Wooden Boat Centre to lovingly restore little blue boat battered after storms
A little blue boat that has been a part of Hobart’s history for nearly 50 years is about to get a new life after being severely damaged in recent storms. Read what lies ahead.
Tasmania
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A little blue boat that for nearly 50 years was a sole sentinel on the Montrose Bay foreshore is being lovingly restored after being badly damaged by gale-force winds.
She was battered by storms and broke her moorings a few weeks ago.
Many motorists, walkers and nearby residents were devastated and took to social media to raise the alarm as she lay broken on the rocks before being salvaged.
The Wooden Boat Centre at Franklin has now taken ownership of the boat and says repairs will be costly because her motor has not been operational for some time, the mast snapped during the winds and the hull needs some work.
Centre administrator Sirpa Loevendie said the day after the damaging winds the owner of the boat, Sea Breeze, contacted the centre to say he “couldn’t take care of it anymore” and would donate it to the centre.
She said it was estimated that $15,000 alone would need to be spent on materials for the boat which she hopes will be able to be displayed at the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart next February.
“Our volunteers don’t necessarily work every day but if we get more money, then we can put that towards a shipwright,” Ms Loevendie said.
“The little blue boat is part of Hobart’s history for all those people that drove past it on the Brooker Highway, seeing it every day.
“For us as boat builders it’s a wooden boat made locally and wooden boats can last a long time if you put the time and effort in.
“We hope to actually find a charitable organisation, once the restoration is complete, that can take over the care of the boat, so that it stays in the community.
“The ultimate goal is to get it out on the water again.”
Sea Breeze was built from celery top pine by Montrose local Robin Attrill and launched in 1977 and coincidentally Wooden Boat Centre volunteers have just finished restoring Kon Tiki which he also built and is also blue.
Ms Loevendie said Sea Breeze would be meticulously restored and a GoFundMe campaign would soon be launched.
To support the restoration go to: https://www.woodenboatcentre.com/little-blue-boat
Originally published as Wooden Boat Centre to lovingly restore little blue boat battered after storms
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