Australian Wooden Boat Festival - there's still time!

by Nancy Knudsen on 24 Jan 2009 There's still time to make plans to be on the docks in Hobart for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival to be held on 6th-9th February

Since the first event, held in 1994 – the result of a passion led by Andy Gamlin for wooden boats and the maritime history of Hobart - the Festival has grown into an event of international standing.

One of the highlights will be the Classic Yacht Rally on Sunday afternoon, when well-aged yachts as well as more modern craft will be racing. Veteran yachts Sao and Gypsy have thrown their hat in the ring and will display how yachts used to sail - not as slowly as you may imagine.

The smallest entry is a Norwalk Islands Sharpie with a cat ketch rig. Among others there is a Queenscliffe Couta boat that sailed from Smithton to Hobart for the last festival, and a well-presented 40 foot Alan Payne design built for the 1965 Admirals Cup trials.

With an eclectic range of yachts, the Rally will be a major spectacle for the 2009 festival and the onwater action continues with the replica 18 footers and the Derwent Class racing around the same course. It will be a pretty busy afternoon on the river.

Hospitality aboard the Egeria:
To make your visit to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival even more special, a limited number of hospitality packages are available on the former Governor of Tasmania’s vessel, the Egeria, on the Sunday and Monday of the Festival to go out on the River Derwent to watch the 18-foot replica skiffs in action. For more information, contact the Festival Office on (03) 6223 3375 or email: manager@australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au

Another highlight of the festival will be the festival building of a dugout canoe from a suitable log, which has been brought to Tasmania specially for the occasion. Tiwi Island rangers will be arriving from the Tiwi Islands to demonstrate their traditional boat building skills.

According to festival organisers, the arrival of the Tiwi Island log has also prompted a local indigenous team to head for the forest to collect bundles of stringy bark which will be transformed into a canoe alongside the Tiwi Island dugout version. The two groups will assist each other in completion of both vessels.

Among a host of local media personalities to broadcast from the site of the Festival, even 'Macca' of the ABC's 'Sunday Allover' fame, will be broadcasting – Sunday 8th early in the morning! It’s a few years since ABC Radio legend, Ian McNamara 'Macca' came to the Festival, but he’s back for 2009 and will broadcast live from the Festival site on Sunday morning. Catch him bright and early and get involved in the show. http://www.abc.net.au/australiaallover/

There'll also be a Festival Dinner which will be held at the Hobart Function Centre on Elizabeth Street Pier (right beside the Festival site) at 7pm on Sunday 8 February 2009. Guest speaker will be the renowned Irish yachtsman and yachting historian, Hal Sisk.

For more information, contact the Festival Office on (03) 6223 3375 or www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au