Kel Williams
- Saratoga Pearl Lugger 2017 (WillKel2.25)
- 94 x 98 x 49cm (with base)
- Wood (silky oak)
This boat is a tribute to my grandfather, James Williams, who was born on Stephen Island in the Torres Strait. He worked in the Pearling Industry from the 1950s to the 1960s. He was a skipper, a Pearl diver, and a talented woodworker. At a very young age, he taught me how to carve animals and fish.
In his late teens, my grandfather became a pearl diver and worked in the waters of the Torres Straits for many years. The most deadly of the pearl dives was the Darnley Deep at 40 fathoms (240 feet). My grandfather worked on a lugger called Saratoga. Saratoga measured 56 feet in length, with a beam of 13 feet 6 inches and a draft of 6 feet 2 inches. Originally a fishing boat, this vessel was converted into a pearl lugger in the early 1940s. It is with this memory that I recreate the Saratoga via my artwork. My Saratoga lugger has been built to scale, and I have added my hand-painted artwork on both sides of the hull to depict the dangers of pearl diving. The stand for the pearl lugger is shaped like ocean waves. The design originates from the mid-1800s when luggers plied their trade in the far northern waters of Australia. I have built this model like I would have built a larger vessel.
