Busy Morning – One Down & One Up

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Busy Morning – One Down & One Up

Yesterday the 30’ 1978 Roy Parris built launch – Waikaro, slipped back into the creek at the Slipway, Milford, looking very smart post a lot of work both in and outside. A Jason Prew paint job and 15+ coats of uroxsys were just the icing on the cake + lots of work on her systems and ‘lets keep the water on the outside’ eg new windows etc.

No sooner had Waikaro vacated the cradle, the 38’ 1937 Sam Ford built launch – Menai (below) was climbing into a warm bed. After a lot of deferred maintenance work, Menai had been ’settling down’ eg taking up on one of the Milford marina berths before getting her final top coats. The new bow-thruster certainly made manoeuvring in the creek easy. 

UPDATE 12-07-2022 back in the water after the JPPJ at The Slipway Milford.

3 thoughts on “Busy Morning – One Down & One Up”

  2. There was (and probably still is) so much sheer skill, often taken for granted by those who have it. I remember Colin Spanhake spending the afternoon teaching my sister how to sail backwards, something she later transferred into backing into a marina (can’t remember if it was Judith or Triumph). Colin was a great teacher, and wonderful to us kids.

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  3. Quite interesting post, Oh wise fearless leader, Alan. Menai had the standard cut away keg of Sam Ford’s bridgedeckers. She’d kick around amazingly easily without the added noise of a fwd eggbeater. She was berthed (in the old days) on the marina off the AMYC end. I remember watching them backing Menai into her berth. No sweat -she’d kick around a treat with a bit of ahead stick and then back in. I think they were practicing, they did it several times -quite a lot of revs at times. I was scrubbing the low bits of the old man’s Naiad on the nearby grid while he was yarning with Billy Rodgers who was antifouling Rehia.
    Many of the old tugs were single screw and I once watched the old steamer Taioma (I think) in Wellington being walked sideways by her skipper with the right application of prop and rudder. Paul Drake and Ray Morey and Dave Stannaway would confirm what they could do. Jimmy Thomson would say “Don’t get ’em angry”.

    FYI – there was no engine running, a wee 3hp Yamaha & punt were pushing her, so the bow thruster was needed 🙂 Alan H

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