BoatBanter.com - Dates and details, wooden boat week, Lake Tahoe

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Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation's Wooden Boat Week and
Concours d'Elegance to feature 50's Style Boats with "Fins" Aug. 4-11,
2005

Tahoe City, Calif., March 19, 2005Wooden boats have been a familiar
sight
on Tahoe's crystal-clear waters for more than a century. Their
popularity
continues in the present, despite the prevalence of fiberglass in
today's
boating industry. Perhaps this is due the beauty of the rich red
mahogany
contrasting against the deep blue of Lake Tahoe. Or maybe it is a
product of
the rich maritime heritage written on the shores and the history books
of
Tahoe. Possibly Tahoe's wooden boat owners simply take pleasure in
owning
a tangible piece of history that allows them to enjoy a summer's day
and slip
back in time to a bygone era. Indeed, wood is making a comeback of
sorts,
appearing in more predominance on new models as popular boat
manufacturers like Chris-Craft, Riva, and others recall their roots.

For those who would like to be a part of Tahoe's nautical history,
Tahoe
Yacht Club Foundation's Wooden Boat Week, scheduled for August 4-11,
2005, and Concours d'Elegance, to take place on August 5-6, 2005, offer
a
glimpse of the progression of style in the boating industry. The
passing fads
that appeared in the automotive industry found their way to watercraft
as
well, and many of these traits will be on display in the 125-plus boats
that
are entered into the two-day Concours d'Elegance.

In the 1950s, as the world was going "supersonic" and getting in the
space
race, industrial designers thought that putting fins on everything from

toasters to automobiles would make them more appealing to the general
public. In fact, the '57 Chevyall-time favorite with fins galoreall
but
defines an entire era. The boating industry was not immune to this
design
affliction, and with that in mind, Concours d'Elegance officials have
declared "Fins" to be the marque (featured) class for 2005. "We're
going to
have some fun with this," remarked Philip Ballantyne, Wooden Boat Week
Chairman. "Chris-Craft made several models with finsthe Cobra, the
Silver
Arrow, and the Continental, to name a fewand we're expecting to see
entries by Ventnor, Switzer Craft, and Arena Craft as well." Alas, some
of
these boat builders have followed the path of that supersonic toaster,
but
their mark on the industry is as indelible as those manufacturers who
have
survived over the ages.

Concours d'Elegance is just part of a larger eventWooden Boat Week
taking place August 4th to 11th, 2005. The week-long event includes
parties,
lakeside picnics, on-water wooden boat parades and rallies, and even a
fashion show luncheon. All events are open to the public.

If purchased in advance (by July 22, 2005), tickets to the Concours
d'Elegance are $20 for an adult two-day pass; one day passes will be
sold for
$15. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult. At the
gate,
ticket rates go up by $5. Proceeds from the show will again be donated
back
into the community. For tickets, call 530-581-4700.

Join Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation as it applauds historic and antique
wooden
boats at one of the country's most prestigious gathering of watercraft
in
North America. For more event information, log on to www.tahoeyc.com.
For
lodging, contact the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association at
800-824-6348.
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