36th Annual Wooden Boat Festival - July 13 + 14 2024
We are going ‘Back to the Water’ this July 13+14th at our 36th Annual Wooden Boat Festival! As you may know we have spent the past few years running at half capacity while our funds, energy and people power was directed towards the restoration and rehabilitation of our heritage pier. This will be the first year since 2019 that the festival is back in full swing and with boats in the water, hence the ‘Back to the Water’ theme of this year’s festival. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our community back down the pier and welcome back our boater friends who we have missed having visit our docks during our construction. We firstly want to invite you to attend the festival! We have lots in store and couldn’t be more excited to share all the different things that are happening! Saturday will kick off with kids boat building, RC Boat Pond, Brown Bag Dinghy races, seagull poker racing, a kids fishing derby, the beloved Cowichan Bays ‘Golden Clam’ Chowder Contest, stories workshops and demonstration on nautical knot tying, steam engine operation, stories from time at sea, wooden boat tours on the hard and in the water featuring the SV Dorothy a boat with maritime significance to the BC Coast which has won awards worldwide and close with a traditional Indigenous Salmon dinner and silent auction. Sunday will feature a pancake brunch, Chili Dog Lunch, Kids Boatbuilding, RC Boat pond, a Plein Air Painting event, Brown Bag Dingy Racing, more workshops and presentations, boats in the water and on the hard. Both days we will have live music all day long, booths set up down the pier and SO MUCH FUN to be had by all!
