'Screen star' sailing ship for Classic & Wooden Boat Festival

by Bill Richards on 7 Oct 2010 Classic & Wooden Boat Festival, Sydney.

One of the Pacific Ocean’s most glamorous tall ships will sail up Sydney Harbour on Thursday, 14 October, to take the spotlight at Sydney’s Classic and Wooden Boat Festival on the following weekend.

The 145 ft (44.2 m) two-masted brigantine Soren Larsen, arriving from New Caledonia, will berth in Cockle Bay (Darling Harbour) where it will open for inspection through the festival Saturday and Sunday, 16-17 October.

The Classic & Wooden Boat Festival, with 120 vessels on display and a two-day entertainment program full of music, maritime crafts and kids activities, will centre on the Australian National Maritime Museum adjacent to Cockle Bay.
Indeed Soren Larsen will be just one of four tall ships on show. The others: the HM Bark Endeavour replica (18th cent), James Craig (19th cent) and Southern Swan (19th cent style).

Built in Denmark in the late 1940s, Soren Larsen started out trading between Baltic Sea ports and other European destinations.

Looking splendid after major restoration and re-rigging as a brigantine (square-rigged foremast, fore-and-aft rigged mainmast) in the late 1970s, it embarked on a new 'acting' career – first starring in the classic BBC TV series The Onedin Line and appearing in movies like The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Count of Monte Cristo and Shackleton.

In 1988 Soren Larsen sailed as flagship in the re-enactment of the First Fleet’s 36,000 km voyage from England to Port Jackson.

Based in Auckland, the vessel these days spends most of its time adventure cruising around New Zealand and the South Pacific. This will be its first Sydney visit since 1998.

Other highlights of the Classic & Wooden Boat Festival:

• Music, music, music – including leading maritime folk singers Warren Fahey and John Broomhall.
• Children’s arts and crafts themed around Sindbad the Sailor
• The exciting Quick and Dirty Boat Building Competition
• The famous, hotly contested Deckhand Line-throwing Contest
• Heritage vessel rides on Cockle Bay
• Giant model boat and marine artists displays
• Festive marketplace for all things nautical plus food stalls.

Tickets are $18 per adult, $9 per child or $40 for a family. The festival will be open both days 9.30 am to 5 pm. For more information call (02) 9298 3777 or visit www.anmm.gov.au/cwbf.

www.anmm.gov.au