The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival will feature a rare visitor this March. Rosette, an Australian Couta Boat built in 2009 by Tasmanian shipwright Jeremy Clowes, will be on display, carrying with her more than a century of hard-edged maritime history.
At 9.3 metres overall with a 1.3 metre draught, Rosette reflects the classic proportions of the Victorian fishing fleet that once worked the exposed waters of Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay. Gaff rigged, centreplated and deep in the hull, the Couta Boat was designed for one purpose, to fish barracouta in demanding conditions and race home with the catch.
These boats were built strong. They were built fast. And they were built to earn their keep.
From the 1880s through to the Second World War, hundreds of Couta Boats worked the southern Victorian coastline. Two person crews sailed before dawn, handlining for fish, then racing back to port for the best market price. That competitive streak never left the class. Today, Couta Boats remain one of Australia’s most recognisable and fiercely raced traditional fleets.
Rosette represents that lineage. Designed and built by Jeremy Clowes of Cygnet Wooden Boats in Tasmania, she draws on traditional construction methods while remaining true to the working roots of the type. Carvel planking, gaff rig and balanced hull form combine to create a boat that looks as capable as she is handsome.
For New Zealand audiences, the connection feels natural. Like our own Mullet Boats, Coutas were working craft that evolved into racing icons. They carry the same blend of practicality and pride, shaped by weather, trade and competition.
Rosette will stand apart in the festival fleet for a simpler reason. She was built to work, and that character is still written into her hull.
Better yet, see her for yourself.
The Auckland Wooden Boat Festival takes place in mid March. If you value craftsmanship, heritage and the quiet authority of a proper working sailboat, make plans to be there.
To learn more about the Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, visit https://www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz/
To learn more about Australian Couta Boats, visit https://woodenboatshop.com.au/Couta-Boat
