By Tim Hauserman ·
Steve Lapkin | h2omark.com ·
Once again, the Concours d’Elegance will grace Lake Tahoe with a gathering of fine antique and classic boats on Aug. 8 and 9. It’s Tahoe’s annual gathering of those incredible marvels of mahogany, and one of the best antique boat shows in America.
The Concours d’Elegance is produced by the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation, a part of the Tahoe Yacht Club, which puts on the event to benefit charitable projects that, according to the foundation, “enhance expertise and understanding of maritime skills.”
This year, the show has moved to Obexer’s Marina in the heart of Homewood on the West Shore. Obexer’s has been around since 1911 and was the first wooden boat dealership on Lake Tahoe. These days, Sarah Obexer-Fields runs Obexer’s Marina, which was started by her great-grandfather, Jake Obexer. Sarah says that Jake Obexer originally would have the boats shipped via railroad to Tahoe every summer for sale in Homewood.
Obexer’s is a rarity, a business still operated by the same family after 100 years. Sarah grew up at the marina and began running it in 1998, but first she had to earn her stripes by pumping gas, bagging groceries, selling boat parts and putting up the mail in the Homewood post office.
“We’re excited for the West Shore to have the boat show here,” says Obexer-Fields. “It’s really turning into a community event. All the businesses in Homewood are working together to make this happen – the food concessions, the Maritime Museum and Homewood ski area. We hope it benefits the area.”
One key to the success of the event will be dealing with limited parking. Obexer-Fields urges everyone who can to use the TART buses, the trolley, ride your bike or, most enjoyably, take the North Tahoe Water Shuttle (see feature in this issue), which docks at the marina.
Competition fierce at show
In many ways, going to the classic boat show is like going back in time. A time when people gathered together with their friends and slowly cruised around the lake in fine, wooden boats, experiencing an intimate connection with the water. For those who fall in love with these antique wonders, it’s a love that is deep and unending. For those who own the boats, it’s also a demanding love that requires a great deal of devotion, time and money to keep those wooden beauties alive and in tip-top condition.
This year’s featured boat is the Barrelback. Also known as Torpedo Decks, these boats, which are not a brand as much as a style, were built mostly before World War II. Naval architects George Crouch and John Hacker were credited with creating this sloping design, which includes one curved, unbroken line from bow to stern. Brands include Hackercraft, Mercury, Century, Gar Wood and several others. Competition for the top awards this year will be fierce, and boat owners will surely be working hard to make his or her boats shine.
Steve Lapkin | h2omark.com
Wooden boats stir fond memories
How powerful is the allure of the wooden boat? My father passed away in March, and I can say unequivocally that when I think of him the memories I treasure the most are the times he was behind the wheel of “Woodmere,” his 1938 Minett-Shields wooden boat. “Woodmere” was constructed for my grandfather when Dad was just a youngster.
It stayed in the family and my Dad was able to bring the boat from its home in Canada to Tahoe where it was lovingly restored in 1983. It went on to win the People’s Choice Award at the Concours d’Elegance in 1984 and 1985. I’m sure that when he received that prize, the smile stayed on his face for weeks. Later, my parents retired to my Dad’s childhood home in Muskoka Lakes, Canada, (returning “Woodmere” to its birthplace, as well) and the highlight of my annual visits to Canada would always be a sunset cruise in “Woodmere.”
As he aged, it became a struggle for Dad to get into “Woodmere,” but once he was behind the wheel he was a happy teenage boy again gently slicing the prow through waves or sliding it into the boathouse with perfect precision. I have two favorite pictures of my Dad; in both of them he is at the helm of his wooden boat. Yes, there is nothing quite as powerful as the hold of a wooden boat on the heart of a man or woman who loves one.
Events planned around show
An elaborate calendar of social events for boat owners and others take place between Aug. 7 and 11, starting with the Opening Night Gala “Boaters, Blazers, and Barrelbacks” at the West Shore café on Aug. 7. Other events include the Woody Over the Boat cruise on Aug. 10, and the Ladies Luncheon and Men’s Grill on Aug. 11,
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit laketahoeconcours.com.
Concours d’Elegance
Obexer’s Marina | Homewood, Calif.
Single-day tickets $25 advance | $30 at the door
Two-day tickets $35 advance | $40 at the door
Wine Village | $20 per day
Free children 12 and younger
Friday, Aug. 8
10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Concours
11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Wine Village
6 p.m. | Awards Presentation
Saturday, Aug. 9
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Concours
11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. | Wine Village
4 p.m. | Roar Off
Getting to the show
Onsite parking
Homewood Mountain Resort’s south lodge
Along Tahoe Ski Bowl Way
Along Highway 89
Free shuttle
Leaves from Tahoe City Transit Center off Highway 89 | Free parking
Departs 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Public transit
Take the bus from stops around the North Lake Tahoe area
$1.75 each way | Schedule tahoetruckeetransit.com
Water shuttle
Stops between Carnelian Bay and Homewood
9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. | $7-$10
RSVP (530) 581-8707 or northlaketahoewatershuttle.com
