She is perhaps one of the most famous of Norwegian yachts and has a long history of racing and regatta wins. Sira was built to win the Kattegat trophy, a trophy that was transferred to the 8 Metre class in 1907. This was achieved in the very first season in 1938 with the designer and builder Johan Anker himself at the helm.

The maritime gods smiled upon us, with lots of sunshine and winds tailor-made for the wooden boat vessels. A gentle breeze fluttering between 10 -12 knots filled the sails throughout the weekend.

The closure of our current location means the end of The Victorian Wooden Boat Centre as we know it. There will never be another opportunity to recreate what we have here and keep it viable. We will wind down the VWBC until its lease ends, at which point it will close permanently.

The door slid open again and the room lit up as an unassuming bearded man in a dusty cable knit jumper walked towards me. He moved through the shed, feet wide as if crossing a moving deck, held his hand out and with a beaming smile and a soft Hudson Valley lilt said, “Mark? I’m Nat”

Six engaging speaker sessions will take place each day at the Maritime Museum, with films playing on rotation all weekend long. All are invited to join the celebration! Entry is free but bookings are recommended.

“I had a look, and seeing so much water in, knew something had gone wrong, and that the craft was foundering. The only chance for us then was to square away for Cloudy Bay.”

The annual Mahurangi Regatta is back to its former glory after a few years of setbacks. Enjoy the imagery here!

From a utilitarian 17th century Dutch tradition, to the Hudson Valley Roosevelts and the storied races of the late 1800s, to the present day.

"It gives us an opportunity to move forward as a nation and as a community … By not creating those opportunities for those conversations, we stay in the status quo."

John was and will remain an absolute icon in this country for his amazing achievements, from supporting the endeavours of the average bloke who just wanted to be able to sail his boat, to the top echelons of NZ Sailing.

“I have mentioned the influence of Claud Worth, the English doctor, writer, and designer, whose TERN IV I greatly admired. Those who know Worth’s boat and my BRILLIANT design may see this inspiration; both are shaped and built not as racing yachts but as sea boats intended to survive the worst weather and to make good passages.”

“It has good 1960’s functionalism with the double stack control rooms seemingly cantilevered off the lift core. All braced and laced by one slim leg and a zig-zag stair.”

“All too often, we expect history to be definitive, to pass judgement and announce a verdict. But understanding Cook is about much more than apportioning praise or blame.”

Wangany Mala follows the journey of young Muslim woman Nirmala as she works on the construction of a traditional pinisi boat and learns to sail, all while navigating her faith and family expectations.

At present what there is of the wood bank is kept in a dirty, dusty corner of a shed with no firefighting facilities (apart from a single small diameter hose). The timber is jammed in behind a vast wall of other timber. There has been no actual audit of the timber since its establishment, some boat builders who have tried to buy timber are appalled that sometimes good wood is mixed with low quality craft wood

In Melbourne you might catch the D6 Tram down Flinders Street, alighting at the French Renaissance style Flinders St Station. In South Australia a geology student from Flinders University, might undertake field work in the nearby Flinders Ranges

Two feet of her bow was missing; the cabin house had mostly disappeared as she ground her way upside down across the outer reefs that protect Panawina and the other islands of the archipelago; all but one of her oars were gone; and her valuable equipment had been shared among the islanders. Interestingly, when her wrecked cabin disgorged its load of water she righted herself and remained so until she was found.

A serious of photographs from a month aboard a wooden boat.

Here are the details of seven upcoming diverse wooden boat festivals… Whether you are in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania, Queensland or Auckland, there’s a celebration to get involved with. The pulse of our special field of interest seems to be beating a little more strongly!

On Sunday 17 December 2023, TANDANYA sailed south and down the Coles Channel to QCYC for the night. On Monday 18 December James Waters and James Spencer joined the crew as Mate and Sailing Master respectively. By some miracle the hoped for weather window presented itself.