My beautiful picture
My beautiful picture
My beautiful picture
FLORENCE ROSE – Launch Day
As part of a recent email exchange with Mark Powell, Mark sent me the above photos from the launching of Florence Rose launching at the Chas Bailey and Sons yard.
In a previous WW post Gil Littler confirmed that Florence Rose was designed by Billy Rogers and built at Bailey’s in the 1960’s while he was serving his apprenticeship there. Gil was given the job of lofting her out and making up the frames before Kenny Hitchens (and other tradesmen) became involved in her construction. The hull was built on the mezzanine floor before being brought down to the slipway level by a large forklift to be finished off.
Gil believes she was built for Harry Rose, which we now know is correct, in the photo below we have Mark Powell’s mother, Joan Powell, with Mark in short pants and the gent on the helm is Harry Rose.
I took the 2nd photo below of Flo Ro in October 2013 in Station Bay, Motutapu Island.
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I am harry roses youngest son i was 14 years old when the Florence Rose was built once the main hull had been built my father built and fitted out the interior of the Florence Rose with the help of my older brothers and his workmates from W A Chenery. I have great memories of the trips we had on it and the only break down we had was the water pump packed a sad out by the Whangarei heads and we got towed into irquarts bay by the hunters launch who from what i remember hunter ran a quarry at that time dont remember the name of launch
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