Yacht high and dry at Tin Can tip

JESSICA Milne has seen a lot of things dumped at the Tin Can Bay refuse station, but a 14-metre yacht is a new one for the rubbish recycler.

SELF-described tip chick Jessica Milne has seen a lot of things dumped at her Tin Can Bay refuse station, but a 14-metre yacht is a new one for the rubbish recycler.

The timber yacht, the Southwind, has been catching the eye of many Tin Can Bay residents as they drive into the dump to drop off their rubbish.

Bay resident Kev Collins said the way the vessel was placed near the top of the dump, it was if someone was expecting 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

“Anyone visiting the tip, which is very well maintained, may think that they are at the top of the mountain as Noah,” Mr Collins said.

“Someone has placed what was, in its day, a beautiful old yacht on top of the tip.”

He and a lot of other residents would like to know the origin of the Southwind NYRC.

“It must have real history attached to it,” he said.

Investigations by The Gympie Times over the past few days have only turned up dead ends.

However, Ms Milne said she had heard rumours that the discarded boat had sailed in Sydney to Hobart yacht races during its heyday.

The garbage recycler said she was going to salvage the scrap metal and timber out of the boat if it couldn’t be sold as is.

“Its hull is all made out of Huon pine,” Ms Milne said.

“The timber beams are full of copper nails.”

She said she thought the boat was on a hard stand in the Tin Can Bay Marina for a period of time, but had been let go and the owner decided to dump it.

Anyone with any information about the Southwind can contact The Gympie Times on 5482 1011 or via email at [e-mail].

Originally published as Yacht high and dry at Tin Can tip