| Launched | 18/6/81 (date of build contract) |
| Owner | Libby Braybrooks |
| Purchased | 2004 |
| Contact | |
| Configuration | |
| Colour | |
| Berthed | Hawkesbury River Yacht Club |
| Sail Number | 5449 |
| Australian Registration | |
| State Registration | |
| Call Sign | |
| Builder | Swarbricks |
| Hull Number | 99 |
| Fit Out | |
| Previous Owners | J Plowman (original owner), Dr Tim Armytage, James Douglas (until 2004) Frank Braybrooks (until 2012) |
| Previous Names | Nil |
The Yacht’s Story
As new owners (Feb 2005) of Star of the Sea that came with no pedigree we are interested in finding out whether or not any member can shed light on when she was built, anything about her history and whether or not she has had a change of name. A tall order I suspect, but perhaps there are other members with similar interests.
(Webmaster note: see extra info below, which has enabled tracing of original owner and hull no.)
Star of the Sea was built by Jim and Kath Plowman formerly from Esperance in Western Australia; they sailed it around Australia and on the east coast for about 5 years before he became ill and sold the yacht.
Dr Tim Armytage was an owner of this yacht and probably has a lot of history. He sailed it out of Prince Alfred Yacht Club. I had sailed and raced with him on this yacht many times. You could probably contact him through RPAYC. He now owns Cala Luna a Swan 44.
Thank you for those replies, the name J Plowman was on the case of the Autohelm which was stolen from the boat late last year. I’m sorry it had belonged to the original owner.
I had been in touch with Tim Armytage, thank you for that.
I think the yacht has had only one other owner and that was James Douglas who we bought the yacht from..
Sadly I own the yacht on my own now as Frank died in February 2012. I have been trying to do the boat justice and have been sailing her in our little local club here in the Hawkesbury.
I am the grand-daughter of Jim & Kath Plowman, and I am so pleased to have stumbled across this site.
Grandma just passed away in November 2013 at 89yrs, with family back in Perth. Grandpop had passed away, just weeks after selling the yacht (25yrs before). They were an adventurous & pioneering couple, and the years of sailing around Australia on the yacht was the last of their great adventures. It was such an amazing achievement and the family would be so pleased to hear of the yachts journey and ownership over the years.
Yes We owned Star of the Sea from 1996 – 2002. She lived up to her reputation and we sailed her a lot – mainly in the Broken Bay area. I have seen her from time to time in Broken Bay and I/m pleased to see she is well cared for. Tim Armytage
Thanks Tim,
Any further info is welcome – was she launched as Star of the Sea?
Regards, Simon, webmaster
Yes; Star of the Sea was the name of the Esperance catholic parish to which Jim & Cath belonged, I suggest it was named after their happy years there.
Since my comment above, I have returned home to WA and gotten married in 2018 – we had our reception at the Royal Perth Yacht Club as its a beautiful location. As we had to become members of the yacht club to have our function there…so began our sailing journey as a couple. We have since undertaken sail training courses and crewed on racing yachts several times a week, improving our skills and growing in our love for sailing together as a couple.
Just tonight my husband came home from sailing after spending the evening chatting with John Sanders, who remembered my grandparents very fondly, Jim & Kath Plowman from Esperance. They chose the SS34 on his recommendation, due to his choice for multiple circumnavigations around the globe.
I would really like you to make contact if you are ever ready to pass the Star of the Sea on to new owners. It would be amazing if she were to came the full circle, back to the grand-daughter of the original owners!