Unfortunately , while the yacht was great for running woman about on day trips in Sydney Harbour , there were problems in the open sea, These became evident when , armed with a Hotchkiss three pounder gun , and subjected to several alterations, it was sent north, crewed by inexperienced naval reserves .
Soon after departing Sydney, Sleuth ran into a storm ,shipped much water, bags of coal were washed overboard and there was a variety of damage . Repairs were carried out in Brisbane and it became apparent the warship was not suited for life at sea .
Soon after reaching the Torres Strait, Sleuth and her seasick crew, were involved in several accidents,went aground twice, managed to limp back to Thursday Island , where it was the butt of many jokes.
The book points out that a mutiny- like situation developed in which the officers and crew refused to set sail in Sleuth .
The Naval Board eventually withdrew the vessel from the north and after further mishaps,was employed in South Australia and in Sydny.
Sold off, she became the Aurore , involved in the Tasmanian fishing industry for 40 years, eventually sinking after striking a submerged object in April 1981.
Raised and returned to Sydney , it was refitted and now attracts much attention..
The Shiping Reporter said he had another stroke of luck in a tip shop when a keen yachsman who has given up the sea , no longer the owner of a yacht which is in Cairns , came in with some nautical books about cruising the coral coast , a collection of stories from the Sailing magazine , and a waterlogged copy of Sailing Alone Around The World, by Joshua Slocum, edited and introduced by Tim Flannery. All of which ended up in the Shipping Reporter's kitbag.
