Schooner Platina – a lucky escape.

On this day 30th January 1832.

Like all ships in the coastal trade, the Platina tried to stay as close to the coast as possible, this was done for two main reasons, the first was to locate reference points along her journey, lighthouses, and prominent headlands and features were the only way of knowing exactly where the vessel was positioned.  The second, which is still relevant today,  was to cut costs by shortening the length of the journey, these two factors alone put many ships in danger of disaster,  the Platina was one of the lucky ones, the coast is littered with ships remains and lost souls who weren't so lucky

184 years ago today the Schooner Platina from Hobart Town was sailing north along the coast in the grip of a squall and very hazy weather, she approached the land trying to secure her position, she soon found herself in mortal danger, coming ashore near Jervis Bay.

After frantic work she was eventually refloated suffering damage, she continued her journey north  arriving safely in port where she underwent a survey to ascertain the extent of the damage.