James Craig 150th Birthday Parade of Sail

Launched in Sunderland England in 1874 the Clan Macleod was later renamed James Craig, among a fleet of trans-Tasman traders out of New Zealand. With thirteen full circumnavigations of the globe and twenty three roundings of Cape Horn to her credit, the James Craig finally succumbed to the rise of steam and was abandoned as a hulk in the secluded waters of Recherche Bay, southern Tasmania. Some forty years later she was refloated by a visionary team of Sydney ship enthusiasts and eventually towed to Sydney for restoration. Thirty years later she was recommissioned and so began a new era of sail for this remarkable ship, one of just four surviving 19th century barques still sailing today. In this video she celebrates 150 years accompanied by fellow historic vessels restored by the volunteer based Sydney Heritage Fleet.