8 thoughts on “Maritza II”

1. Yep there were 4 sisters and 8 boys altogether. All long gone now. My grandfather was Boy’s cousin and I have pics of the boating trips they all used to take out to the islands off Auckland. My grandfather built many boats too as did his brother Leon but these were mostly for fresh water use. Although all 42 of my grandfathers generation are now gone, at least 2 of the boats they owned/built survive. Does anyone know what happened to the Cyrena/Maritza?

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2. The surname is BELLVE. It is Basque.

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3. Update from Barry Inglis – in the above there is reference to the 3 Bellve sisters named after precious stones. In fact there were 4 sisters. Opal, Pearl, Ruby & Sapphire. Also a brother – Alma Don (Chook). Opal’s family continued the boating tradition with her son Peter Symmonds (not sure if the spelling is correct) building, then sailing to win I think 3 times the NZ Idle Along Nationals – the Moffat Cup in the early 1950s. Crewed with Barry Wilson in “Outrage”, “Outcast” and “Outcry” as I recall. He was tragically killed as a young married man with a family when carrying a mast near overhead wires.

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4. Am absolutely delighted that a pic of Cyrena has turned up at last — Boy Bellve was a dear friend from when I was 12, until he died.
   I have always wanted a pic of her, as I recall seeing one in the centre photo section, of the “Weekly News” once, in a copy printed in the late 1930s or 40s, in the Warkworth River, with Boy’s sisters Pearl, Ruby, & Opel, on deck.
   I never saw her in his ownership, because she was sold long before I was boating, but he had told me much about her.
   But of course I was much too yong to think about saving it. — Fabulous. — Thanks Harold for your input.
   KEN RICKETTS

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5. Slight misinformation before; The trip from Auckland to Lake Waikaremoana by truck and trailer took SIX days. On one day they covered only 3 miles near Ruatahuna (which is still pretty hairy!)

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6. PS I’m pretty sure the truck is a Diamond T with a locally-built cab.

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7. The penny has dropped. It’s not MARITEA II but MARITZA. She was built by Peter A Smith, the Alpha marine engine agent in St. Mary’s Bay for himself in 1923. Like W R Twigg, Smith contracted to build launches, his input being the engine which usually cost over half the total price. He contracted out hulls to local builders, usually those handy to his premises in St. Mary’s Bay. This hull was built by Dick Lang before he left for Sydney during the transition of his business to Sam Ford so Sam Ford took some credit in advertising. She was 37ft x 9ft and was fitted with a 25hp Alpha (Danish) engine. Smith named her CYRENA. She was launched around Christmas 1923.
   Smith sold her to the Manukau in September 1924. F G “Boy” Bellve of Herne Bay bought her and brought her back to the Waitemata in January 1926 and had her until he commissioned the keel yacht CYRENA from Collings & Bell in late 1938.
   Bellve sold the launch CYRENA to A M White of Ngatapa, Gisborne who renamed her MARITZA (II) and had her trucked over to Lake Waikaremoana on 6-7 October 1938.

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8. I don’t know this boat. Any other info??

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