Zephyr 1873

Reputedly Australia’s oldest yacht, the 1873 built cutter Zephyr has been purchased and is set to undergo a full restoration.

After many years of neglect on the hardstand at Yaringa Boat Harbour in Victoria, and facing a dire future, Zephyr has been purchased by individuals from Melbourne, and is set to undergo a full restoration at F J Darley Shipwrights, at Seaworks in Williamstown. It is hoped that she will become a project to educate the next batch of budding shipwrights.

The CYAA is proud to have been able to contribute and will look at ways that it can assist with what will be an exciting journey for all involved.

A restoration of this magnitude will not be cheap and we hope to be able to announce in the near future ways that the public, and interested sponsors may be able to contribute.

Zephyr was designed by William Taylor and built by Robert Playfair in Port Adelaide. She was commissioned by South Australian Supreme Court Judge, MP and Past-Commodore of the South Australian Yacht Club, Sir William Bundey. She was launched in August 1873 to great fanfare.

She raced succesfully for 20 years, before being converted to a fishing boat, plying the treacherous waters around Kangaroo Island for nearly 100 years.

She underwent a full restoration in 1993, but has since, once again, slid into a state of disrepair.