Category Archives: 1900’s

Woody Classics Weekend BBQ Cruise to Clevedon Cruising Club – 60+ photos

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Liberty

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Impressive Haul Out Area

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Heading Home

Woody Classics Weekend BBQ Cruise to Clevedon Cruising Club – 60+ photos

Morning woodys, as you will see from the above photo gallery the weekend woodys cruise up the Wairau River to the Clevedon Cruising Club was a great trip – had the 3 F’s that always make for good times – Fun, Friendship & Fraternity.
To hit the right tide window it was a very early start for most i.e. 6am at the marina – the smart ones, left Friday night.
We assembled at the river mouth around 9.30am and were met / piloted up the river by Barrie Abel, and woodys I have to say – just as well Barrie volunteered, because if you believed Navionics at times we were traveling over dry land, when in fact we had 3m of water under us. So a big thank you Barrie. Barry owns the 1912 woody – Matira, I will do a WW story on her on Wednesday.
Several boats missed the rendezvous but still safely made their way up the river.
After arriving at the clubs jetty late morning, the group split up – some went walking, some snoozed, and the rest hopped in the dinghies and ventured to the upper reaches of the river. We got very close to the Clevedon township before the fuel starting running out. Luckily a few had spare fuel so it was passed around like a good wine and everyone took a slip. I was aboard Dave Gidden’s dinghy and we had about 1cm in the tank when we switched off. Spotted a few interesting woodys along the way – Nathan Herbert and I would love to hear more about the launch – Liberty (tagged below).
Some wowser decided that 5pm would be drinks time, so a few of us had to retire to Dave Giddens floating man bach – Allergy for a cup of tea…..
The evening centred around a BBQ at the CCC, which is a fantastic set up and the members hospitality was first rate.
As a thank you for hosting us, we presented a donation to the club and rewarded Barrie Adel for his services with a bottle of Appletons finest Jamaican Estate golden rum. Club Commodore – Bruce Robson also now sports a WW T-Shirt 🙂
In return we have a CCC burgee for our virtual clubhouse.
On a personal note I would like to thank all the woody boat owners for ‘opening’ your boats up for the club members to inspect thru-out the day. Good chat was had.
We must have behaved ourselves, as we have been invited back – so woodys, more details to follow, but we will be repeating the cruise early 2020 e.g. April.
🙂 a visit to the GENTS was amusing – the uninitiated were in for a foot wash – the system was good old kiwi DIY at its finest 🙂 I can report that the LADIES was Regent Hotel standard.
Photos: myself and Nathan Herbert
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Now I’ll bore some of you with the below video of my Raindance, taken by Nathan Herbert aboard Jas Prew’s launch – My Girl. I think it’s the only time Jason has ever let me pass him 🙂

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2019 Thames Traditional Boat Festival – 100+ Classic Wooden Boats

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2019 Thames Traditional Boat Festival

Woody Ian Gavin was travelling with family in July and included the Thames Traditional Boat Festival (Henley-on-Thames) in the itinerary.
Its an event on my bucket list, so I was a little envious when Ian handed me a USB stick with 100+ photos of the event. Special thanks to Ian for sharing.
Included in the Festival was a special Dunkirk Little Ships section. As you would expect it was a very civilised affair with the boats moored up to the river bank and they took turns at parading up and down the river.
The large rowing barge is an ex/retired Royal barge that has been recently restored.
Included on the day were a selection of old motorbikes and cars, including a few amphibious one.
Enjoy the gallery 🙂

 

Thames River Rats

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Thames River Rats

Last month I did a quick trip to Thames and called into the ‘marina’. The tide was out in the estuary so you get to see the marina looking it finest.
Lots of old girls there, resting up, contemplating life.
If you’re down that way The Wharf bar and Thames Wholesale Fisheries shop are ace. Same owners, so they deliver your newspaper wrapped dinner to the bar – we like that.  Worth a visit just for a cold one & the snapper & chips.

Off to check out another river today – the Wairau River, Clevedon – David Cooke and myself are doing a recky for the upcoming Woody Classics Weekend BBQ cruise (Nov 16>17th). Via car 🙂

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RSVP   waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Woody Classics Weekend – Stillwater Picnic – 26 Classic Wooden Boat Photos 

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Woody Classics Weekend – Stillwater Picnic – 26 Classic Wooden Boat Photos 

All week, the weather gods have been saying that Sunday was going to be the best day for boating – well folks that it was 🙂
Barbara Cooke summed it up perfectly in an email  – “Great day today team! Great to see people enjoying the good weather, relaxing and lolling about on picnic rugs, some with pooches. Interesting bikies! Nice boats too! “
 
Today’s story is just really a photo gallery of the day – the boats and bikes, the venue and the people + a few woodys I spotted along the way. 
A hell of a lot of work goes into organising these events – and I would like to acknowledge the team that bring it all together, without their help and input there would be no Woody Classics Weekend events. Barbara & David Cooke, Sue & Mark Edmonds, Nathan Herbert, Jason Prew and lastly yours truely.
 
Lots of chat about the next event in November – just working thru the logistics, more details ASAP.
 
The day was made extra special by the inclusion of a display of classic motorcycles ( see below) and their owners were big admirers of our classic woodys.
 
Enjoy and as always, click on photos to enlarge – alan houghton

Enoho

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Enoho

ENOHO 

Excuse the quality of todays photo but it dates from a February 1905 newspaper article .
All I know is that the photo was taken by C.F. Bell and the caption says “The Enoho, winner of the Motor Yacht Race”.
With that canoe stern she is a looker. No doubt she gained a tram top and even later a dog house.
Can we expand on her more?
Input fron Harold Kidd – ENOHO was built by Bailey & Lowe (who else?) in December 1903 for W.A. Ryan & Co of Auckland with a 10hp Union engine for which they were the agents. She was 36’x 6’6″x2’6″ and diagonal built. Ryan & Co demonstrated her at the 1904 Picton Regatta, at Wellington and brought her back to Auckland for overhaul. She won the Auckland Anniversary Regatta launch race in 1905. She appears to have finished up in Picton at the end of 1905.
HEADS UP – tomorrow on WW there will be the chance to win a copy of the new 334 page book ‘Des Townson – A Sailing Legacy’ by Brian Peet. Its the best read I’ve picked up all year, over 400 photos. Check out Wednesdays WW story for details on how to enter 😉
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RSVP– you and your boats name + approx. numbers to sueedwards@xtra.co.nz

Patina

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PATINA
Patina’s trademe listing states she was built in 1906 from double plank kauri, measures 39’ in length and is powered but 54hp Yanmar diesel engine. Cruise speed is 8>9 knots.
Home port is Chaffers Marina, Wellington.
The photos do not show it but she has a torpedo shaped stern.
Can anyone expand on what we know about this woody?
A lot of windows to clean 🙂
Harold Kidd Input –  PATINA was built by Ernie Lane at Picton in 1913, not 1906, as LA REINE (“The Queen”) for C.W. Philpotts of the Sounds Motor Launch Company as a passenger vessel. She was originally fitted with a 20hp Bolinder semi-diesel reversing engine. Later she went fishing out of New Plymouth with a Fairbanks-Morse and spent time recently in Tauranga too.

Woody Classics Weekend Riverhead Trip Report

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Woody Classics Weekend Riverhead Trip Report

We had 23 classic launches confirm for Sundays Riverhead cruise but folks I can report that the weather at times was a little evil. Not too bad for the big girls but the sub 30’ crowd were rocking & rolling. Lots of white water over the top. But it was only for a short time, after Herald Island things improved 🙂
On the day, 15 launches travelled to the Riverhead Tavern and had a ball, neat people , stunning boats, lots of good chat. Big ups to those that came by car to join the gathering, nice gesture.
Now – confession time – on the email I to sent the skippers that had RSVP’ed I gave everyone a big wind up about behaving e.g. Indian File, follow the leader, no over taking etc etc and bugger me – Raindance went aground. Last bend before the hotel & I’m up on deck laying out the lines & fenders and  the ‘duty’ skipper puts us in the mud. No amount of forward / reverse would move her. Thank goodness for my boatbuilder Geoff Bagnall and his wife Theresa on board Achillies, who came to our aid and pulled us off. Not before 1/2 the fleet passed us – very embarrassed. Hopefully the oops cleaned off some Baywater sludge. But I was not alone………. 2 others parked up as well 😉
Not a great day for photos, overcast and drizzle but the sun shone thru at the important times 🙂
Remember to put a big circle in your diary for the weekend of 19/20th of October for the next Woodys Classics Weekend. Its a picnic cruise to Still Water motor camp – Master of ceremonies / Officer of the day / Rear commodore / Chief Poo-bar / Mark Edmonds (who like titles) is finalising dates and details but there could be a band, classic cars / motorbikes and vehicle access for the boat less Woodys – more details soon.
Special thanks to Brendon Gardiner, Margo Hudson, Jason Prew and Alan Houghton for the photos.
Photos below from Michelle Maitland onboard Cleone

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And more ex David Plummer and Geoff Steven

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B/W photo below ex Mike Mahoney

WCW Riverhead ex McH

Great view of Jason Prew’s – My Girl below. taken by Angus Rogers. Really shows off her lines, no wonder she is so quick 😉

My Girl @ Riverhead Sept2019

Arita > Edna White

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AUTA   Arita > Edna White

Today’s photo of Auta is dated 1916 but I’m not sure if that’s the build date or when the photos taken.
Photo comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb.
Anyone know the provenance of Auta and where she is today?
Harold Kidd Input – That’s a nice pic of ARITA (not AUTA) built by Logan Bros in April 1909 for R.O. Clark of the brickworks at Hobsonville. She was later rebuilt and renamed EDNA WHITE and used as a ferry on the run to Kohimarama. She was totally burnt out in 1927. I’m sure she has appeared in WW before as either ARITA or EDNA WHITE.
She did Harold – link below 🙂


https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/10/09/arita/

Something Completely Left Field
Adrian Pawson is a very talented, clever lad – works with Southern Spars on high end tech projects but his pleasure interests go from restoring VW Combis, Seagull (outboard) racing to ‘turbo charging’ (carbon fibre everything) Townson sailing dinghies.
Arian recently acquired a light weather foil off one of the Oracle AC50 boats – cost new $250,000+ . So too good to bin it, so its been re-born as a swing in his garden. I understand there is 2 ton of concrete under the purpose built carbon mounting bracket.Check out the 316ss bolts – those alone would blow my budget 🙂
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Kumi

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KUMI
The 1905 Bailey & Lowe 40′ launch Kumi has appeared numerous times on WW but Nathan Herbert was recently poking around in the Auckland Library Heritage Collection section and came across the above photos attributed to Mr. and Mrs. MF Russ. National Publicity Studios; Riethmaier. Nathan asked me if I supported his belief that the boat featured was Kumi. A quick search in my WW files popped up an email (repeated at the bottom of this story) that Kumi’s owner Haydon Afford sent me back in August 2014, that made a reference to Kumi being used as a cray fish boat between 1955 and 1975 in Whangaroa, Northland, by a Mr Russ – so jack pot – its Kumi. Catch out the size of those cray fish.
Now if you know Haydon you would have to be surprised that he had communicated with me via email – in fact he told me I was the first person he had sent an email to 🙂 Haydon is a wonderful man, they broke the mould after he entered this world. Back in the summer of 2012 > 2013 Haydon undertook a 3 month circumnavigation of New Zealand in Kumi. This achievement was acknowledged in late 2013 by the NZ Classic Yacht Association awarding Haydon the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award In Seamanship’. Below is a photo of Haydon accepting the award along with his father. A group of woodys motored out to welcome Haydon back into Auckland Harbour after the circumnavigation – he celebrated with a pint of ice cold beer.
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Haydon shared his story of the trip with CYA members at a special evening at the RNZYS and it was pure gold, good old school story telling at its best. Unfortunately no-one recorded it but prior to the evening I twisted Haydon’s (writing) arm to tell me about the trip, I typed this up and you can read it at the WW link below
HISTORY OF KUMI / ELIZA
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Petrel + John Street – One Man’s Treasures – Video Series – Part 2

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PETREL
The photo above comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb page and started life as a postcard (from Lew’s collection).
We know from a comment of Harold Kidd’s that Petrel was built by Bailey & Lowe in Jan 1903 for Cecil Ley.
The caption on the photo tags the location as Herne Bay, Auckland. HDK also commented that review the photo that the launch would have been near new at the time of the photo.
Can anyone tell us what became of the launch?

JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES – VIDEO SERIES – Part Two

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Every day this week WW will feature a video filmed at John’s recent speaking engagement at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. The language is a tad ‘blue’ in places, but thats how John rolls 🙂 NOTE: VIDEO IS COPYRIGHT DO NOT DOWNLOAD WITHOUT PERMISSION. Videos edited & enhanced with the help of Andrew Christie 
PART TWO – The History of the Breeze  (turn your sound up)
UPCOMING VIDEO’S
MONDAY–         Fosters The Beginning
TUESDAY–        History of The Breeze
WEDNESDAY– The schooner Daring
THURSDAY–     Amercias Cup
FRIDAY –            The steam crane ship Rapaki
SATURDAY–      Tug Boat Racing on the Waitemata
UPDATE: Stunning photo below of the Breeze running down the inside of Roberton Island 2014 – taken by Dean Wright
The Breeze 2014