OUT ON THE DERWENT

La Drone is a 38-foot motor cruiser built on the Tamar River in 1948. Constructed in Celery Top Pine with carvel planking and a beautiful 1950s blackwood interior, she has spent her entire life in Tasmania and now offers intimate cruises on the Huon River. For more information and bookings, please contact the vessel operator directly. Bookings are not managed by AWBF.

Watch more than 200 wooden boats and tall ships sweep into Sullivans Cove during the Festival’s iconic Opening Parade of Sail.

Step aboard Peppermint Bay II for a family-friendly cruise offering a behind-the-scenes look at the Port of Hobart during the Festival. Cruise through Sullivans Cove past Hobart’s historic docks, wharves and piers, with close-up views of visiting wooden boats, before heading north along the River Derwent past Macquarie Wharves, beneath the Tasman Bridge and on to the Selfs Point Fuel Terminal. Along the way, hear stories about the festival’s tall ships and wooden vessels, while learning how Tasmania’s working waterfront operates, how maritime safety is managed and how TasPorts is planning for the future. Ticket: $20 This cruise is wheelchair accessible. For more information and bookings, please contact TasPorts through their ticketing page. Bookings are not managed by AWBF.

See the historic Derwent Class fleet out on the River Derwent for a relaxed Saturday rally, celebrating these distinctive Tasmanian yachts and the community that has brought them back to life.

The Festival shares the waterfront weekend with one of Tasmania’s great sporting traditions, the 189th Royal Hobart Regatta. Watch the RAAF Roulettes sweep over the River Derwent from Saturday to Monday,

Watch tall ship Lady Nelson stage a dramatic emergency at sea as Tasmania Police helicopter crew and divers carry out a live air-sea rescue. Presented by the Lady Nelson, Tasmania Police and West Offshore.

Watch crews put their skill and endurance to the test as they race to haul cray pots from traditional Piner Punts and Fazackerleys, re-creating a practice once used by Tasmania’s West Coast Piners. Presented by the Wooden Boat Guild Tasmania. To find out more about how to join the race with your own Piner Punt or Fazackerley please contact Peter Higgs via the Wooden Boat Guild: secretary@woodenboatguildtas.org.au

Celebrate 100 years of the Derwent Class as the colourful fleet races on the River Derwent, sweeping past the Castray Esplanade foreshore.

See Tasmania’s traditional ketches take to the River Derwent in a revival of the historic Ketch Review. Once the workhorses of Bass Strait trade, these vessels will show off their sailing skills, including the striking sight of topsails being raised. Watch from shore, cruise alongside the fleet and experience the Review from the water.

Gather along the waterfront as the Royal Hobart Regatta Association lights up the River Derwent with a dazzling fireworks display reflected across the harbour and the festival fleet.

Sailability Tasmania opens the Derwent to sailors of all abilities, offering the freedom of sailing from Hobart's fully wheelchair accessible, all-weather Brian Freeman Dock, nearby at Sandy Bay Marina. Sailing will be available for the Parade of Sail and across the weekend. To book or discuss any special needs, please contact Sailability booking officer Julie Pearson via email at juliepearson17@gmail.com or by phone on 0438 736 256. Supported by Australian Sailing and the Derwent Sailing Squadron.