Attendees explored the rich heritage of the Azorean whaleboat with Bruce Halabisky: from design through restoration, and its emergence as a modern international racing class. In the remote North Atlantic the whaleboats of the Azores evolved over a hundred years to become some of the most beautiful and efficient working vessels in the world.

With a shocking amount of sail area and a needle-like bow they are the product of intense competition and a demanding environment, realized through the skill of a few Portuguese boatbuilders.

Halabisky worked under master builder João Tavares on the construction of the first Azorean whaleboat to be built in 50 years, Bela Vista, which was launched in Horta harbor on the island of Faial in 1997 and later donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. He has been a frequent contributor to Wooden Boat Magazine and in 1999 he co-authored the book Twice Round the Loggerhead – the Culture of Whaling in the Azores with Lance R. Lee. In 2018 Halabisky was awarded the Blue Water Medal by the Cruising Club of America in recognition of his eleven-year voyage around the world with his family in a traditional 34 foot sailboat. He currently lives on Orcas Island in Washington State with his wife, Tiffany Loney, and their two daughters.