It has been a lovely sight to look over Twofold Bay and see the majestic wooden boats bobbing gently in the harbour, but what really goes on onboard and who is running these ships? 

Tall ship James Craig is the oldest vessel in the community-based non-profit organisation Sydney Heritage Fleet. The fleet is made up of 10 historical vessels which is among the largest collection of ships in Australia.

Co-captain Peter Cole, who has been sailing with the James Craig for over 18 years, said "keeping old skills and practices alive is all part of the mission". 

There are 72 people on board, 12 of whom are paying passengers. The ship is manned by volunteers who Mr Cole said all share the same passion. 

"We are here because we want to be. We all have the shared purpose of preserving the history and practices of tall ships," he said.  

Another ship preserving the history of tall ships is the Soren Larson. When not voyaging the high seas the Soren Larson can be found in the Sydney Harbour giving day tours and is part of the Sydney Harbour Tall Ships Group.

The ex-cargo carrying ship was one of the last of its kind, built in 1949 by Danish ship building family Søren Larsen and Sons in Northern Denmark. 

On deck there are a mixture of paying passengers and crew members. The 15 permanent crew members are compensated for their work on board through food, travel tickets from country of origins and of course the voyage and experience. 

The "voyage" crew make up for the other 22 passengers on board. 

"They are the paying passengers," skipper Marty Woods joked. 

"They pay to work. They join us mainly for the experience of being on board a wooden ship. However it all becomes like one big family and we have a lot of fun."

"We take youth of all ages on board," Mr Woods said. 

"Our age range on this voyage is from mid-20s to mid-70s. Some have been with us a while, others are here for the first time and some are returning for another voyage." 

Passenger Bill Moseley from Hill End has come on board as part of an arts project. The print maker is no stranger to the water. A shipwright by trade Mr Moseley ran the historic Sydney Ferry MV Reliance for 18 years. He said his love of traditional boats and all things antiquarian made the Soren Larsen the perfect voyage for his arts project. 

"I wanted a square rigger for my footage, and it's been an absolute delight to film a seascape whilst crossing the Bass Strait," he said.  

Texan Neil Haight has been a crew member for eight months. He said he joined after applying to an ad online. 

"I am still pretty green, I'd only done one sailing job before this, but it's the adventure that resonates with me," Mr Haight said. 

Traveller Elly Pape from Holland said she found the adventure on board the Soren Larsen has been a wonderful way to travel.

"Actually, to say it's wonderful is an understatement," she said.