Monthly Archives: August 2014

Sailing Sunday – Little Jim

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LITTLE JIM

Little Jim is a rather special boat, almost royalty – blue blood 🙂 Designed by Arch Logan & built  by Bill Couldrey in 1934 under Arch’s discerning eye.

When you start life with parents like that, when you get older & it comes time for some orthopedic surgery, only the best wooden surgeon will do – enter Peter Brookes, this artisan has worked his magic on Little Jim twice. The first time was a 2 year major refit in 2007/8, which saw strengthening work to the step and bow sections and a full interior reconfiguration. The keel was off & got new bolts & the systems were replaced or overhauled. Currently Little Jim is in Peter Brookes shed getting the finishing touches to an extensive renovation. Hopefully Little Jim’s owner Rod Marler will chip in here & walk us thru whats been happening to Little Jim over the last 12 months (photos ex Peter Brookes shed below).

And at the risk of falling off-side with the gaff-rig cohorts, Little Jim being sloop rigged is just so much more sailable (if there is such a word). No need to spend hours ringing around looking for crew, Little Jim is easily sailed by two.

When she was relaunched in 2008, Lew Barrett, one of the WoodenBoat Forum guru’s made the following comments –

“I like the textures and lightness in the handling of the interior. The glossy highlights of the trim (and the beautiful natural color of the wood) works perfectly against the subdued but flawless finishes of the cabinetry. The paneled locker doors and trim are simple but elegant. It’s exactly what we love about old wooden boats. They fully respected and retained the feel and sense of age while making her new. This is a really sensitive and demanding restoration objective to accomplish.The exterior is as clean and purposeful as the interior. It all really works to make a place you want to be.”

Our own Harold Kidd commented in 2008 at her relaunch
“it remains today an eye-catcher & a head-turner by any standards, so beautifully does form fulfill function. The aesthetics of its lines remain exquisite.

We are almost spoilt by the number of classic wooden yachts in & around our harbour, they are all special in their owners eyes but few are drop dead gorgeous – Little Jim is.

(note: Interior photos ex Chris Miller ex 2010 CYA Classic Register)

Mystery Boat 30/08/2014

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Mystery Boat 30/08/2014

photo from snapshot book of H.D.Guthrie.

Roger Guthrie sent in this photo from his Grandfathers collection, the date is approx. 1925 & the location Waiheke Island.
The name of the launch is not known but Rogers suspects it may have been owned by the Lambourne family.

Anyone able to ID the boat?

If you are new to waitematawoodys, when ww first started there were some neat late 1920’s/1930’s old b/w boating movies of Waiheke Island & the Stein Family (Arran Bay) launch Waitangi, the Stein’s owned Waitangi for 20>30 years. Enter ‘Guthrie Family’ in the Search box & enjoy.

Update 31/08/2014

Photo below of Minerva  from “Deeds not words” (pp 44) ex Derek Molander

Sea Rover

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Sea Rover

SEA ROVER

Photos & detail ex trademe

Was built by the Lane Motor Boat Company (Panmure) in 1960. Kauri carvel planked, 44’6” in length with a beam of 10’5” & drawing 4’3”. She is powered by a 120 hp Lees Marine Ford. The addition of the fly bridge / 2nd helm has been done by someone with a good eye & does not clash with the original Lane lines, the same can not be said for the bimini. I’m sure its very practical but does it need to be so tall.

Anyone able to supply more on her past.

UPDATE from Brian Worthington

In the ‘old’ photo above she was then owned by Maurie Condor  of Tauranga. Previous owner was Maurice Deadman  an Apiarist from Okoroire.

How did that get there?

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1958

Is this the biggest woody to beach at Tram Car Bay?

Pam at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard sent ww this very cool photo. I could be a prat & ask you all to guess how it got there, but not today and I promise no more things with wings for a while 🙂

Seems Claude Greenwood, father of Howard, in 1958 towed the Catalina from the Waitemata Harbour, up the coast and into the Whangateau Harbour and beached it in Tram Car Bay just meters away from Claudes boat shed. Here the wings were removed and then it was taken by road to Wellsford to be parked on Jack Sellar’s, the owner, property. Jack a local garage proprietor paid 250 pounds for the flying boat and intended to convert it to a 20 berth houseboat. This did not proceed and the Catalina sat alongside his house (see photo below) for some years until scraped in the mid 1960’s.

If anyone is able to supply more details or photos of the Catalina being towed from the Waitemata Harbour up the coast email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com as Pam would like to update her records.

You can read more (+photos) about the Catalina & what became of her at the link below to a great blog.
http://yardyyardyyardy.blogspot.co.nz/2011/09/our-last-catalina.html

Mid 1960’s

Lola

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LOLA
No not the plane, even though technically its a boat.
photo ex Ken Ricketts

This one might test you all. Anyone able to name & supply details on the launch behind Fred Ladd’s Grumman Widgeon ? It was the Connell family’s transport from Waiheke Island to the rest of the world when they owned the store in Connell’s Bay. Ken recalls they owned the boat from at least the 1940’s to 1987 & the photo most likely was take in the mid 1950 > 1960s period.

Harold Kidd Update

LOLA is 100% correct. Will Connell renamed her LOLA after his daughter when he bought her from John Pegler c1924. She was built by Bailey & Lowe in late 1909 for Jas. Gordon of Awaawaroa as BEATRICE. He sold her to Pegler c1920 and he renamed her EDNA after his daughter.
Connell sold her to Tom Beck c1953 when he closed the shop at Connells. She later became unrecognisable with a raked stem and a counter stern.

Roger Guthrie Update (28/08/14)

W.E.Connell was the father of Eric & Les Connell.Eric survived his brother Les.During the late 50’s and on into the 80’s Eric and his wife stayed on at the bay.They had run the store and milked the cows,sold fuel etc.While Les had run the farm.,They used Lola to ferry us and many other families to and from the Baroona and Motonui which would just stop offshore for us to jump aboard Lola.Sometimes on calm days we were plucked of the ferry in their 16ft clinker dinghy. From about 1958 Eric’s daughter LOMA often ran the LOLA on the various ferry pick ups.The 16ft clinker rowing dinghys were also used by Ernest Chamberlin who picked passengers for his end of Ponui off the ferry as well…Lola would just nudge onto the beach and we could jump off the bow onto the sand.

2014 photos of Lola ex trademe

Rosemary

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Rosemary- 1925 Anniversary Regatta.

ROSEMARY – but which one?

Feature photo & background info ex Harold Kidd.Ozone & Rosemary photo ex classicboatsnz. Other photos & email ex Melvin Adams

There has been a lot of chat / debate recently on ww concerning the the launch Rosemary in regard to her origins & what became of her over the years. Things are complicated by the fact that there have been / still are several Rosemarys out there. You can read the chat here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/27/ozone-rosemary/comment-page-1/#comment-11545

Todays post is focussing on the launch that was built in St.Mary’s Bay by Leon Warne in December 1920 for himself and his brother George and was taken north for game-fishing out of Russell. The Warne brothers then set up boatbuilding, repairs as well as gameboat chartering at Russell. Rosemary originally had a Scripps 4 cylinder but was later fitted with a Redwing. She was one of several launches that were very successful in promoting the deep sea angling sport in the Bay of Islands, both from Russell and Whangaroa.
Rosemary was originally launched as a dashing flushdecker. As pictured in the photo above from “N Z Vintage Launches”  of her on the Waitemata in the 1925 Anniversary Regatta.

Enter Melvin Adams who has a launch named Rosemary, moored in Mill Bay Mangonui. Melvin has owned the boat for approx 10 years & has been tracking her past & is confident that his Rosemary is the same boat (Leon Warne) pictured above. She has a more ‘spacious’ cabin these days.  One of Melvin’s photos below indicates the areas where he can clearly see the areas where portholes used to be.
Below is a photo montage showing Rosemary thru-out the years – I’ll let you be the judge if Melvin’s Rosemary is the Warne built ex game boat.

Make sure you read the e-mail from one of her previous owners – Don Jansen to Melvin , is a good tale of life as a ‘commercial’ fisherman.

As always – click on photos to enlarge 🙂

WAINUI (II)

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#2506

WAINUI (II)

There as been a lot of activity in comments section of ww in regard to Wainui. The original story I posted on her back in June 2013 under the headline ‘Getting Hooked’ told the tale of her current owner Phil Parks & how he came to own the classic wooden launch Wainui. Its a good story & can be viewed at the link below  –

Getting Hooked

Last Friday the post popped up again & we uncovered some insight into her past & some wonderful details & photos from Harold Kidd. Phil Parks advised that the restoration project was now scheduled to start in late 2014, aside from other things in life getting in the way, there was a wee oops that saw Wainui sink at her mooring.

Firstly a brief history of WAINUI II 

  1. Built by Joe Slattery c1924 for E.O. Ward.
  2. Wrecked on Rangitoto February 1936 and badly damaged.
  3. Ward sold to Val Maxwell, teacher at King’s College, as a wreck. Maxwell rebuilds probably close to present configuration.
  4. Maxwell sells 1939.
  5. Later owners include Sandy Searle 1967-72, then Dr. Ranginui Walker 1972, gap of 3 years then John Hobden 1977-81, Stan Bayer 1981-84, N Amos 1984-7, Ken Meyer 1987-90.
  6. Capt. John Harrison (ex-skipper of HMNZS TUI), Harold has fond memories of the TUI wardroom, bought her at Sandspit 1990 in poor condition with 40hp Ford Ebro. Orams rebuilt her substantially 1991-2. John renamed her Tilikum and kept her at Parua Bay then sold shortly after and went back to sail.

 

Photo Gallery of WAINUI II

# 2507 was taken in 1928 alongside the Bayswater Wharf. Note the steam trams.

#2507

# 2505 shows her being launched for the season from Bailey & Lowe’s. This pic was used in the Herald on 24/10/30. The yacht on the right is almost certainly Ladye Wilma on Heartseae’s cradle.

#2505

# 2506 shows her on the rocks at Rangitoto in February 1936 (same image as used in the header)

# 2509 she’s at Lees at Sandpit in April 1990 when John Harrison bought her, looking fine but seriously rotten.

#2509

# 2508 at Orams in Whangarei under major reconstruction in April 1991.

#2508

# NZ Herald 4 Feb 1936 (Papers Past) – high on the rocks at Rangitoto. The 6 occupants were washed out of the cockpit, with  2 females being injured.

# NZ Herald 6 Feb 1936 (Papers Past) – showing the extensive damage she sustained.

NZH PP 06/02/36

# Current Photo 2013 (low res image)

 

 

Sailing Sunday

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Week-end Crusiing Yacht Race to Waiheke Island
Photo ex Simon Smith, courtesy of the Sir George Collection.

A collection of yachts from both the Akarana Yacht Club & Ponsonby Cruising Club, in a combined race to Matiatia, Waiheke Island.
Photo taken on a Saturday shortly after the start of the week-end cruising race.
Whats the yacht in the forefront? Extra points if you can name the yachtsman stowing the tender 🙂

BONUS

And as a wee extra check out the link below (click blue type – The Racing Tender) to Classic Yacht TV & watch the newly restored American schooner Kelpie of Falmouth, designed by Francis Sweisguth, raced for the first time after her 17 month restoration in Cornwall. The event is the 2014 Pendennis Cup. http://www.thependenniscup.co.uk/
Note – Kelpie of Falmouth is ‘just’ the racing tender ……………….. the mother ship is the legendary schooner, Mariette.

The Racing Tender

Screen Shot 2014-08-23 at 4.57.43 AM

Adi Kuila (Ma Cherie)

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ADI KUILA (Ma Cherie)

For the last 6 years Adi Kuila has been undergoing a rolling restoration by her owner, Markham Thomson . The information he has on her says she was built by Lanes in 1965 & is 53′ LOA, 15′ beam, 4’3″ draft. Twin engined.
She spent time in Fiji in the 1980’s > 1990’s. There is a suspicion she has had a name change along the way. Correct

Owner is keen to get more info on her past & confirmation builder / year.

UPDATE

Lots of chat in the comments section but sometimes ww just rocks.

Scott Taylor has sent me the images below of when she was named Ma Cherie & owned in 1971 by W. J. Clark @ the Koroleuv Beach Hotel, Fiji.

And more from the current owner (click blue txt to view letter)

Letter to Bob Hawke from Graham Wallace regarding Fijian fishing trip

Update 26-07-2019 – photo below ex Peter Rinaldi

Adi Kuila