Woody Cruising In The Bay of Islands #2
Today’s gallery are again from BOI woody and pro photographer Dean Wright’s camera, Dean snapped the photos above of – Centaurus, Lady Ellen, Mana Rose, Kualani and his own classic woody – Arethusa seen at dusk. The gent in the very smart sailing dinghy is Angus Rogers, owner of Centaurus.
The 50’ Kualani is a newbie to WW and the BOI – Dean did some sniffing around and learnt that she was built by P. Jorgensen & Sons boat builders of Picton. When built she was powered by twin Gardner 5LW engines, looking at the photo of her, there are two very impressive exhaust pipes up top, which might suggest something with a tad for HP than the Gardner’s delivered. FYI – link here showing some (not sure if its all) of the Jorgensen built fleet https://jorgensenboats.nz/boats/
Below is a spec sheet of Kualani as she was built (no mention of the year), we have moved on a lot in terms of being PC, the reference to the bollards in the ‘ Deck Hardware’ section – would get you in a lot of trouble there days 😉 Also below is a photo of Kualani in Waipiro Bay, Gisborne – dated January 2020.
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great to see Mana Rose back in the water after spending the last few years on the front lawn in Okiato
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Possible correction: I have read the original sales document and also see that John of the two dogs fame mentions Hugh Carter as the owner who was drowned off her in Wellington so I am wondering if my spies were a little confuscerated in saying it was one of the McKenzie family who drowned off her. I can stand corrected.
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Ah Kualani. One of my favourites -long time no see and yes, John of the two hounds, she had the best of everything -provenance and machinery. She lay alongside the Picton wharf for many years with blue upperworks -looks much better now. Yep the stacks are a bit formidable and may suggest a more recent heart transplant.
She was at the time owned by (I seem to recall) a member or members of the McKenzie family (or their trust) and, at some stage, the word was one of them had slipped while boarding and, before he could be saved, she nuzzled up against him and a wharf pile with sad results.
She subsequently was on offer and on the hard at St Mary’s Bay and I took some pics which I will dig out if possible. They show her rather curvaceous under water shape which gave rise to the general scuttlebutt that she was a rolly old thing.
I discussed this and other things with Athol Burns on one of my many visits to him and it was then that he said “Why would you want to put to sea in a boat that didn’t roll?” Think about it, fellow sailors -it involves righting moments etc etc.
The paradox was that Athol was reputedly a poor seafarer and suffered mal de mare quite a lot!
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Oh yes. The other half of her impeccable pedigree; built by Jorgensens.
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Kualani’s pedigree is impeccable – designed by Athol Burns. Hugh Carter was the man who endowed the fountain in the waters of Oriental Bay, Wellington. Tragically he drowned off Kualani in Wellington Harbour.
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