The Paynesville Classic Boat Rally
This report and the images were produced for us by Chris Palmer, Secretary of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Meanwhile Paul Stephanus, the AWBF director, is preparing to present an Australian display at the The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival next week. How good is it, that all these regional events are sharing the love and leaning from each other?
The omens were not looking too good a day or two before the Rally. A fierce thunderstorm went through the area on the Wednesday evening, and a bolt of lightning struck and destroyed three boats in a yard in Paynesville. Luckily, these were not Rally boats, but even so…
While Friday was officially the first day of the Rally, things really got under way on Saturday when bright sunshine and a light breeze replaced the drizzle of the previous couple of days. The highlight was without question the Grand Parade, when vessels of all sizes sailed or motored slowly along the 50-metre-wide channel between Paynesville and Raymond Island. Led by the tall ship Enterprize from Melbourne, over 150 boats from Sailfish to grand cruisers provided spectators with a sight to remember. And amazingly, they all returned to their nominated berths with little or no drama. On Sunday, the sail-past was repeated, but restricted to sailing vessels.
The undoubted success of this Rally was due to a number of things. First, of course, an enthusiastic and hard-working management team and their eighty or so volunteers, all led by Peter Medling who, like all good event organisers, appeared to be everywhere during the Rally. Second, right next door to the larger vessels in berths, a large flat area and boat ramp serviced by a tractor enabled dinghies to be launched and retrieved at will. Third, the event coincided with a couple of other events – a market, a Boating Industry Association show of modern boats, a car and bike show on Raymond Island, and a fishing competition. All this gave the whole place a really good bustling vibe. Oh, and the locals are very friendly.
Worth mentioning is the fact that al least five boats made the effort to sail from Tasmania to attend the rally and others came from NSW. All were very happy they did - surely, a great recommendation, and if you’re thinking of bringing a boat in 2028, remember it’s a classic boat event and not restricted to timber vessels. So, start planning!
