It Might Need a Little Work

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s no joke, when you have spent many hours and lots of dosh getting your boat ready for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, only to learn that there isn’t a berth on offer.  It’s not our favourite subject, but it does happen every year – proud owners of fine wooden boats, disappointed when they don’t make it through the selection panel.  The fact is, we have more boats apply than we can possibly fit in the confines of Sullivans Cove and we have to call the toss occasionally, when two boats come awfully close in the ranking, but there’s only one berth available.  However much we regret some of these decisions, they have to be made.  The selection panel takes its job very seriously and every Expression of Interest (EOI) gets a careful review and is scored against a set of objective criteria.  These include the condition of the boat, the accuracy of the description, its historical significance, its class and design and a dozen other factors.  So how do you present your boat in the best possible light?  Follow these top five tips to give yourself the best chance of a place at the largest wooden boat festival in the Southern Hemisphere.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”No.1 – Tell Us Your Story”][vc_single_image image=”1226″ img_size=”600×400″ alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Australian Wooden Boat Festival celebrates our maritime history and heritage.  If your boat has an interesting history, please tell us about it.  Who built it and when?  How many owners have looked after it?  Has it been used in unusual ways or skippered by well-known identities?  How does it fit into the history of its design or class?  We like boats with history![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”No.2 – Give Us Good Photographs”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We can’t emphasise this enough.  The selection panel can only work with what it’s given.  Don’t count on them to know your boat because it is often seen at the marina or in local events.  When it comes down to a narrow decision between one boat of a given size and class and another very similar boat, your photographs can make all the difference.  Follow the directions to get recent, clear, well lit photographs of a full side view and a quarter-view of your boat.  Ask a friend who knows how to use a camera well to take the photos for you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1493″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”No.3 – Get Your Application in Early”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There’s a common misconception that entry to the Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a case of ‘first in, best dressed’.  That’s not true – the selection panel strives to make our show inclusive, varied, full of interesting boats and the people who own them.  They handle late applications, interstate boats, groups of boats, cancellations – all kinds of variables.  But the earlier you get your application in, the more time they have to find you a place.  As the festival gets close, the options get less.  Improve your chances with an early application.  Boats Afloat opens 18 April 2016.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1499″ img_size=”600×400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1498″ img_size=”600×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”No.4 – Please Be Patient”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Finding the right solution for more than 550 boats afloat, ashore on on display is not like lining up postcards.  It’s a mind-numbingly difficult jigsaw puzzle in which the pieces aren’t even flat.  It takes time to work out the best possible result for the greatest number.  To find the right fit, we need to consider draft, length, access, the number of other boats of the same class, height, freeboard and a dozen other things.  Most automobiles are roughly the same shape and size, so car parks have marked spaces and you just fill them up.  Boats don’t work like that, as you know. Calling us repeatedly or getting angry won’t help us get the job done.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1501″ img_size=”800×600″ alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1502″ img_size=”600×400″ alignment=”right”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”No.5 – Say Yes to the Waitlist”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you don’t get an offer in the first round, we’ll ask you if you will take a place on the wait list.  That means that we want your boat in the show, but we haven’t found a space for her yet.  Cancellations can happen for dozens of reasons – the weather can turn foul, motors break down, friends change their plans at late notice,  We try to fill every last space, even at a few days’ notice.  If you’re lucky enough to be a local and flexible enough to say ‘yes’, you have a very good chance of gaining a place, especially if you have scored highly in the selection criteria.  Stick with us, we’ll try our best to get you in.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1507″ img_size=”600×400″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1505″ img_size=”600×400″][/vc_column][/vc_row]