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Sydney Harbour is one of the world’s great ports. The harbour and its shores have provided sustenance and shelter since ancient times.

Today, the white sails of the Sydney Opera House, watched over by the famous steel arched bridge, create an image recognised across the world.

A wide, deep entrance, between tall sandstone headlands, delivers the weary navigator to an expanse of sheltered water alive with craft.

Small sailing dinghies, ferries, fishing boats, majestic racing yachts and ocean-going liners all share Sydney Harbour.

Yet wooded bays can still be found in the harbour’s reaches, offering solitude and shelter from the wildest of weather that occasionally escapes from the great Southern Ocean.

Despite its fame, few are the books, that bring the waters of Sydney to life for young readers.

Rudder the rescue boat, small and brave, voyages daily all over the Harbour. No boat knows the harbour better.

In Rudder to the Rescue – Lost, we learn of a small dinghy that has come adrift on Sydney Harbour and we are introduced to some of the vessels and characters that call the harbour home.

Will Rudder be able to rescue Trevor the lost dinghy before he ends up on the hook of Mudgrub the salvage tug anchored in wait beside the Sow and Pigs Reef?

Rudder to the Rescue – Lost, is of the highest print quality and features a hard cover.

Discover the characters

Rudder The rescue boat

Rudder travels all over Sydney Harbour from the upper reaches of the Parramatta River to the far end of Middle Harbour and everywhere in between. Rudder is small compared to some rescue boats but she is fast, strong and very brave. Whenever boats get into trouble Rudder will come to the rescue.

Twoways The ferry

Twoways is large and powerful, he carries passengers between Manly and Circular Quay and from Circular Quay to Manly. He loves it when there are storms on the harbour and the waves between North and South Head become large. And each time he passes between heads he can look out to sea and wonder what it would be like to sail to faraway lands.

Trevor The Dinghy

Trevor is very young. He has no motor so must be rowed or towed behind his mum. His mum has told him that when he gets a bit older she will give him a little mast and sail so that he can have a few adventures as long as he stays well away from Mudgrub.

Rafferty The Seagull

Rafferty was born on the roof of a fish and chip shop in Bondi. He travels all over the harbour in search of hot chips, he refuses to eat them when they are cold, they must be juicy and hot. Rafferty would be the fattest seagull in the world were it not for the fact that he gets so much exercise. He spends each day looking for the best and hottest chips. You will see him at Circular Quay, down at the beach at Bondi, out on the boardwalk at Balmoral and down at the wharf at Manly.

Dampdacks The capitain

Sydney Harbour can be a very busy port, especially on a summer Saturday afternoon. That is when sailing boats and motorboats of all sizes come out to race or play. Somehow, Captain Dampdacks has to help Twoways sail through all these boats without hitting any of them. Almost always he also has to convince Twoways that he cannot simply head out to sea with a load of passengers when they pass between the heads.

Macca The Fisherman

Macca has a secret, he loves fishing, but doesn’t like to eat the fish he catches. Just being on the harbour at night aboard Dory George in all types of weather is what makes Macca happy. Only Dory George knows the truth, but he is sworn to secrecy; each time they return from fishing with a tank full of fish, Macca empties the tank and lets all the fish go.

Mudgrub The salvage tug

Few can remember when Mudgrub first arrived in Sydney Harbour. They say it was a very long time ago. Mudgrub knows all the laws about salvage. No one is quite sure where Mudgrub lives, she seems to just appear out of nowhere, especially when the harbour is stormy. Any poor boat that comes adrift or washes ashore is likely to end up on Mudgrub’s hook.

LonelyThe Yacht

Lonely is always quiet and calm. She has used the wind to sail right around the world and has been through many terrible storms. She likes to just cruise around the harbour enjoying herself, but also has a secret love of racing other boats. So, while she might seem very relaxed, just every once in a while, she likes to sail hard, especially out on the ocean.

Follow Lonely's adventures at lonelytheyacht.com

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About the author:

Sean James Kelly

Sean has been capsizing in small boats all over Sydney Harbour since childhood, He sailed in his first Sydney to Hobart yacht race when he was nineteen and has now sailed tens of thousands of ocean miles. Between 2020 and 2023 Sean was the Commodore of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club in Mosman Bay, one of Australia’s oldest yacht clubs. He remains on the club’s board and sails Lonely from the club whenever he can. Sean runs a legal practice. He has written short stories for ABC Radio Life Matters program, founded the national children’s magazine Krash and produced and directed a training video for young soccer players featuring national coach Graham Arnold.

Sean can be contacted by email at sean@sjklegal.com.au

Illustrations by:

Virginia Gray

Originally from Kangaroo Island in South Australia, Virginia honed her skills as a fashion illustrator in London where she produced daily images for well-known retailers and advertising agencies. Virginia now resides in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and has illustrated over 60 books to date. Virginia’s talent is on display in every image she has created for Rudder the rescue boat. Not only does she have a rare ability for depicting watercraft and the water, Virginia has produced characters that come to life and capture the imagination.

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Rudder to the rescue