student Bella Laughton-Clark has come aboard to manage our social media program and she's doing a brilliant job of light
AWBF
newsletter August 2014 Greetings, All
Six months might seem a long time, but around here we count it in weeks, and by that measure we’re now just 26 weekends away from the Parade of Sail that will open the 2015 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Plans are afoot, as they say, and we’re getting word from all around the country as owners get themselves organised to make the trip to Tassie. Here on the island, there’s plenty of scraping and fixing and fitting and building going on in preparation for the big show. The Big Log Project is gathering shape (more about this later), the Tall Ships are working out their sailing programs and the media enquiries are starting to filter in as everyone looks forward to summer travel plans. In this issue, we’ll bring you up to date on some upcoming events, give you a sneak peek at a new Australian wooden boat magazine and catch up with a few of our regular correspondents. Expressions of interest continue to pour in, with almost 300 boat owners having completed the on-line application on the AWBF website. Even more remarkable was the response to opening registrations for maritime exhibitors – around 80% of spaces in the Maritime Marketplace filled in the first 72 hours, with many repeat exhibitors lining up and a flush of new and interesting vendors joining them. From exquisite hand tools to plywood kits, marine diesels to traditional varnishes, this market promises to be a magnet for wooden boat enthusiasts. If you haven’t checked into the AWBF Facebook page lately, be sure to have a look. UTAS student Bella Laughton-Clark has come aboard to manage our social media program and she’s doing a brilliant job of lighting up the internet with news and pictures of the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2015. Remember, if you need any information or want some help negotiating the application process, just pick up the phone. Call us on 03 6223 3375 during business hours and you’ll reach the remarkable Miz Bronnie. With four maritime festivals under her belt, our veteran Office Manager knows how it all works and how to unravel the knots!
- Paul Cullen, General Manager
1
Careful, It’s Out There… It’s enough to shiver any sailor’s timbers - the spooky outline of the black ship . Presently lurking off the Queensland coast and reportedly headed for Hobart and the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!
And a big welcome back to major sponsors:
Fore and Aft Magazine In the world of wooden boats, there are two highly respected ‘coffee-table’ magazines, the UK publication Classic Boat and its North American counterpart, Wooden Boat. We hear that there will shortly be a third member of that exclusive club, a new magazine featuring the classic and wooden boats of Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Fore and Aft will be produced by the publishers of the very successful Tasmania 40° South, the long-running flagship of Tasmanian writing and stunning photography. Fore and Aft is aimed squarely at the audience that attends the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival, so it makes sense that the new magazine will be officially launched at the festival in February 2015. We’ve seen some early layouts, and it’s a classy piece of work.
2
HMB Endeavour was built in Fremantle and launched in 1993. The ship has twice circumnavigated the world, re-tracing most of Lt. James Cook’s voyages of discovery in the late 1700s. The ship had a role to play in the making of the 2003 film Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World.
Her Majesty’s Bark Endeavour What’s 144 feet long, has 28 sails, three masts, 750 blocks and pulleys and 10,000 square feet of canvas? The magnificent replica of the Bark Endeavour, of course, operated by the Australian National Maritime Museum. And by the time you have completed a voyage from Sydney to Hobart as a voyage crew member, you’ll probably know every square inch of her. This is authentic 18th century sail training (albeit without the lashes and the rotten food). Setting sails, climbing the 92’ mainmast, navigating, keeping watch and steering are all part of the experience, as is sleeping in a hammock. Less energetic souls can travel as ‘supernumaries’ in the gentlemen’s cabins that would once have been occupied by the ship’s doctor, naturalist or officers. The Museum has confirmed voyage dates for the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival, departing Sydney on 28 January to arrive in Hobart for the Parade of Sail on 6 February. The ship will carry on to explore the West Coast of Tasmania on a ten-day adventure from 10 – 20 February and then make the return trip from Hobart to Sydney, departing 25 February and arriving on 6 March. Bookings can be made on-line at
[email protected] or by phone on 02 9298 3627. 3
Bella’s a Hit! Whether you’re a Facebook tragic or you’re still relying on signal flags, there’s no denying that social media are with us to stay. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are increasingly popular as ways of keeping in touch with friends or letting them know about interesting things – like your favourite wooden boat festival. Managing all that is a big job and you need the smarts and the know-how to make it work. Enter Bella Laughton-Clark, our Social Media Coordinator (pictured left). Bella is an experienced yachtswoman, a business management student at UTAS and the latest addition to the AWBF production team. When Bella introduced herself recently on our Facebook page, the number of ‘likes’ went through the roof. Not surprising, really. Follow Bella’s latest news and inside tips from our website by clicking on the Facebook or Twitter symbols.
Photo credit: Phil Mason
Sailing to Tasmania In this segment of ‘Sailing to Tasmania’ we look at storage options and compare the costs for marina berths in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania. In previous articles we've asked 'Why Sail to Tasmania?', 'What else can we do when we get there?' and looked at conditions for crossing Bass Strait and there's more to come. This time we look at storing your boat in Tasmania. If you are thinking of sailing south and staying to enjoy Tasmania for a while, you'll need to make some plans for storing your boat. Swing moorings can be found in the many estuaries, bays and inlets around Tasmania's coastline. Some moorings are provided by clubs for members, and some are advertised for sale or lease on Gumtree or in the newspapers. Remember to check the maximum size allowed on the swing mooring and ask for evidence of recent service from a registered mooring contractor. Marina berths are provided by many of Tasmania's yacht clubs, as well as some privately owned marinas. Increasingly marinas are being extended and upgraded with floating marina spaces and full facilities. Yacht clubs usually only offer spaces to members and you will need to contact the club or visit their websites for availability and more information. Marina facilities can be found around the state with the largest number in South East Tasmania. This is due to proximity to Hobart and the excellent sailing areas such as the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Please note that you may have to wait for your preferred spot and it will pay to enquire and book ahead. The following information has been provided for AWBF subscribers by MarineDirectory.net
Click here to see a comparison of floating marina berths in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania for a 38' and a 48' vessel (you may be very pleasantly surprised!):
4
Festival Dreaming Lahara, a 33’ 1951 Jock Muir sloop, is being prepared for the 2015 MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival and beyond. Skipper Mike Warner spins a yarn about how he got involved. What could possibly go wrong? The welcoming Captain and crew of Lahara invite you aboard.
M
y first keelboat was a fibreglass Folk Boat, but it didn’t quite fulfil my dreams. I wanted something bigger that I could sail offshore to potter up and down the coast. I had not intended to buy a timber boat, there was that haunting voice that said, ‘They’re a lot of maintenance’ and could I afford the time? From the moment I stepped aboard Lahara I knew there was something different and special about this boat. She felt solid, like a real boat. It was something I could relate to! That was nearly 14 years and more than a few cans of varnish ago. I didn’t quite know what I was in for when I took over Lahara - one never owns a classic yacht, you are merely a caretaker. Sitting aboard at the 2013 Wooden Boat Festival, a couple approached me saying they knew the daughters of the first owner, who were searching for the boat. I had dinner with them when back in Sydney and they gave me a box of treasures from the boat that they had kept all these years. They were so excited to talk about the boat that had been part of their early life. I took them sailing and they regaled me with stories of their childhood experiences aboard. They still referred to Lahara as ‘Dad’s boat’. As soon as I purchased the rights to dedicate my bank account to a timber boat my life transformed. ‘You should join the Wooden Boat Association’ was one of the first pieces of advice. I duly obliged and met a whole new set of people with a passion for wood and water. The opportunities for boating also increased with all sorts of festivals and gatherings to attend. I heard about the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart and plans started to form. After all that’s why I bought Lahara, to adventure on the high seas as well as race on the harbour. From what I was told, the AWBF is one of those events in which one has to partake if you are serious about wooden boats. Besides, the trip from Sydney to Hobart would be an adventure in itself. A crew was duly press-ganged and planning for the trip to the 2003 Festival began. Preparation itself was a huge task; the old girl not only needed to be prepared for the voyage but also had to look her best on arrival.
5
At that festival, the berthing did not quite work out as there was no room for Lahara in her designated spot. We therefore had the pleasure of rafting up outside two other boats that since have become good friends. One of them was Melaleuca, the boat made famous by Denny King, king of the wilderness, who transported tin to Hobart from his mine at Port Davey, loading and unloading by hand. The other boat was Iverus, a Jock Muir-designed motor sailor. The position was however excellent particularly to view the finale of the ‘Quick & Dirty’ boat building competition, the race around Constitution Dock. During the festival I met three other interesting people with links to Jock Muir or Lahara. The first was Ray Joyce. Ray is an architectural photographer and had restored Lahara in the late eighties. He was delighted to see the boat and that she was still in fine condition. As we wandered through the boat he told about the restoration process and the things he had designed and made. Ray and his partner now live in Hobart and I am conscious that the boat must always be in good condition ready for Ray’s inspection when visiting. The second person was Chris Dicker. At that time Chris was restoring Jock Muir’s first boat, Westwind. He had rescued her from death by chain saw, which would have been an ignominious fate for such a lovely and significant boat. On returning to Sydney after that Festival I visited Chris at Kurnell where he was living on the boat in a paddock whilst undertaking the work. It was a bit like a humpy but Chris was happy and so enthusiastic. He’s still living on the boat with his wife Gillie in Cairns, but now it’s afloat and they are well known figures on the East Coast of Australia. The boat is a credit to Chris and the skills he has learnt over the years; not bad for a truck driver. Chris has also been a good mentor over the years and I treasure his friendship. The third person was Derek Shields. Derek owns a boat named Sagan, a Jock Muir-design that he built himself. Sagan is based on the lines plan for Lahara but is by no means a sister ship. Derek had gone to
Jock for a design; they pulled out the plans for Lahara and modified them to Derek’s requirements, stretching the length from 33’ to 36’ and ‘fining up’ the bow for better wave penetration. The cabin was also changed stretching from gunwale to gunwale making a raised deck in the centre of the boat. As a result the cabin is cavernous - a total contrast to Lahara. Jock didn’t think that Derek would complete the boat and expected to be asked to take over the task. Regularly visiting Derek he was proved wrong and Derek and his wife spent four years cruising around the Indian Ocean in Sagan. Following the experience of that festival it has always been on the agenda to return. Since that time, the Festival has grown enormously and is a credit to the enthusiasm of those who pitch in and put it together. In 2003 it was mainly Constitution Dock and the immediate surrounds. Now it takes over the entire Hobart waterfront from Salamanca to the northern side of Victoria Dock. It includes demonstrations of traditional boat building skills as well as displays of small craft and boatie stuff. To be honest each time I have attended the Festival I have not seen it all. There are so many activities and people to talk with, that time always runs out. Maybe next time! At the 2007 festival I met two of the people who built Lahara. Mike Inglis and Ray Kemp. Mike took our lines when we arrived and first docked in Hobart after the trip from Sydney. He was an apprentice during the construction and has since sent me photos of Lahara under construction together with more general ones of the boatshed and slips. Ray, I believe, was in charge of Lahara’s construction. He came aboard and gave us a run down on how the boat was built and the materials used. Did you know she has NSW Tea Tree knees? Sounds like a song from the Goon Show:
Morrison’s father was a piner up the Franklin River in the early 50s. It was a tough life. The piners would spend many weeks in the wilderness cutting down the trees and getting them to the riverbank. A stamp on their axe heads was used to mark the end of the logs so they could be identified when arriving at the sawmill. Floodwater would take the logs to the mouth of the river where they were captured and towed to the sawmill at Strahan. Morrison’s logs were milled into planks of a particular size for Jock Muir in his boat building. Planning is well under way to attend the 2015 Festival and I am waiting to see whether the boat will be accepted. The crew has actually volunteered this time. They have sailed with me before and know what fun it is, the mad fools! On Lahara we don’t cruise, we ‘adventure sail’. After the Festival it is off to NZ and the Bay of Islands. Lahara has done it all before and I trust in her again keeping me safe on the adventure! I wonder who I’ll meet this Festival?
My boat has Tea Tree knees; My boat has Tea Tree knees; I can sail the seven seas; Cos my boat has Tea Tree knees; My boat has Tea Tree knees; My boat has Tea Tree knees; It’s not good for keeping bees; My boat with Tea Tree knees. At the 2013 Festival, apart from renewing old acquaintances, I met more new and interesting people, in particular the son of the man who almost certainly cut the timber to make Lahara. Ian
6
Heading this way for the AWBF 2015 is the remarkable replica Boxer, a Moreton Bay net boat originally designed and built by Norman ‘Boxer’ Wright in 1906. Bill Wright, Norman’s grandson, supervised the eight-year build of this beautiful 23footer in red cedar, mahogany and teak. Owner Chris Tyquin says the boat, launched in 2002, is used for picnics, camping and racing. In racing mode, she can hoist an incredible 1500 square feet of sail including gaff mainsail, topsail, spinnaker, balloon jib, ringtail (extends off the boom ) and watersail (extends under the boom). Boxer has just undergone a major refit and plans to join the Tawe Nunnugah raid and the wooden boat festival.
7
The Franklin Working River Port
T
he little town of Franklin, 45 kilometres south of Hobart, is poised at the brink of a re-invention, due largely to a ripple effect of the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The people of Franklin (want) to achieve not just jobs from now until the next election, but sustainable prosperity, based on the town’s heritage, its geography, its natural resources and the talents of its people. Defending Franklin against a series of threats, including the proposed demolition of the old Palais theatre (now saved and successfully restored), and closure of the local primary school (built in 1860 and now saved) had an invigorating effect on the community. If small towns in other countries could make spectacular recoveries based on their geographical and historical advantages, then perhaps this strategy could work in Tasmania. The townspeople looked to successful models of recovery in Port Townsend, Rockport and Mystic Seaport in the United States, Douarnenez in France, Lunenburg in Nova Scotia, Roskilde and Svendborg in Denmark, where traditional skills are practiced in public, celebrating local maritime heritage and providing an authentic foundation for sophisticated tourism. We realised that regular wooden boat festivals since 1994 have demonstrated that wooden boatbuilding is once more a growth industry, not only in France, Britain, Scandinavia and the United States, but in Tasmania as well.
A thriving boat harbour (opened in 2001 as part of the Federation Centenary celebrations), a boat school of world renown, a community living boat trust, a marine chandlery and a naval history museum, combined with an illustrious wooden boat building history (Franklin was home to many a wooden boat construction, including the May Queen) and the availability of native timbers, set the stage for a maritime heritage revival. A new organization, the Franklin Working Waterfront Association Inc. would find ways to re-establish the basic ingredients of a maritime culture. Then, a number of amazing things happened. An old apple drying factory, Franklin Evaporators, and the Wooden Boat Centre came on the market at once. We saw an opportunity to restore nationally accredited training in wooden boatbuilding to the Wooden Boat Centre and to create sustainable employment by converting the factory into separate businesses including sailmaker, rigging workshop, marine engineer, maritime electrician, bronze foundry, bookshop and chart agent, boat hire, fisherman’s market, art gallery - even a restaurant. (We would) build a wooden merchant schooner to revive sail trading in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, both as a contribution to the reduction of our carbon imprint and a tourist experience. She would visit mainland destinations such as Darling Harbour and Williamstown to deliver cargoes of Tasmania’s finest leatherwood honey, white wine and so on. We developed three business plans: one for the schooner, a second for the evaporators and a third for the Wooden Boat Centre. We held discussions with Government, applied for grants, revised our plans. Such a holistic vision was widely embraced, lauded as a good idea, but how to achieve it? Government advice was to break the ‘Big Picture’ down in to smaller bite sized chunks. This was no easy task as the big picture was dependent on all parts to create the self supporting mixture of industry and culture. 8
2013 they built their own St Ayles skiff and went to the world championships in Scotland, coming home with a silver and a bronze medal. This led to a decision (to hold) the next world championships in Franklin in 2015, a classic example of the social catalyst effect of wooden boats and their culture on oncedisadvantaged communities.
The ‘ah ha’ moment came when the current owners of the Wooden Boat Centre considered the idea (of) community ownership. Why was this a good idea? Central to any successful idea is the absolute necessity that it be affordable, sustainable and that there is a workable pathway to get started. The Wooden Boat Centre offered all three. (We had an) opportunity to grow two central planks of our big picture vision: to restore nationally accredited training in wooden boat building and to grow tourism to the area. We asked the Australian Maritime College to auspice an Associate degree in wooden boatbuilding. Not only were they enthusiastic but they have since assisted development of a course that will be a step towards other graduate and post graduate qualifications. We obtained Deductible Gift Recipient status through Colony 47 and fund raising efforts resulted in $173,800 in the bank. A grant of a similar amount (together totaling $350,000) is the sum we need to purchase the Wooden Boat Centre and to see us through the delivery of the Associate degree to the first student intake in 2016. As a not-for-profit organisation governed by volunteers, we will use future profits to fund further development of the River Port of Franklin. Meanwhile the transformation of Franklin gathered its own momentum. The Living Boat Trust moved from strength to strength. The ‘On the Water’ program of 2010 made use of the fleet of wooden clinker dinghies originally built by the wooden boat school in the 1990s. It introduced about 300 school students and their families to elementary seamanship in open boats. ‘Raids’ - ten days of sailing, camping and learning through 150 kilometres of coastal waters between Cockle Creek and Sullivans Cove, happen every two years. A fleet of 15-20 open boats, including Swiftsure, a replica of an 1860 Tasmanian whaleboat, introduced people to the Wooden Boat Festivals of 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. Some (participants) bought houses in the Huon and moved down from the mainland. This included a generation of women who began rowing Grebe dinghies on Friday mornings to keep fit, and then became interested in wooden boats. In 9
Like the 16th century poet Andrew Marvell, we are conscious of ‘Time’s Winged Chariot’ catching up with us. The current Federal Budget crisis means it may be months before the next round of Government grants are announced, let alone delivered. Competition will be as vigorous as ever, so in spite of a rising fund of our own, there are no guarantees of getting it matched. In these circumstances momentum is the key to success. If you plan to participate in the next Australian Wooden Boat Festival, you can also become part of a transformative social enterprise by making a tax deductible donation now to the Franklin Working Waterfront Fund. If you like the idea of adding value to this social enterprise with your time and unique talents, we welcome the opportunity to talk with you. There has never been a better time to connect with an active, social and progressive community of wooden boat enthusiasts and visionaries. If any of this floats your boat, please ring our Hon. Treasurer, Kerryn Jackson on 03 62663 073 or email:
[email protected] or read more at www.franklinworkingwaterfront.org - John Young, July 2014
Editor’s note: John’s excellent article has been edited for length. For the full text, contact the Franklin Working Waterfront. All photos courtesy of the Franklin Working Waterfront Association, Inc.
Admiral Hits 150 There surely aren’t many senior naval officers still plying their trade at the age of 150, but here’s one that’s very familiar to Festival-goers. The beautifully restored open ferry Admiral celebrates that birthday in 2015, just in time for the AWBF. Having had more makeovers than the late Michael Jackson, Admiral is now in the good care of the volunteer Admiral Restoration Group.
Our friends in Goolwa, South Australia have a great idea for anyone who has really enjoyed the wooden boat festival in Hobart - go to another one! It’s the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival and it runs from 21-22 February, a handy fortnight after the AWBF rolls up the ladder. The South Australian festival has an atmosphere all its own, sited as it is in the historic Murray River port. Expect paddle steamers, riverside walks and more than 200 wooden boats. There’s plenty to do and see the event is particularly family-friendly. Accommodation books out early, so check out your options at http://visitalexandrina.com/ Boat registrations open soon. The official website is www.woodenboatfestival.com.au or email
[email protected]
10
RUNNING WITH THE BULLOCKS What does a team of giant four-legged beasts have to do with the world of wooden boats? Well, quite a bit if you look back 200 years or so, when working bullock teams were the tractors and prime movers of the Australian bush. In Tasmania, dense stands of Huon Pine and other prized timbers might be far from the nearest river and there were no roads. That’s when you needed a bullocky, with his well-trained team of heavy oxen, to pull your ship-building logs out to where you could get at them and start the job of breaking them down into useable timber. There are very few bullock teams left, but visitors to the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival will get to see one of the last working bullock teams in Tasmania on the festival site, delivering a massive log destined for the Shipwright’s Village. Technical Director Michael (yes, his last name really is Bullock), wife Tamami and volunteer Cheryl Barnett travelled up to Oatlands to get a preview of how the team works under the direction of teamster Brian Fish. Brian’s amazing control over these gentle but powerful animals will be on show at the festival, as they deliver the log and a wagon-load of trade goods destined for Port Arthur. This is a sight that may not been seen again in our lifetimes – a piece of the living history of Australia.
Top: Cheryl and Tamami get the hang of controlling the 1200 kg bullocks. Left: Tamami puts the boys through their paces in the yard Right: Michael had to be relieved of his stock whip before getting back in the car
11
It didn’t take long for the word to get around; registrations for the Maritime Marketplace at the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival opened on 7 July and hit 85% of capacity in just 72 hours. The Marketplace will bring together around 80 of the best-known names in marine equipment, finishes, tools, clothing and books, along with kits, product demonstrations and how-to workshops at Princes Wharf No.1 and across the waterfront site. All of our loyal regulars are there, and a new crop of interesting and innovative exhibitors at the largest wooden boat festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Got a story for us? We welcome contributions for the AWBF newsletter, preferably with good pictures to illustrate them. Tell us about your boat, about your plans to join us or about the history of your interest in the event. Deadline is the third week of each month in the run-up to the 2015 festival. You can submit your story electronically to:
[email protected] If you supply photographs, please be sure to get permission to use them from the photographer and from the subject. Stories should be no more than 500–-600 words in general and sent as Word documents. Please don’t send PDFs or scans from other publications. We reserve the right to edit material for length or style.
12
