Flotsam & Jetsam 27.02.26
The last of February News from around the Wooden Boat world.
Norway Gets it Right
I didn’t spend a lot of time in front of the box, watching the Winter Olympics. (Where was the ice boat sailing?)
But I did notice the medal table at the conclusion of the event, and was struck by the fact that Norway (population < 6M) had 30% more gold medals than USA (population >342M). OK… it obviously got something to do with the weather in Norway, but if you dig a little deeper that’s not the full story.
There are many reasons for Norway’s success, but there is one common theme: An emphasis on fun and enjoyment that starts at the grassroots level. Until the age of 12 in Norway, nobody in youth sports is allowed to keep score, and there are no league standings either. As a result, there is far less destructive pressure and no reason to specialize too soon, and young athletes are encouraged to try out multiple sports. If one player gets a trophy, everyone gets a trophy; they want as many children as possible to return the following season.
Here in Australia, with our obsession for winning at all costs, this attitude might be dismissed as the ideals of an imaginary, hand-ringing, socialist utopia. But you cant argue with a medal table!
Read more about Norway’s fascination national sports guidelines in THIS ARTICLE
The Boats that made Britain
I know Australia isn’t Britain, but it would be interesting to produce a good doco entitled “Boats That made Australia Special¨
Here’s the recently uploaded UK version. I enjoyed it.
Trans-Tasman Yacht Race postponement
It was sad to see this press release from the CYCA this week
The CYCA has today announced the postponement of the upcoming Trans-Tasman Yacht Race.
Following the withdrawal over the last four weeks of nine of the 11 entries for various reasons, including damage sustained in other races this summer, it has been determined that the event is not operationally viable.
CYCA Commodore Dr Sam Haynes said:
“While we are disappointed in this outcome, postponing the event after all of the late withdrawals is the most responsible decision for our Club.
“We pride ourselves on running high-profile competitive events and we believe the late reduction in this fleet does not reflect that.
“We remain committed to offshore racing and to developing new racing opportunities that have strong participant and stakeholder support.
“We’d like to thank those Members and Owners that had entered the race for their support and also acknowledge our finish partner, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.”
After a strategic review, a new start date for the race will be considered and communicated in due course.
Ngataki and Te Repunga departing Auckland
Racing across the Tasman has a long and storied history (think Ngataki vs Te Rapunga) so its disappointing that there wasn’t a sufficient level of enthusiasm to resurrect it. It might be worth the folk down at the CYCA having a read of last week’s article
Red List Endangered Crafts
The Newsletter of National Historic Ships (UK) is always worth a read. There promote a whole series of Awards, Grants, Jobs and Programs that we on this side of the world can only dream of.
In this months edition they have been promoting the UNESCO’s register of Intangible Cultural Heritage one of the most fascinating rabbit holes on the web.
In 2024, the UK joined many countries in signing the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Following this, the UK is setting up inventories of living heritage. There are four separate inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and these will combine into one inventory of living heritage in the UK.
National Historic Ships UK works to ensure that significant maritime skills and techniques are included within the Inventory, including those trades that are already listed within the Red List of Endangered Crafts managed by the Heritage Crafts Association.
These will include crafts such as
Traditional seamanship
Wooden boatbuilding
Sailmaking
Knot tying and rope making
Canal art and boat painting
Traditional rigging
The full version of the latest edition of their newsletter is available HERE
Paynesville Underway
Today is Day One of the Paynesville Classic Boat Rally. For those of you who, like me, are sadly going to miss the event you can get a whiff of Gippsland salt air by browsing their just released 2026 Boat Catalogue. And we are looking for someone to write us a report on how it all went. So take some pictures and scribble some notes!
The Keewaydin, a rare 1913 Lowestoft Trawler, Destroyed by Fire
From the BBC
A team behind the restoration of a historic 1913 fishing boat destroyed in a blaze say they are shocked as the vessel was just days from being relaunched.
Mark Cann, co-founder of Sailors Creek CIC, said the restoration of Keewaydin, a Lowestoft wooden trawler, was almost complete and they were just "two weeks off launching", but he now thought the vessel could not be saved.
Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service said multiple crews were called to Sailors Creek in Flushing, near Falmouth, on Thursday, after receiving dozens of calls about the blaze.
Read on HERE