PANTHER – Sailing Sunday
Dean Wright recently spotted the yacht Panther hauled out at the Napier Marina getting a large dose of TLC.While she lists the Napier Sailing Club on her stern with all that fruit hanging off the back, she must have clocked up some off-shore miles.Hopeful our resident Napier WW spy Michael O’Dwyer will dial in with more details.
Hopefully as you read this I’ll be waking from a pinot induced coma, at anchor in Patio Bay, which means woodys – a big story tomorrow to share with you all 🙂
It Was A Great Day/Night – more tomorrow
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Pleased to see she is receiving some much needed attention. Panther was looking very hang dog and neglected when we spotted her in Napier nearly three years ago.
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Panther with John burn started in the SSANZ 2012 2 Handed Round NZ Race from Auckland.
After getting caught out in a weather bomb and hove to for a day or so around 250 miles west of New Plymouth whilst 80 odd knot winds blasted them, along with the Stewart 34 Pelagian not too far away, she retired from the race.
Pelagian sent out a Mayday due to them finding themselves knee deep in water at the height of the storm during the night. No shipping was in the area and a oil rig supply vessel from New Plymouth unsuccessfully tried to make headway against the wind to aid them. Fortunately they got their crash pumps working and found and sealed up the leak and continued the race the following evening to the next stopover in Oban, Stewart Is.
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I have been in contact with John Burn the current owner and told him that Panther has featured on WW today. Hopefully he will supply a little more info.
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Panther was built by John Salthouse in 1968 for I.H. Lietchenstein. Designed by Sparkman & Stephens as being ‘advanced thinking on the Rainbow II theme’. Registered as Panther I, sail number C-101 and taking YNZ number 101 a year or so later.
She did the 1969 White Island races and the 1969 Southern Cross trials.
I am not sure why, but from October1970 she is frequently referred to as Panther II despite there being no other keel yachts named Panther at that time.
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She was sailed by John Burns in the 2007 Solo Tasman yacht race and she has been an entry in the Round NZ race. http://www.solo-tasman.co.nz/previous-race-entrants/
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I think she is the Panther of the early 1970s One Ton Cup era. Sparkman and Stephens design and raced against, Wai Aniwa, Pathfinder, Young Nick, Runaway etc and of the course the baby of the fleet the Towenson designed Moonlight.
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Racking my few remaining “leetle grey cells”, but apart from recalling she is indeed famous, nothing else emerges. Her lines say S&S from the IOR era………………….
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Hey have just purchased a ship builder’s boat called Manakura. Have you got any information on her
Ken Ricketts reply “Whilst the grey matter is getting a little old & rusty, recall is, MANKURA may be 1 of a number of boats built by Shipbuilders Ltd from the late 1940s to later 50s early 60s, which all had a very pronounced flared bow, in the shape of a full half circle, at the deck level, at the top of the flare. All were bridgedeckers, as far as I know, usually about 38ft to 44ft & usually with twin engine installations, of which, ROMANY II, was one, & of which, I have images showing the flare. The 1/2 circle bow was the brainchild of Roy Steadman, the Manager in that era, who built his own 28ft “NAUTY GIRL” in 1949, which was the first he built of that concept. — ( He was actually the foreman when he built NAUTY GIRL) — I knew the family, & was aboard her a good number of times, when newish.
If you care to send me a pic of her, to kennetharicketts@gmail.com I will be able to confirm this, & send pics of ROMANY II for comparison & may be able to help with more info”.
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