The Wooden Boat Stage

Boat builder and tutor at the Boat Building Academy. Appearing Sunday 21st September.

Works for Woodbridge Boatyard as a yard operative, volunteers with Women In Boatbuilding and posts short videos online showing how simple it can be to get started with your own boat. Appearing Wednesday 24th September.

Leader of UK Hardwoods, the family-run business founded in the late 1970s. In 2024, Tom spearheaded the introduction of the UK's largest thermal modification plant. Tom and his wife run the business with a shared passion for quality timber and sustainable practices. Appearing Tuesday 23rd September.

Boat Building Academy Tutor. Appearing Tuesday 23rd September.

Marineware are a leading provider of Composites and Coatings to the marine market. Appearing Friday 19th and Sunday 21st September.

Director of National Historic Ships UK since 2017. Hannah previously ran a freelance research and consultancy business after completing an MA in Maritime History. In her spare time, she sails a 116-year-old yacht with her family. Appearing Thursday 25th September.

Sarah began her career as a secondary school teacher before taking over the village boatyard in 2005 alongside Husband Gus. They now have a son who is a boatbuilder and a daughter who is a sailmaker. Appearing Thursday 25th September.

Still working in the Dennett's Yard as an Octogenarian, Michael is an inspiration. Appearing Sunday 28th September.

Boat Building Academy graduate. Singer, guitarist. Appearing Saturday 20th September.

Traditional boatbuilder specialising in re-building and building fine Thames launches. Colin established his own boatyard near Henley on Thames in the early 1980's. He is currently the chair of the Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association. Appearing Friday 19th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September.

Triple round the world yachtsman, who became the 5th British sailor in history to complete the legendary Vendee Globe. In his most recent adventure, Conrad had to survive and safely navigate across 4000 miles of open ocean to recreate one of the greatest survival stories in British history. Appearing Friday 19th September.

48 years boatbuilding industry professional. Appearing Friday 19th September.

Current owner of Arthur Ransome's ketch, Peter Duck. Julia is also an author, publisher, campaigner, mother and grandmother. Julia's most recent book is Stars to Steer By: celebrating c20th women who went to sea. Appearing Friday 26th September.

Belinda is the Founder of Women in Boatbuilding – and has been a driving force behind the creation of the Wooden Boat Stage. Appearing Friday 19th, Wednesday 24th and Sunday 28th September.

Daniel aims to pair modern technology with wooden boat building wherever possible. By embracing this change, he is setting out on a mission to explore new ways in which we can build wooden boats. Appearing Saturday 20th, Wednesday 24th and Saturday 27th September.

Matt runs Woodbridge and Waldringfield Boatyards in Suffolk. Appearing Friday 19th and Saturday 20th September.

Jack Livesey - Paradise Boat Co-( Jack designed and built the entrance to The Wooden Boat Stage.) Time-served wooden boat builder and restorer working with traditional and modern techniques.

Co-founder & Operations Director at BlueTree Boat Builders (2023). He is an accomplished operations specialist with experience in strategic leadership, efficient processes and business network development. Appearing Friday 26th September.

A French boatbuilder now settled in the Southsea, presently working as a Lead Shipwright on HMS Victory restoration project. Appearing Thursday 25th and Saturday 27th September.

Co-founder & Design Director at BlueTree Boat Builders (2023) with responsibility for R&D, innovation, production and their Harmony sustainability initiative. She is also a Director of Women in Boat Building (2024) which promotes and connects women working hands-on in the marine trades. Appearing Friday 26th September.

Director of the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, Will helps to pass on knowledge through first class training. Having started woodwork as a child, Will remains a passionate maker and has worked professionally as a furniture designer/maker and boat builder. Appearing Friday 19th, Saturday 20th, Tuesday 23rd, Wednesday 24th, Thursday 25th and Sunday 28th September.

Sam is a boatbuilder and tutor at the Boat Building Academy. He has many years' experience in woodwork and boatbuilding and loves sharing the knowledge. Appearing Wednesday 24th September.

A journalist for over 25 years, Katy Stickland co-founded and ran the marine services company Store Bay Marine Services in Tobago with her husband John. They lived aboard their S&S 34 in Store Bay, before returning to the UK. Appearing Wednesday 24th September.

Established in 1862 Sykes Timber is very much a family owned and run business. Bob been supplying high quality Hardwood and Softwood for over 160 years. The good governance instilled by the company’s Quaker forefathers still guides their business philosophy to this day. Appearing Saturday 20th, Tuesday 23rd and Saturday 27th September.

Jerry farms and manages woodland in Mid Devon, where he runs Grantland Timber—a small independent sawmill dedicated to making the most of local trees. With a background rooted in arboriculture, his work has expanded into forestry and agriculture. Championing the idea that trees should be seen not just as shelterbelts, but as a core part of farm businesses.

After an early career in Genetics and laboratory work, Tom moved to the Caribbean, prompting a career change. While working as a sailing instructor and having purchased an old, neglected bluewater cruising sailboat, necessity led to the discovery of a natural aptitude and enjoyment of boat maintenance and restoration. After several years working and sailing around the Caribbean, it was time to return home, sailing the now restored sailboat across the Atlantic. Tom discovered the Boat Building Academy while attending a course run in conjunction with the IIMS as part of obtaining a yacht surveyor's qualification, and quickly fell in love with the place. A need to formalise the training and experience gained out in the Caribbean led to attending the flagship 40-week boat-building course. Having graduated from the Academy in the summer of 2024, Tom has since established Thorley Boatworks, specialising in boat repair and restoration in the South West.

Following a life changing house fire, and a long walk along the salt path, Indie decided life was too short not to follow her passions and moved to pursue traditional boat building. She left her previous career to take up a place at the Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis, achieving two scholarships to do so. Here she worked on projects such as a new build Francios Vivier glue clicker sailing boat, strip planked cold moulded launch and Gartside traditional clinker tender, eventually finishing as Student of the Year 2024. It was during this time that Indie discovered a love of fine detail and now takes pride in executing her projects with precision and delicate craftsmanship. She is currently based at Abbey Boat Builder in Norfolk working on both new builds and restoration, and spends her weekends hiking and exploring the broads with her girlfriend.

Carl has worked across the marine world for over 20 years. A champion and paid-up, heart-over-head coveter of all things classic design, he is the editor of Classic Boat magazine and believes that wooden boats are the past, present and future of yachting.

Hanneke Boon is head of James Wharram Designs, a role she has carried out for more than ten years, whilst supporting James Wharram in his advancing years. Born in the Netherlands, Hanneke grew up in a sailing family. By the age of 14 she was building and sailing Polynesian Catarmarans and joined the James Wharram team at 20. Being a gifted artist and craftworker, she became Wharram's co-designer and was responsible for creating the drawings of Wharram designs since the 1970's.