The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing woodenboats
in Australia, New Zealand & The South Pacific.

FESTIVALS Mark Chew FESTIVALS Mark Chew

AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC

"The AWBF is a celebration of our collective heritage. The 2025 theme allows us to explore our connection with the Pacific like never before, bringing visitors face-to-face with historic vessels and remarkable people from across the ocean. We hope to create a festival experience that feels both grand in its spectacle and intimate in its sense of community."

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DESIGNERS Mark Chew DESIGNERS Mark Chew

An Ama to Windward

The Pacific proa configuration has many advantages, including considerably less load on the beams, and thus the rig.  Having the ama to windward, although seemingly counterintuitive, is actually safer, as its weight, combined with reserve buoyancy in the main hull’s leeward pod, makes the boat much more resistant to capsize.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

So Close, But so Much Admiration

I was sitting on my bunk, looking out the hatch, and then, in a split second, my whole world was turned upside down. My view turned from blue sky to blue water, a huge crashing sound was heard, and Maiwar was capsized like a bath toy. There was no time for fear or even a communicable thought, it all happened so quickly.

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ADVENTURE Mark Chew ADVENTURE Mark Chew

The Lapita Voyage

When I first became interested, I thought that this taciturn Englishman was working in a space where eccentricity meets the counterculture…. Well-meaning hippies, who were fun to follow, but not to be taken too seriously. But the more I learned the more appreciative I became.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Full Stop

Tom and his immediate family are not much into the modern fashion for instantaneous communication. They’d much rather mull over a suitable answer or wait for the best time to send it than have a Pavlovian reaction to incoming mail.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Bonjour Mahuta

Rather than trying to go south of New Caledonia on his way to the Queensland coast, Tom has elected to stay further north. While the shore team was not sure about this decision, they were pleased when meteorological guru Bob McDavitt suggested to Tom that he stay north where he could expect to experience better winds and fewer adverse currents

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Farewell Samoa

The thought of rowing nonstop back to Australia looks very attractive at the moment, in which case, I can expect to make landfall in Australia in about 120 days, perhaps a little less. But, of course, this is all conjecture.

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ADVENTURE Mark Chew ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Moananuiākea Voyage

The goal of the voyage is to ignite a movement of 10 million “planetary navigators” by developing young leaders and engaging communities around the world to take part in navigating the earth towards a healthy, thriving future.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Island Happenings

The people of Penrhyn are not new to looking after stranded sailors, and there are often stories told about the odd Japanese fishing boat that has been wrecked on the island, the most recent of which was in the last 15 years.

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TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew TOM'S ADVENTURE Mark Chew

Tom bailed after forced entry

During last week’s phone call he very excitedly told us about two of his most recent reads. He’s awarded “Greatest Book Ever” to Small Is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher and “Most Favourite Book” to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Life in the Woods.

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