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4 Classic Yachts – Sailing Sunday

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4 classic yachts #

4 Classic Yachts – Sailing Sunday

How many of the above can we ID ? they are all still afloat. Photo is from the Mac Taylor collection.

REMEMBER – MAX CARTER MEMORIAL TODAY @ RNZYS 2.00PM

And if you need some motivation to get the sandpaper & varnish out – click the link below & check out this line up of 33 beautiful classic yachts at Les Voiles de St Tropez. My eldest daughter (23) is currently in St Tropez, leaving on Tuesday for Sardinia on a 260’+ monster super ‘yacht’. Oh to be young & carefree again 🙂

Vacuna

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VACUNA – a woody project?
Vacuna is a 36′ Owen Woolley launch, designed and built in 1958. Unfortunately she has had a wee oops, to quote the insurers she was flooded to the top of her twin Perkins diesel engines, not sure how that happened but we are told the engines were immediately flushed & inhibited.
At the moment Vucuna is hauled out at Half Moon Bay & available for inspection. Bidding starts at $5,000 & closes 23 August.

Now if it stays low, someone will get a nice woody that appears to not need too much to bring her back.
Do we know anything about her past ?

Input from Paul Drake
My understanding is that she was built for a Mr Bull (Jack?)by Owen Woolley. She was built of totara, since she was destined for Taupo, and her owner was wary of rot which, in some quarters, is associated with fresh water boats. She was at Taupo for many years under the same name. Mr Bull had previously owned KATOA, well covered in WW. This information is as I have always understood it, and was recently confirmed by the original owner’s son, who I chanced to meet down at the boat harbour here in Taupo.  It is interesting to note the beamy, hard chine VACUNA compared with the narrow gutted, round bilge KATOA. No doubt the Bull family had had enough of rolling around. A VACUNA story was related to my brother Michael only two days ago. VACUNA was on a temporary mooring off the beach at Kinloch. She came free in a sou’westerly and was about to wash up on the beach. The call went out to the local holiday population and dozens of them entered the water in an effort to save her, much like a beached whale. One of them, a strong swimmer, took a line back to the mooring buoy, and VACUNA was hauled off the beach.
Below is a pic of VACUNA, it shows her on her mooring in the Taupo boat harbour in the early 1960’s. The other launch is EL ALAMEIN, now RANUI, already featured on woodys.
The boatsheds in the background are long gone, sadly. SIR FRANCIS occupied the shed seen here over the stern of EL ALAMEIN. The door is open and our car parked on the road outside. The photo I took, of course, from SIR FRANCIS.

L>R Ranui > Vacuna
photo below ex Ken Ricketts

VACUNA - KR

Wanderer

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Wanderer

WANDERER

Some times classic wooden boat owners get a little precious with their boats i.e. no fishing (too messy & smelly) but the photos above of the the launch Wanderer clearly show that to the original owners they were just a means to the real challenge – catching big game fish.
We have seen lots of photos of 40’+ launches hauling in large catches but Wanderer II would have to take the prize for small boat, biggest fish 😉

I understand that Wanderer these days resides on A Pier at Milford Marina, needing some TLC but still a float. Any of the woodys able to enlighten us on her life post the above photos from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection?

These days I would be happy to catch what they have hanging off the stern as berley 🙂

Photos below of Wanderer 2015 at Milford Marina ex Ken Ricketts

Input from Russell Ward

How lovely to see her as she was originally. Yep. A real honey. The modern alterations are a bit of a miss-match of angles but have been like that a long time.  Capt John Watson owned her when my old man had Ngakiwa early -mid ’60s and we cruised together in the gulf. Had the cabin sides that she presently has. She had a petrol engine that was unreliable and I remember Len Heard (Kenya) lent John a headsail in case the engine really died. He put a Perkins in about the same time my father had Tracey Nelson put one in Ngakiwa. John sold her and bought Nohomoana (38′ Sam Ford) to keep up with the Wards when they got Naiad.
I met up with Wanderer at Lake Rotoiti a year or two back -she was a bit scruffy and heard that she came back up here.
Hope she gets that TLC s

22–05-2021 Input from Rick Rowarth – My grandfather, an Auckland surgeon Mr Frank Macky owned Wanderer for a number of years I think from the early 50’s to early 60’s and my introduction to the Hauraki Gulf was on the wanderer. What a wonderful introduction I got in my formative years. Frank just got too old to go off boating around the early to mid 60’s, and sadly had to sell her. He loved nothing more than to go down the harbour, often on his own and would usually end up at Woody Gully on Rakino or Days Bay at the bottom end of Waiheke where he had a smokehouse at his sisters house. He never came home empty handed, and back then if he caught a gurnard he would take it home for the cat. Back then Wanderer was powered by a 4 cylinder Universal petrol engine that was far from reliable, and the petrol tanks were filled by taking off the fuel tank caps “in the forward cabin”, and filling them up. How we never blew up I will never know, but we survived. The story about the missing porthole was down to a collision with (I think) a ferry, and the repairs were done I think by Percy Voss at Westhaven.

Waihora

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Borrie Beachman & Marie Wilson + children
Rud & Joyce Nicks
(L>) Logan, Joyce, Rud & Pam Nicks
1963
Borrie Beachman, Wilson boy,Logan Nicks
Borrie Beachman @ Bland Bay 1986
Firth with uncle Rud Nicks

WAIHORA

Waihora has featured twice before on ww, once when I spotted her at anchor in Oneroa (Oct 2014) & when Jason Prew saw her moored up the Tamaiki River (2015), photos below.

Thanks to Murray Morrissey & Angela Te Wiata we now have a wonderful insight into her past, Murray supplied the details & Angela the photos from her late mother, Pamela Gilbert (nee Nicks) collection.

Firstly Murray’s background – Waihora was built by Brin Wilson and owned by the Nicks family of the Nicks Timber Company of Takapuna.  They had a big yard in Huron Street.  The Nicks family was well known identities in Takapuna.
Logan Nicks & wife retired to their beach house in Bland Bay – Whangaruru – Northland in the late 1960`s or thereabouts. Son, ‘Rud’ continued to run Waihora and the timber business.

Interesting to see Borrie Beachman & his launch ‘Endeavour’ in several of the photos, Borrie is the late uncle of CYA woody Paul Beachman. Borrie Beachman sold Endeavour & at one stage she was owned by Jack Matich & used for commercial fishing on the Kaipara Harbour. She was configured back then as a motor-sailer.  Endeavour is now back in the Beachman family ownership & looked after by Paul & son Brin.

07-02-2021 UPDATE – ex Angus Rogers – photographed Feb 2021. She was sold approx. 2 years ago and her new owners have undertaken a lot of work on her.

New Golden Hind at Kawau Island

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NEW GOLDEN HIND Kawau c1940

New Golden Hind at Kawau Island – Sailing Sunday

Today’s photo is another from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection, this one emailed to me by Ken Ricketts. It shows the ‘New Golden Hind’, designed by Chas. Bailey Jr. & built at the Deemings Opua yard. She is  anchored off Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island c.1940’s.

Any one able to ID the launches?
You can see more photos & details on her here   https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/06/22/new-golden-hind/

Max Carter Memorial Service

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Max Carter Memorial Service

The family of the late Max Carter invite Max’s friends, past employees and Carter design admirers to a memorial service to celebrate Max’s life and achievements, details below.
Venue:  R.N.Z.Y.S  Dinghy Locker Bar
Date:    Sunday 21st of August
Time:    2 pm

It would a nice gesture to have one of Max’s designs or builds (modern or classic) on the dock outside the squadron. If someone is able to help with a boat, please contact Max’s long time friend, Tony Barclay on 022 1079689 .

Could you please help spread the message out to anyone that you know, that would be interested in attending. Bar (cash) will be open.

Stella

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Stella

STELLA

Today’s launch photo was sent to me by Scott Taylor & is ex the Takapuna Library & appeared on the facebook web site Takapuna / Devonport / Bayswater & Beyond Past & Present.
The heading stated the launch was ‘Stella’ at Hall’s Beach, Northcote. You can see the  Baileys yard in the background.

Any of the woodys able to confirm the boat, a date  & add any more ?

Harold Kidd Input

STELLA was built as ROVER in April 1911 by James Reid for G. Fraser of Northcote on the lines of his 32 footer SEABREEZE, a smaller version of SEABIRD. She was built on the moulds of WOLSELEY, another SEABREEZE clone.  The name ROVER lasted only briefly.
She had a flat-twin Beilfuss 10/12 hp marine engine built in the US. She was moored in Little Shoal Bay.
I lose track of her in 1922 when she had changed hands and was hauled out on the VCC slip at Freemans Bay. No doubt she had a name change which I haven’t figured out. Possibly too she is the STELLA that turns up in Wellington later in the 1920s. WOLSELEY had been there since 1913, later renamed DAPHNE.
Visible on the shore at Hall’s Beach in this great pic is the boat shed of Bailey & Tyer, still in existence.

 

 

Water Gipsy > Connie V > Robyn Gae

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Water Gipsy > Connie V > Robyn Gae

I was mooching around Westhaven Marina on Raindance last weekend & spied ‘Robyn Gae’, sadly looking very tired & crying out for a new owner to take her over. So sad I did not even take a photo 😦

There is a very well documented history of her by Harold Kidd & Martin Turnwald on ww at the link (blue) here.  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/09/10/robyn-gae/
The photos above of her when she was named ‘Connie V’ are from the Tudor Collins collection at the Auckland Museum.

07-08-2016 – 2 photos added below  from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection, emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

ROBIN GAE - CONNIE V c1938

ROBIN GAE - CONNIE V KAWAU 1938

09-08-2016

Hi, My Dad, John Turnwald, has decided reluctantly to relinquish his ownership of the classic woody. Robyn Gae.
Do you know of anyone who would like to give her the pampering she deserves?
John’s phone = 827 3538.  Please negotiate directly with him.

18-08-2018 UPDATE
 
Robin Gae – has just appeared on Tom Nisbitt’s web site for sale, I’m told a coat of paint & its now double the purchase price. Nice of him to use some WW photos + video in his listing.
 
 
Same guy trying to sell the below launch
24-06-2021 UPDATE – Robyn Gae was spotted early June 2021 hauled out at the Te Atatu Boating Club, looked like it had recently had a coat of paint and had a for sale sign in the window – photos below
 

Echo

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ECHO

I have mooched past Echo numerous times on her mooring in the Weti River & she is always in attendance during the Mahuranghi Regatta weekends. I understand she is owned by a retired builder (possibly boat builder) & from chat from other woodys the standard of the workmanship during her restoration was very high.

Talking a few weeks ago with woody Russell Ward, he mentioned that Echo’s owner may have reached a stage in life that ownership / maintenance of a classic wooden boat was a little too much & could be looking for a new owner for Echo. That is all I know – so woodys – what do we know about the boat & can anyone confirm if she is in fact ‘on-the-market’.

Had a wee oops this morning – got my wires crossed & called Echo, Scout. Have to stop posting at 4.30am 🙂  Nathan H pulled me up on it 😉

Echo is a Coulthard boat. And you can read more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/02/28/echo/

Ranginui

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RANGINUI

Today’s launch photo is from the Auckland Museum’s Tudor Collins collection. The photo quality is not the best, I suspect the plate was damaged at sometime in the past. The ww brains trust have come up with a big fat zero in terms of ID’ing the boat,  so help from the woodys would be appreciated.

In terms of the location – given its a Tudor Collins image it’s more than likely to be the Bay of Islands or even further north e.g. Whangaroa? Input here too please 🙂

She was not a mystery for long 🙂 view details & photos on Harold Kidd’s  27 Sept 2013 ww story on Ranginui at the link below.

Ranginui