Success at Sea Cavalcade

This year, the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives hosted the Heritage and Hand-Crafted Wooden Boat Festival on Sunday, July 25th. With the help of Larry Westlake, 19 small wooden boats were put on display in Holland Park for visitors to Sea Cavalcade.


There was a constant flow of people admiring the selection of boats and chatting with the boat builders. Under the SCMA tent, the Hubert Evans Handliner acted as our off-site exhibit. This historic handliner is on permanent display in the museum.

During the day, visitors were given an opportunity to vote on their favorite boat in the show. The crowd responded with enthusiasm. At around 3:30 in the afternoon, the ballots were counted and the winner announced. Art Perry was given the People's Choice Award for his beautiful Cedar-Strip Chestnut Prospector Canoe to the delight of the audience.

The Handliner replica "Anna" also participated in the Sea Cavalcade parade on Saturday the 24th as the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives float, accompanied by Jon Hird, Larry Westlake, and Phil Jones.

Thanks to everyone who came by, watched the parade, or had a boat in the show! We hope to see you again soon.

Coming up - Heritage and Hand-Crafted Wooden Boat Festival!

This year's Sea Cavalcade will feature the return of the museum's Heritage and Hand-Crafted Wooden Boat Festival! Come on down on Sunday, July 25, to see a unique collection of new and vintage handmade wooden boats from all over the Sunshine Coast. They'll be shown from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM on the flat, easy-access Sunday market area in Holland Park in Lower Gibsons, within view of Gibsons' historic harbour. There'll be something there to please everyone with an interest in boats, handcrafted woodwork, or local history and traditions.

If you have a small (under 18 feet) wooden boat that you'd like to include in this exhibition, contact the organizer, Larry Westlake, as soon as possible! He can be reached at 604-885-0744, or at info@larrywestlake.com. You can also pick up registration forms right here at the Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives.

We'd love to see you down here.