Following the success of the inaugural Model Boat Weekend last year, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will once again play host to a fasinating display of model boats.
Dating from the days of the nineteenth century West African Squadron to the Falklands Conflict, model boats will be on display on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 August from 10am 4.30pm.
This year will see the addition of exhibitors trading model boat making supplies and traders include Model Power, SHG Marine and Max Mouldings. There will also be a new display of a fascinating matchstick fleet display, consisting of two hundred model warships made from only matchsticks and wooden matchboxes representing almost every major class of warship in service with the World Navies since 1945.
Throughout the weekend there will be performances on the historical Mast Pond by Portsmouth Powerboat Club, the Surface Warship Association and Portsmouth Model Boat Club. Adjacent to the Mast Pond in Boathouse 4 there will be a small display pool for smaller model boat demonstrations.
The Mast Pond, a key archaeological feature of the dockyard dating back to 1665, is a perfect setting for a display of this kind as it carries its own history, having played many roles in the working dockyard at a time when it was the world centre for mast making.
The Model Boat Weekend will take place on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 August from 10am 4.30pm and is a free event.