Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival Returns to Balboa Yacht Club June 7-8
By Newport Indy Staff – March 14, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/annual-newport-beach-wooden-boat-festival-returns-to-balboa-yacht-club-june-7-8/
The 8th Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will return to the Balboa Yacht Club, June 7 – 8, 2024 with more than 40 wooden vessels of all sizes on display, and a collection of master artisans and craftsmen at work.
This year’s festival theme is “The Art & Craft of the Wooden Boat” in celebration of the creative artistry, intricate craftsmanship, and timeless beauty of wooden boats.
“Event guests will be able to immerse themselves in the centuries-old artform of wooden boat building, and the fine woodworking and artistic details that adorn the boats,” said event chair Stephen Paljieg. “This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Its theme captures the essence of the passion and artistry behind these magnificent, one-of-a-kind watercrafts and the inclusion of the master craftsmen who build and keep them in ‘Bristol condition’ takes it to a whole new level of experience.”
In 2017, the event was officially recognized by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, who proclaimed the second weekend in June the “Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival Weekend.”
Event guests will be able to stroll the Balboa Yacht Club docks, board the wooden boats that have come for the festival and talk to owners about what makes their wooden vessel special.
There’s also an opportunity to step back in time to cruise aboard the America – a replica of the 139-foot wooden sailing yacht that won the historic Royal Yacht Squadron’s 100 Guinea Cup race in 1851.
There will be plenty to do on land where maritime craftsman will be at work, guest speakers will be telling tales of experiences with wooden boats, and plein air artists will be capturing the beauty of the boats in Newport Harbor. Add live music, activities for kids, specialty craft cocktails with artisan foods and you’ve got something for everyone on Saturday, June 8.
Astor won the People’s Choice Award at the 2023 Wooden Boat Festival | Photo by Jim Collins
A first this year: an expansion of the weekend’s festivities to an Inaugural Opening Night on Friday, June 7. The evening will include cocktails and appetizers aboard the America, early access to tour some of the amazing boats and craftsmen exhibits. Dinner, music and a live auction under the stars will follow.
The 2024 Newport Beach Wooden Festival is hosted by Balboa Yacht Club in collaboration with the City of Newport Beach, the County of Orange, and Visit Newport/Newport Beach & Co.
The Balboa Yacht Club is at 1801 Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar.
Festival tickets are $15, Cruises on the America are $75, Inaugural Opening Night tickets are $175. Children under 12 are free. All tickets can be purchased in advance online. Saturday Festival Tickets can also be purchased at the gate on the day of the event (June 8).
Visit https://www.newportbeachwoodenboatfestival.com for tickets and more information.
By Newport Indy Staff – March 14, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/annual-newport-beach-wooden-boat-festival-returns-to-balboa-yacht-club-june-7-8/
The 8th Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will return to the Balboa Yacht Club, June 7 – 8, 2024 with more than 40 wooden vessels of all sizes on display, and a collection of master artisans and craftsmen at work.
This year’s festival theme is “The Art & Craft of the Wooden Boat” in celebration of the creative artistry, intricate craftsmanship, and timeless beauty of wooden boats.
“Event guests will be able to immerse themselves in the centuries-old artform of wooden boat building, and the fine woodworking and artistic details that adorn the boats,” said event chair Stephen Paljieg. “This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Its theme captures the essence of the passion and artistry behind these magnificent, one-of-a-kind watercrafts and the inclusion of the master craftsmen who build and keep them in ‘Bristol condition’ takes it to a whole new level of experience.”
Welcome to a New Year which takes me back to The Who song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” whose message is summarized in the last line, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” and its meaning is “nothing changes and so don’t get fooled again.” Which is a very confusing way to report on what’s going on in the harbor this first month of 2024. So let me backtrack before throwing a few soft punches.
I ended last week by walking through Basin Shipyard and took a moment to talk to owners Dereck and Dave New. As always this time of year, the yard is packed with Dave reporting that they are two months out. So, if you own a boat with outboards or Pod drives, you better call now and book your annual maintenance to be ready for the spring/summer boating season. The yard was full of new Tiara products, but I’m sure there were many other makes of yachts in the yard, yet the pretty ones always grab my attention first.
Q: From a distance it seemed like a quiet year, no oil spills, tsunamis, down aircraft. So what did I miss?
A: There were a couple of severe weather (wind and rain) events this year. We revived the technology we use to notify mooring permittees of approaching weather and urge them to verify their mooring equipment and lines to ensure all are secure. You may recall, there was considerable attention and communication in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary arriving in August. One other of the severe weather events was a strong Santa Ana which stresses the mooring equipment from a different direction than usual, so we have significant concern about boats staying in place when faced with unusual conditions. All in all, things were fine and we greatly appreciated everyone’s preparedness in the face of these severe events.
2023 was a busy and productive year for the City of Newport Beach, thanks to strong leadership and our extremely professional staff.
We have been working diligently to increase public safety, address quality-of-life issues, and make strategic investments to further improve our great city.
Here’s a look at some of our 2023 successes:
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