MISS HELEN
details ex Harold Kidd
We headed out at lunch time Saturday for an overnight trip to Waiheke Island. While Oneroa was like Ponsonby Rd on a Friday night we had talked ourselves into a pizza for dinner from the beach front wood-fired pizza wagon in Little Oneroa, so Oneroa it was. When the fizz boat day trippers departed at days end things were not too bad, still had to use strong words to question the intention of a Bayliner that was about to anchor on top of me 🙂
Highlight (after the pizza) of the weekend was getting to see the recently restored Miss Helen up close, she is one very good looking classic. I will let Harold tell us about her past.
She was built in 1930 by COLIN WILD for L.E. McQueen of Wairiki Road, Mt. Eden as AUDREY M and had a 125hp Lycoming 8 cylinder engine. McQueen had her dodger raised to give 6ft 6in headroom in October 1931 and had fresh water cooling installed. He then sold her to A.L Davenport who renamed her MAHSEER. Davenport sold her to Whittaker in 1934 and he renamed her LADY HELEN. He sold her to L.A. Marquet who sold her to A.E. Fuller of Russell in August 1937. She was altered for gamefishing. In August 1942 she was severely damaged coming ashore in a gale at Russell and substantially rebuilt again. Again she was renamed, MISS HELEN to tie in with the rest of the Fuller fleet, MISS IDA, MISS KNOXIE, MISS RUSSELL etc.
BTW the Register of British Ships says she was built in Russell, which is incorrect, although she was re-built there once or twice.
McQueen, of course, had WILD build WAIRIKI in October 1934.
The Register of British Ships says she was built in 1932, which is also incorrect. The RBS is a very dodgy resource, especially where the vessel was registered well after she was built, as here.
To read more on Lady Helen & view older photos + restoration photos click the link below.
https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/01/30/miss-helen/
Dropped the anchor near Lady Margaret (Colin Wild) & enjoyed a cleansing ale aboard with Peter Loughlin & partner Nicola. LM is looking very smart these days, with Peter doing a rolling restoration.
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Hi Quin
Email the photos to address below and I’ll add to the story so everyone can see/share them. Kind Regards Alan
Waitematawoodys@gmail.com
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Hi,
My grandfather is 94 years old he had owned this boat he’s got alot of old photos of miss Helen and he talks about her all the time, I’m interested in taking him to view it if that is possible,
Thanks
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Pingback: Lady Helen – Flash Back Friday | waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news
I seem to recall Miss HELEN turning up in the Milford Creek in the late 1960`s under the new ownership of a Commander HICKS (Rtrd). She sat in the mud (as they did in those days) next to my father in laws boat – MERITA (featured on W/Woodys) HICKS then shifted to Mahurangi where he intended to venture into Commercial Fishing. Never heard if he was successful or not.
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For what it’s worth. “Miss Helen” was Neville Fullers own boat but ran as a unit of A.E.F & sons. Nev. managed to nudge whale rock on one occasion so resulting in the second rebuild while in the B.O.I. The aft stbd corner was a feature of the game boats up there, maybe a legacy of Warne Bros. This location prevented the exhaust fumes being dragged back into the cockpit when trolling and it worked too. Look at the two Alma G’s and Pirate although they may have been altered by now. Yes she had a 4D 60 hp Ford back then.
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