The inaugural Wooden Boat Stage was the star of the show at this year’s Southampton Boat Show, bringing together the wooden boatbuilding community and drawing in visitors with a packed programme of talks and demonstrations from boatbuilders, riggers, timber merchants, designers and museums, as well as tours of the beautiful wooden boats on display around the stage built by members of the Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association (WBTA).
“We wanted to show that the wooden boat builders are still here,” explained WBTA chair Colin Henwood. “They’re still able to build beautiful boats like these.”
The Wooden Boat Stage was a new collaboration between the WBTA, the Boat Building Academy (BBA) and Women in Boatbuilding (WIBB), whose founder Belinda Joslin came up with the concept for the stage: “We all really want the stage to be an open door into the world of wooden boats.”
Look out for a full report from the show in our November/December issue, in stores from 23 October.
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Boat Building Academy director Will Reed, record-breaking sailor Jazz Turner, Women in Boatbuilding founder Belinda Joslin and Wooden Boatbuilders’ Trade Association chair Colin Henwood.
Jazz, who opened the stage by officially untying the knot, set the record earlier this year as the first wheelchair user to complete a solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, completing her journey in 28 days in her boat Fear.
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Oystercatcher, the latest clinker dinghy from Woodbridge and Waldringfield Boatyards.
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One of the few traditional sailing boats at the show, this Haven 12½ was built by Kevin Halcrow of Lakeland Wooden Boats – see W160.
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This delightful 15’ (4.6m) clinker lug-rigged yawl was built by Dick Phillips of Willow Bay Boats – see W167.
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Full house at the Wooden Boat Stage for a talk from professional yachtsman and adventurer Conrad Humphreys, who spoke about his 4000-mile voyage on an open wooden boat, recreating Captain Bligh’s epic journey of survival for Channel 4’s Mutiny.
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The best seat at the show – the Women in Boatbuilding sofa! Built by Abbey Boat Builder in the shape of a boat’s bow, with original bunk cushions from a classic power boat.
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15’ (4.6m) Miss Isle, the gleaming compact racer from Dan Lee – see W171.
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Swallow Yachts were on the pontoons with their BayCruiser 23 and their new BayCruiser 21, while designer and owner Matt Newland and rigger Lola Morgan took part in talks ashore on the Wooden Boat Stage.