One month to go until the 2020 Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong
by Sarah Pettiford 8 Feb 02:20 GMT
6-9 March 2020
Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong © Tom Smeaton
The countdown is truly on with only a month to go until the 2020 Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong hosted by the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and presented by Wooden Boatshop and Yanmar.
The family festival will run over the Labour Day long weekend from 6 to 9 March, 2020 celebrating Australia's maritime heritage, local history and giving an insight into wooden boats and their craftsmanship.
The festival will host a range of boat races and classic boat displays as well as family focused activities, boat building competitions, food stalls and live entertainment.
Excitement also surrounds the display of four iconic tall ships, allowing festival goers the opportunity to tour and experience sailing on these magnificent vessels. There are also opportunities for tailored educational and team building experiences at dockside or under sail on Corio Bay.
The impressive line-up of the tall ships program includes the HMB Endeavour along with its travelling road show Encounters 2020, the Young Endeavour, Enterprize and Coral Trekker. Please click through for more information on each vessel.
The Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong will also host a panel of expert guest speakers with interesting stories to tell - from Captain John Dikkenberg talking crisis and leadership at sea, David Haigh explaining how to turn the dream into reality and Bill Wright on 110 years of boat building in Australia to name a few.
The Bote Cote 'Rough and Ready' boat building competition will also be a great spectacle, with participants designing and constructing their own boat using a carbon neutral propulsion system in two hours during the festival, before setting sail and racing against the various teams.
Festival Chairman, Stuart Dickson, said the 2020 festival will appeal to all ages and is the perfect weekend event for families.
"The Geelong waterfront will be brought to life with all the Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong has to offer in 2020," Stuart said.
"We encourage wooden boat owners to get involved in the festival through the racing and the classic boat displays.
"It is a great opportunity to show off your boat and enjoy the entertainment and atmosphere, while admiring the other boats on display," he said.
To enter your wooden boat to display or race, please visit woodenboatfestivalgeelong.com.au/regatta/entry
For more information on the 2020 Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong, please see www.woodenboatfestival.com.au