Historic pearling lugger sinks on moorings at Trinity Inlet
The skipper of a pearling lugger with a history of sinking is optimistic about salvage of the iconic vessel which has gone to the bottom again following a period of heavy rain.
Cairns
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A historic Cairns-based pearling lugger repurposed as a tour vessel that previously sank twice while plying Great Barrier Reef waters has gone to the bottom again following a period of heavy rain.
Trinity Inlet users reported the Falla low in the water before the 16m gaff-rigged ketch slipped below the waves on March 24.
The sinking of the vessel has been officially reported to Maritime Safety Queensland by the boat’s owner Doug Meyer.
Mr Meyer, who claimed the Falla as the only pearling lugger to be in commercial survey in the country, said he was confident his pride and joy would be salvaged.
“This is nothing compared to what has happened to her over the years,” he said.
“The damage is actually minimal, but we can’t tell until we get it out of the water.
“I would consider this a minor setback.
The “minor setback” is not the old girl’s first brush with the seafloor.
In 2003 Falla sank en route to Yorkeys Knob Marina after striking a reef at Upolu Cay.
The vessel was later salvaged and then bought by boat builder Mr Meyer who restored Falla to her former glory over 18 months before relaunching her in mid-2005.
She then ran into trouble again and sank in 2009 after hitting an unidentified object at Luggers Pass during a trip to Upolu Cay.
The 20 tourists and crew on-board had to jump into the water and cling to safety floats before being picked up by the nearby Ocean Freedom vessel.
While the sinking was harrowing for all on board, Oliver Pelletier of Canada at the time said the trip was unforgettable.
“We sank but we still saw the Reef and a humpback whale on the way back,” he said.
Mr Meyer was hit with charges including unsafe operation and being responsible for an unsafe vessel.
But a protracted battle through the courts resulted in Mr Meyer being exonerated in 2012.
“I have been in this industry for 35 years and have had the Falla for 30 of those years, when you do those kinds of distances things do happen,” he said.
“One year I took the job of running the water taxi to Dunk Island and that year I went around the world in distance.”
Built in Western Australia in 1956, the vessel plied the waters off Broome for a short period before the decline of the mother of pearl industry due to the increase in use of plastics.
For the next three decades the old twin-masted workhorse made a living in the fishing and later the cray fishing industry.
The Falla was then brought to Queensland in 1988 and soon after Mr Meyer landed his first skipper job at the lugger’s helm, taking tourists to the Reef.
The United States expatriate from Miami who grew up in the Florida Keys was so taken with the vessel he bought the boat the next year.
Known as one of the great Far Northern tourist boats the Falla has built a reputation as one of Cairns’ best good-time Reef experiences.
“There’s a bit of a thing that people say, that one in three people in Cairns have been out on the Falla for the day and either have met their partner, or had a baby as a result of going out on the Falla,” Mr Meyer said.
Now 72, Mr Meyer, or Captain Doug as he’s widely known, was in Brisbane for minor surgery when the Falla sunk on the poles last week. He had entrusted care of the vessel to others in his absence.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Safety Queensland has been informed of the Falla’s situation.
“The owner has officially reported the maritime incident and is currently in dialogue with both authorities and their insurance provider regarding the necessary steps for the vessel’s retrieval,” an AMSA spokesman said in a statement.
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Originally published as Historic pearling lugger sinks on moorings at Trinity Inlet
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