MYSTERY LAUNCH 05-11-20 MIRANDA
Back in early October we did a story on a collection of boating books and photographs that David Campbell-Morrison rescued from the rubbish bin. The owner of the collection was a D.F. Thompson and the material was from / dated the early 1930’s to the mid 1940’s. Any photos were of yachts except for the photo above.
Can anyone help with identifying the motorboat, location and crew? Its quite a distinctive design so hopefully someone will recognise the vessel. Given it appears to be an aerial photo and the number of crew on-board and that the crew have all turned out on deck, my wild guess is that it may be performing a role of ‘mother-ship’ in an offshore yacht race.
06-11-2020 Input from Harold Kidd – MIRANDA was a 55ft twin-engined steel launch built by E.D. (Bill) Edmundson at Thorndon Quay and launched in June 1953 after 7 years of work.. She became the unofficial flagship for the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club and did a trip to Sydney and back in 1960-1.
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MIRANDA was a 55ft twin-engined steel launch built by E.D. (Bill) Edmundson at Thorndon Quay and launched in June 1953 after 7 years of work.. She became the unofficial flagship for the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club and did a trip to Sydney and back in 1960-1.
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I believe this is the same boat that sat in a section at the bottom of Johnsons hill for years well before tunnels.
Wooden wheelhouse rotted to hell.
A very nice shaped hull with 2 x Henry Fords in a proper engine room.
I remember she had Hyde propellors and proper faired cone shaped prop nuts like De Vries and similar supplied on thr builds. ( nz builders mostly throw any old nut on thr boats. Out of sight out of mind )
I always thought she was an offshore built boat due to her shape etc.
This Johnson Hill boat did end her days on a mooring up north and was eventually sold on trademe and cut up. I’m pretty sure they are one in the same.
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Don’t know anything about the rusty steel hulk at Opito Bay, but Miranda was indeed steel. She made a Tasman crossing in the late 50s/early 60s. She was built in Wellington (by her owner?), and made the crossing from there. Quite a bit in “Seaspray” magazine and local papers at the time.
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I thought she may well be made of steel the moment I saw the image, — she has that “steel look,” to me — KEN R
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Identified as Miranda, but is this the steel boat which rusted on her mooring off Opito Bay in the 1990s in Kerikeri? She looked like some sort of Soviet workboat, we joked.
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Identified as Miranda, but is this the steel boat which rusted on her mooring off Opito Bay in the 1990s in Kerikeri? She looked like some sort of Soviet workboat, we joked.
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Really enjoy Waitemata Woodies.
Will send you some info on Red Viking.
Let me know if we are communicating
Chris Shirley..
Hi Chris – email info to waitematawoodys@gmail.com. Thnx Alan H
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Miranda, possibly on her way across the Tasman.
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