30th Year For Boat Show

Featuring one of the nation’s best wooden boat exhibits, a wooden boat building competition and a corrugated boat regatta, the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show is one of the area’s most popular events.

Presented by the Harbor Historical Association of Georgetown, this year’s show will also include children’s model boat building, knot tying, maritime art & crafts, Lowcountry cuisine and live music. All events will take place on the waterfront and along Front Street in historic downtown Georgetown.

These young ladies are testing their model boats during last year’s event. *(Photo courtesy of the Harbor Historical Association)*

Admission is free to the public. All proceeds from the event will benefit the South Carolina Maritime Museum. The Georgetown Wooden Boat Show has been designated by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast for October.

Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

This wooden Chris Craft boat was one of many displayed during last year’s event. *(Photo courtesy of the Harbor Historical Association)*

More than 140 classic wooden boats will be displayed in the water and along Front Street. Vessels ranging in size from kayaks to cruising yachts will be exhibited in categories including: row, canoe, kayak, surfboard, sail, inboard power, outboard power, owner designed and built, century class (100 years or older), model boats and “classic” categories for boats that are aged 50 years or older.

Visitors will be able to meet and talk to wooden boat craftsmen, manufacturers and owners. Maritime art & crafts will also be on display.

Teams that compete in the wooden Boat Building Challenge will be scored on speed of construction, quality of work and rowing speed. *(Photo courtesy of the Harbor Historical Association)*

The Wooden Boat Challenge will begin at noon under the big tent on Broad Street. Two-person teams will race to build a rowing skiff within a four-hour time limit. At 5 p.m., the teams will test their completed skiffs for seaworthiness in a rowing relay across the Sampit River. The teams will be scored on speed of construction, quality of work and rowing speed. Cash prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place winners.

At 5 p.m., Boat Building Challenge teams will test their completed skiffs for seaworthiness in a rowing relay across the Sampit River. *(Photo courtesy of the Harbor Historical Association)*

At 7 p.m., an awards ceremony and banquet will be held for boat exhibitors, boatbuilding competitors, sponsors and guests. Prizes will be presented to the winners in each of the exhibit categories as well as the People’s Choice Grand Award winner, to the Six Knot Challenge winner, and to the winning Wooden Boat Challenge competitors.

Sunday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

This young man seems fa lascinated by a model of a wooden ship at last year’s event. *(Photo courtesy of the Harbor Historical Association)*

In addition to the wooden boat exhibits and maritime art and crafts, Sunday’s activities will begin at 11 a.m. with a children’s Optimist Pram Regatta organized by the South Carolina Maritime Museum’s Youth Sailing Program. Sunday’s featured event will be the Fourth Annual Corrugated Boat Regatta which is open to participation by families, youth and civic groups.

Visitors can preview the corrugated boats from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. under the big tent on Broad Street. The Regatta will begin at 2:30 p.m. when the corrugated boats are launched on the Sampit River from the floating docks at Francis Marion Park.