Ned Trewartha comes onboard for Maritime Trail 2021

New Trewartha & Peregrine School 

We are delighted to announce that Ned Trewartha is onboard for the AWBF Maritime Trail 2021. Ned has been involved with every AWBF and always produces a range of wooden crafts for the festival. Ned not only creates beautiful wooden clinker dinghies for paying punters, but also for a little school south of Hobart to raise funds for their local community.  

We caught up with Imogen Hunt, Peregrine School Principal, earlier this month to talk about Ned’s creative pieces of art, as well as what is on offer for the Peregrine School raffle this year.  

“Our first raffle took place in 2003 and was designed to raise money for the school while promoting local businesses.  Peregrine began in 2000 with only 14 students and by 2003 had about 25.  From the beginning, we wanted the school to be accessible for as many families as possible, and we have always maintained a significant low income fee discount program.  To offset this, the whole school community undertook major fundraising every year.   

The idea of a wooden boat raffle came about because one of the school parents ran a chandlery in Kettering at the time and had links with the Wooden Boat Centre.  Over four years, we were very fortunate to be able to purchase a Foster 10, clinker built dinghy made by the students at the Wooden Boat Centre. At about this time, we purchased a stall lease at Salamanca Market so that we could showcase the boat over the summer period, and Andrew Denman, of Denman Marine, began building our dinghies. This was a long and beneficial relationship for both parties, and over many years we built a following of many keen wooden boat enthusiasts who annually participated in the raffle.  It was a delight to spend the day at Salamanca Market, talking with so many people who fell in love with each boat and saw themselves sailing it on their local lake or waterway.  During this period, we looked forward to presenting the boat at the AWBF every two years, talking with hundreds of people and raising money for the school.  We had a school full of parents who were trained to know a lot about Huon Pine clinker dinghies and their construction!  Making the call to the winner at the raffle draw has always been a highlight, as the disbelief and then delight is infectious, and this is followed by a clamor of volunteers to deliver the boat to the winner (especially the interstate trips!).   

After nine years of working with Andrew Denman, and spending seven months with each of his beautiful boats, it was time for him to concentrate on bigger projects.  In 2017, Ned Trewartha kindly agreed to undertake the construction of the boat for our raffle.  Of course, we were aware of his amazing craftsmanship and his reputation as a very fine wooden boat builder.  Ned’s decision to build a boat for us allowed us to maintain our presence at Salamanca Market and at the 2019 AWBF and to continue the tradition of our annual raffle.  Following a very successful season, we decided to wind back the raffle and to sell our lease at Salamanca Market.  The wear and tear on the boat of being transported to the market every week and the responsibility of caring for such a precious boat led us to make the move to restrict raffle ticket sales to our online list and to visitors at the AWBF, and only to run the raffle every second year.   

This year, with no way to predict whether the AWBF would go ahead, we decided to proceed, and Ned has built a third boat for our now bi-annual raffle.  The process of construction usually starts nine to twelve months before the beginning of the raffle, with Ned sending us progress photos during the build.  As we wait, we organise the trailer, sail, oars and life jackets that complete the prize package.   

The raffle will take place from April – June this year, entirely online.  If you would like us to let you know when the raffle starts, just click here to join our list of dedicated wooden boat enthusiasts.  We will only send you three emails per raffle – start, finish and notification of winner. “  

Imogen Hunt – Peregrine School Principal 

With loaded benches and glue in various corners, the Shed of Ned is one interesting place. Ned will be near completion of this latest raffle dinghy, when we take you there on our Maritime Trail. Stay tuned for more details.