2009 Silva Bay 11th Annual Maritime Festival

Silva Bay, Gabriola Island, April 4th and 5th. Festival, Boat Launching, Wooden Boat Seminars

Silva Bay Shipyard School, at the historic Withey Shipyard in Silva Bay, Gabriola Island
Garden catboat Willow's mast
Paul Gartside bright-finished Skylark sailing, black sails
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09 Wooden Boat Seminar Speakers

  • Rob Abernethy

    Abernethy and Gaudin shop

    After attending Sheridan College for furniture design and the Northwest Wooden Boatbuilding School, Rob spent many years building and repairing wooden boats on southern Vancouver Island; he then formed the partnership Abernethy and Gaudin, in Brentwood Bay, BC, specializing in new construction, restorations and custom interiors. http://www.agboats.com/

    Rob will talk about what it takes to run a traditional boat yard in this day and age, and current restoration projects at Abernethy and Gaudin.

  • Steven Brouwer

    Steven Brouwer's shop, Hunter Bay Woodworking with small boat Tern

    From the Apprentice Shop to Lyman Morse and Renaissance Yachts to his woodworking shop Hunter Bay Woodworking on Lopez Island, to rebuilding fish boats in Alaska, Steven Brouwer brings a wealth of experience to his work. http://hunterbaywoodworking.com

    Steven will talk about building Tern with his son Ben and friends, bringing in his experience teaching and building and repairing wooden boats over the years.

  • Quill Goldman

    Quill and Mitch racing in Barracuda

    Owner of Barefoot Wooden Boats, Silva Bay Shipyard School graduate, and accomplished small boat sailor, Quill Goldman builds, repairs, and restores wooden boats, and is 2x winner of the Shipyard School Raid, a staged 8 day race for traditional sail and oar boats. Barefoot Wooden Boats is on Silva Bay, BC.

    Quill will talk about small boat voyages and raiding.

  • Wayne Loiselle

    Wayne Loiselle's schooner Grail Dancer

    Wayne Loiselle is a shipwright from Thetis Island, BC, and owner/builder of the 50' wooden schooner, Grail Dancer. http://sunrisegrail.com

    Wayne will talk about his four years work on the historical restoration of the 145' steam driven sternwheeler SS Keno in Dawson City Yukon which plied the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush.

  • Alex Low and Jon Brown

    Alex Low and Jon Brown

    Alex and Jon are graduates of the Silva Bay Shipyard School and have been messing about in boats either forever or ever since. http://www.alexlow.ca/

    Alex and Jon will talk about their current project, building the Cockle, a replica of J.R. Purdon's 1913 cutter. Construction blog: http://www.alexlow.ca/dc004/

  • Colin Masson

    Colin Masson rowing Bus Bailey

    Colin is a well-known Gabriola rowing commuter and owner of the beautiful 1937 handliner, BUS BAILEY. Colin has expertise dodging BC ferries on his way to work in a 12' rowboat, and rowed BUS BAILEY in the 08 Shipyard Raid.

    Colin will talk about small boat voyages and raiding with fellow Raider Quill Goldman.

  • Mark Reuten

    Mark Reuten

    Mark Reuten is proprietor of Nomad Boatbuilding in Victoria BC where he builds and repairs wooden boats, kayaks, and small boats and teaches skin-on-frame kayak construction. Mark is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, the Northwest Wooden Boatbuilding School and had a hand in building SALTS vessel Pacific Grace. He has traveled through the Arctic and worked alongside First Nations artists, doing totem pole and dugout canoe carving. http://www.nomadboatbuilding.com

    Mark will talk about skin-on-frame kayak construction.

  • Tad Roberts

    Tad Roberts

    Tad Roberts practices yacht design and naval architecture in Silva Bay. He is a director at the Shipyard School and organises the Shipyard School Raid, an 8-day staged race for traditional small boats. http://tadroberts.ca/

    On Saturday Tad will talk about his proposal to create a "museum harbour" in Silva Bay following the popular European model. Sunday morning before the small boat race he will give a hands-on lesson in boat design.

  • Ryan Wahl

    Ryan Wahl is the author of Legacy in Wood.

    Ryan will talk about the Wahl boats, wooden fishboats built by his family on the north coast near Prince Rupert.

  • Mark Wallace

    Mark Wallace

    Mark Wallace Shipwright speciality is restoration of historic or classic vessels built from the 1930s to the 60s, and has included restoration of Fife, Alden, Rhodes, Herreshoff, Monk, and Garden designs. http://www.markwallaceshipwright.com/

    Mark will talk about restoration issues and the value of studying historic vessels to develop craft.

Seminar Schedule

The 2009 Silva Bay Maritime Festival and Wooden Boat Seminars, the raffle and festival organisation as well as this web site were put on as benefits for the Shipyard School on an independent non-profit volunteer basis.