Classic Boat Festival:
Schedule of Events
Ready or knot – join us on the dock!
Join us on the docks to view classic wooden boats from all across the Pacific Northwest, visit our floating exhibit on BC’s Merchant Marine history, or take in one of our many workshops!
Friday, August 31, 2018
9:00 AM – DOCKS OPEN!
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM: HOME PORT HEROES OPEN (FLOATING EXHIBIT)
Location: Floating docks in Victoria’s Inner Harbour
Parks Canada’s Home Port Heroes honours Canada’s Second World War Merchant Navy, unsung heroes who contributed to victory in 1945. Share in the amazing stories of the men and women from every province who built the ships of the Allied Merchant Navy, and of those who sailed them across perilous seas and through war zones. Test your nautical skills with hand-on activities for all ages, learn about the Canadian built Fort and Park cargo ships (including those built here in B.C.), and see historic objects and images from this significant event in our country’s history.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: “VISUAL SIGNALLING AT SEA” (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Join Parks Canada for a short presentation of visual communications at sea based on the 1931 International Code of Signals, learn to spell your name using signal flags, and create your own signal flag necklace!
12:00 PM – FESTIVAL KICKS OFF
The Festival officially starts with a bang of the cannon and the arrival of Honorary Commodore and participating officials aboard the festival flagship vessel.
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM: S.A.L.T.S SHIPS TOURS
Location: Dock 1, Victoria’s Inner Harbour
Come aboard Pacific Swift and Pacific Grace!
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: PLASTICS IN OUR OCEANS (BRACELET MAKING ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Learn more about how you can help keep our oceans clean by re-purposing plastic bags into bracelets! Maritime Museum of BC interpreters will guide you through the process of turning plastic into “plarn” and weaving it together to create your own eco-friendly bracelet, while discussing where plastic pollution comes from and how it’s effecting our oceans today.
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM: “BURGERS, BEERS, AND BOATS” RECEPTION (BOATERS EXCLUSIVE EVENT)
Location: Steamship Terminal (lower patio)
This boater-exclusive event is an annual tradition of meeting new friends and catching up with the old! For more information, check out Information for Boaters.
9:00 PM – DOCKS CLOSE
Saturday, September 1, 2018
9:00 AM – DOCKS OPEN!
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM – BRIDESHIPS (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Join the Maritime Museum of BC’s interpreters and discover the stories of the women aboard the “brideships” that arrived at Victoria’s harbour in 1862. Who were these women and why did they decide to travel across oceans to the west coast of Canada? Relive their hardships and courageous adventures in this interactive activity.
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM: HOME PORT HEROES OPEN (FLOATING EXHIBIT)
Location: Floating docks in Victoria’s Inner Harbour
Parks Canada’s Home Port Heroes honours Canada’s Second World War Merchant Navy, unsung heroes who contributed to victory in 1945. Share in the amazing stories of the men and women from every province who built the ships of the Allied Merchant Navy, and of those who sailed them across perilous seas and through war zones. Test your nautical skills with hand-on activities for all ages, learn about the Canadian built Fort and Park cargo ships (including those built here in B.C.), and see historic objects and images from this significant event in our country’s history.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: “VISUAL SIGNALLING AT SEA” (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Join Parks Canada for a short presentation of visual communications at sea based on the 1931 International Code of Signals, learn to spell your name using signal flags, and create your own signal flag necklace!
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – SONGHEES CANOE (INTERPRETATIVE INFORMATION)
Location: Inner Harbour Docks (Dock G)
Join the Songhees Nation down on the docks for more information on their canoe – the Salish Seawolf! For many thousands of years, people from all over the world refined and revolutionized the use of the dugout canoe. On the west coast of Canada, dugout canoes are often made from Western red cedars. The chosen tree is treated with respect and carved using specialized tools and controlled burning. Canoes are still an important part of western First Nation communities – learn more about it from the canoe crew!
11:00 AM: RON HOLLAND (SPEAKER PRESENTATION)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Meet world-renowned yacht designer Ron Holland, author of All The Oceans: Designing by the seat of my pants. Holland will share anecdotes from his inspiring memoir that traces his seafaring adventures from his native New Zealand to the US, Ireland and now Vancouver. Holland also has fascinating stories about designing some of the world’s fastest racing yachts, luxurious super vessels for celebrities and royalty, and Mirabella V, the largest single-masted yacht ever constructed.
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: FACE-PAINTING
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
How will you express your love for our maritime culture – mermaid, pirate, orca, or your own creative idea? Visit our face-painting artists and sport a brand-new look on the docks!
2:00 PM: DENTON PENDERGAST – “A SEA STORY INVITATION” (SPEAKER PRESENTATION)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
There is a great sea story silently lying beneath each of the bronze plaques mounted on the low stonewall overlooking the festival floats across from the Empress Hotel. Each one commemorates the significant accomplishment of an adventurer, a mariner, or the arrival by sea of a citizen whose contribution to Victoria is writ large in the city’s history.
Join Denton Pendergast at Commonwealth Corner where he will be sharing some of those amazing sea stories for festival participants and the general public at this year’s Classic Boat Festival. Pendergast, who sat on the Classic Boat Festival Committee for a decade, is currently curator of victoriaharbourhistory.com and Chair of the Victoria Harbour History Society.
3:30 PM: JEFF AND KAMI FEHR – “ANCHORS AND ANCHORING” (INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Anchors aweigh! Join the makers of the Ultra Anchor at Classic Boat Festival to learn more about the history of anchors and how they have evolved over time. Participate in the interactive anchor display, to test out various anchors and see how they compare!
9:00 PM – DOCKS CLOSE
Sunday, September 2, 2018
9:00 AM – DOCKS OPEN!
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM – BRIDESHIPS (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Join the Maritime Museum of BC’s interpreters and discover the stories of the women aboard the “brideships” that arrived at Victoria’s harbour in 1862. Who were these women and why did they decide to travel across oceans to the west coast of Canada? Relive their hardships and courageous adventures in this interactive activity.
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM: HOME PORT HEROES OPEN (FLOATING EXHIBIT)
Location: Floating docks in Victoria’s Inner Harbour
Parks Canada’s Home Port Heroes honours Canada’s Second World War Merchant Navy, unsung heroes who contributed to victory in 1945. Share in the amazing stories of the men and women from every province who built the ships of the Allied Merchant Navy, and of those who sailed them across perilous seas and through war zones. Test your nautical skills with hand-on activities for all ages, learn about the Canadian built Fort and Park cargo ships (including those built here in B.C.), and see historic objects and images from this significant event in our country’s history.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: “VISUAL SIGNALLING AT SEA” (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Join Parks Canada for a short presentation of visual communications at sea based on the 1931 International Code of Signals, learn to spell your name using signal flags, and create your own signal flag necklace!
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – SONGHEES CANOE (INTERPRETATIVE INFORMATION)
Location: Inner Harbour Docks (Dock G)
Join the Songhees Nation down on the docks for more information on their canoe – the Salish Seawolf! For many thousands of years, people from all over the world refined and revolutionized the use of the dugout canoe. On the west coast of Canada, dugout canoes are often made from Western red cedars. The chosen tree is treated with respect and carved using specialized tools and controlled burning. Canoes are still an important part of western First Nation communities – learn more about it from the canoe crew!
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM – SAILPAST AND SAILING RACES
Location: Ogden Point to Clover Point (waterfront)
Make your way to the waterfront, anywhere from Ogden Point to Clover Point, for a truly spectacular show – the traditional sailpast and sailing races!
The modern sailpast tradition began at the first yacht club that was formed in England nearly 200 years ago. It was first introduced in yacht clubs as a continuation of the naval habit of having Admirals (and/or Royalty) review the fleet on special occasions. Protocol demanded that a flagship be anchored with the Admiral and staff on the quarterdeck to receive and return the salute. Vessels sailed past, dipping their colours in salute. Their captain also saluted along with the ship’s company standing at attention. The Classic Boat Festival tradition is similiar, however, the Honourary Commodore receives the salute.
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM – PIRATE SCHOOL (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
ARRRGH! Come join Maritime Museum of BC pirates and learn how to walk, talk, and fight like a pirate! Decorate your own pirate hat and explore artefacts that pirates would have used aboard their ships. Recommended for ages 4 to 10.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM – MARITIME TRIVIA (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
POP QUIZ! What scandalous architect designed the Victoria Steamship Terminal? What does a “galley” refer to, aboard a classic boat? What vessel is the oldest sailboat in Canada? Join our Maritime Museum of BC interpreters for a game of trivia at Classic Boat Festival and compete with others for pirates treasure!
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM – SHIPBUILDING (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
Inspired by the vessels at Classic Boat Festival? Build your own ship out of Lego and test it against the elements with Maritime Museum of BC interpreters! Explore artefacts from different eras of shipbuilding, including those that would have been used to build the beautiful boats on display at the Festival.
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM – SCRIMSHAW (INTERACTIVE ACTIVITY)
Location: Commonwealth Corner (Causeway)
For thousands of years, British Columbians hunted whales for food, materials, and sport. Bored and lonely whalers whittled, carved, drew and engraved on the bones and teeth of the magnificent creatures they were hunting. Join Maritime Museum of BC interpreters to learn more about the evolution of our relationship with whales and practice your own scrimshaw skills – with soap!
6:00 PM – AWARDS BANQUET (BOATER-EXCLUSIVE EVENT)
Location: The Union Club of British Columbia
Boaters are invited to join us at the annual Awards Banquet Dinner! For more information, head to Information for Boaters.
6:00 PM – FESTIVAL ENDS AND DOCKS CLOSE
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