Category Archives: 1920’s

Worldwide Classic Boat Show

Posted on by
Reply

Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with my enthusiasm for the uber cool website – offcenterharbor.com (screen grab above), last year the crew behind OCH during CV-19 lock down pulled together a world first, an online virtual woody boat show and today I can advise that its on again in 2022. With a slight twist – this year access is complimentary thanks to the generosity of the OCH founders. Details below

And because I couldn’t not give you a woody treat today – check out this link to a great OCH video, it is one of my favorite videos, I’d be a little embarrassed if I told you how many times I’ve watched it 🙂 Its titled ‘Live Well: The Cruising Smack STORM BAY with Tim Phillips‘

So woodys mark your calendars — the second annual Worldwide Classic Boat Show is almost here, and friends of Waitemata Woodys are invited to CLICK HERE to register and get a COMPLIMENTARY PASS to the entire Show!

The Show is a completely online event from February 18th-27th, which means you can enjoy this gathering of the world’s best classic boats from wherever you are (without leaving the comfort of your favorite chair). 

More details about the Show are below, and…

You can CLICK HERE to GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY PASS while they last.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Our friends at Off Center Harbor have used the power of the internet to put nearly everything in the world related to classic/wooden boats on one big interactive Google map…


WHAT’S “ON THE MAP” AT THE SHOW?

  • The Map – Everything related to classic boats is on one interactive Google map
  • Boats – Over 1,000 of the world’s best classic boats (with photos and details)
  • Organizations – Explore festivals, boatbuilders, clubs, museums, schools, etc.
  • Live Presentations – Inspiring presentations featuring experts on a variety of topics
  • People – Connect with other attendees anywhere in the world (right on the map)

YOUR BOAT COULD BE IN THE SHOW:

You can submit your own classic/wooden boat to be in the Show! Again, the Show is entirely virtual/online and will be open February 18th to 27th at ClassicBoatShow.com, and…

You can CLICK HERE to GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY PASS while they last.

Enjoy the Show!

Mahurangi Regatta 2022 – 150+ Classic Wooden Boat Photos

Posted on by
9

MAHURANGI REGATTA 2022 – 150+ CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

2022 will be remembered as the no frills regatta – no small boats, no beach activity, no beach party (band, bbq’s), no prize giving – but woodys it still rocked. Great turn out of both launches and yachts, and the weather gods delivered a breeze that provided some of the best racing we have seen in a long time.

I was told by someone that should know – that the budget for previous regatta’s is knocking on the door of $50,000 – maybe CV-19 has been a relativity check and maybe – less is more 🙂

I’m told Peter Brookes has Rawhiti in the groove, she is smoking the rest of the fleet – well done skipper and the grey haired crew 😉 for taking out the A division + Little Jim backing up last years Logan Trophy win with another win.

Tomorrow we will have a look at Mondays launch drag race for the quicks – conditions were below average on the inner harbour – correction, bad everywhere, I had the 2nd worst passage back from Kawau yesterday – 4.5 hours of my life I’ll never get back 🙂 . If I ever see the prick in a very large Riviera that went past me at full chat less than 50m away in the Rangi Channel and almost rolled me – he will get a bottle of Thai Fish Sauce in his air-con intake. 

No real story today, just a photo gallery from the weekend – sit back and enjoy. Remember click photos to enlarge. No photos from the Scotts Landing casual gathering – no need for a record ;-).

Special thanks to Murray Deeble and Glen Keeper for sending in photos 🙂

Update 02-02-22 Mahurangi weekend photo gallery below sent in by Graeme Finch

Lady Ngaio

Posted on by
3

LADY NGAIO  

WW has been following Lady Ngaio for several years, check out the 2016 story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/07/04/lady-ngaio/

Built c.1928, rumoured to be by Collings & Bell, Lady Ngaio is 28’ in length with a 7’4” beam. Back in 2000 Moon Engines re-powered her with a 90hp Ford Diesel engine, so she should have good turn of speed. The launch has been very lucky to have remained in the same family for the last 30 years, this constant ownership is reflected in her presentation.

In Case You Are Hiding At Home, Wearing 2 Masks And Wondering What You’re Missing This Weekend – Check Out the 2019 Mahurangi Regatta

Posted on by
10

MAHURANGI REGATTA  2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos

FRIDAY NIGHT

p1040788

SATURDAY – REGATTA DAY

p1040795

p1040798

p1040803

p1040839

p1040867

p1040869

p1040872

p1040899

p1040916

p1040940

p1040949

p1040965

SATURDAY NIGHT AT SCOTTS LANDING

p1040987

p1040989

p1040990

p1040988

SUNDAY MORNING

p1040994

MAHURANGI REGATTA  2019 – The biggest & best classic wooden boat regatta in NZ – 90+ photos

WoW what a woody weekend – simply stunning on all fronts –  sun > wind > location > people & of course the boats. On my estimate, the biggest turnout of classic wooden craft ever. Record numbers for Saturday mornings launch parade.
I’ll go out on a limb & repeat a comment made to me on the deck of Lidgard House, Kawau Island on Sunday night by one of our most prominent & influential classic wooden boat people – “Mahurangi is the real Auckland Anniversary Weekend Regatta” & after cruising back into Auckland today, & not seeing a lot of yachts, I would have to agree.
On Saturday between Jason Prew on My Girl & myself with Raindance we hosted three of the wooden boating world’s superstars – if you read or follow the WoodenBoat magazine, Classic Boat & the hottest property on the block – the vblog, https://www.offcenterharbor.com
then the names Maynard Bray, Benjamin Mendlowitz & Steve Stone will be very familiar to you. These gents were motored around the harbour & very selectively photographed / filmed our beautiful woodys. When I mentioned that I had cancelled my trip to next months Hobart Wooden Boat Festival, one commented “why would you go – it’s all here” & woodys – it was.
I have never attempted to understand the ‘politics’ / issues between the Mahurangi Cruising Club & The Friends of Mahurangi people – but between them they turn on a wonderful day, that equals anything on the world classic wooden boat calendar. As with anything, a few wee niggles e.g. crap PA sound system at the beach prize giving meant most people didn’t know the results – but I can tell you that Tony Blake & the crew on Thelma gave all the other A division skippers as master class in regatta sailing. It was wonderful to see the big 5 Arch Logan yachts – Thelma (1897), Rainbow (1898), Ariki (1904), Rawhiti (1905) & Rawene (1908) all on the same race track together, for the first time ever (I think I’m right – Harold?) The results were:
Thelma, followed by Rawhiti, followed by Ariki, then Rainbow & Rawene.
As a result of playing driver for the overseas crew – I’m a little light on sailing photos, but you can see from the gallery above that it was a special day.
Well done MCC and F. of M. for another magic weekend.
If anyone else had the camera out & captured some goodies, email them to   waitematawoodys@gmail.com
We bailed out of Mahurangi on Sunday morning & headed to Kawau Island for some family R&R – photos below.
Question – what do you do when there is no shotgun to signal sunset & the lowering of the burgee? – well a few lads decided to bang some pots together, then drop the flags at Lidgard House – me thinks there might be a letter in the mail to certain members 🙂
_1050003
A WEE BIT OF PR GOING ON HERE – WW T’s & OFF CENTER HARBOUR CAPS 🙂
THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE A FOOD SHOT – KAWAU BOATING LUB, DINNER SUNDAY NIGHT.
img_0612

Check out the video below of Rawhiti – sent in from Benjamin Mendlowitz from Off Center Harbour

http://offcenterharbor.com

Update – due to not all launches completing 2 laps of the launch parade – I missed photographing a few boats – photos below ex Justine Ricketts (edited by myself)

AND MORE – link below to the Off Center Harbour video of the 2017 regatta, featuring Steve Horsley’s stunning 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr – Ngatira

New Zealand’s Mahurangi Regatta – Featuring Chas Bailey’s NGATIRA

UPDATE ex Graeme Finch of the A Class fleet racing Saturday + one of Raindance showing myself & Steve Stone from Off Center Harbour filming / clicking away 🙂

As always – click photos to enlarge 😉

rd @ mr2019

Also from Graeme – one of Bruce Tantrum’s pride & joy – Paramour + Graemes stunning ship – Te Arahi 🙂

dsc_0139

dsc_0034

UPDATE – An early Saturday morning drone fly-by over Sullivans Bay, Mahurangi. Filmed by Neil Lawton, heads up on the movie from Ian Gavin.

30-01-2019 Update – photos of Laughing Lady ex Jason Prew

Update 11-02-2019 photos below ex Angus Rogers.

IMG_0153

IMG_0123

Who Built Lady Sam

Posted on by
Reply

Who Built Lady Sam
Back in September 2015 the 32’ launch – Lady Sam made an appearance on WW, at the time we were not able to shed much light on her past. When on tme once it was stated that she was a 1925 Collings and Bell build, but Harold Kidd pointed out that not under that name and obviously the ‘bridge-deck’ was a newer addition.

The problem with these mid>late 1920’s – early 1930, thirty’ish foot launches, is the almost every boatyard in Auckland was popping them out at a great tempo, my own boat being one of them. HDK told me once, but I have forgotten the numbers but from memory it was over 1,000. They were the Toyota Utes of the Hauraki Gulf.

Fast forward to January 2018 and Marianne Booen commented on WW that she had purchased Lady Sam in Sept 2017 and was intending to commence work on the launch.
Then woodys in August 2021 the launch made a cameo appearance on Romilly Brickell’s fb, commenting that LS was hauled out at the hard stand in Coromandel town.

So the question today is, after 6+ years are we in better shape to confirm the provenance of Lady Sam? Photo below afloat is c.2015
Link below to 2015 WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/09/25/lady-sam/

The Endless Summer

Posted on by
6
Tasman
Tasman & Viveen
Viveen
Waiari
Juanita
Pacific

Peter Loughlin Photos Below

Lady Margaret

The Endless Summer 

I know I’m tempting fate with the headline, but who can remember when it last rained? Todays gallery of woodys comes to us from the camera of Nathan Herbert (Pacific) as he mooched around the Hauraki Gulf last week. The last 5, are from Peter Loughlin (Lady Margaret -CW) doing the same thing.

We see Tasman, Viveen, Pacific, Arihi, Escape, Chandos, Zoe, Motunau, Waiari, Juanita, Pacific, Lady Margaret (CW), Rehia, Ngaro and a few that I can’t put a name to.

A question – did Colin Wild ever design / build an ugly boat? 

It was a pretty wild and woolly weekend in some parts of the north and reviewing the news and photos, Tutukaka took the brunt of it – sad to see the carnage. Angus Rogers sent in the photo below from Russell last night – tagged ‘After the Wind’ showing the Russell ferry and the launch Miss Brett, bottom right closer in.

A Pot-Pourri Of Woodys

Posted on by
3
Viveen @ Te Komua 
Raira @ Te Kouma
Tamure
Altair
Olive Rose @ Waiheke Island
Alma G @ Russel Wharf 

A Pot-Pourri Of Woodys

Today’s collection of classic launches come to use from a collective of woodys photographers that are cruising the Hauraki Gulf and outer waters – thanks to Angus Rogers, Murray Deeble, Colin Pawson and Lindsay McMorran.

And if you need a reminder of the cleverness of Chris McMullen, check out the link below to the story of his Herreshoff steam launch – just updated with shed photos post her ‘pretend’ (waterline check) launching.  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/26/chris-mcmullens-herreshoff-steam-launch-2/

Wakatoa

Posted on by
7

WAKATOA

The ex work boat Wakatoa recently popped up on tme, thanks Ian McDonald. She made a brief appearance on WW back in March 2014, link below. At the time she was berth at Thames and it was commented on WW that she had been listed in the CYA Classic Register booklet as being built c.1939 in the Hokianga. https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/05/wakatoa/

The tme listing now has her as being built in 1929, and comments that she stated her life towing harbour barges. We now know she is 36’ and powered by a 130hp Isuzu 6BB1 that gives her a 7>8 knot cruising speed. 

If you are looking for a nice salty looking double-ender, bidding is sub $10k, so she could be a bargain.

Classic Launch Waitangi (Karamana)

Posted on by
3

Classic Launch Waitangi (Karamana)
In the top three photos above we see Waitangi being relaunched at Hobsonville Marina. The photos came to us via my Hobby eyes and ears – John Wicks, as John commented that’s a very impressive trailer for an old girl.

Waitangi was built as Karamana for F.B. Cadman in 1923 by Bailey & Lowe to a design by Hacker. As Harold Kidd commented on a previous WW story Karamana = Cadman in pig Maori. She was later bought by Auckland Grammar School teacher P A S Stein who rebuilt her and fitted a war surplus 6 cyl Green sohc aero engine producing 120-140bhp, bore 5.5 ins, stroke 6 ins. HDK commented that she was pretty radical (see photo above), and a far cry from her current configuration.

In recent years Waitangi was restored at Ian Cooke’s Yachting Developments Ltd (YDL) and blitzed the fleet in the 2018 Rudder Cup race – photos below
Lots of back stories on the launch here
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/03/karamana-waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/26/waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/26/great-1930s-movie-featuring-the-launch-waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/28/3-girls-on-a-1930s-boating-picnic-filmed-on-waiheke-island-auckland-featuring-the-classic-launch-waitangi/


WTF – Next time you go to church you may have to stand up – a nameless boatyard acquired 4 magnificent kauri church pews, for the timber. I assume when the recipient of the wood is launched there won’t need to be a blessing 🙂

HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS WILL YOU LET SLIP BY WITHOUT A BOAT …….

Posted on by
Reply

HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS WILL YOU LET SLIP BY WITHOUT A BOAT ………

Waitematawoodys has a sister  – its called the Wooden Boat Bureau and we sell classic wooden boats – launches, yachts, big and small. We like to fly under the radar, as do most of our clients. Someone asked me what I did the other day – below sums it up (sounds a bit fluffy, in reality I just sell boats.

Inform and enthuse interest in the joys of owning and sailing traditional and classic wooden boats. And we do this by promoting partnerships between the boats, the sellers and the buyers, for the benefit of all. At the end of the day – its all about the boats, as most will out live their current owners.

To view a sample selection of classic woodys berthed at the virtual Wooden Boat Bureau dock, click this link –  https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/17/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

Myself and David Cooke (MV Trinidad) are almost always available to offer advice to sellers and buyers – in the interests of marital harmony – in the first instance email to the below

waitematawoodys@gmail.com