Valuations have also been an important part of Jock's working life although the first he ever did was of a boat with no value! However, she did have a strong connection with Tasmania's maritime past. She was the the old trading cutter Thames, and when he was asked to value her in 1942 she had fallen on hard times in Sydney: "She had been very well-known on the Derwent as a regular competitor in the regattas but I was asked to value her as part of an estate. When I found her, she was little more than a skeleton on Berry Bay and I gave a minus valuation!" Nevertheless the Thames was the first of many valuations: "I have always seen it as a very responsible job, valuing, and I'm pleased to say that I have never had a kickback from a valuation."
Sail plan, 40-foot fishing vessel with standing rigging. Sails 18 oz yacht duck, rot-proofed. Designed by E.J.Muir Hobart. March 1957