Flares, V Sheet, Radar Reflector.
Engine spares, tools, vice.

Remarks:

Calypso III is a traditional Tahiti Ketch, well built with proven sea going ability, having
sailed to Alaska (Sitka) from Australia (being the first Australian Yacht to sail to Alaska)
in the late 60’s. She sailed through the Pacific to, New Zealand, Tahiti, Alaska, Canada,
San Francisco, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Florida, Bermuda, Virginia, England,
Portugal, Galapagos Islands returning across the Pacific to Fiji and Australia. She has
since cruised extensively on the East Coast of Australia and continues to cruise.

Calypso is a true Tahiti Ketch having been built meticulously to the original plans of
John Hanna.

Calypso has been slipped and antifouled annually and meticulously maintained. Masts
have been regularly varnished with twelve coats of Werdol varnish and maintained
regularly. The hull was completely sanded to bare timber in 1998, recaulked and
numerous silicon bronze screws replaced where necessary. The top sides have been
regularly repainted and maintained in International Paints.

All electrical wiring was renewed in tinned copper in 2000, interior repainted and
varnished in 2004, new toilet installed in 2004 and all hosing replaced in 2004.

Presently replacing all sail covers, dodger and covers.

The quality of construction of Calypso is superior and is a credit to her builder the late
Ron Mitchell of Woombye Queensland who sailed her on her world cruise. He was a
pineapple farmer and radio technician and he and his wife made the lengthy cruise with
members of their family, being the first Australian yacht to sail to Alaska receiving a
letter of congratulations from the then Governor of Alaska, Walter Hickel Jnr.

The vessel also visited the east coast of USA at the time of Gretel’s entry in theAmerica’s
Cup. Calypso was attacked off the coast of Mexico by pirates and also endured a cyclone
off Fiji. Calypso has been mentioned in Hal Roth’s cruising books after the cruising
author met the Mitchell’s in Alaska and Tahiti. Ron Mitchell’s philosophy was adopted
from the writings of Henry Thoreau and displayed on a plaque in Calypso’s hatchway:

““…If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music
which he hears…..”