Guinness Record Attempt for AWBF 2019

This may be quite mad, but we are always on the lookout for something new and fun at the AWBF.  Model boats have always been a popular feature of the festival, but this year, there’s a twist.  We’ll still have the traditional display of beautifully detailed wooden boat models in the Waterside Pavilion, Mawson Place, but across the road at the City Hall, there’s a bit of a challenge taking place.  

Photo: Prof. Michael Stoddart

Be part of a world record attempt at AWBF 2019!

On Saturday February 9^th 2019 at 1pm an attempt will be made to beat the World Record for the largest number of ships-in-bottles in one place at one time. The record of 655 bottles (held by Arendal Museum in Norway) can be broken if one in fifty visitors to the festival on that day were each to bring along a bottle with a ship in it, or fewer if each brought 2 or 3. Have a look in Grandpa’s attic, or the second-hand shop down the road and make plans to bring a couple of exhibits in your backpack when you visit the festival on the Saturday.

Any replica of a ship in any glass container will count; not only those in traditional whisky bottles but ships in light globes, Christmas tree decorations, and in old-fashioned school milk bottles will all count. It doesn’t matter whether the ships are hand-crafted or mass produced – all ships in glass containers will help us wrest the record out of Norway’s hands and place it firmly in Hobart’s! And as an added incentive, there may be prizes for various categories of exhibits. Reserving a spot for your bottles will be very simple – watch this space for further details as the next MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival draws nearer.