in Princes Wharf No.1, however others
are dotted around the festival site.During the festival related
exhibitions featured nearby at
the Tasmanian Museum and Art
Gallery, the Maritime Museum
and Mawson’s Hut while capacity
audiences attended presentations by
international and guest speakers at
the ANMM International Wooden
Boat Symposium at the Hunter Street
campus of the University of Tasmania.This year the festival partnered with
the Netherlands. ‘The Dutch Project’
celebrated the 375th anniversary
of Abel Tasman’s visit to Australia
with exhibitions that highlighted the
genius of 16th century navigators and
explorers. Notable within the visiting
Dutch contingent was a team of
student boat builders led by Bert van
Baar who built a traditional Dutch
sailing dinghy at the Wooden Boat
Centre in Franklin.With a sail area just shy of the
one it is named for, the BM16m2
was constructed from Hydrowood
celery top pine that was harvested
from Lake Pieman. The finished
boat was displayed at the AWBF
and auctioned off on the Sunday
for $28,000.Several beautiful sailboats were
shipped from the Netherlands for the
event, including four Friese tjotters
and two 12 foot Dutch dinghis and
the Regenboog Oranje, made as a
traditional gift for the Dutch Royal
couple, and now the oldest class of
sailing boat in the Netherlands.The tall ships dominate the festival
by virtue of their impressive high
masts and rigging, and by the
history and romance of the open
seas their vision conjures. Visiting
tall ships included the Young
Endeavour, The James Craig, The
Enterprize and SV Tenacious.Tasmanian tall ships could be
viewed along Elizabeth Street Pier.
These included the Lady Nelson,
the restored fishing ketch Julie
Burgess, Rhona H, Yukon, Southern
Cross London and the brigantine
Windeward Bound.The three masted barque SV
Tenacious is the largest ship of its
type to built in the UK for a century.
It was built in 2000 by a team of
1500 volunteers, half of whom have
a disability. SV Tenacious has been
built in such a way that those with a
disability can work the ship on ocean
going voyages.Other boats of note included the
Benito, a lobster boat designed and
made in Maine, USA; the steam
yacht Ena which served with the
Royal Australian Navy during WWI
as a patrol boat and later for training
operations and the retired but now
restored fishing boat Britannia.88 Australian Wood Review
FEATURE- Using 42,000 year
technology, Sheldon
Thomas and his team built
their traditional Aboriginal
canoe from stringybark,
cork weed and grass over
a three month period, most
of which was taken up with
handmaking the rope. The
canoe led the welcome to
country held at the start of
the festival. - One of tall ships moored
along Elizabeth Street Pier. - Rolling up the sails on the
tall ship The James Craig. - Reinier Sijkens delighted
crowds at Constitution
Dock and Kings Pier Marina
with his Muziekboot (music
boat) and rendition of both
Dutch and Australian songs.
5. Members of the Hobart
Vintage Machinery Society
displayed steam engines
next to a period style
workshop.
6. Members of the visiting
Dutch contingent in
period costume.
7. European settlers in
Tasmania found an
island well resourced
with timbers ideal for
boatbuilding. The natural
oils and extractives found
in Huon pine, celery top
pine and King Billy pine
lent their properties of
durability and rot and
insect resistance.
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