They attempted to anchor at Stepper Point in the Camel estuary but a gearbox failure meant they were quickly driven onto rocks just outside Padstow and forced to issue a mayday call at about 04.45 BST.
To Sydneysiders, its site is no less cherished: it occupies Bennelong Point, named after an aborigine who lived in the first European dwelling built after the British dropped anchor in 1788.