In the first weekend of March we have one on NZ’s coolest wooden boating events – the NZ Antique & Classic Boatshow, hosted in Kerr Bay, Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes National Park.
Todays coverage of the event is a perfect example of how the WW community works – I get an email from a friend (John Burland) living in Germany informing me a friend of his (Cam Rodgers) is attending the show this year and would I like some photos – short answer – YES.
So thanks to Cam today we get to have a gander at the show. Looks like the weather gods were smiling.
Remember – click to enlarge photos and enjoy the gallery 🙂
REFLECTIONS ON THE 2025 PORT TOWNSEND WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL– 80+ Photos / Videos
One of the bucket list classic wooden boating events is the annual Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. From all reports the 2025 event was outstanding. While its easy to go on-line and find a link to a professional overview, in my eye there is something special about viewing a festival attendees collection of boats – sure the light or camera angle isn’t alway perfect but you get a raw edge, which appeals.
Today thanks to kiwi John Oates we get to share what appealed to John’s eye.
One of the festival features that sets it apart from a lot of events is the ability to go aboard the boats and talk to the owners. There is something for everyone – food & drink, live music, kids activities, movie screening and lots of opportunities to get on the water.
One of this years ket themes was tagged – ‘A Gathering of Maritime Legends: Celebrating Shipwrights’. The festival brought together shipwrights from some of the world’s most iconic maritime institutions—craftspeople who keep the art of wooden boatbuilding alive with skill, heart, and tradition.Via a mix of talks, presentations and hands on gatherings where the public were able to rub up against the legends.
Enjoy the gallery – I did. As always click on photos to enlarge ;-
Ps John has promised another photo report featuring more classic sail boats ✔️
PARADE OF SAIL – 2025 AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL
One of the big events during the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania is the ‘Parade of Sail’ – the offical opening event. Conditions allowing they get 11 Tall Sailing Ships and over 200 craft sailing up the Derwent River and into Sullivan Cove to mark the start of the festival.
Today you get to experience the spectacle from about the media boat – a rather large twin hulled motorboat that was perfect for the task. Conditions were a tad challenging for the smaller craft but everyone was well behaved and followed the marshals instructions.
Enjoy the gallery – only a selection – could only capture what the skipper deemed of most interest 🙂
Well that wasn’t the woody weekend I‘m sure we all planned, but it was still a magic weekend and just goes too prove that classic wooden boat enthusiasts don’t let a lot of wind and rain get in the way of a good time.
The trip up on Friday afternoon / evening as uneventful (unless your woodys named – TAWERA, who ‘lost’ 2.5m off the top of her mast) and most anchored in and around Scott’s Landing.
Then it went down hill on Saturday morning – confusion around the start time for the launch parade – 1/2 the boats thought 10am, now I’m told it did say 9.30 in the classic yacht club newsletter, but……. the % of launches there that were members would have been less than 20%, so the parade was very patchy with skippers joining at different times. Numbers were down and the loop of Sullivan’s Bay was embarrassing- less than 20 people on the beach and I suspect they had no idea what was going on. BUT – still good to get together. Parade aside there was an impressive number of classic wooden launches in the harbour, in terms of pure classic craft , launches would have out numbered yachts by 4:1Most turning up to just enjoy the weekends activity on the water.
As the morning wore on the wind and seas picked up – resulting in some spectacular sailing in the Mahurangi Regatta yacht race. Amazing that they was no carnage, that I’m aware of.
Below is a selection of photos that Jason Prew took from his launch – MY GIRL. I have several videos put have tech issues with uploading – will sort and add asap. I’m sure there will be more fleet coverage on social media.
Post the boating activities the weather turned ugly and the smart people left Scott’s Landing for Pukapuka Inlet. The shore based activities would have been dampened down by the weather but the true blue woodys partied on. Big ups to Nick Atkinson and mates who entertained the revellers from the back of a truck. The normal 20+ piece jazz band was absent this year but from everyone I spoke to – I think Nick has a permeant gig.
The forecast for Sunday was evil, anything that has 50 knots in it is a big red flag. Then the heavens opened up and we had everything- wind , rain, lightening all night. Not a lot of sleep was had that night. Woke to no rain and wind down a little but forecast wasn’t good so made the call to cancel heading to Kawau and waited in Pukapuka for the weather to improve enough for a dash (not sure 8 knts is worthy of that term on RAINDANCE) home. Which we did.
Sad I missed hanging out at the Kawau Boating Club on Sunday night, but the upside was I scored a ride on Jason Prew’s – MY GIRL in the anniversary day launch race – full report tomorrow. Enjoy the photo gallery 🙂 And remember to click on photos to enlarge.
Something a little different today – whale boats. The photos above come to us from Don MacLeod and were taken at the recent regattas – Kawhia on Jan 1st and Te Waiter on Jan 4th.
The photos show the 5 boats that took part, Kawhia Harbour is the only place in the world that holds rowing regattas for whaleboats.
Don commented that the competitors range from 10 years old to the aged, everyone is welcome. The crowd was fantastic and the beer cheap.
Two of the whale boats were built in Auckland in the 1880s and shipped to Kawhia in 1910. The other 3 were built in the 1990s.
The construction is Kauri plank with bent hardwood frames.
Photo #1 Kawhia whaleboat – built in Auckland in 1880s, shipped to Kawhia in 1910
Photo #2 Kawhia whaleboat – built in 1990s
Photo #3 Te Waitere whaleboat (brown) built in the 1880s in Auckland
Photo #4 Te Waitere whaleboat (blue) – built in the 1990s Kawhia waterfront on regatta day
21-12-2024 INPUT ex MAURIE OGDEN – photo below of WHAKAPARA (BONDI BELLE) on launch day
BONDI BELLE – A PEEK DOWN BELOW & SHE COULD BE YOURS
The classic 45’ vessel BONDI BELLE has a great back story – we have uncovered a lot about her on previous WW stories – links below – but the executive summary is BONDI BELLE was built as S.S. WHAKAPARA, at Whakapara (North of Whangarei) by Charles Bailey Jr. for the Foote family who were saw millers at several Northland locations . Construction started in1898 and she was launched in early 1901. Initially she was a steamer and was converted to diesel in the 1920’s. These days a 130hp Mercedes diesel provides the forward motion.
The Wooden Boat Bureau was contacted last week re finding the next custodian for BONDI BELLE. As you can see from the above photos, her current owner has done a wonderful job maintaining her to a very high standard. She presents in ‘sail away’ condition.
Given her size, configuration, provenance and tasteful fit out, BONDI BELLE is offered for sale at a very realistic price, sadly reflective of the current depressed marine sector. I hate to use these words but she would make an impressive live-a-board, probably the best priced waterfront accommodation in Auckland.
Interested parties to initially contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com for more details. Its a busy time of the year so please – genuine enquires only 🙂
Recently Hugh Gladwell contacted WW re the above photos taken in and around Mahurangi in the early days. Hugh talks us thru them below –
‘The top photo is the launch LAVINIA shown in front of Rodmersham the old house just inside the eastern headland of the harbour The second is another unnamed launch heading down the Mahurangi River
The third is Sarah Lushington who owned Rodmersham in the late 1880s sitting on a pile of ballast out of the family yacht MURITAI which is behind her. She is greeting her housemaid Mrs Brown who lived further up harbour at one time under an upturned boat The old house is much grander than it looks and little changed over almost 150 years. It was built in 1886 out of unreinforced concrete with walls a foot thick with sand from the beach in front, shingle from Motuora and lime from the kilns up the river. It has a large billiard room, servants quarters at the back upstairs and is straight and square with not a hairline crack visible anywhere. It has been in the same family ownership for about 5 generations’
So woodys can we learn more about LAVINIA and put a name to the mystery launch.
What happened to the classic wooden yacht – MAHAKI
WW was recently contacted by Chris Leech who was reaching out to establish the whereabouts of the c.1894 built Logan designed 2 1/2 rater yacht – MAHAKI.
The primary reason for Chris’s interest is that the Devonport Yacht Club have been presented with the NZ Yachtsman Cup that was presented to MAHAKI in 1910. At the time the yacht was owned by George Sim and the cup remained in the Sims family ownership ever since.
DYC will be adding the cup to its impressive collection of silverware.
Chris suppled a collection of historical articles on the yacht, attached below as a PDF file for reference for those that want to go done a rabbit hole. The readers digest of (potentially accurate) known, recent intel is – bought by Eric Wing (McMullan &Wing) in the mid 1980’s. Partially restored by Wing and then on his passing in 1994 was purchased by Peter Blunder who finished the project in Clevedon. From there the current location and presentation of the yacht is unknown.
So woodys can we learn what became of MAHAKI
Photo below of the trophy presented to DYC by Gavin Sims.
INPUT ex ANDREW LUSTY – Still owned by Peter Blundell and still in Clevedon
INPUT ex MARK NEWCOMB The article on Mahaki refers to a previous owner, “Russell”. This will be Russell Going, an Auckland architect with a practice in a lovely old restored building on Newton Road. He was my wife’s uncle, and I occasionally sailed on Mahaki, possibly around 1983sh. I had been raised on our family yacht, Tamatea A20, and had spent some years crewing on Ariki A3, and thought I knew all about wet sailboats. Mahaki was another level of wet, but a lovely craft and Russell loved her.
JACKPOT – WE FOUND HER – Andrew Lusty was spot on – on a shed in Clevedon
CLASSIC WOODY BOAT FESTIVAL AT THE WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – 48 Photos & Videos
The weekends weather in Auckland certainly wasn’t conducive to boating so on early Saturday morning I pointed the car north and headed to Whangarei for the 2024 Maritime Festival at the Town Basin.
Year two and a quick overview, – more tie-dyed tee shirt vendors and food trucks, a lot more general public – less launches, more large cruising yachts. Steam boat rides were the most popular offering – long queues of kids that probably walked away with a life time memory – well done to all the steam boat skippers and crew.
Nice to see a couple of woodys from the Waitemata make the trip north – RAWHITI and JOHN DORY.
As always when she makes an appearance anywhere Dick and Colleen Fisher’s ex pilot boat – AKARANA was the start of the show.
THE AUCKLAND WOODYS HAD AN INTERESTING TRIP HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON 🙂
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 