Timber Boat Festival 2023

Once you forced your way through the “Sirens” trying to sell you stuff, join their organisation, paint your face or make you capture a yellow duck with your teeth, there was a feast for the wooden boat enthusiast.

Fourteen pristine boats powered mainly by the wind and 49 boats powered by a combination of oil derivatives. From a modest 3 meters to the mighty Duyfken at more than ten times that. She is a 16th century Dutch replica jacht built in the traditional manner.

Care needed to be taken when passing the Duyfken at one pm, as she fired her cannon to show she was still armed and no other boat dared to compete.

A waft of drying varnish was present in the air on Saturday, a feast for the nostrils and the fresh paint glistened in the sunshine, a feast for the eyes, as the best of the best showed the craft still alive of wooden boat construction and maintenance.

Craft constructed of Tasmanian Huon pine felled one hundred years ago, with teak superstructure of teak felled and imported from Asia in the same period. On display was detailed internal joinery with dove tailed drawers, and the craft of wooden spa makers and steam bent timbers. The awards, as they should be, were controversial. A hint of corruption combined with confusion as the best dressed crew paid little attention to dressing their boats and the best dressed boats paid little attention to dressing their crew.

The wooden boat festival in 2024 will be bigger and better. Be there.

Tom Simmat