Latest Pictures and News
Farewell old LBT website
You have been faithful to us and we to you, but we must move on to livingboattrust.org.au. Hopefully the next newsletter will be generated from there. |
Cruise with the Wooden Boat Guild
Date: Sunday November 21; Time: 10.30 am (depart Franklin); Destination: Huonville . For more details see the flyer below (https://tinyurl.com/se95x23e). Note the need for an RSVP if you want to participate in the BBQ lunch. |
Family fun day at the LBT
Sunday was a reminder of how blessed we are in the Huon Valley – both
with place and people. There we were beside the river on a mild spring
day but with snow on the mountains to admire, and with a veritable feast
of activities (and food) provided by those people to choose from. Paul
Frost’s gorgeous model boats were launched to great acclaim, and Freyja
was launched with Mary Lou Conway’s Bittern as the figurehead. Dennis
Muscovich was so overcome with the Bittern’s aggressive potential that
he was on the point of ramming it into the side of Yukon before being
called off by more sober heads in his crew. Meanwhile back in the shed a
youthful team of model boat makers were attempting to emulate Paul’s
feats. Later in the afternoon these boats were put to the test – raced
from pontoon to finishing line with varying success in a flukey breeze.
Nancy was out taking joy rides, Terry Mead and band provided the music
and the encore was Kerrawyn having her maiden excursion trip from
Franklin with David Golding at the helm. The food, contributed by many,
was wonderful and nourishing with yummy cakes and and biscuits to
finish off with. A big thanks to all who came along and enjoyed the
day, and to those who made it happen – especially Endra. Lots of pics below, provided by Endra, Michelle Crawford and others. |
Five mile crew
This Franklin St Ayles Skiff crew formed to compete in the Castle to
Crane race last year, and, as reported in this column, did very, very
well. There has been a beautiful video made about them: see https://youtu.be/qm95fB7Wd0Q . |
First day of On the Water Program
The vagaries of Tasmanian weather mean that sometimes this becomes the
‘In the Shed’ program, but this year got off to the perfect start with
blue skies and no wind. Those lovely new life jackets from the
Australian Wooden Boat Festival were put to excellent use by students
from Huonville primary learning the basics of rowing and managing small
boats. |
Figurehead for Freyja
Jane Johnson writes: The LBT Open Day on October 31,
2021 aims to provide opportunities for “messing about with
boats”, which this Sunday from 11am includes model boats, “Come
and Try” and launching the first figurehead [for our boats]. The figurehead is for “Freyja”
the third St Ayles Skiff built in Franklin in 2016 to celebrate
community rowing. “Imagine” was the first skiff launched in
Australia in 2012 and “Billie” followed suit in 2015. There are
now 30 skiffs proposed for communities throughout Australia, and over
250 in the world, demonstrating that from little things, big things
have grown. One important outcome is that more people are out
‘messing about in boats’. From medieval times a figurehead was
one of the necessary, fascinating aspects of boatbuilding, a
highlight that reinforced ancient shipbuilding and architectural
techniques. A figurehead sometimes provided magical significance and
frequently provided a recognisable feature, an identity for the
vessel. Many people believed it gave protection to the vessel and
crew and the choice of a figurehead was important. A swan represents
grace and mobility and Cygnet skiffies have created an elegant and
easily recognized St Ayles Skiff feature for their community. The Living Boat Trust now has its
own representation of the spirit of a boat. Historically, the Bittern
rowing group achieved a community grant through Westpac and chose the
name as the bird resides in the Egg Island area. The Bittern
figurehead is carved from Huon Pine by Mary-Lou Conway, a skilled
woodworker with a veterinary, hence ornithological background. There
was enthusiasm and patience with the first clay mould created, and
many hours spent reinstating an ancient and creative feature of
wooden boat-building. Dennis Muscovich instigated,
supported and coordinated the project that will also see an eagle
carved for “Imagine” and a profile of Billie the sheepdog
attached to the skiff named in her honour. With this launch the LBT joins the
Augusta community in WA with Pelican and Dolphin creations. Through
carving a figurehead, each St Ayles Skiff will have a unique
community spirit.
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Insurance
We are in the process of paying our insurances, which is a good time
to remind ourselves of what we are covered for and what we are not. This
has not changed in recent years, so what follows is simply a rehash of
the same notice we have issued in the past – if you think you have seen
it before you probably have.
The LBT has various other insurances, not described here, including public liability, boat third party, the shed and management liability. See http://bit.ly/2dafKOb for our insurance documentation. Grant has provided a long explanation and tables with further details: see http://bit.ly/2dv3Y3J. And for details of the 2021-22 insurances see https://tinyurl.com/yxwfwpev . |
Only one week to Family Fun Day
Yep, 31st of October is next Sunday. Here is a reminder of the planned activities. When: 11.00am – 3.00pm. Come along and enjoy:
Please bring a salad or scones to share. LBT will supply the meat for the BBQ. |