It’s great to see a swell of support coming in late (this is Tasmania, after all, and we do tend to sprint towards the finish) with many boat owners putting their applications in for Boats Afloat, with less than two weeks to go now before the cut-off date.  The selection panel has been impressed with […]

At one of our first festivals when my children were much younger, I was standing with them at Franklin Wharf, looking across the docks.  Some of their young cousins were also present.  We were admiring the magnificent barque James Craig, and the beautiful replica Bark Endeavour, both of which were lying alongside Princess Wharf. “Those ships” […]

  It’s all on, in our  sister port of Port Townsend in Washington State, as the crew from the North West School of Wooden Boat Building prepares to load 3 x 40′ containers full of beautiful American boats and the materials to build two more.  Chief instructor Sean Koomen is directing operations, working towards a […]

Once the expressions of interest for Boats Afloat and registrations for Boats Ashore open, for the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival, we sit back and admire the parade of remarkable boats lining up to be part of this fantastic event.  They are a magnificent cross-section of wooden boats in Australia, from elegant launches to tall […]

Some say there are too many of us crusty old men at the MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival, complaining that ‘these young fellers’ don’t appreciate the value of old wooden boats and are unwilling to put the time into preserving them.  Then along comes a story of a 12 year-old Tasmanian lad who did […]

Tawe nunnugah is local Aboriginal dialect for ‘going by canoe’ and that’s exactly what’s involved in an adventure timed to precede the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival every two years. Co-ordinator Martin Riddle explains how it works: Southern Tasmanian small-boat Raid 2019 (tn19) What better way to warm up for the 2019 Australian Wooden Boat […]

Here’s your puzzle set: 300+ boats in the water 150 boats ashore 84 temporary buildings, up to 25m x 30m Displaced parking for 90 cars 80+ maritime exhibitors 60+ food and beverage vendors 50,000 people on site at peak periods Power, water, waste handling, toilets, emergency access Around 60 waterfront businesses, cafes, hotels and restaurants […]

  Sailor, wordsmith, circumnavigator and inspirational character are all words that will eventually come up when you talk about Kaci Cronkhite, our long-time friend and supporter of the MyState Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Kaci was, for ten years, director of the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival in Washington State, so she knows a thing or […]