Needless to say, the Pender Harbour Living Heritage Society isn't going to give that away just yet! No doubt there will be some interesting twist to test the boatbuilding talents of the this year's participants but, as usual, it will not be divulged until the day of the event---which is April 28 this year. One thing you can be sure of is that it will be fun and maybe even a little devilish!
The day will begin at 10AM with the reveal of the 'twist' and the first view of the building mate...
It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for the 10th annual April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge, a welcome change from our blustery on-and-off spring! But the action on the race course was anything but smooth and balmy!
It's hard to imagine that the 10th Annual April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge is approaching on April 30, 2011. Ten years of the creative use of unexpected materials, quick'n'dirty boat construction, and headlong (sometimes literally...) races in beautiful Pender Harbour! Time flies when you're having fun!
It may have rained some, but the Pender Harbour shined at the 2010 April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge!
The April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge, Pender Harbour's own 'Paddle Cross' event, will be held on Saturday April 24 in Millenium Park.
The weather really cooperated at April Tools 2009 and we had a great day! Our 'twist' for 2009 of a 12 ft. X 10 in. diameter Sonotube really had the teams thinking and an interesting variety of boats (some a bit more stable than others...) were crafted. 'Cheap Oars' from BCIT took first place with one of the Madeira Park firefighter teams,the 'Hosers,' taking second to the Garden Bay firefighters' 'Fireflies' third. The high school teams put on quite a show and ended the day considerably wette...
Who would have guessed this year's 'twist'?
There were some confused faces as the 8 teams of boat builders found out that their materials did not contain the expected polyethylene sheeting this year, and that their staple guns were only good for fixing their team numbers to their boats! The big surprise came when April Tools organizer Richard Haschke presented each team with its very own rebar and plywood paddle wheel!
Michael Poole
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An illustrated talk by Michael Poole about native canoes of the Northwest Coast
Pile-up in Chain Alley
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April Tools 2007 opened on a beautiful sunny day that brought out lots of spectators. Boatbuilding, a steam bending demonstration, free paddling in the Harbour, kids' activities, a great Rotary BBQ, and crazy races made the day a great event for everyone!
The Pender Harbour Living Heritage Society (PHLHS) launches a new web site. The site features a complete exploration of the society's activities and provides current information about events including April Tools, their lectures, and community events.
