Category Archives: 1920’s

Vagrant – Sailing Sunday

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VAGRANT – Sailing Sunday
photos from Duncan Elliot, details from Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott. (edited by Alan H)

I was contacted recently by Duncan advising that he had purchased Vagrant off trademe last year & was looking for details on her history.
She had sunk due to a 100mm x 60mm hole in the transom below the bolt on the drop keel box . When Duncan started the repair he a little surprised to find that someone had filled the area with  epoxy from a tube and no fibre. Subsequently this failed & popped out resulting in the trip to Davey Jones locker. Duncan did a temporary repair on the hole
& later cut out the old hole and scarfed a piece in and built a box around the existing box as this was too short i.e. does not go all the way down to the keel and deadwood.
Vagrant she is now back in the water and drawing about 5 litres a water a day. Duncan intends to take her out in a couple of months to do a total re-fit, doing the work myself as he is joiner by trade.

I contacted Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott and asked if they could provide some details on Vagrant for Duncan & true to form, they delivered 🙂
HAROLD
VAGRANT was built by Jack Greenhalgh in 1924 according to MBQ (pretty unreliable). My first hit on the boat is a shade before the 1926 AAR (which was certainly her first race).
She’s in the  list of N’s in NZA of 18/11/25 (as N7).
My guess is built by John/Jack Greenhalgh of Richmond Rd about late 1925 and owned probably with his brother Albert.

ROBIN
I first trip over Vagrant registered as N-7  in the 1926 Anniversary Regatta.
Owners details:
• A. Greenhalgh 1925?/26+?; P. Churton 1932/+?
• On Manukau 1928, registered as number`19′ with Manukau Y & MB Club
• Pennant? 6/10/32: Purchased by Churton who intends to use her for cruising only.
• Re-appears post-war registered as N-17 c1945
• Owner Cyril Hill early 40’s? E.L. (Ernie) Beaver 1945+? D.A.K. Taylor 1949+?; Dick Still 1962?; D.J. Mason 1964/65+?
• Dimensions 1949: 20’x 20’x 9’x 2’10”, 330 sqft gaff rigged, 1ton ballast
• Listed as ‘Unregistered’ 1970
• 1990 on beach, North Harbour Kawau.?
 
There is one photo of her in the Auckland Museum Bond Collection, negative number PH-NEG-C37485 dated 1st February 1947.

Robin helped paint her in 1963 when Dick Still owned her and she was still in gaff at that stage (Or was she?). Dick Still lives in Pakuranga and may have some photos of her from that time.  If anyone knows Dick, give him a nudge re any photos 09-5348158

LOOK OUT for Mondays post  – its on the Lake Rotoiti (Sth Island) antique & classic wooden boat festival, lots of cool boats 😉

CYA 2016 Classic Yacht Regatta

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CYA 2016 Classic Yacht Regatta
photos from Simon Smith, Rod Marler, Peter Loughlin & myself

Yesterday (06-03-2016) was the final day of the 3 day regatta & the weather gods delivered the goods to finish the regatta on a high note.
I’ll let the photos tell the story but really need to say that the new venue & host club, the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron was a winner with everyone, perfect venue for our event & the crew at the RNZYS were fantastic.
I’m sure race results will be view able on the CYA website, I’ll post a link when they go live. Enjoy 🙂

Remember to click on photos to enlarge

Day 1 – sorry working

DAY 2

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Day 3

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Prize Giving

CYA Regatta Fleet @ RNZYS

PLUS – some great up close photos on Jason Prew’s facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/jason.prew/media_set?set=a.10154699374602178&type=3

Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade – 2016 – 150+ photos

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Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade Weekend – 2016 – 150+ photos

Get comfortable this ones a biggie, 150+ photos from the 2016 Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade weekend.

The inclement conditions (lots of H2O) on Saturday resulted in the parade being moved to Sunday, to most this was a positive as it gave everyone more time to socialize. We took the opportunity to mooch around the lake & visit a few lake-side properties. The transport for the day was rather special – 2 of the regular parade attendees, Cathy & Shawn Vennell and Pam & Tim Aurisch had bought their classic cars – a 1960 Dodge & 1956 Chev Bel Air, very impressive tow cars & a cool mode of transport.

So today’s post is a mix of classics – motorboats, day boats, speedboats, steamboats, yachts & cars – Its a visual attempt to give to you a taste of the weekend & showcase the vessels that make up the parade.
Special thanks to the LRC&WBP committee, especially Commodore Grant Cossey, past Commodore Fraser Wilson and the lass that makes it all happen Rachel Jamieson.

Due to another engagement we could not attend the post parade picnic.

Each boat carries a number, to find out more details on any vessel e.g. name, year, owner – refer to this link to a master listing. 2016ParadeEntrantDetails

Enjoy 🙂

Click photos to enlarge 😉

(L>R) Commodore Grant Cossey, past Commodore Fraser Wilson, Chris Miller

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Mystery Picton Boat

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MYSTERY PICTON BOAT

Its only a mystery because the broker selling it obviously doesn’t want to sell the vessel. Why else would you not include the vessel’s name & designer / builder details?

I can tell you this bridgedecker is made of wood, 42′ long, built in 1929, is powered by a 75hp 5LW Gardner diesel & sleeps 6.
Her current home is Picton & at $49k ono its appears a reasonable buy – unless of course it was built in India 🙂

Just re-read the listing & hows this – they list the design of the tender (Seabird)………………

Update – so it looks like it is Rio Rito / Resolution, the photo below of Resolution was sent to me by Don Macleod, taken in Mercury Cove in summer of 2011.

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Big Boys Toys

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Big Boys Toys

Auckland’s Anniversary Day Regatta attracts a huge fleet of vessels from sailing dinghies to tall ships & is one of the biggest one day sailing regattas in the world. One of the most popular events with the spectators is the Tug (work) Boat race. The race sees 20+ tugboats tearing around the  harbour in very close combat. The skippers are some of the best seaman on the harbour & they need to be with the almost ‘bumper-to-bumper’ racing.
This year was no different 🙂 in the photos above we see two of the Classic Yacht Association launch fleet, Ferro & Sterling almost dwarfed by modern day tugboats.

To view more of the tugboat action & more CYA classic boats competing – click this link  http://buggeritweareoff.com/

Now in the last photo above I bet the bloke on the helm of the yacht is asking himself – “what the hell am I doing here?” 🙂

Very Cool Video from the Race

Yesterdays Mahurangi Regatta post on WW broke all the records in terms of visitors & viewing numbers, over 14,000 in the first 24 hours. Thanks should go out to all the boat owners that make the effort to attend the event & spend all the time & effort prepping their pride & joy.

The classic of the regatta in my eyes would be Tasman, the 1927 Colin Wild launch. She is one of those boats that no matter what angle you look at her she is just perfect & a credit to owners D O’Callahan & A Tyler.

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Bugger

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The 1921 classic Arch Logan launch Ngaio got a little close to the eastern end of Flat Island (Gt Barrier) on Monday. She hit just after high tide and given the angle of the ‘dangle’  must have been going at a good pace. I understand the hole(s) were patched and she was floated off on the next tide. She is built like a brick shite house so one can imagine the only major damage would have been a few bruised egos 😉 Click photos to enlarge, sorry crappy photos, mobile phone at a distance.

I for one can not comment – a mooching speed & a big powerful runabout nearby, were my saving grace (different bricks) 🙂

15-01-2016 Owner Report

Luckily Ngaio  was only traveling at 5 knots when she hit and it happened at full high tide. As the tide dropped, Ngaio came to rest almost fully supported along her keel. Salvage operators had her refloated 3 hours before the next high tide. The only damage was to the stem plate which covered the pohutakawa stem underneath, and the sacrificial keel plate. No boards were sprung, no water was taken on, and no other damage. They don’t build boats like that, these days.
The next day she returned to Auckland from Gt Barrier, without missing a beat..

Vagabond – Sailing Sunday

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VAGABOND – Sailing Sunday

Story alert ex Frank Stoks

Frank who owns the classic vessel Atatu sent me a link to this very cool story that appeared in ‘The Marlborough Express’ newspaper on the 28-12-2015, written by Kat Guggan.

Marlborough woman Viv Murray’s 1926 yacht, Vagabond, has been passed through generations of her family.
Viv said that she has grown up with it, her grandfather had it built and when she was 5 years-old he handed it on to her father, so we started cruising the sounds.
Built in Wellington, Murray believes her grandfather based the design of Vagabond on boats the Americans were building at the time, having seen similar styles in boating magazines from the era.
She and her brother, Rick Holmes, have made alterations to the boat, including an extension to the cabin, but kept its decor largely the same.
“It’s still in the old style … we have changed a few things but we put in old-fashioned things rather than modernising it,” she said.
Vagabond was kept at the Port Nicholson Yacht Club until about 30 years ago.

Click the link below to read the full story – it’s a great tale 😉
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/cruising/75483136/on-the-water-viv-murray-spends-a-lifetime-cruising-the-marlborough-sounds.html

Harold Kidd Input

VAGABOND was primarily a launch, a motor sailer, or at most an auxiliary like her later near sister NEREIDES. Both were built by B.J.L. (Joe) Jukes at Balaena Bay, VAGABOND for Arthur Moody Holmes (Jock’s father I believe) in late 1925 and NEREIDES for C.H. Mitchell, launched in October 1926 with 28-36hp Ailsa Craig power.
VAGABOND had a 45hp Thornycroft in 1937 but that replaced an earlier unspecified 24hp unit.
She was in NAPS as a patrol vessel 1942-3.
Both these Jukes boats were built for Cook Strait work. No wonder they have survived so well.
Arthur Holmes’ first boat was the little keel yacht NANOYA in 1907 and he was a staunch Port Nick sailor for many years until his death in 1963.

Princess

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PRINCESS
photos & details ex Paul Drake

Paul has advised that the above launch has arrived at Lake Taupo within the last few weeks. Now if we believe the name plate she is a 1927 Colin Wild boat. Paul commented that its a nice touch having the build year and builder’s name being advertised, but it would be nice with they spelt the name correctly (Wild not Wilde) 😦

Paul believes that if her provenance stacks up, she is probably the only Col Wild on the lake.

The name plate states her home anchorage was Mahurangi, so what more do we know about Princess & how did she end up on the lake ?

Manukau Racing – Sailing Sunday

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Manukau Racing – Sailing Sunday
photos ex Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club ex Nathan Herbert

Today’s post shows the start of the Champion/s Cup run by the Manukau Cruising Club in 1929. The bigger yacht in the center of the fleet is A27, photo below.
This post was done via the iphone from Patio Bay on board Raindance, make sure you check in tomorrow for lots of photos from the CYA weekend 😉

Harold Kidd Input

A27 is ANAHERA, built by Robert Logan Sr in August 1893 for D.S. Sutherland of Onehunga as a centreboard cutter. She was a 38 footer, rated at 3.5 tons and by far the biggest yacht on the Manukau.  She was taken over to the Waitemata in late 1919 and eventually registered with the APYMBA as a C Class, C22. She went back to the Manukau in 1924 when bought by the Hammond brothers.A27 is her Manukau number, the “A” her Manukau Cruising Club number and the “27” her Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club number.
Back on the Waitemata, in May 1936 she was completely gutted by fire while hauled out on the Tamaki River below the Panmure Bridge.
She is also third from left in the top pic.
The patiki on the extreme left of the top pic is MYRA, (sail number W), built by Logan Bros in August 1898 for Roy Wilson. She was on the Manukau between 1919 and 1930. She appears to have died in Northcote around 1939, but Robin may have more details.
The next boat to the right is one of the several mullet boats on the Manukau in 1929. I can’t read her number or tell her by the cut of her jib but she’s possibly the 22 footer MAIDIE. The rest to leeward are a mix of mulletties mainly, although the Logan patiki AOMA is probably in there.

LAKE ROTOITI 2016 CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT CALENDARS

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LAKE ROTOITI 2016 CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT CALENDARS

Once again waitematawoodys, Chris Miller & myself are rapped to have worked with the Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Assoc. on the production of their 2016 calendar.
The calendar is chocker full of photos from the amazingly popular 2015 Classic & Wooden Boat Parade. The calendars make excellent Christmas presents for those ‘hard to buy for’ friends & are great value – $10 for 1, or $8 each for 5 or more.  There is a limited amount printed so get in quick, last year they sold out very quickly.

If any woodys are interested in buying contact Rachel Jamieson via this email link

zea.rachel@gmail.com
Postage is $2.40 for up to 7 calendars, $5 for more than 7 or courier ($6 North Island $7 South Island  –  RD extra).
Payment is via direct credit – please use your surname as reference and email Rachel when you make the payment. Remember to add the postage 😉

The bank account number is:    12 3155 0140546 00  Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Assoc.

This is one of those cool win/win situations – its a great way to support the wooden boating movement & you get something back i.e. a cool calendar. Order now.
ps sorry for the slightly wonky cover photo – Rachel needs a few photography 101 tips 🙂