



Is This Esme
During the week an old acquaintance, Nigel Philp, reached out to WW with a heads up that a woody was being extracted from under some trees opposite the Stillwater Boat Club, up the Weti River. At times she was partly submerged.
In her present configuration she’s a launch / motorboat but there is a mullet boat hiding under there, confirmed by Jason Prew. Nigel commented that she appeared to be approx. 26’ and possibly presently named Esme.
The SWBC yard manager, Gareth, hauled her on Wednesday and tucked her into a temporary home. Rumour has it she has changed hands is off for a birthday – we like that.
So woodys – can we shed any light on the boat past?
In the mid 1970s there was an old salt living on a 26ft mullet boat called Esme in the Kerikeri River. I stopped off a few times for a yarn but don’t recall his name. I had an idea some years back that she had eventually been acquired by Dave Skyrme and was parked in his bay across from Opua.
LikeLike
Another quite different ESME is the scow that traded around the coast. She now lies to the west of the wharf at Rawene, on the Hokianga Harbour, slowly rotting away.
LikeLike