Portsmouth shipwrights take the stage at world-class Wooden Boat Festival

Clementine Mollier and Betzy Shell, part of a 16-strong team of shipwrights at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, will be speaking at the Wooden Boat Festival in the state of Washington this week, sharing key updates and the impact of HMS Victory: The Big Repair.

The festival, which takes place in Port Townsend every year, is the second-largest wooden boat festival worldwide, seeing around 300 wooden vessels on display, from small handcrafted dinghies to classic sailboats.  

More than 100 presentations are scheduled for 2025, featuring topics such as boatbuilding techniques, live demonstrations, and maritime science, with Betzy and Clementine leading in two presentations, a panel discussion and interviews across the weekend.  

With The Big Repair set to be one of the most significant conservation projects on HMS Victory in her 260 years of service, they will share the key technical aspects since work began in 2022, such as the complexities of combining modern methods of construction with traditional boatbuilding skills during a project of this scale.  

Betzy said: 

“It’s incredibly exciting to be sharing what we are doing as part of HMS Victory: The Big Repair- it’s certainly not something you hear about every day!

“Visitors to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard are always fascinated to watch us work in real time, so sharing knowledge further afield on what goes into restoring a significant Royal Navy ship will hopefully be an enlightening experience for the festival attendees.

I have to pinch myself every day I’m working on Victory, and it’s incredible to be part of a project that will ensure she is preserved for at least another 50 years.” 

Currently, approximately two-thirds of the futtocks (the large curved timbers that form the ‘ribs’ of the ship) have been installed to replace the decaying wood and, once complete, the next major stage of work - scheduled to begin this November - will be re-planking the hull of the ship, .  

“We’re truly delighted to welcome shipwrights from HMS Victory to this year’s Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival,” 

added Festival Director Barb Trailer.  

"It’s not every day you meet the craftspeople responsible for preserving such an iconic piece of maritime history.

Their work represents the highest standard of traditional shipbuilding, and having them here is a real privilege, not just for our visitors, but for the global community of boatbuilders who gather here each year. 

This festival is about more than beautiful boats - it’s a meeting point for maritime minds. Bringing together shipwrights from around the globe, the United States, and our Pacific Northwest region opens the door for real exchange: of techniques, philosophies, and the stories behind the vessels we care for. That kind of cross-cultural connection keeps this heritage alive and evolving. We’re proud to host a space where that knowledge is shared so generously.” 

The 48^th Wooden Boat Festival, organised by Northwest Maritime, is taking place between Friday 5 September and Sunday, 7 September in Port Townsend, Washington.  

HMS Victory remains open to the public during The Big Repair, where visitors can continue to get on board the ship, with the added opportunity to watch the conservation project take place in real time from a three-storey viewing platform.  

The best value ticket to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the Ultimate Explorer, offering 12 months of access to the museum's collection, including HMS Victory  

To find out more about HMS Victory: The Big Repair, the public can visit the project’s dedicated online information hub, where the expert team shares the latest project updates, milestones, and stories.