LADY PAMELA – A Big Woody for not a lot of money When I mooching around the marina scooping out the launch – Pirate, I noticed a small 4sale sign of the rather king-sized woody – Lady Pamela. Now I know its outside of the ‘classic’ category but its wood – triple skin kauri. Lady Pamela is 60’ in length with a beam of 17’+. Power comes from twin Ford 150hp diesels, giving her a top speed of 11 knots. With a fuel capacity of 5000L (tbc) she is a serious long range cruiser.
Set up with eight berths LP would either be a perfect large family boat, a live-aboard base or maybe a group of serious fisher-persons could buy her as a syndicated floating man (oops can’t say that) bach.
You will see from the photos that the last owner of LP liked the colour mint green – now just close your eyes and imagine all that painted off-white, the boat would increase in value overnight. The owners want her sold, so all offers will be considered. If you are on the lookout for a boat like Lady Pamela – call David Cooke 027 478 1877 for a chat 😉
27-11-2021 UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS (below – click photos to enlarge)
While catching up on the where abouts of the launch – Kitty Vane, I learned that Chris Geddes, a previous owner of Kitty Vane, swapped KV for the launch – Gytha. Chris advised that Gytha was built by Doug Robb in Timaru in the mid 1960′, he believes the launch date was 1967. Doug Robb was also the builder of Strathallan which features on WW’s and a number of the Timaru fishing fleet. Gytha is 45′ long and powered by twin Ford diesels.
Last year, when Gytha was hauled out at Orams, Harry Jorgenson saw her parked in the yard and was able to identify where she had come from by looks alone.
Home these days for Gytha is the Te Atatu Boating Club in West Auckland. Any woodys able to tell us more about Gytha?
Waikawa early 2000’sHobsonville Aug 2008Hutcheson Boat-builders 08-11-2011
ORANUI – Part Two Yesterdays request for more intel on the yacht Oranui, hit the jackpot when Marl McLaughlin opened his WW email yesterday. Mark sent in the above and below selection of photos. If you missed yesterdays story, might be best to scroll down first and read /view it then read Mark’s input – reproduced below.
“Further to the “what became of her story” on Oranui, I have sent in some extra info and photos. The obituary details are for her builder and original owner Eric Tomkies, taken from the winter 1988 edition of the RPNYC magazine “The Rip”. Eric Tomkies was a distant relation of mine (he and my grandfather were cousins) and I know Oranui well.
Previously brothers Eric, Clinton and Horace Tomkies built the 47ft Burns designed RAKOA and sailed her extensively. I have included a photo (below) of Rakoa from the Gisborne Photo News, June 1954. Unfortunately Rakoa was later lost when working as a fishing boat at Stewart Island and what remains now rests on the seabed in Foveaux Strait.
Oranui was sturdily built in strip planked kauri on a hardwood backbone. Heavy scantlings are typical of Athol Burns’ style and it is notable in the magazine article that of the six boats that came ashore in the Wahine storm, it was only the two Athol Burns boats (Hinemoana III was the other one), that were re-floated.
Oranui has spent most of her life in the Wellington and Marlborough Sounds regions. Her 3cyl Volvo Penta diesel was re-powered with a 4cyl 52hp Yanmar diesel engine in 1999 and she circumnavigated the South Island in the early 2000’s. She was then sold to a New Plymouth based owner who cruised her extensively between New Plymouth and Nelson/Marlborough Sounds and also up to Auckland. I have attached a photo of her on the hardstand at Hobsonville Marina during this time. She was then sold in 2011 to a Wellington based Doctor who sent her to Hutcheson Boatbuilders in Tauranga for a refit before taking her back to Wellington. I spotted her motoring around Picton Harbour in January this year looking as good as new.
As per most Athol Burns designs she is functional but beautiful, and very sea-kindly for Cook Strait conditions. “
FOOT NOTE: Mark believes the RPNYC article is confusing the Wahine storm in 1968 with the storm in 1966 which the Sea Spray article about Oranui and Hinemoana III relates to. However, Eric’s brother Clinton Tomkies did tell him that Oranui came ashore in the Wahine storm as well, but he could have been confusing it with the 1966 storm too 🙂
The above photo ex Sea Spray magazine, via K Ricketts, shows the yacht Oranui ashore at Eastbourne, Wellington. She was washed ashore during a big storm. We know that Oranui was built in 1960 and owned by a Mr. Tomkies when she had the mishap It was reported that Oranui was not seriously damaged.
Do know what became of Oranui and where she is these days?
Woodys Riverhead Tavern – Winter Cruise Yesterday was one of those days where the weather forecasters got it wrong -big time. Took the dog for an early morning waterfront walk between the showers and the ferries on the harbour were sounding their fog horns – fast forward 2 hours and the suns out, water glassy flat and we are going boating. Quick side trip to collect our quests – Margo & Jamie (MV Lady Crossley) from Westhaven and we are off.
A great turn out for mid-winter, saw 60+ woodys gathering at the historic waterside Riverhead Tavern for lunch – special thanks to those that came by car and helped with berthing the boats at the wharf. As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉
Nice to meet some new faces and if there was an award for most travelled attendee, woody Bruce Rowe on board – Ngarimu would be the winner. Bruce and his ‘decky’ mate – travelled from Thames to attend. The boys left Thames on Friday, stayed at bottom end of Waiheke, then off Stanly Point / Bayswater on Saturday night and will be heading home today. Talking to Bruce, Saturday night sounded heaven – tucked up in their warm bunks, rain on the cabin top, listening to the Auckland Blues rugby game, then the NZ v India cricket test – not a lot of sleep was had 🙂
We were also graced with the company of John and Diana Olsen on their steam boat – Dancer, The Olsen’s towed Dancer from Cambridge and launched her at the old Salthouse yard to make the trip up the creek.
Check out the Woodys Classic Weekends Event Calendar at the link below, for upcoming outings – our next one is an overnight BBQ cruise up the Clevedon River on the weekend of 14 > 15th August – a heads up – numbers will be restricted due to berthing / anchoring limits -so RSVP early.
PANDORA After all the shinny paint yesterday probably best to have a work-boat story today. The 48’ fishing boat – Pandora was built in the late 1960’s at the Alex Baxter Yard in Whangarei.. Her original owners were Brook and Winston Richards of Kaitaia, who had her built for commercial crawfishing. But she was set up so she could be converted to trawling within a few hours.The photo taken on launch day is dated Feb 1970 and is ex Photo News, and comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb. A comment there stated that Pandora was the best looking fishing boat built- big call, but she is a looker.
The news paper headline read – ‘$40,000 Boat Launched’ so she must have been out there in her day.
Do we know what became of Pandora?
Remember the Riverhead Tavern Woodys cruise today – lots arriving by car, so if you are put off by the weather – take the car for a spin 🙂 details below
Around The Yards – Centaurus Angus Roger’s 42’ 1967 1968 Bailey & Sons built launch – Centaurus has been tucked away over winter in a shed up the Tamaki River getting a serious serving of TLC to her hull. I understand that there was an accumulation of old anti-fouling removed, back to bare wood, and the process started again. Looks very impressive and back in the water later this week, Just in time for the Woody Riverhead Tavern lunch cruise on the 20th June.
Since buying Centaurus in late 2019, Angus has undertaken numerous upgrades and enhancements to the vessel, that sees her in the best condition of her life. I will have to reserve him a ringside wharf berth at the Tavern wharf 😉
Todays photo is dated 1969 and shows a camping ground, tagged – ’Smiths Holiday Camp, Paihia ’. Not sure exactly where that was, but its a mirror of my summer holidays at Simpsons Beach Camp on the Coromandel. Even the dinghy in the foreground. My father built me one, it took 4 kids to just move it – built like a brick out-house 🙂
I love the fact that there are so many kids playing in the water and it appears no adult supervision – we have become so PC.
I Feel Like Kim Kardashian
Lots of body shaping, filling (botox) and make-up under way on my old girl – the rudder and surrounding area was a mess and in need of some TLC. New – rudder tube, shaft, arm and bearings have been crafted and installed, yet to sea trial but its just so smooth to operate, the previous setup was very rudimentary.At the same time lots of other work underway, its been a long 3 weeks.
Hine Moana II Todays woody is named – Hine Moana II. She is 35’, carvel planked kauri and built by Jorgensen & Sons, Picton in 1963. Powered by a 145hp Perkins T 6.354 engine. Her owners are Phil Hogg, Tony Bishop and Murray Cederman – who share the maintenance and upkeep. Her home berth is the MYCC, Port Motueka, where she has resided for the last 21 years.
Hine Moana was built originally as the Commodores launch at the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club.
ROYAL FALCON – FYI – Fantastic response to yesterdays story on Royal Falcon, the 3rd largest viewing day for the year – and almost no varnish 😉 For the petrol (diesel heads) below is a short clip of the Commer TS3 being fired up for the first time post re-build. Owner Steve commented that the puff of smoke is the residual lube oil from the new cylinder sleeve installation 🙂
The 35’ motorsailer Hinemoana II was launched in the late 1960’s (c.1965) who for is unclear but possibly for Mr. P. W. Anker of Wainuiomata Wellington.
Six months after she was launched in July 1966, she ended up on the beach at Eastbourne, just short of the seawall, during a severe Wellington storm, having broken her new mooring, refer top photo. Reports are that she sustained no serious damage.
Fast forward to 2018 and she pops up at Gulf Harbour, Auckland receiving some TLC. B/W photo comes to us ex Sea Spray magazine and the GH ones + details via Ken Ricketts. Do we know what became of her between 1966 and 2018?
