Enterprize Tall Ship busy holiday season program on Port Phillip

by Rod Thomas on 27 Dec 2011 Have you had an interest in sailing on a traditional tall ship or in taking family or friends out on a short or longer trip on such a vessel?

Melbourne's traditionally rigged wooden top sail schooner Enterprize has a full and varied program of trips from late December to the end of January from a range of locations on Port Phillip within a 50 kilometre radius from Melbourne. The Enterprize summer holiday season program provide opportunities for people of all ages from preschool children through to people in their seventies and eighties to experience sailing on a traditional tall ship.

There are a series of port to port transit trips for people interested in a longer half to full day trip: Portarlington to Geelong (Saturday 31 December), Geelong to Melbourne (Sunday 1 January), Melbourne to Blairgowrie (Monday 9 January),Sorrento to Portarlington (Friday 13 January) and Portarlington to Melbourne Docklands (Sunday 15 January). There is also a 22 hour Overnight Adventure Sail and a Day on the Bay Sail from Melbourne's Docklands on the first weekend of January. These will all be interesting trips with views of coastal landmarks and marine life along the way. All of the longer trips involve a combination of sailing and motoring, with the extent of each depending upon the wind strength and direction. At the end of each trip people either return to the originating port by private or public transport or travel on to accomodation in the arrival city or town.

For people interested in a shorter experience of sailing on a tall ship there is a program of short sails at locations around Port Phillip. On these trips, sails are hoisted and the Enterprize goes out on a sail out and back from the departure pier. There are one hour daytime sails and one and a half hour evening cruises from Portarlington Pier (28 to 30 December), Geelong (New Years Eve evening), Sorrento (10 to 12 January),Portarlington (14/15 January as part of Mussel festival), Melbourne Docklands (18/19 January), and Williamstown (21 January).

Enterprize will also have a program of public sails on Port Phillip on the four day Australia Day 'long weekend' There is a full day sail to Geelong on Thursday 26 January, including viewing the start of the 'Festival of Sails' Melbourne to Geelong race and sailing down with the fleet to Geelong. The Enterprize returns to Melbourne for the multicultural Piers Festival and re-opening of Princess Pier at Port Melbourne on 28 January.
The Enterprize is an authentic 27 metre (jib boom to stern) full scale replica of the square rigged schooner Enterprize which brought the first permanent settlers from Tasmania to Melbourne in 1835. The ship is operated by a not for profit organisation with experienced volunteer crew and an experienced ship's Master.

Bookings and further information on the Enterprize sailing program is available on www.enterprize.org,au. Bookings are essential for port transit trips and strongly advised for evening cruises. Ticket sales on the boat may be possible for day sails and evening cruises not booked out in advance.