[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”AWBF Newsletter
August 2017″ font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:72|text_align:right|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Josefin%20Sans%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”331″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”161″ img_size=”300×100″ alignment=”right”][vc_column_text]

Welcome to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival’s new-look newsletter, designed to bring you relevant news, links and feature articles as they come up.  We are keen to stay in touch with you between festivals and to let you know what’s being planned for the 2017 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival.  It’s early days, but we have some exciting developments already, with news that the UK tall ship Tenacious will be with us.

Tenacious was the largest wooden ship to be buit in the United Kingdom for more than 100 years when she was launched in 2000, and at 213′ overall, she is a magnificent traditionally rigged three-masted barque, adapted so that both able-bodied and disabled sailors can work her.  There’s also a growing interest in the 375th anniversary of Abel Tasman’s visit to our island way back in 1642.  Dutch vessels have always been welcome here in Hobart, most recently for the 2013 Tall Ships Festival, when Oosterschelde, Tecla and the stunning Europa berthed in Hobart for a five-day visit.  Our Media and Marketing Manager, Daryl Peebles is in The Netherlands right now, planning to attend SAIL Amsterdam and make contacts to promote Dutch involvement in the 2017 festival.

The new format will replace the PDF document we sent out in the past and you can subscribe easily with a direct link from this page HERE or from our website at www.australianwoodenboat.com.au  One thing we don’t want to do is clutter up your Inbox if you really don’t need to see this newsletter, so please don’t hesitate to click ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ if you would rather come and visit us only when you choose to do so.  As with all communications with AWBF, we will never sell or otherwise pass on your email address without your permission. If you click on a link from this newsletter (for instance to look up a product or service) please check their privacy settings to make sure you are happy with them.  We can’t control every other website in the maritime world, so it pays to be careful.

We’d like to hear from you, particularly your opinion on this new format.  Does it work for you?  Please have a look around – there are links to many articles and you can search for them easily.  Let’s say you heard something about  Utiekah III and you’re interested.  Just enter ‘Utiekah III‘ in the search box and we’ll show you that article.  Perhaps you’re looking for a new battery and want to know where to find the best deal.  Click on ‘Boat Products and Services’ to go to Marine.Directory.net, for a useful list of suppliers and customer reviews. ‘Upcoming Events’ lists some of the maritime events you may want to see, and ‘Friends and Connections’ will take you to a list of maritime museums, wooden boat websites and related organisations that may interest you. There’s a lot to discover and we’re busy building more.  The idea is to make the AWBF newsletter (OK, you can call it a blog, if you’re under the age of 50) more useful and responsive and frankly, more fun than a plain 12-page article.

Of course, if you want to explore the nitty-gritty detail of the largest wooden boat festival in the Southern Hemisphere, including our Boat Directory, Festival Program, History and how you might get involved, the AWBF website is the place to go.  You’ll find many links back to that website scattered around this page.

We hope you enjoy the new publication, and look forward to hearing from you.

All the best,

Paul Cullen, General Manager

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”205″ img_size=”large” title=”STS Tenacious”][vc_custom_heading text=”Tall Ship Tenacious Hobart Bound” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:24|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Droid%20Sans%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1438053479844{background-color: #e2e2e2 !important;}”]Tall Ship Tenacious to Visit Hobart

There’s exciting news just in that the splendid sail training ship SV Tenacious will be with us in Hobart for the 2017 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The three-masted barque, at 231’ in length, is the largest wooden ship to have been built in the United Kingdom in 100 years. It was launched in September 2000 at Southampton and is operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust. The Trust also operates the Lord Nelson, which visited Hobart in 2013 for the Tall Ships Festival. Both vessels are remarkably adapted to allow for disabled sailors to sail in and operate the ship at sea. There an excellent description of life aboard here:

http://www.classic-sailing.co.uk/sites/default/files/VB%20-%20Tenacious.pdf

The ship will make a long trans-Pacific voyage in mid 2016, making landfall at Sydney at the end of July. She will then voyage to Melbourne and remain in Australian waters offering long and short sail adventures, leading up to a Bass Strait crossing in time to join the Parade of Sail that will open the 2017 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival.

If you have ever longed for a taste of adventure on a large traditional square-rigger made of wood, this may be your best chance for years. Check sailing dates, fares and details on the Jubilee Sailing Trust website here:

http://jst.org.uk/sailing-adventures/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”‘Spuddo’ Giles and the Utiekah III” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:40|text_align:left|color:%231e73be” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1438138808014{background-color: #81d742 !important;}”][vc_column_text]

Enjoy dreaming about your next wooden boat? Of course you do, we all do. Even if you have just sold your pocket-draining, time-consuming endlessly demanding boat at long last, there’s always another one on the horizon. Well, if you have a lazy USD $110,000, here’s a chance to own a real piece of Tasmanian history.

Here’s how the broker describes it:

‘Utiekah III is a unique sailing yacht (with) a history that goes back to the time she was first built, in 1923 (completed 1925) in Tasmania, Australia. Built of a rare Tasmanian timber called `Huon Pine’. This vintage yacht is for one who is passionate about the sea and the pure love of sailing. She is capable, big and powerful and if taken care of will reward you.’

But of course, there’s more to the story than a broker’s listing. This was brought to our attention by Phil Short, Commodore of the Southport Yacht Club in sunny Queensland. Phil writes:

‘I sailed this vessel in all the channel regattas as a Sea Scout with the group back in the late 50s.  ‘Skipper’ Giles we called him, a retired school head master (taught us to sail). The Utiekah III has a lot of history from Tasmania and would be a shame to see her lost forever. I am now 73 so a venture to restore her for me is a big task and out on range. My family, the Shorts, lived at Franklin opposite what is now the Wooden Boat Centre since the 1850s.’

‘Skipper‘ Giles was also known as ‘Spuddo’, or more properly as Ireton Elliot Giles, a WW1 British artillery officer who taught at Melbourne Grammar up until 1946. He eventually retired to Tasmania, where he took up teaching sailing to the boys of the Hutchins School. Ireton’s remarkable life story afloat is told in Geoff Herriot’s book In the South:Tales of Sail and Yearning and in the recent issue no. 43 of Tasmania: 40° South. Giles died in 1969, after commanding his last boat, the Nancy (now restored and gifted to the Living Boat Trust in Franklin).

Utiekah III is a 56’ topsail ketch designed by Jack Savage and built at Cygnet by Walter Wilson in 1925. It has had a long and interesting life, including a 2012 restoration by long-distance sailors Johnny and Shelley Mahoney, who have kept the boat in South East Asia since 2006. The boat lies in Malaysia, the broker tells us, waiting for a new lease on (Tasmanian?) life.

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1925/Utiekah-III–2797594/Malaysia – .Va2U_uv1mS1[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_single_image image=”214″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

AWBF wins Hobart City Council Citation

The 400+ volunteers who make the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) possible were recognised at an awards ceremony held at the Hobart’s Town Hall. AWBF’s Call Centre Manager, Dorcas Cullen, accepted a certificate of appreciation on behalf of all volunteers.  The AWBF call centre was a new innovation for 2015, fielding hundreds of calls with a team of six operators.  They quickly answered questions, passed on messages and provided crucial emergency response when required.

Volunteers hailed by Deputy Mayor

Deputy Mayor Ron Christie acknowledged the tremendous contribution to the life of the city made by volunteers each year.  He said that the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival had become a headline event for the City of Hobart, as it drew thousands of visitors from interstate and from regional Tasmania to visit the city.  He commented on the great enthusiasm the AWBF volunteers brought to the event and the genuine warmth and hospitality they offered visitors.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”A New Tasmanian Skiff” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:48|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” google_fonts=”font_family:Josefin%20Sans%3A100%2C100italic%2C300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C600%2C600italic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:600%20bold%20regular%3A600%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]

The fleet based in Franklin, Tasmania welcomes a new boat

[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”191″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A crowd of well-wishers gathered at the Living Boat Trust in Franklin in June, on a cold but fine day, for the ceremonial launch of the latest Tasmanian St Ayles Skiff. Christened ‘Billie’, the glossy new skiff is a proud addition to the ever-growing Living Boat Trust Fleet. The name ‘Billie’ was chosen to honour Living Boat Trust President Peter Laidlaw’s faithful border collie, Billie, who sadly passed away not long ago. Billie was the much-loved canine face of the LBT.  She loved nothing more than being out on the water.

Living Boat Trust elder statesman, John Young, gave a canine history of Franklin, relating stories about some of the characters who have been part of the fabric of life on the Franklin foreshore, and the role they have played over the years in bringing people together. Then the Franklin Community Choir blessed the boat with a hauntingly beautiful Gaelic song, Fir a Bhata (O My Boatman). The new boat, carried by many hands, was piped down to the water by Peter Laidlaw, where on the marshy edge of the Huon River, John Young formally launched her with a splash some of Franklin’s finest home-brew.

The slogan for the build has been “The Community building a boat, a boat building Community”.

The project started in August, last year and community volunteers worked two days a week under the guidance of master boat builder, Peter Heading. ‘Billie’ will join her sister “Imagine” which was built in 2012 by the Women on Water here in Franklin. She is the fourth skiff built in Tasmania.

The flat-pack kit was purchased from Robart Ayliffe’s Stray Dog Boatworks in South Australia, and Robert made the journey to Tasmania to attend the launch. He has been hugely supportive of the build in many ways and the Living Boat Trust thanks him for his help and commitment to the project. The skiff was sponsored the Huon Valley Community Bank Branches (Bendigo Bank) who also generously provided funds for the purchase of two trailers so that ‘Billie’ and ‘Imagine’ can take part in regattas in other parts of the state and on mainland Australia.

The launch of Billie has consolidated the Huon River as the home of St Ayles Skiffs in Tasmania. This follows the successful St Ayles Skiff International Regatta held in February this year. Rowers came from as far as Scotland to be part of this event and skiffs were carted from mainland Australia and even New Zealand. Many also took the opportunity to attend the Australian Wooden Boat Festival and some enjoyed more time on the water by participating in the Living Boat Trust’s biennial small boat raid Tawe Nunnugah.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”192″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”190″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”196″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Dogs and Wooden Boats” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:48|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”225″ img_size=”800×800″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

It’s hard to explain, but there is some sort of unconscious connection going on here between dogs and wooden boats.  Every two years, at the gathering of the clans that is the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival, there are many boat owners who cannot bear to be separated from their loyal friends, so they bring them along.  That’s not so unusual, but what puzzles us here at the AWBF is why the photographs should be so inexplicably attractive.  Download figures from the AWBF website tell us that these images of small dogs, old dogs, big dogs or wet dogs on wooden boats outplay just about anything else.  You can take fine photographs of lovely boats, superb seascapes of the Hobart waterfront, magical sunsets and even adorable kids at play and the dog wins every time.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”234″ img_size=”medium”][vc_single_image image=”231″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”233″ img_size=”large”][vc_single_image image=”232″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

And a tip of the hat to all of our volunteer Australian Wooden Boat Festival photographers. They get everywhere, see everything and then bring back wonderful images for all of us to enjoy.  Special thanks to the Hobart Photographic Society and Photography Manager Rob Oates for a terrific catalog of more than 40,000 images!

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Lonely Boat” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:40|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”238″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tasmanians love to get out on the water and with good reason.  Some of the loveliest scenery is accessible only from the water and there are dozens of secluded beaches and coves waiting to be discovered.  That means we have a lot of boats in Tasmania, but not all of them are in daily use.  Many boat owners find they have run out of time, or money or enthusiasm for what was once a well-loved boat.  Then the old boat will sit on a trailer or on the blocks for weeks, then months, then perhaps for years.

Boats, especially wooden boats, need care and attention and time to keep them in good order.  Some of the most touching stories we hear are those of old sailors who have become a little too frail to handle their boat or manage launching and retrieving it.  Other find that berthing fees and registration and slipping the boat have just become too expensive on a pensioner’s income. That’s when a once-loved craft becomes a Lonely Boat.

This old timber runabout sits on a trailer down near Eaglehawk Neck, waiting for someone to take an interest.  It would once have been a family treasure with many a flathead landed, perhaps to the squeals of young children out for their first fishing trip with Grandad.  But those days are gone now and the old girl needs a new home.  If you think you could make something of her once again, drop Cassandra a line at:

phillip.mcnamara1@gmail.com

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”241″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”240″ img_size=”500×500″ alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”239″ img_size=”500×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Marinas in Tasmania” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:40|text_align:left|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Marina berths are a scarce commodity in mainland Australian cities and long waiting lists are a fact of life.  Keeping a boat in Tasmania is much easier and far cheaper, reports Boatsales Tasmania’s Kim Brewer.  The comparisons are amazing (but don’t tell anyone).

Constitution Dock Dock in Hobart boasts a Tasmanian Heritage vessel display and hosted the Tall Ships Festival in 2013. It’s also home to the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival every second year.  Visiting yachts can berth in the heart of the CBD in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Photo courtesy of Rob Oates | BALLANTYNE Photography

While marina berths may be scarce commodity in mainland Australia, but readily available in Tasmania. Swing moorings are cheap to purchase and spaces are available in most areas. Haul-out costs in other capital cities are typically $400 – $600. The cost to lift a 12m yacht in Hobart ranges from $294 in a private marina to as low as $70 for a member in a club-owned marina. And registering that 12m boat? It costs just $74 to register a boat of any size in Tasmania, while the same boat in Queensland will set the owner back $456 per year.  Top quality tradies are available for every service and a shipwright will generally charge $69-$79 per hour. Try this in Sydney or Melbourne!

But costs and availability are not the whole story. From an uncrowded and affordable marina, it can be just a few minutes motoring to beautiful anchorages where you are often the only boat. And ashore you’ll find tiny villages with excellent (free) public jetties or tiny coves with no houses in sight. In Tasmanian waters you won’t be competing with dozens of other boaties when you drop a line over the side. A feed of flathead is virtually guaranteed. In many spots the oysters and mussels grow thick on the rocks and carrying a licensed craypot aboard is usually rewarded with a delicious meal or two.

As Tasmania’s reputation for innovative art and food festivals grows, so mainlanders are realising the value of keeping a boat as their “shack” in Tassie. The Sydney-Hobart Race finish is complemented by the week-long “Taste of Tasmania” food and wine extravaganza held on the waterfront and the biennial Australian Wooden Boat Festival is one of the Southern Hemisphere’s great maritime spectacles. World-renowned MONA (Museum of New and Old Art) must be the only museum of its calibre where you can anchor right in front and row your dinghy ashore. Now MONA has inspired two associated festivals: MOFO and the mid-winter Dark MOFO. With a boat moored in the city, you can forget about hotel bookings. Soak up the atmosphere (in fact, be part of it) and walk to events. Further afield, the Cygnet Folk Festival every January attracts boats which anchor off this beautiful village to enjoy a weekend of wonderful music.

Wherever you explore, Tasmania offers unforgettable food experiences. Programmes like Masterchef and The Gourmet Farmer have put the island’s super-fresh and top quality produce in the national spotlight. Bruny Island, in the sheltered D’Entrecasteaux Channel, can provide award-winning cheeses, fresh-from-the-sea oysters or the world’s best whiskies – all a stone’s throw from excellent anchorages. In every corner of the State, from urban Hobart to village farmer’s markets, some of the best food in Australia is easily available. Buy a bag of the best, crisp organic apples from a farm-gate roadside stall or dine in a gourmet restaurant. It’s all here. And often easily accessible from your boat.

With its isolation, natural beauty and abundant resources, it’s not surprising that Tasmanians are a pretty relaxed bunch with a real passion for the sea. As a visitor you will find an old-fashioned country welcome. Don’t be surprised if the bloke anchored next to you rows over to deliver a fish or offers you the keys to his ute to have a look around the place.

Tasmania is special place to sail and an easy place to own and keep a boat. No wonder more and more mainlanders are choosing to base their boats in these waters. And more locals are realising just how good we have it here.

Sssshhhh …… don’t tell anyone!

See our comparison of marina berth costs in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]