Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival 2026

A breakdown of the basic and more niche tools used while doing rigging and how you can make them fit your needs or project specifications.

From the daring voyages of the Golden Hinde to the graceful 19th-century sailing vessels ELISSA and STAR OF INDIA to the powerful brute strength of the 1904 four-masted barque MOSHULU, the square-rigged ship evolved into one of the most influential technologies in maritime history.
Beginning with the compact, heavily-built galleons of the Age of Exploration, we follow the transformation through towering clouds of canvas of the Clippers, and ultimately the iron and steel windjammers that represented the pinnacle of square-rig efficiency. Along the way, we examine how advances in naval architecture, metallurgy, and seamanship allowed square-rigged vessels to grow larger, faster, and more specialized—culminating in the powerful deep-water sailing ships like MOSHULU that closed the age of commercial sail.
This presentation traces that development across three centuries, exploring how changing trade routes, naval warfare, materials, and shipyard innovation shaped hull design, rigging complexity, and sail plans.

Sue has been the rigger on an audacious project to rebuild the Dublin Bay 21 class. This class comprised seven boats built to an Alfred Mylne design between 1903 and 1908. Five of boats have now been rebuilt with number six to be launched in 2026 and number seven in build. The five boats are racing regularly in Ireland and are operated by a class association with access for all. This is their story.