The Boat Project

The Boat Project is part of Artists Taking the Lead, a series of 12 public art commissions totalling £5.4 million, one in each of the nine English regions, celebrating the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The Boat Project is the winning commission for the South East region and is funded by Arts Council England.

Lone Twin's Boat Project is using the latest yacht building methods to turn wooden objects donated by people from across the South East into a seaworthy archive of stories and memories.

Since early 2011 the public have been donating their wood to the project but not just any old wood. Pencil or piano – exotic as Zebrawood or as familiar as pine every piece has a story behind it. Donations arrived in their thousands, from the highly personal to pieces of national importance, including from HMS Victory, the Cutty Sark, the Mary Rose and Lively Lady. All of these donations are now being used to build a state-of-the-art seafaring yacht.

The launch on 7th May 2012 will bring together the thousands of people who came together to create the boat and mark the beginning of its maiden voyage. Everybody is invited to what promises to be a remarkable send off for this most remarkable vessel. There'll be music, entertainment, refreshments and good times all round as the boat and crew embark on maiden voyage.

Free tickets to the launch event will be available from the beginning of February 2012.

The maiden voyage will take in the South East coast and beyond, stopping off at five locations where a bespoke festival of events will mark the boat's arrival and mooring, and departure.

Here's where the boat and crew will be visiting:

The Launch, Thornham Marina, Emsworth, West Sussex Monday 7th May
Brighton Festival, East Sussex Saturday 19th - Sunday 27th May
Portsmouth, Hampshire Friday 22nd June – Sunday 1st July
Hastings, East Sussex Saturday 7th – Tuesday 10th July
Margate, Kent Saturday 14th – Monday 16th July
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire Thursday 19th – Sunday 29th July

A book will be published which documents each of the individual donations, recording the personal stories behind the donated items. Following the adventures of its Maiden Voyage, the boat will be gifted back to the region as a permanent resource for the public.

Until 7th April, you can vote for the name of the boat at the Boat Project’s website.

You can find out more about the project at The Boat Project website.