Auckland Wooden Boat Festival

Jellicoe Harbour, Wynyard Quarter,
Friday 1 - Sunday 3 March 2024

Every wooden boat tells a story. Its story is in the mighty trees that were felled to make it. The craftsmanship of the builder, the people that sailed it, and the places it has taken them. The development of Auckland’s wooden boating legacy also mirrors the development of the region in its early decades. If we can understand the story of our maritime heritage, we can better understand how our city has been shaped, and perhaps how to face up to some of the challenges of the future.

The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival is about Auckland’s history, about living the past in the today, and bringing people together. In conjunction with the Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), the Auckland classic yacht community, the National Maritime Museum and Eke Panuku, the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival acknowledges the working waterfront of Auckland and our indigenous navigation heritage, the natural environment and sailing and boating as a sport and as a way of life.

This years inaugural festival held in early March was a standout success with over 12,000 visitors viewing the ‘free entry’ festival over its three days. In the Jellicoe Harbour Marina there were 98 vessels and 75 yachts on display in the Viaduct Event Centre. Exhibits included navigation and voyaging, traditional knot and splicing, traditional sail making, models, steam engines, outboards and interactive displays. A speaker series was a huge success in partnership with the New Zealand Maritime Museum.

Please visit www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz if you require more information. If you have a launch, sailing boat, clinker, sailing dinghy, memorabilia or any other interesting classic maritime treasure to share at future festivals, please get in touch.

Photos courtesy of Mark Chew, Ivor Wilkins, Tony Stevenson and Live Sail Die

Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2025

Event Dates: 7th - 10th February 2025

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is a highly regarded maritime event held in Hobart, Tasmania. It is a biennial festival that celebrates the rich heritage, craftsmanship, and culture associated with wooden boats. The festival first started in 1994, and attracts a diverse range of enthusiasts, including boat builders, sailors, artisans, and visitors from around the world.

The primary objective of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival is to promote and preserve Australia's maritime heritage, particularly the craftsmanship and skills involved in building and maintaining wooden boats. The festival showcases a wide array of wooden vessels, including historic tall ships, classic yachts, traditional fishing boats, and various other wooden craft.

During the festival, the picturesque waterfront of Hobart's historic port comes alive with a vibrant and bustling atmosphere. Visitors have the opportunity to explore a wide range of activities and attractions. The festival program typically includes on-water displays, maritime demonstrations, sailing events (including the famous opening event, the Parade of Sail), educational workshops, exhibitions and displays, a maritime marketplace, entertainment and cultural performances, a symposium and more. 

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival not only provides a platform for boat enthusiasts and professionals to showcase their skills but also aims to engage and educate the public about the importance of preserving maritime heritage. It fosters a sense of appreciation for the craftsmanship, artistry, and historical significance of wooden boats.

Overall, the festival offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in Australia's maritime traditions, learn about the craftsmanship involved in wooden boat construction, and celebrate the enduring beauty of these timeless vessels.

www.australianwoodenboatfestival.com.au

John Spencer Exhibition

Celebrating his contribution to New Zealand boat design and construction

Tino Rawa Trust shares the story of John Spencer, one of New Zealand’s most talented designers, his boat-building history and his invaluable contribution to New Zealand sailing.

Event Dates: Fri 6 - Sun 8 November 2020, 10am-4pm

Event Location: (Karanga Plaza, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland Central)

John Spencer, (1931-1996) was a brilliant NZ yacht designer, an innovator and free thinker, outstanding craftsman and a champion of the amateur boat builder. John was responsible for designing some of the best-known sailing dinghy classes and racing keelers both in New Zealand and internationally including the Cherub, NZ Javelin, Firebug and Flying Ant classes. 

His influence in yacht design and construction was wide ranging and his fast sailing dinghies were a major part in the 50s/60s sailing boom in NZ/Australia. He remained thoroughly committed to light, fast, fun and inexpensive boats.

John's influence spread to keelboats, again very much with the aim of designing boats that the ordinary bloke could build and have fun sailing. His boats were always light and very quick. He designed the light and medium displacement keel boats Infidel and the Sydney to Hobart winner Bucaneer.

Infidel, renamed Ragtime, won Transpac line honours two years in succession. In 2001 this hard chine “black box” finished the Transpac for a record 12th time, and is arguably the single most influential offshore racer of the last thirty years.

A three day static display in Karanga Plaza will include information and history on vessels that John Spencer designed and built. Spencer designed yachts will be rafted up on the Karanga Plaza visitors berth with many of them available for the public to inspect.  A display of Spencer sailing dinghies, plans and storyboards will be available for visitors, alongside information and history of the yachts.

Thanks to our sponsors: Trillian Trust, Panuku Developments, Doyle Sails, Fineline Braid, Omnigraphics and Mt Gay.

New Zealand Immigrant Boat builders:

Celebrating their contribution to New Zealand’s maritime history.

Join the Tino Rawa Trust as we tell the story of New Zealand’s boat-building history and the invaluable contribution from our early immigrants to New Zealand. This exhibition is presented alongside Tuia 250, celebrating New Zealand’s Pacific voyaging heritage and the arrival of the replica bark ‘Endeavour’.

Event Dates: Sat 26 - Mon 28 Oct 2019, 10am - 4pm

Event Location: (Te Wero Island, Wynyard Crossing, Auckland Central)

Since early Maori settlement, whalers and sealers, migrants from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Australia through to more recent times, New Zealand’s history of boatbuilding designs, materials and techniques is unique.

This exhibition tells the stories of migrants involved in the boat building sector and who have made New Zealand their home. Their personal stories and contribution to our maritime history and culture is explored over a three day exhibition. Particular focus will be on the Logan and Bailey boat building dynasties.

The Tino Rawa Trust organises the annual ‘Classic Yacht and Launch Exhibition’ held in Karanga Plaza, Wynyard Quarter each October as part of the Auckland Heritage Festival. The exhibition celebrates our classic yacht and launch history, the owners, boat builders and their stories.

The 2019 exhibition will showcase the stories of immigrant boat builders - from their migration to New Zealand, their influence on maritime culture through to information on construction, designs and respective vessel history.

Display of vessels, plans and storyboards will be available for visitors, alongside information and history of the vessels and many stories about the characters who built and owned them.

The three-day exhibition is for all to enjoy and will be great space to spend a few hours with the opportunity to learn about these artisans who have created a part of our shared voyaging history.

A celebration of The New Zealand ‘A Class’ Gaff RACING Yachts

From the iconic Robert Logan designed ‘Waitangi’ (1894) through to the Arch Logan ‘Rawene’ (1908) this exhibition assembled the seven A Class Gaffs still actively sailing in New Zealand.

The 2019 exhibition was held over two weekends and showcased the many successful ‘A Class’ gaff yachts that still race on the Waitemata Harbour. The display celebrated the designers, boatbuilders, technology and construction of the yachts and their respective history with information boards. Access to the yachts was free to the general public over the two weekends with large viewing numbers in attendance.

Logan designed and built gaff yachts on display:

A2 Rawhiti         1905                     A3 Ariki                1904
A5 Rawene         1908                     A6 Waitangi        1894
A7 Rainbow        1898                    A10 Thelma         1897
A11 Frances        1906

The exhibition culminated in a ‘race’ on the harbour and photo shoot of the occasion as seen below.

The event was sponsored by Perpetual Guardian, Trillian Trust, Viaduct Harbour Holdings, Mt Gay Rum and the Tino Rawa Trust.

Classic Yacht and Launch Exhibition

The Tino Rawa Trust organises the ‘Classic Yacht and Launch Exhibition’ each year at the Wynyard Quarter, Viaduct Harbour.

The annual event in October is part of the ‘Auckland City Heritage Festival’ and celebrates our classic yacht and launch history, the owners, designers, boat builders and their respective stories.  

Each year the event focuses on a specific topic such as era, designers, classes and method of construction. 

Previous events have included renowned Auckland boat designers and builders Colin Wild, Jack Brooke, Bob Stewart, Jim Young and Des Townson. Other events successfully showcased the Logans, Baileys, Stewart 34’s, Mullet Boat class, the NZ Clinker Dinghy and NZ Sailing Dinghy.

Static displays include information and the history on the vessels that are rafted up on the water and on the hardstand in Karanga Plaza.

Vessel owners and classic yacht enthusiasts share their stories and the vessels are available for inspection over the three day event.

This is a key objective by the Tino Rawa Trust, in sharing the history and stories of our unique maritime history to not only the classic yacht enthusiast but to the general public as well.

Patio Bay

A highlight of the Classic Yacht Association Event Calendar is the 22nm Patio Bay Race in early December.

With a start line off Orakei Wharf, the ‘Mark Foy‘ race means staggered start times based on handicaps with the smaller yachts starting first and the bigger, faster yachts last. If the handicapper has got the start times and weather right, all competitors should descend on the finish line at the same time creating plenty of action competing for the finishing gun.

The Tino Rawa Trust provides the ‘Wild Duck’ as the Race Committee Finish Boat.

The CYA racing fleet is joined mid afternoon by the classic launches with an eagerly anticipated CYA Xmas BBQ at Bert and Margaret Woolcott’s very traditional Kiwi bach.

Mahurangi Weekend and Auckland Anniversary Regatta

The annual Mahurangi Weekend coincides with the Auckland Anniversary Regatta and is a veritable weekend festival of classic yacht racing and displays.

Starting with the 24nm Auckland to Mahurangi on the Friday night, this very successful race is hosted by the Devonport Yacht Club. 

www.dyc.org.nz 

Most vessels arrive at Mahurangi on Friday afternoon to settle in and watch various activities with the Mahurangi Regatta on the Saturday. The official race in the afternoon sees a two lap course in and out of Mahurangi Harbour and around Whale Island. This is  followed by a BBQ and prize giving at Scott’s Landing. A fun weekend with road access for non-boating friends and family to join in.

www.mahurangi.org.nz

On the Monday the Ports of Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta, sees the classic fleet again racing off the Auckland waterfront. With commanding views at North Head, Bastion Pt and along the harbour shorelines the classic yacht fleet racing is spectacular viewing for all. 

The Regatta attracts a huge fleet of vessels including tall ships, gaff riggers, sloops, racing keelers, multihulls, sailing dinghies, radio controlled boats, Waka Ama, elegant Sea Scout craft, our restored classic yachts, tug boats and America’s Cup yachts.

www.regatta.org.nz 

CYA Racing

The Tino Rawa Trust regularly participates in the Classic Yacht Association’s Event Calendar from October through to April as well as mid winter races hosted by other yacht clubs.

The Trusts ‘racing’ fleet are Rawene, Tucana, Kotuku and Corona on the start line. 

This year will see the return of Jesse Logan and Ngataki to the active register after major restorations.

If you are interested in joining us for any of these events, please email info@tinorawatrust.co.nz