Maritime Kotka and Loviisa will bring together stakeholders from across the Nordic region in September 2025. Participants are expected from all over the Nordic countries, including boat builders, associations, museums, educational institutions and all wooden boat enthusiasts.

Nordic Clinker Boat Conference 4.-6.9.2025 in Kotka and Loviisa, Finland

The Nordic clinker boat traditions was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021 and it was the first Nordic nomination. Nordic cooperation has existed in the background for years before, with the first large-scale Nordic conference taking place in Denmark in autumn 2023.

The first day of the conference will take place at the Maritime Centre Vellamo in Kotka. Guests will have the opportunity to visit the exhibitions of the the Maritime Museum of Finland and the Finnish Wooden Boat Centre. On the second day, we will travel to Loviisa to Tradition Centre Kuggom, where we will continue our work in workshops discussing different topics among professionals and enthusiasts. On the third day, we will sail in the Gulf of Finland.

The conference will include presentations from different countries on wooden boat, sailing and archipelago culture, networking, workshops on different topics and of course sailing on clinker boats.

The aim of the conference is to ensure that the inscription on UNESCO's Representative List leads to concrete actions and practical projects that will ensure the safeguarding and transmission valuable living traditions and know-how in the Nordic countries and at national level. Several projects have been launched in the Nordic countries to develop this heritage.

The event is organized in cooperation by the Finnish Heritage Agency, the City of Kotka, the Maritime Museum of Finland,  Tradition Centre Kuggom, Finnish wooden boat builders and Suomen puuveneilijät. 

The event will be held in English and Scandinavian languages.

Please register by 16th of June on the button below. 

PROGRAM (Subject to changes, will be completed)

Thursday 4^th September
Maritime Centre Vellamo, Kotka

9.30 Registration and coffee
10.30 Welcome and opening words
10.40 Greetings from the Ministry of Education and Culture (tbc)
10.50 Joining forces for the clinker boats
11.05 The Nordic Clinker Boat Charter – steps for the future, Tore Friis-Olsen, Kysten (NO)

11.20 Safeguarding – what’s in a word? Eivind Falk, Norwegian Craft Institute
11.30 Building wooden boats in Iceland, from past to present, Einar Jóhann Lárusson (IS)   
11.50 Wooden boat building education, Fredrik Lejonhufvud (SE)
12.10 NGOs as stewards of the clinker boat tradition, Astrid Olhagen, Ålands Skötbåtsförening (FI)

12.20 Discussion and questions

 12.30 Lunch at the Vellamo centre

Visiting the Finnish Maritime Museum and other exhibitions in the museums of Vellamo

14.00 Various ways of using the clinker boats
- Rowing competitions in traditional clinker boats in the Faroe Islands, Heini Hátún (FO)
- Role of museums: LIMI - documenting and digitizing clinker boat heritage, Tuomas Värjö, Forum Marinum (FI)
- Safeguarding through coastal culture, Ture Möller, Kystliv Holbaek (DK)
- Working with Sámi boatbuilding at Mearrasiida, Ove Stødle (Sápmi/NO) tbc 

 15.00 What is the UNESCO inscription for? Panel discussion with the coordinators of the UNESCO 2003 Convention
- Charlotte Hyltén-Cavallius, Institute for Language and Folklore (SE)
- Hildegunn Bjørgen, Kultturådet – Arts Directorate Norway
- Kristina Djurhuus Christiansen, National Museum of the Faroe Islands
- Vilhelmína Jónsdóttir, Ministry of Culture, Iceland
- Leena Marsio, Finnish Heritage Agency

Questions and discussion

16.15 Performance: The birth, life and death of a wooden boat

16.30 Visit to the Finnish Wooden Boat Centre in Kotka

18.00-20 Reception hosted by the City of Kotka in the Concert hall

Friday 5th September
Tradition Centre Kuggom, Loviisa

9.00 Busses leave from Kotka Hotel to Kuggom

10.00 Welcome to Kuggom - woodenboat building and projects, Camilla Stjernvall and colleagues from Tradition centre Kuggom

10.30 Parallel workshops in small groups (Participants will select one workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon. The workhops will include 1-4 presentations from various countries and facilitated discussions)

1. Transmitting knowledge – educating boatbuilders for the future
Looking into education systems and transmitting traditional knowledge in different countries. Look into the future: what could be done to learn from each other and develop cooperation between the Nordic countries. Tero Toivonen (FI), Fredrik Lejonhufvud (SE) Anita Elefsen (IS)

    2. Is traditional clinker boat heritage in danger?
This workshop presents findings from a recent Forbundet KYSTEN (NO) survey of Norwegian boatbuilders and users regarding the urgent need for safeguarding measures. Following this, we will discuss the definition of a "traditional boatbuilder" and whether it needs re-evaluation. Tore Friis-Olsen and Kjell Magne Mælen (NO), Søren Nielsen, Vikinshipmuseum (DK)

    3. Use of the boats – cooperation with various stakeholders
Many kinds of actors are needed to keep the heritage alive. What is the role of NGOs, wooden boat races and other events or tourism operators in this work? Ilona Helske, Finnish woodenboat NGO (FI) and Juha Erikkilä, Gustavs Allmogeseglare, Tove A. Hjellnes, Kysten (NO), Lars Lejon, Föreningen Almogebåtar (SE), Sigurbjörg Árnadóttir, Icelandic Lighthouse Association (IS) 

   4. Maritime museums in a supporting role
What is or could be the role of maritime museums in safeguarding clinker boat traditions? In this workshop you will hear a selection of projects and methods in implemented in various countries  Tuomas Värjö, Forum Marinum (FI), Cathrine Arnesen, Oslo Fjord Museum (NO tbc), Martin Dael and Tríona Sørensen, Vikingship museum (DK)

   5. Building wooden boats 1: Tradition - examples and techniques from different countries
Practical workshop on techniques from different Nordic countries presented by boatbuilders. Aivar Ruukel: Dugout boats in Soomaa (Estonia), Einar Jóhann Lárusson (IS), Einar Borgfjord (NO)  

12.00 Lunch and tour at the Kuggom premises on wooden boat building 

13.30 Parallel workshops continue

   6. Developing projects on clinker boats – case examples from the Nordic region
In this workshop you will hear inspiring examples of clinker boat projects in the region and beyond. In the workshop you will also be able to develop new ideas further. What is needed to make a good project? Where to get funding from? Nina Sten, KulturÖsterbotten (FI)

   7. Passing it on – archipelago culture and the youth
How to get more young people involved in coastal outdoor activities using traditional boats? Whom to involve? How does it work? Examples from different countries. Kari Brenna Rian, Kysten (NO)

    8. Wooden boats and new business models for the future
How to make a living out of wooden boats? Here you will find inspiring examples of business models for boat builders, users and associations. How do regulations differ in each country?

    9. Reconstruction and living tradition
Can we understand the ships and boats of the past with contributions from present-day boatbuilding knowledge - and vice versa? Examples of replica projects in the region. Fredrik Lejonhufvud: Interpretation and reconstruction of a historical craft tradition in the Stockholm archipelago; Henry Forssell: Mekrijärvi Boat (FI), Vikingship museum Roskilde (DK tbc)

    10. Building wooden boats 2: Modern take on clinker construction – meeting present day demands 
In what other ways can we push clinker construction further? Exploring possibilities of joint ventures as means for developing new models for boatbuilders. Innovative examples from Finland and other countries. Lightweight, low-maintenance boats with glued clinker plywood construction, Mats Vuorenjuuri (FI), Kiisla, combining tradition with wood composite construction, Henrik Norri (FI), Kai Linde (NO)   

15.00 Coffee break

15.30 Summing up the day
Short inputs from the workshops. Discussing the future and path forward with safeguarding clinkerboats.
Place for the Clinker boat conference 2027

17.00 End of Day 2 

Bus to Kotka

Gettogether at Kotka

Saturday 6th September
Sailing at the Gulf of Finland, start from Loviisa harbor

9.00 Bus from Kotka to Loviisa harbor

10.00 -13 Sailing on Österstjärnan (Lunch at the boat)

13 Äyskäri Small Boats Race starts from the Lovisa harbor

(13.30-16.30 second sailing with Österstjärnan if needed)

13.00-18 Possibility to follow the Small Ships Race Äyskäri

ACCOMMODATION

Original Sokos Hotel Seurahuone in Kotka (139-159e per room per night incl. breakfast) Code BVENE25  https://www.sokoshotels.fi/fi/kotka

Gasthaus Old Seaguard Station in Kotka (rooms for 2-4 persons, 123-194€ per room, incl. breakfast)  https://vanhamerivartioasema.fi/en/contact-information/

Kuggom Tradition centre in Lovisa (40-50€ per person in shared or single room, breakfast 10,90€) info@kuggom.fi

HOW TO GET THERE

You will get to Kotka from Helsinki or the airport by bus or by train (not direct). In the form we also ask if you have interest on a direct charter bus from the airport to Kotka on the afternoon of Wed 3rd Sept. See other transportations in the program. If you stay in Kuggom, we recommend to rent a car.