AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL

Wooden-boat fans were relieved to find that the biennial Australian Wooden Boat Festival (australianwoodenboatfestival. com.au) took place as planned in Hobart, Tasmania, last February, despite the fires rampaging through large parts of the island. The bushfires were threatening to destroy a native timber, called Huon pine, used to build many of the historic local vessels found at the festival, and one of the several types of trees that are only found in Tasmania. The gleaming bulwarks and butterfly hatches all lovingly coated with layer upon layer of varnish showcase the

natural beauty of this rare wood.

Local vessels on display during the festival weekend included Rhona H,a 52-foot gaff-rigged topsail ketch built in Launceston in 1942 using Huon pine over celery-top pine frames; the 55-foot steam yacht Preana built of Huon pine in Hobart in 1896; and 27-foot Tassie Two, constructed with Huon and King Billy pine launched in Hobart 1927, which went on to win Australia’s Forster Cup a record 10 times between 1928 and 1952.

Tasmanian timbers such as Huon, King Billy and celery-top pine are some of the most sought after building materials for wooden boats due to their resistance to rot and ability to bend. Forests of these pines are unique to Tasmania and are no doubt largely responsible for the world-leading wooden-boat building culture found on the island.

Fortunately the rains that came in the days leading up to the festival dampened the spread of the fires a bit, but not the spirits of the locals who were out in droves to admire the elegant marine craft that grace their shores every two years. The next Australian Wooden Boat Festival will be held February 5-8, 2021.