LADY RAE
If you trolled back thru the CYA’s archives one of the classic launches that regularly made an appearance was the 1948, Chas Bailey Jnr designed launch – Lady Rae. Built by Chas Bailey & Sons.She last appeared on WW back in March 2014, so is long overdue for an appearance.
Todays photos come to us via the camera (iPhone) of Angus Rogers and see Lady Rae in Chamberlin Bay, Ponui Island. Keen to learn who owns her these days and what’s been done to her over the years.
There is a lot of chat in the comments section of the 2014 story – link below, I’d view K Rickett’s numerous comments lightly – back then I believed most things he said, these days there is a very fine filter applied 😉https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/12/lady-rae-3/
13-10-2026 INPUT ex PAUL FIELD – I have been reading the history of the 1948 Chris Bailey bridgedecker launch named Lady Rae and would like to make some corrections.This boat was actually built for my grandfather, Alan Barclay of Selwyn Ave. Kohimarama and was launched in 1947.
Alan was married to Edna and they had three children Alan, Rae and Ron.
Rae is my mother and the boat was not named after her but after everybody in the family as above.
Alan passed away in 1961 and sold the boat shortly before he died, probably in 1960.
We can’t remember who he sold it to, but it was possibly Ken Simpson.
At one stage Alan removed the single engine and fitted twin engines but this was an unsuccessful experiment and the original was reinstalled.
When Alan had the boat built, he originally wanted it to be 45′ but as it was just after the war there was insufficient Kauri available to do so.
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New intel added to the story. Alan H
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I have again read through Ken’s avalanche of words in the previous post on LADY RAE. I should have replied to the last posting, but had gone into hiding.
Oddly enough, I did know Barclay well and did legal work for him in the 1960s. Nice man. His wife was Rae from memory, so that clinches it. I was a single-minded competitive centreboard yachtie in those days and regarded launches as “stinkboats” driven by motor-car drivers, so we would not have discussed LADY RAE. A partner in his practice was a prominent yachtsman.
I am happy with the complex engine changes which Ken details as they seem plausible indeed in view of the difficulty in obtaining engines just after WW2 unless they were ex-USN or marinised Ford V8s of one brand or another, Osco being the most prevalent.
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