Tag Archives: Hobart

AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC

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AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC

A Big Plug Today For The Biggest & Best Wooden Boating Event In The World – I encourage anyone with an interest in classic wooden boating to make this a bucket list item. Link below to a peek back at the 2021 Festival to give you a taste. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/02/12/woodys-on-tour-hobart-australian-wooden-boat-festival-day-3/

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) is excited to launch its 2025 Festival Program, proudly presenting “The Pacific” as its central theme. The festival will showcase this vast ocean region’s cultural and historical significance, featuring content from New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Japan, the US West Coast and other Pacific locales. 

Tasmania’s largest free event and the largest celebration of wooden boats and maritime culture in the Southern Hemisphere will be held 7–10 February 2025. Over four days, Hobart’s waterfront will reach its fullest potential and become a place of pilgrimage for 400+ boats and tens of thousands of visitors from across Australia and the world.

Highlights of the 2025 Pacific-themed program include the Pacific Seafarers Precinct presenting navigators, artists, curators, and maritime artisans who embody the ancient and ongoing traditions of the region, feature vessels such as the recently restored 1896 New Zealand built yacht Te Uira—one of the first racing yachts to make it to Australia—and the Australian debut of the Kumundar Gujo Project, a giant Japanese-inspired jungle gym that kids build themselves.

AWBF General Manager and Festival Director Paul Stephanus said, “The AWBF is a celebration of our collective heritage. The 2025 theme allows us to explore our connection with the Pacific like never before, bringing visitors face-to-face with historic vessels and remarkable people from across the ocean. We hope to create a festival experience that feels both grand in its spectacle and intimate in its sense of community.”

Festival favourites are back but with a Pacific twist. The ever-popular Wooden Boat Symposium will dive deep into stories of (mis)adventure and tackle hot-button issues, the Shipwrights Village and Noisy Boatyard will deliver demonstrations and workshops by master craftspeople, and the bustling Maritime Marketplace will offer unique wares. The Little Sailors Village and Constitution Dock will engage young hearts and minds with activities for all ages, culminating in the thrilling Quick & Dirty Boatbuilding Challenge and Race.

The 2025 AWBF program is available online now at awbf2025.org.au/.

Westward – AWBF ‘Boat Folk’ Film

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WESTWARD – AWBF ‘BOAT FOLK’ FILM

Our friends at the Australian Wood Boat Festival have just released another film in the ‘Boat Folk’ series.

Todays one is on the 1947 Tasmanian built 43′ yacht – Westward. 

Westward started life designed as a recreational fishing yacht but prior to completion was converted to a racing yacht. Quite a successful one – winning the 1947 and 1948 Sydney > Hobart race. 

After a long life of extended cruising Westward was donated to the Maritime Museum of Tasmania. These days she is back home in her home state and has been restored as a floating exhibit at the Constitution Dock in Hobart.

You can see and read more about Westward here http://www.maritimetas.org/collection-displays/westward

Remember – the next festival is this coming February 10>13th more details here:

The Younger Generation – Australian Wooden Boat Festival Film

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The Younger Generation

Our friends across the ditch in Tasmania that pull together the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, commission some wonderful short films that provide an insight into the people and vessels that help make the AWBF so special.

We have featured several in the past and todays one is just such a cool, warm, feel good story. We meet Matt and Iefke – a young couple that were drawn together by a shared passion for wooden boats and are now building the boat of their dreams – Tarkine. 

Both Matt and Iefke take us on the journey of how they meet, and express in words the reason why we do what we do and why we love wooden boats.

If today is anything weather wise like yesterday – find that spot x in the house and sit back and enjoy this short film.

To learn more about the upcoming Australian Wooden Boat Festival  – Feb 10>13 2023 – Hobart Waterfront – click here https://www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au

Nancy

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Today’s story features another woody spotted by Andrew Hewitt during his recent trip to Tasmania , Australia – the launch Nancy is one of the lucky ones as she is in the ‘Living Boat Trust’ collection. The trust is based in Franklin on the Huon River, south west of Hobart.

Nancy was built in 1917 by well known Hobart builder – AA ’Tucker’ Abel. Was used as a ferry on both the Derwent and Huon Rivers, until at least the 1950’s. Sent time also as a flying boat tender on the Derwent River.

Andrew commented that Nancy’s continued existence is much thanks to the generosity of the donors Martin and Judy Krynen, who took her to Noosa in Queensland, restored her and then decided she really belonged in Tasmania and donated her to the Living Boat Trust, including paying for road freight  to return her to Franklin. (Judy  is an ex-pat South Islander and both lived in NZ for many years)

Nancy is available for hire to LBT members, and based at the marina in Franklin. More info at  http://lbt.rfoster.org/about-us/boats/nancy

Andrew also wishes to acknowledge his contact (and LBT member) Martin Riddle

Is that a St Ayles skiff alongside?

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Woodys Waiheke BBQ & Pizza

Woodys On Tour – Tasmania

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Woodys On Tour – Tasmania


Last month I was contacted by Andrew Hewitt from Ashburton who in December (2019) had jumped the ditch for a trip to Tasmania – I’ll let Andrew tell the story –  “This last December, my partner and I made a trip to Tasmania. We built the trip around three key booked experiences, one of which was a bit of a ‘sail’ on the ketch ‘Yukon’ on the Huon River from Franklin. We spent some time in Franklin, visiting the Wooden Boat Centre, and exploring the woodies abundant in the harbour. As old houses and old boats go together, and one thing leads to another… we ended up being introduced to a fellow ‘woody’ enthusiast who’s involved in the Wooden Boat Centre, and invited into his vintage home – lovely and welcoming people. So over a couple of further days we’d finished exploring the greater Huon valley area, and south coast up to Hobart, we travelled across to the West Coast and spent some time there also.

What an amazing place to visit. So much to see. In pretty much every little bay we nosed into, there would be at least two or three classic woodies waiting to be photographed. My own interest aside, I did take quite a few with your website in mind, as I’m sure the readership would enjoy seeing them. 

For starters, here’s a selection from what I found in STRAHAN (pronounced ‘strawn’) over on the Macquarie Harbour, West Coast. That green (almost a bridgedecker to look at; lovely counter too) one was quite an attractive boat. And ‘Mayfair’ , appears to be an old passenger launch (see interior pic for detail). I love the fact that these old girls are still all original (in their working clothes) and unmolested, probably by virtue that Strahan is away in the middle of no-where pretty much, and maybe it costs bugger all for the moorings so they’ve just been tied up and left to rest there….. For those restorers amongst us, if only we could get our hands on at least one and bring it home…. “

Update – received the photos below from Ross Mason who is just back from a cruise (big liner). One of the stops was Hobart where Ross came across the pretty woody, she is approx. 60’, hull is Spotted Gum, deck Aust Mahogany. zoom zoom 8 cylinder Gardner. Just back in the water after paint job. Cray pots are Teatree which the owner prefers and only one guy left in Aust who makes them. Works the southern and western coasts. Looked at a similar boat with the same engine done 55000 hours (proper marine engine). 

Woodys Waiheke BBQ & Pizza

RSVP to: waitematawoodys@gmail.com

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Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2019 – Photo Parade – 200 Classic Wooden Boat Photos – Part 1

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AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL 2019 – HOBART, TASMANIA – PHOTO PARADE 200 CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

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Well woodys while I was gutted that I had to cancel my trip to the festival, I honestly believe that we have ended up with a better view of the festival. I have been inundated with photos from woodys from both sides of the Tasman. The coolest thing is that the show is so big and the exhibitions so broad, that there have hardly been any duplications – my new best Aussie woody friend – Andrew Christie has excelled with photos from the air (drone) and on the water (he borrowed a clinker dinghy from the ‘Living Boat Trust’ and rowed around the docks). My kiwi woody friends –  Colin and Sheryl Pawson + Fiona Driver and Rod Marler + James Mortimer  have supplemented Andrew’s photos with more stunning photos from their camera’s. As an aside Andrew won the AWBF 2019 short film festival, with his entry ‘Wooden Boat Lunacy’ featuring a Billy Holmes built motorboat – Folly III. This short film has been featured on WW – link here    https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/11/08/folly-iii/
Rather than mix them all up – I thought it would cool to group them by photographer. There will be more to share with you over the next few days, seems like everyone has maxed out the mobile data packages 🙂
Remember you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them – Enjoy
Andrew Christie

 

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James Mortimer
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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under

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A Very Big Woody Weekend Down Under
This weekend is a very big woody weekend DOWNUNDER, we have the Lake Rotoiti Classic& Wooden Boat Parade in NZ and over in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia – it’s the bi-annual Australian Wooden Boat Festival.
Both events are huge and will be covered by waitematawoodys. Starting with the AWBF tomorrow (Monday). I have Woodys at both events sending in photos, including drone video footage, which brings a whole new perspective to our coverage.
The photos above come to us from Colin Pawson & Andrew Christie
Below is a short drone video of the fleet in what they call the Parade of Sail on the River Derwent. Many thanks to Australian woody, Andrew Christie for this video and tomorrows photo gallery.

P-CLASS P500 DAFFY DUCK
We cover everything on woodys – from mega events to a guy trying to track down the P-Class yacht his father built for him 55 years ago 🙂 Does anyone know the where-about of P500 (Duffy Duck) ? Paul Silva would love to know that she is still around and if possible have a look at her. He’s also keen to buy her – so woodys can anyone help Paul out?

Steam Yacht Preana

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Steam Yacht Preana

A good friend Nigel Golledge was recently in Hobart & spent some time mooching around the docks, not a lot else to do there 🙂 The stand out vessel a float was the  S. Y Preana,  a luxury steam yacht built by Robert Inches at his  Battery Point (Hobart) boatyard in 1896.

She was built for the Hon. W. G. Gibson M.L.C. a wealthy Tasmanian flour mill owner. By the 1930s, Preana had slipped down the scale, and was sold to the Watt family and had been fitted out as a fishing vessel, with a scallop dredge. She was then converted by Mr. Charles Lucas to a fine motor yacht for his own use and for cruising. In the late 1930’s she passed into the hands of Mr. WJ. Clark, and was known as the motor launch ‘WJ. Clark’, and then changed into the hands of Mr Peter Ketchel and back to to the name Preana.

For many years she sat idle and engineless at her moorings off Battery Point. In 1985 she was shifted to new moorings at Prince of Wales Bay, but sank at the marina there in mid 1992. Thankfully for the Preana, perhaps the only serving Hobart built steam yacht in Australia, she was rescued by The Preana Trust. A team of volunteers have now restored her to her original condition so that once again the PREANA can grace the waterways of Hobart and the Derwent River. More details & photos here http://www.preana.org/Default.aspx

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Below are a few photos of a display of 14′ ex navy clinker rowing dinghies awaiting restoration.

Below a poster promoting the upcoming Auckland Anniversary Weekend boat activity on offer. You will see mention of a Launch Parade on Saturday at Mahurangi – I will post more details on this tomorrow.

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