The Australian Wooden Boat Festival is ready to set sail again from February 10-13 after a few years in dry dock due to the pandemic.
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Tall ship crews are itching to venture further after the past few years of confinement - and joining the fleet will be the Young Endeavour and Enterprize.
Young Endeavour is the bicentenary gift from Great Britain to Australia. The 44-metre ship is operated by the Royal Australian Navy and has been delivering youth development voyages since 1988.
More than 14,000 Australians aged 16-23 have joined STS Young Endeavour on a life-changing youth development voyage.
Tours of the vessel may be available.
The topsail schooner Enterprize is a replica of the tall ship that brought the first European settlers from Tasmania to found the city of Melbourne in 1835.
Other ships include Soren Larsen, One & All, Julie Burgess, Rhona H, Windeward Bound and Lady Nelson.
Sailing from various parts of the country, the tall ships are a highlight of the festival when they take part in the Parade of Sail opening event.
Crowds of onlookers will watch the tall ships lead a fleet of wooden boats, of various sizes and shapes, up the River Derwent to Sullivan's Cove.
The event kicks off four-days of celebrations of maritime culture and communities.
The National Maritime Museum in Sydney will be involved, having cancelled its own event and deciding to throw its resources into the immensely popular Hobart festival.
The Australian National Maritime Museum will be supporting two programs during the Hobart event: the Wooden Boat Symposium and the Boat Builders of Australia display.
Both programs highlight and showcase maritime history, restoration and boat designs.
Festival general manager Paul Stephanus has welcomed the support.
"It is important to keep the festival and the activities and programs within free to the public, and support from the Australian National Maritime Museum allows us to do this," Mr Stephanus said.
The opening event on February 10 will feature more than 250 boats and tall ships making their way up the Derwent to the Hobart waterfront.
Boats will leave Sandy Bay's Long Beach at noon and sail towards Sullivan's Cove to dock.
Throughout the event, 10 local and interstate tall ships will be berthed across Sullivan's Cove, which is sure to prove one of the biggest drawcards for locals and visitors alike.
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Therese Murray
Wordsmith. Senior journalist. Editor. I have a proven track record in helping people and communities solve their problems. My career is all about telling stories.
Wordsmith. Senior journalist. Editor. I have a proven track record in helping people and communities solve their problems. My career is all about telling stories.
