About
Hi, I'm Morgan. I'm a freelance live sound engineer and marine electrician, living aboard my 1983 Duncanson 35 'Emigre'.
I grew up sailing dinghies and keelboats, and have spent most of my childhood and adult life on boats. I was born and raised in Dunsborough, a small country town in the southwest of Western Australia, approximately 100 nautical miles South West of the capital city of Western Australia, Perth. Dunsborough is a picturesque coastal town lying at the intersection between the bush and the sea with a population of around 8000.
From a young age, I started sailing dinghies with my father. We sailed a 1954 'GP14' Jack Holt design, 14ft double handed displacement dinghy. The GP14 is very popular in the United Kingdom with fleets at world titles over 100 boats. The "GP" has a mainsail, jib (or larger genoa) and a symmetrical spinnaker. In Australia they are sailed with a trapeze.
After sailing GP's as a crew for my father, I participated in the junior learn to sail program at the Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club where I learned to sail in Mirror and Splash dinghy classes.
After a couple of years of learning the ropes, dad and I, with significant help from a few members from the club, built my first boat. She was a 7.5ft Minnow dinghy, constructed out of plywood and epoxy. I sailed the minnow for many years and before moving on to the Flying Ant class, a double-handed skiff with spinnaker & trapeze. I competed at a state and national level in both classes.
After sailing Flying Ants it was time for me to change tack. I realised that racing wasn't my calling and that I was quite happy to be floating in any kind of sailboat with or without a race.
Nostalgic to my sailing roots, I acquired a fibreglass GP14 dinghy (Pictured above) that was rotting in a paddock. After a couple of years of working on her in my spare time, she was re launched as 'Slow coach'. I sailed the GP14 for the next couple of years, mostly for fun with the occasional bit of racing thrown in.
From the GP 14 I had aspirations to own my own keelboat. A boat that I could sleep aboard, sail further, sail with friends and expands my horizons.'Sarnja' was my new project, a Spacesailor 18 designed by Kim Swarbrick and built in WA by Swarbrick Yachts. She was a solid fibreglass, sea going fixed keel (yet trailorable) tiny cruising boat.
'Sarnja' propelled my passion for cruising boats and sold me on the idea of one day living aboard. I sailed her around Geographe Bay for the next few years, learning boat handling, seamanship and how to quick recover from a man overboard situation while sailing solo!
Whilst the Spacesailor 18 was an important stepping stone and possibly the best boat I have owned, it was time to sell her and move on to bigger and better things.
Introducing 'Emigre'. my 1983 Duncanson 35 cutter rigged sloop. 'Emigre' was designed by Allen Blackburne and built by Jon Duncanson of Duncanson Yachts in South Australia.
She's 7.5 tonnes of hand-laid solid fibreglass with an integral lead keel and a skeg hung rudder. 'Emigre' has now been my full time home since 2019 and not a day goes by where I regret that decision. Since purchasing Emigre, I have sailed her over 10000 nautical miles around Geographe Bay and up and down the WA coastline between Albany and Fremantle with developing plans to sail further afield.
Emigre has partaken in in both cruising and racing events at Fremantle Sailing Club and Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club. Emigre completed the 2019/20 Fremantle Sailing Club Valmadre Winter Series, crewed by Fremantle locals and navigated by my good friend Jon Sanders. While we didn't fill the trophy cabinet, we had a great time racing against boats of a similar vintage.
In November 2019, Emigre completed the FSC Harbour Race, sailing under her Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club Flag. While she sailed faster than ever before, we managed to take out last place despite the head start! A great reminder that she's a cruiser!
Emigre is part of the FSC & DBYC cruising fleets and has participated in twilight sails for both clubs. She's even ventured up the swan river to sail at Royal Perth Yacht Club.
A highlight of Emigre's sailing calendar is the annual FSC Quindalup Cruise where members of FSC's cruising fleet sail south to Geographe Bay, spending a week moored in the anchorage of Quindalup, in front of the Dunsborough Bay Yacht Club.
Emigre is currently in Albany WA, preparing for her voyage to Tasmania.