Project Brupegvideo
Brupeg's last year in 18 minutes! - Project Brupeg Ep.432
January 1, 2026 · 18 min · 6K views · Roslyn Bay
What this video covers
Brupeg, a converted fishing trawler completing a 10-year rebuild, transited the Australian east coast from Gladstone north to Cape York and Thursday Island over the past year, navigating the Great Barrier Reef en route to a planned Indonesia crossing. Before departing Gladstone, the crew hauled out for a week to sand and apply seven coats of antifouling paint to the hull. Key upgrades included Brunette, a custom vessel-monitoring system built by Duncan and running continuously for 12 months, plus welded davits with an electric winch to lift the dinghy clear of the water. Donated electric winches replaced failing ones on the stabilizer wings, cutting deployment time to 60 seconds. The transit covered Roslyn Bay, Pearl Bay, Middle Percy Island, Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, Townsville, Lucinda, Hinchinbrook Channel, Cairns, Port Douglas, Cooktown, and Lizard Island. In Townsville, the crew ran a week-long training event for over 60 Australian Navy cadets covering navigation, helming, and engineering. At Lizard Island, Brupeg partnered with Tangaroa Blue on a marine debris mapping and removal project, using a high-resolution drone to categorize plastic waste on remote reef beaches. A 15-horsepower outboard was rebuilt in Cairns. The crew also spliced a new nylon three-strand anchor snubber and repaired cracked stainless anchor gear using TIG welding.
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