A familiar sight on the River Derwent for almost 50 years, the “Little Blue Boat” is returning to the water on Wednesday after a community-led restoration effort spanning nearly two years.
The historic vessel Sea Breeze will be officially relaunched at the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin at 11am, with the public invited to attend.
Built in the early 1970s by respected Tasmanian boatbuilder Robin Attrill, the distinctive vessel spent decades moored in Montrose Bay alongside the Brooker Highway, becoming an unofficial landmark for thousands of daily commuters and generations of Tasmanians.
A violent storm on August 27 2024 ripped the boat from her moorings and smashed her on rocks beside the Montrose boardwalk.
Images of the battered vessel spread quickly on social media, sparking an outpouring of concern.
When the weather briefly eased, volunteers including a team from Total Dive Solutions helped haul the boat from the water before it suffered further damage.
Soon after, the Wooden Boat Centre paid $1 to become her custodian.
Lead shipwright Cody Horgan said the project belonged to the whole Tasmanian community.
“We bought the boat for one dollar because we believed she deserved another chance,” he said.
“Hundreds of people have helped make that possible through donations, volunteering their time or supplying materials.”
“Without that support, she simply wouldn’t be back in the water today.”
What followed was one of the Wooden Boat Centre’s largest and most ambitious community restoration projects.
Hundreds of volunteer hours, donations from supporters and contributions from local businesses transformed the storm-damaged hull into a vessel ready to float again.
Students completed structural repairs including new planking and ribs, apprentices carried out fairing work and volunteers stripped decades of paint, replaced the deck and fitted a new stem and deadwood.
Sustainable Timbers donated replacement timber, International Paints supplied the finish and a private donor funded a replacement engine.
The public even chose the boat’s new colour through an online vote, settling on Bondi Blue.
The relaunch carries added significance following the recent passing of builder Robin Attrill, with members of his family invited to attend.
Final fit-out and mast restoration will continue while Sea Breeze is moored on the Huon River, with the team working towards unveiling the fully restored vessel at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February 2027.
The centre is also seeking expressions of interest from not-for-profit organisations willing to become the boat’s long-term custodian.
