PASSION FOR PRESERVATION
After 15 years sailing traditional ships around the world, Marty and his wife came ashore in 2007. With a child on the way and the tall ship Bounty, once a regular fixture on Sydney Harbour, sold off to Hong Kong without a goodbye, something didn’t sit right.
“So basically it was just to save the tall ships for Sydney because Sydney is a world-class harbour,” Marty says. “It was really about saving some history and keeping something beautiful on the best harbour in the world.”
The only tall ship left at the time, Southern Swan, was half-sinking and out of survey. But Marty saw something worth saving.
“She was sort of half sinking… but I had the skill base to get it back into survey and operational.”
Now, nearly two decades later, Marty and the Sydney Tall Ships team operate multiple vessels, giving visitors a front-row seat to living maritime history.
“These ships are special. It’s like a beautiful building, once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he reflects. “That’s what gives you the kick to keep going,” especially when guests aboard get teary-eyed, remembering family or friends who once sailed.
STANDING OUT THROUGH SUSTAINABILITY
“When we first started the company, we wanted to stand out a little bit… The ships present themselves by just being so beautiful, but then it’s the story that makes it,” Marty explains.
That story includes an ongoing commitment to sustainability.
“We were the first company on the harbour that’s carbon neutral,” he says proudly. Although the pandemic and expanding operations made staying carbon neutral more complex, the ethos of environmental responsibility hasn’t gone anywhere.
The team uses an electric forklift, sorts and recycles waste, and operates with long-term environmental goals in mind. With the site at White Bay required to be carbon neutral by 2030, Marty is already ahead of the curve. And a key part of the plan? A hybrid-powered tall ship.
The ship’s new engine system has been designed for seamless conversion to electric power.
“We’ve got a propeller and a gearbox sitting there, which we can input an electric motor. It’s basically having them separated… We built that in,” he says. “When we’ve got the electricity, that'll be our primary use.”
On top of that, the fleet is now officially listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels, cementing their cultural importance.
“We want to keep these ships alive and tell their stories,” Marty says.
THE FONZ FACTOR
A big part of Marty’s personal sustainability journey began with a small but mighty upgrade: switching to a FONZ electric scooter.
“And seriously, FONZ is unbelievable pricewise. For what you get, it was a no-brainer.”
After years of riding big, loud dirt bikes, Marty appreciated the low noise and low impact of his FONZ. “My bike was quite loud when I was younger… but there’s no noise with the FONZ. Your neighbours love you.”
He initially picked one up for commuting back and forth from the harbour and through Sydney. As prices for electric cars remained high, FONZ became an accessible entry point into clean transport.
“That’s where FONZ is just unreal, because somebody like a normal bloke can afford a small vehicle, and not have to outlay for the other brand… tens and tens of thousands of dollars.”
Even better, it became a family thing… His daughter rides one now too.
BUILDING A HYBRID FUTURE AT SEA
“These ships were before diesel. This ship actually sailed for 27 years without an engine,” Marty notes. “And in Europe, they’re going back to running cargo under sail.”
He’s not just inspired by that movement, he’s joining it.
With a user-friendly hybrid system already installed in Southern Swan, Marty is pioneering what may become Australia’s first hybrid-powered tall ship.
The ship has been fitted with a clutch mechanism that allows a diesel engine to be disengaged from the gearbox. This gearbox can then be powered by an electric motor.
“When we reengineered, we got ready to input the electric engine. So we put a gearbox that we could input into… when the batteries come along, we literally just buy an electric motor, bolt it in, install the batteries…bang.”
It’s a hybrid system designed with simplicity and maintainability in mind, especially important when you’re out at sea and can't call a technician with a laptop.
“This is all about making it user friendly. These ships will outlast us.”
“It’s about getting back to your roots,” he says. “We’ve got the vehicles already. Why wouldn’t you do it?”
Sydney Tall Ships Website - https://sydneytallships.com.au/
by Grace Bishop-Clark
