Category Archives: 1920’s

Wenna

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Wenna

WENNA

With ww I try to plan the posts a few days in advance, well yesterday Harold Kidd turned my schedule upside down when he sent in the above photo of Wenna. Earlier this week,
Harold was the recipient (on loan) of a photo album from Margaret Field of the O’Neill* family. One of the photos was the stunning one of Wenna above.

Wenna was recently purchased as  Rangitira & renovated by Pam  Gundy at the Whangateau Traditional Boat Yard (launch day photo below)

*Eric O’Neill arrived in NZ with his family just after WW1 and lived in Ring Terrace, just above St. Mary’s Bay & Wenna was built for him around 1925. Given his residence, most likely by a St. Mary’s Bay builder, the options being Collings & Bell, Leon Warne, Dick Lang (or Sam Ford who took over Lang’s yard in 1923 and used Ford’s moulds until 1924 when Lang returned).
Now two days ago I was sent a photo of Marua (below), by Dave Jackson via Adrienne, Dave’s father, (David Jackson Snr) was one of the owners of the Marua c.1955-56. Dave commented that Marua & Wenna were very similar in design, with Marua being built in 1915 for E. McKeown by Peter A. Smith who was an engine supplier and contracted out his hulls to St Mary’s Bay builders. Harold would pick Dick Lang as the builder of Marua’s hull, not Leon Warne who was still with Collings & Bell in 1915. It’s likely that Dick (or Sam Ford possibly) built Wenna too. Marua was a total loss as a result of the fire that destroyed the Baileys yard.

There’s always the possibility that Collings & Bell built both boats but Harold does not think they did much (if any) work for Peter A. Smith as they were more interested in selling their own brands of marine engines where the greater profit margin lay and weren’t short of their own orders.

All of the above aside – both Marua and Wenna are best described as typical St. Mary’s Bay – built launches of the period.

Note – when Pam’s partner George (Emtage) saw Margaret Field’s photo of Wenna, he starting looking for his chainsaw – he liked what Harold described as the slinky look – so do I.

Pam on the other hand is happy with Wennna’s tram-top, which according to Dave Jackson was built by Cyril Freeman of Ponsonby. He was working for Shipbuilders at the time, but this job was a ‘homer’. This was during the late 1940’s maybe even the early 1950’s.

MARUA

Marua

 WENNA (Rangitira) 2014

Wenna 2014
Wenna 2014
Wenna 2014

07/11/14 – photo of Wenna ex Harld Kidd ex Bob Wiley

 

Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #2 – Ngatoa 1928- 29

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Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #2 – Ngatoa 1928- 29

Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #2 – Ngatoa 1928- 29

Thanks to Robert Brooke for making these remarkable cruise drawings done by his father, Jack Brooke, available to ww followers. Jack produced a hand drawing on each cruise. Todays post is the second of several – enjoy.

The above drawing records the travels of Ngatoa during what I assume was their annual Christmas / New Year Cruise. They certainly clocked up some miles – with White Island to the South & Great Barrier to the North. From the drawing of White Island it would appear that she was very active at the time.
This one does not list the crew.

Esme

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ESME

details & photos from Harold Kidd & Ken Ricketts

Esme was built by Joe Slattery for Henry Allen in 1921. He owned her in the 1920’s>1930’s. The photo above is from the early 1930’s after Allen raised her cabin top and put on a dodger. Hopefully one of the ww followers can ID some of the children on board.

More info here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/29/esme/

Below is a raw photo essay in how our classics were ‘updated’ over a short period (approx. 10yrs). click to enlarge.

As Launched

1st Update


2nd Update

07-04-2017 Photo below ex Ken Ricketts

ESME - 1920's

 

Matanui

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MATANUI

Sometimes on ww things happen fast, sometimes they take time – todays post started off in early April – then almost 4 months later someone lights a match & boom – details & photos appear.

Details from Harold Kidd, photos ex Bruce Overhill.

Matanui was built as San Luis by Ernie Lane in Picton for Martin Beck of Picton in 1923 for Cook Strait conditions. Beck sold her to Auckland owners in October 1925 and motored her up. Early Auckland owners were W.J. Bridson and J.A. Peacock but Walsh Brothers bought her in 1933 and fitted a Kelvin diesel, for which they were Auckland agents.
Between 1942 and 1945 she was used as a Naval patrol launch out of Suva (and may have had a petrol engine installed during that period (Chrysler Crown?) for rationalisation purposes. She was sold back to Leo Walsh in July 1945 but on sold to Joe Kissin (not Kissen) a well-known North Shore businessman of Lake Road, Takapuna, once again Kelvin-powered. Jack Brooke helped Joe with a redesign in 1952. She was moored off Queen’s Parade Devonport, in close company with Moana, Ariki, Spray II, Marangi, Tasmin, Jacqueline and the 30 sq meter Tangaika either side of the Iris Cable Wharf. Her call-sign was ZMQB
The Kelvin was replaced with a Fairbanks-Morse by 1954 and that by a new 6 cylinder Fordson diesel in 1960. By 1973 Joe had sold her to W.K.Downey of Epsom.
He sold her to Thames and then she came back to Auckland owned by O’Meara until about 1983 etc etc.

To read more on her past click this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/04/05/id-the-boats/comment-page-1/#comment-11765

‘New’ photos from Bruce Overhill – 03/09/2014

Mystery Boat 30/08/2014

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Mystery Boat 30/08/2014

photo from snapshot book of H.D.Guthrie.

Roger Guthrie sent in this photo from his Grandfathers collection, the date is approx. 1925 & the location Waiheke Island.
The name of the launch is not known but Rogers suspects it may have been owned by the Lambourne family.

Anyone able to ID the boat?

If you are new to waitematawoodys, when ww first started there were some neat late 1920’s/1930’s old b/w boating movies of Waiheke Island & the Stein Family (Arran Bay) launch Waitangi, the Stein’s owned Waitangi for 20>30 years. Enter ‘Guthrie Family’ in the Search box & enjoy.

Update 31/08/2014

Photo below of Minerva  from “Deeds not words” (pp 44) ex Derek Molander

Rosemary

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Rosemary- 1925 Anniversary Regatta.

ROSEMARY – but which one?

Feature photo & background info ex Harold Kidd.Ozone & Rosemary photo ex classicboatsnz. Other photos & email ex Melvin Adams

There has been a lot of chat / debate recently on ww concerning the the launch Rosemary in regard to her origins & what became of her over the years. Things are complicated by the fact that there have been / still are several Rosemarys out there. You can read the chat here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/27/ozone-rosemary/comment-page-1/#comment-11545

Todays post is focussing on the launch that was built in St.Mary’s Bay by Leon Warne in December 1920 for himself and his brother George and was taken north for game-fishing out of Russell. The Warne brothers then set up boatbuilding, repairs as well as gameboat chartering at Russell. Rosemary originally had a Scripps 4 cylinder but was later fitted with a Redwing. She was one of several launches that were very successful in promoting the deep sea angling sport in the Bay of Islands, both from Russell and Whangaroa.
Rosemary was originally launched as a dashing flushdecker. As pictured in the photo above from “N Z Vintage Launches”  of her on the Waitemata in the 1925 Anniversary Regatta.

Enter Melvin Adams who has a launch named Rosemary, moored in Mill Bay Mangonui. Melvin has owned the boat for approx 10 years & has been tracking her past & is confident that his Rosemary is the same boat (Leon Warne) pictured above. She has a more ‘spacious’ cabin these days.  One of Melvin’s photos below indicates the areas where he can clearly see the areas where portholes used to be.
Below is a photo montage showing Rosemary thru-out the years – I’ll let you be the judge if Melvin’s Rosemary is the Warne built ex game boat.

Make sure you read the e-mail from one of her previous owners – Don Jansen to Melvin , is a good tale of life as a ‘commercial’ fisherman.

As always – click on photos to enlarge 🙂

WAINUI (II)

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#2506

WAINUI (II)

There as been a lot of activity in comments section of ww in regard to Wainui. The original story I posted on her back in June 2013 under the headline ‘Getting Hooked’ told the tale of her current owner Phil Parks & how he came to own the classic wooden launch Wainui. Its a good story & can be viewed at the link below  –

Getting Hooked

Last Friday the post popped up again & we uncovered some insight into her past & some wonderful details & photos from Harold Kidd. Phil Parks advised that the restoration project was now scheduled to start in late 2014, aside from other things in life getting in the way, there was a wee oops that saw Wainui sink at her mooring.

Firstly a brief history of WAINUI II 

  1. Built by Joe Slattery c1924 for E.O. Ward.
  2. Wrecked on Rangitoto February 1936 and badly damaged.
  3. Ward sold to Val Maxwell, teacher at King’s College, as a wreck. Maxwell rebuilds probably close to present configuration.
  4. Maxwell sells 1939.
  5. Later owners include Sandy Searle 1967-72, then Dr. Ranginui Walker 1972, gap of 3 years then John Hobden 1977-81, Stan Bayer 1981-84, N Amos 1984-7, Ken Meyer 1987-90.
  6. Capt. John Harrison (ex-skipper of HMNZS TUI), Harold has fond memories of the TUI wardroom, bought her at Sandspit 1990 in poor condition with 40hp Ford Ebro. Orams rebuilt her substantially 1991-2. John renamed her Tilikum and kept her at Parua Bay then sold shortly after and went back to sail.

 

Photo Gallery of WAINUI II

# 2507 was taken in 1928 alongside the Bayswater Wharf. Note the steam trams.

#2507

# 2505 shows her being launched for the season from Bailey & Lowe’s. This pic was used in the Herald on 24/10/30. The yacht on the right is almost certainly Ladye Wilma on Heartseae’s cradle.

#2505

# 2506 shows her on the rocks at Rangitoto in February 1936 (same image as used in the header)

# 2509 she’s at Lees at Sandpit in April 1990 when John Harrison bought her, looking fine but seriously rotten.

#2509

# 2508 at Orams in Whangarei under major reconstruction in April 1991.

#2508

# NZ Herald 4 Feb 1936 (Papers Past) – high on the rocks at Rangitoto. The 6 occupants were washed out of the cockpit, with  2 females being injured.

# NZ Herald 6 Feb 1936 (Papers Past) – showing the extensive damage she sustained.

NZH PP 06/02/36

# Current Photo 2013 (low res image)

 

 

Wenna (Rangitira)

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Wenna (Rangitira)

This 32′ early 1920’s Collings & Bell classic launch would have to be one of the luckiest classics around – a few months ago I gave Rangitira, as she was named then, a big plug on ww as she was for sale on trademe at what was the buy of the year price. Then a few months ago she was ‘adopted’ by Pam Cundy at Whangateau Traditional Boats.

To use Pam’s own words she “pushed through a quick paint job and varnished hatch and mast, now for a new name board to come”. Pam will be reverting to her old name Wenna. She slipped back into the water last week. Looks pretty slick to me & Pam has a great eye for colours.

To read / view photos from her past click this link

Rangitira

Update from Pam Cundy

After several years of watching for a suitable motor boat this felt like an opportune time to purchase. After looking her over with the usual ‘check for …’ And with the usual ‘old boat’ problems the only thing that bothered me was this old girl had seemingly lost her real identity. Fortunately shortly after purchasing her and conducting a search Adrienne and Dave called by with some details and Harold contributed also.

Wenna ( Rangitira) – according to Dave Jackson
Dave identified her as being Wenna – 1940’s to1970’s he knew her to be Wenna.
His friends would say “when are you going to shout?”.
1967-68 Dave purchased her to tow his mullet boat down to the Ponsonby yacht club from Birkenhead.
She had a Morris Commodore petrol engine in her then.
1940’s owner was Mr O’Neil of Ring Terrace Ponsonby. He installed the raised cabin. When Mr O’Neil passed away he left the boat to William ( Bill ) McWhirter.
Bill sold it to Mr Wylie (Jacks father – Boat haulage).

Harold on Wenna
Eric Cathbart Fergus O’Neil of Ponsonby (b.1886,d.1957), engineer, owned Wenna from at least 1925.
“Unfortunately” Harold said, ” I can’t connect her back to Collings and Bell but if Dave J says Collings and Bell, that was good enough for me”.
O’Neil did a lot of game fishing with her in the mid 1920s and 1930s.
In March1930 she was attacked by a big mako off the Great Barrier, splintering some planks and then got free.

Wenna – ” maiden” or “white seas”

Thanks also to Tim Jackson, previous owner
See you at the Mahurangi Regatta!!!
Pam
An awesome blog Alan and Harold- Look what it turned up for me : )

Miss Brett

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MISS BRETT

Classic displacement launch Miss Brett, built for the famous cream trip at the Bay of Islands. 40′ loa, 10’9″ beam, 2’11” draft. Kauri carvel planked, launched 1924, powered by 100 hp 6 cyld Ford diesel.

Must be loads of history out there on this old girl. Designer / builder??

Sorry about the photos, ex trademe & very poor quality 😦

Valerie

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Valerie launch day 29 Aug 1929
Valerie 2007
Lady Dorothy (L) Valerie (R)

VALERIE

Photos from Alan H & Papers Past.
Details from Harold Kidd & Robin Elliott

Valerie was built by the Lane Motor Boat Company & launched on 29 August 1929. Her owner was Mr. M. G. King of Whangarei. She is 35′ with a 9′ beam. When launched she featured two cabins & had a 35hp St Lawrence engine.

These days Valerie is kept at Whangaroa Marina and currently owned by John Briers and Jackie Te Hore of Cable Bay. Valerie was for many years owned by the Reynolds family, close friends of the Pickmeres, who owned her up until the late 1960’s. Apart from a short period in Auckland during the 1960’s she has spent almost all her life in Whangarei and the Far North. It is believed Valerie was sometimes used by H. Pickmere when he was charting the far north

In the colour photo above Valerie (r) is anchored with Robin Elliott’s Logan 33 replica, Lady Dorothy (l), off Milford Island in Whangaroa Harbour, Jan 2013.