During the week the above photo popped up on a Robert Bestow fb post. In the photos we can clearly see the 1912, Harvey & Lang built launch – Silens in the foreground and behind her the 1925, Dick Lang built launch – My Girl.
The photo was tagged Whangarei Town Basin but no date. Chatting with My Girl owner Jason Prew, who had not sighted the photo before, Jason commented that it was most likely from the early > mid 1940’s, as she had a new top added in the late 1940’s. Jason also recalled that the two launches were based in Whangarei as part of the war time coastal patrol fleet.
My Girl also had some appendages added but the 2018 restoration that Jason undertook returned My Girl to almost match todays c.1940’s b/w photo.
Refer below current photos of Silens and My Girl.
MY GIRL
SILENS
WW Caps – the new low profile, canvas cloth caps have been a winner – the new understated colour topped with the dark brown WW embroidered logo has a dash of understated style. I have reorder 3 times and stocks are getting low – order today – just click the email link here and tell me your name, postal address and number of caps required ( best order was x5) I’ll come back to you with payment details – $38 + $6 p&p. waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Several coming and goings mid-week – Raindance slid down the railway at the Slipway Milford. And then she passed Castaway being ‘assisted’ to the Slipway to take Raindance’s vacated spot. Probably the fastest Castaway has moved in a while 🙂 Video of Raindance ex WW cadet reporter Luca Beachman. Now if some of you are thinking – “didn’t Raindance have a paint job less than two years ago” – yes you are correct. I could say that Jason Prew and myself were never 100% happy with the colour – Snow White’ on a classic woody and that the new ‘ Mediterranean White’ is a better look, while there some truth in that, the old girl suffered some hull damage on the marina in one of the many storms Auckland has had, so that is the real reason 🙂
The last photo is of the 1934, Cox & Filmer built launch – Robyn Gae, getting ready for re-launching at the Te Atatu Boating Club. Very happy to see that she is being cared for – at one stage a ‘beehive’ restoration was on the cards, see WW SOS story link below. Big ups to the new owner of the choice of blue for the coamimgs – big call but it really works and would get the Cameron Pollard tick of approval I’m sure 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/06/21/robyn-gae-sos/
I was contacted last week by John Briers the ’newish’ owner of the 1926 Joe Slattery launch – Silver Spray.
Sliver Spay has made numerous appearances on WW – search her name in the WW search box to see / read more on her provenance.
John purchased the launch off boat builder Glen Burnnand, who gave her a serious birthday back in 2019.
The recent work at Glen’s Orakei Basin shed included upgrading the boats electrical battery systems, and she received several coats of varnish and repainting throughout, plus lots of other modifications.The mid term plan is to relocate Silver Spray to a new home in Russell, Bay of Islands, on a mooring in front of the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, that will be a nice addition to the vista from the house bar.
Silver Spray is powered by a Perkins 4108 and has a very impressive turn of speed for a 26′ woody.
I have to say that when John mentioned the recent work I was hoping the two ‘Haines Hunter’ cabin top windows (refer below) would have been replaced, never mind a wee job for the woody boys in Opua 😉
Recently I was sent the above photo by John Dawson who recalls it popped up on fb 2>3 years ago.
In the photo the launch is moored in Totara North, Whangaroa Harbour, you can just see the Whangaroa Wharf across the bay.
John was asking for confirmation of a comment that Harold Kidd made at the time that the launch was probably the Lanes built – Mapu, if so she is still in ownership by the Lane family – a search on WW reveals a June 2013 story that confirms Harolds thoughts re the design and ownership – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/06/22/mapu-2/
FYI – HDK has a 95% success rate – just ahead of Nathan Herbert and a lot ahead of me 🙂
WW Caps – the new low profile, canvas cloth caps have been a winner – the new understated colour topped with the dark brown WW embroidered logo has a dash of understated style. I have reorder 3 times and stocks are getting low – order today – just click the email link here and tell me your name, postal address and number of caps required ( best order was x5) I’ll come back to you with payment details – $38 + $6 p&p. waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Recently I was sent a link to an article that appeared in the New Zealand Geographic magazine back in 2000 – in fact issue 45 , Jan-March. The article was headlined – GRACE UNDER FIRE, written by Vaughan Yarwood with supporting photos from the late Henry Winkelmann and more recent photos ex Hamish Ross and Paul Gillbert.
The stars of the article is the 42’ 1908 Logan built gaff rigged cutter – Rawene, and her then skipper Russell Brooke.
This is a brilliant insight into the early days of boating in and around Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, I’m sure there will be some mix ups re dates, skipper/craft names but overall we get to see and read the history of these magnificent craft, a lot of which are still sailing today.
Have a read, its only 10>15 minutes, longer if if you linger over the photos 🙂 – even a die-hard motorboat owner like myself found it a fascinating read.
The 1922 Lady Bess was built by Leon Warne, St Marys Beach in Auckland. Originally built for passenger service around Waiheke Island and later in Tauranga. Then purpose modified for fishing charter work out of Helenville on the west coast of the North Island.
She is built of kauri, carvel hull, 48’6” in length and powered by a 471 GM Detroit engine, this gives her a cruising speed of 7>9 knots.
Interior is particularly stripped out ready for a new interior to suit her next life – domestic or back in charter.
Her tme me listing (thanks Ian McDonald) closes on 23-05-2023 and current bidding is sub $2500. Located at Gulf Harbour.
21-05-23 Input ex Alan Johnson (the nice one) – subject to final bidding but it looks like Lady Bess is off to Mangawhai
And from Bill Faulkner — She ran as a workboat for Harbour Transport on Tauranga harbour for many years. At least 1955 -1975 towing barges / logs from Bunns Mill on Matakana Island and ferrying workers / residents at the mill. I recall her coming into Coronation Pier circa 1962ish and the reverse gear failed at the optimum moment and she went under the pier and wiped the wheelhouse off. No injuries thankfully. A nice hull shape and one of the quickest displacement launches on the harbour. Great to see she’s still going strong.
We last saw the Collings & Bell built Lorna Doone on WW back in April 2018, at the time we learnt that she was built in 1926, and one of four launches for the Zane Grey Sporting Club. When launched she was powered by a Redwing engine that gave her a very respectable 16 knots of speed.
In the 2018 story (link below) Martin Howson advised that in the late 1950’s when owned by Des Shimanski Lorna Doona came ashore in a big easterly blow in Hooks Bay, Waiheke Island. She survived that oops and returned to life as a long-liner moored in the Tamaki River, near Bucklands Beach.
In todays photos sent in by Ray Morey we see Lorna Doone in Whangaroa Harbour, in Northland. Sadly in the bottom two we see her c.1970’s when she was wrecked on Peach Island, in the middle of Whangaroa Harbour. (as advised by Gavin Bradley)
Can anyone tells us the back story to the Peach Island incident – its a well protected harbour and the island is almost dead centre with good deep water both sides – see photo below.
08-05-2023 Input ex Alice Morrison – Whangaroa can get some gnarly gusts through the valleys. A few months ago, the wooden yacht ‘Hope’ ran aground in Waitapu Bay/Ota Point when a big gust came through as he was lifting anchor. It actually happened again around at Ratcliffs Bay a few days later.
Todays woody is / was a recent work boat operating out of Tauranga. I understand she was running fishing charters.
I believe the builder is said to be Lanes 1927 (I know…. Aren’t they all) 31’ in length with a beam of 9’6”. Forward motion is via a Ford 60hp diesel engine.
And that woodys is all we know about her.
Can we uncover more on Rosemary, there is nice hull hiding under the ‘recent’ additions 🙂
INPUT EX Mitchell Hutchings – This Rosemary, and there are several, worked for some years out of Sandspit running ‘Rosemary Fishing Charters’ under the friendly and able ownership of Brian and Jocelyn Jones, with a short period during which a new owner took over. Last year Brian and Jocelyn moved to Kerikeri with the vessel and I believe she is for sale. Brian has some information on her previous life. She was in survey for some years, and I know the hull was glassed a number of years ago. I took these photos when she was hauled out at Sandspit in 2019 for some work.
NEW COLOUR WAY – limited run 1. One size fits all 2.100% canvas-cotton, 6 panel, adjustable brass clasp 3. Colour is Camel with dark brown embroidered logo. 4. Tonal under peak lining.
Sometimes I come across classic woody content that is just too good to not share, sometimes the format might be an old home movie footage or faded photos straight out of a shoe box – todays one such day. Mooching around the www I came across a Lew Redwood fb post that had a link to some film footage from c.1929 that is stored / saved at Nga Taonga – the NZ archive of film, television and sound.
The footage is tagged – PLEASURE ISLE, KAWAU ISLAND. Viewing it, it quickly becomes obvious that back in the day it was made to promote tourism / visitation to Kawau Island.
Mansion House Bay is wall to wall wooden launches and a few wind thiefs. Just too many to try and identify but some look familiar.
The images above are screen grabs from the movie footage. Below is the link to the movie – its great viewing – enjoy 🙂
WW was contacted by the Opua based boatbuilders – CMC Design with a heads up that the 1927 ex game boat Alma G II had arrived at their yard where Craig McInnes and his team will undertake the work. Projects of this magnitude are the norm for the team – the woodys Lady Crossley and Otehei being two examples.
Sian Steward at CMC Design supplied some wonderful insights into Alma G II’s provenance and the people that rubbed up against her – I’ll let Sian tell the story:
“The Alma G II was commissioned by E C Arlidge in 1927 to be built by Collings & Bell of St Marys Bay. Timed for Zane Grey’s second trip to New Zealand, Grey asked if the boat could be named after him. A familiar sight in the game fishing era alongside other classics such as the Alma G (another E C Arlidge boat, built in 1922), Manaaki (also owned by EC Arlidge for a period, later sold by the Arlidge Bros to Eric Sanderson of Whangaroa/ Totara North in 1932 for 172 pounds), Otehei and Lorna Doone. The sons of Ernest, Francis and Mervyn, known as ‘Arlidge Bros’ took to the family boating business around age 19 and were the original skippers of the Alma G and Alma G II respectively. Advertising them as the most ‘up-to-date boats in the Bay’ ‘being speedy and comfortable’ with all the latest fishing tackle and swivel chairs for deep sea fishing and available for ‘picnic parties’.
The boat was originally launched as the Zane Grey. Subsequently, rumour has it that Zane Grey and the Arlidges had a falling out, and the boat was renamed Alma G II around 1931.
The boat stayed in the Arlidge family for many decades until it was reluctantly let go around 1975. Dave Smith fully restored her, and she was relaunched in 1977as the Zane Grey. Most recently she was left to settle down the line in a paddock awaiting the moment where the new owner could tackle a large restoration project.
Tugging at the family history heartstrings, the Arlidge family had kept an eye on the happenings of the boat over the years and approached the recent owner to purchase her back into the family fold. They are now embarking on a restoration project with CMC Design to relive many childhood memories and get this family legacy ready to be enjoyed again by many more generations of the family.
The Arlidge family have kindly shared some of the classic photos of the Alma G II in the Bay of Islands. The Short Sunderland flying boat is dropping off some prestigious game fishing guests (many of whom were Arlidge Bros patrons over the years including Lady Ashley Dodd, the French flying ace Pierre Closterman, Zane Grey of course, his brother RC, and Carrie-Fin and Ham Guild as a few examples of the era).The story as far as we know for this photo is that it was the Admiral Earl and Lady Mountbatten on their visit in April 1956. In the photo with the black marlin is a young Mervyn Arlidge.”
We will follow this project and keep you updated.
Photos below are from previous WW stories where Alma G II has featured.
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 