Constitution Dock Comes Alive at the AWBF

Constitution Dock Master Ian Johnston writes:

As the next Festival approaches we are trying to organise more activities on the water within the confines of Constitution Dock.

We will have our usual extensive floating docks set up within the Dock for our planned activities.  I am hoping that some of our wooden boat enthusiasts may be willing and able to lend us their rowing boats.  At the last Festival the Living Boat Trust very generously allowed members of the public (with expert supervision) to experience going for a row around the Dock and enjoying the ambience of the Festival from on board. The exercise was hugely successful but we could have done with more boats.

The LBT are happy to loan their boats again, but we need more of them. If you have a rowing boat with one or two pairs of oars, in good condition, we would greatly appreciate the loan of the boat during the festival. You would help to make many people very happy. We will look after your vessel to the best of our ability. No vessels suffered any damage last time. We will need to strap some buoyancy under the thwarts, tape up the oar tips and provide some fendering. We hope to have a team of Sea Scouts running the event and looking after the boats.

Another hugely popular feature were the children’s mini boats. These delightful little boats enabled children up to 40kg weight to independently paddle around the dock to their and their parents great joy. Again, they are very closely supervised and there is a dedicated rescue boat manned and in the water whenever the children are afloat.

There are about 40 of these boats in Southern Tasmania and if your child has grown up and is too big for these boats, may we have a loan of your craft during the Festival please? It would be brilliant to see a dozen of these craft being used within the Dock during the Festival. If your child has grown out of these wonderful craft and you want to pass them on we may be able to facilitate their sale, or the sale price can be donated to the Sea Scouts.

And the third and last request—- I would like to organise a Seagull outboard motor race just for a bit of fun. We would appreciate you bringing one of the smaller motors, (hopefully with a boat attached) —and if not, we will find a boat to attach it to.

We would love to see you, after the gun goes, wind up and start a cold motor and complete a very short race.

That is it —for the moment. If you can help please contact me via email ianjohnstonmarine@gmail.com or via 0418 202 957

CHEERS

Ian Johnston, Con Dock Master