Category Archives: 1960’s

Santa Rosa – Argyll – Lady Argyle

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2013
2015
2015
c.2007
c.2007

Santa Rosa > Argyll > Lady Argyle
Updated details from Harold Kidd, Don Galbraith, Lynton Bates, the Lidgard family & Ken Ricketts. photos ex Don Galbraith& KR

Lady Argyle was built in 1965 by John Lidgard at his Glen Eden factory, for Mac Stewart & one other partner (a taxi driver), when launched she was named Santa Rosa. She was built based on drawings done for the original owner by “Hoki” Williams, a retired staff member of Shipbuilders Ltd., with modifications by John Lidgard.

She is a  big volume, massively strong traditional bridge-decker measuring 52′ with about 15′ beam & an impressive flared bow. She is still powered by what is believed to be her original engines, 2 x 6 cyl. 130hp Ford Dover diesels, with 2 enormous props, which John & Graeme Lidgard both think are original.

Mac Stewart & partner retained her until c.1975. Norm Galbraith was the next owner & changed her name to Argyll after the part of Scotland from which the Galbraiths originated. The Galbraiths sold her to Maurice Mahaffe (a Salvation Army officer) who  changed her name to Lady Argyle. Mahaffe most likely sold her to a John Taylor (who previously owned Marine), Taylor still owned her in 2002. Another owner was “Spick Spicer (date unknown). Someone (??) sold her to a Steve Lay, who sold her to a Dr. Eric Horne, a Scottish GP, Horne sold her to Graeme Lidgard, a cousin of John Lidgard,  who has owned her for approx. 2 1/2 years.

Check out the comments section for more chat on her

Lady Beryl

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LADY BERYL

photo & details ex Harold Kidd

The photo above of Lady Beryl appeared 2 weeks ago as a side post on another post, when I saw this John Salthouse designed and built the 34 footer, I filed the photo away as a boat this pretty deserves a post of its own. Each to their own, but in my eyes, John nailed it. She was built for L M Lincoln of Glen Eden in 1961, but to quote Harold “there were further clones because it was such a damn nice boat”.

Anyone able to expand on her past & whereabouts today ?

Alan H Update

I should have made the link between Lady Beryl & Kailua, must be suffering from a mild case of Rickettitis (failure to use the ww search box)

As stated above she was built by Bob Salthouse in approx. 1960. Double skin Kauri, with teak/mahogany combings.

Engine: Hino 160hp by Moon Engines, uses 11ltrs per hr at 2000rpm, giving cruising speed 9-10 kts. Winner CYA Rudder Cup in 2009/10.

Her owner is a good classic owner – the s/s davit set-up is removable 🙂 And if she looks a little bow down in a couple of the photos, its all relative to the state of the wine cellar 😉

Venture – Sailing Sunday

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Venture slipping
Wreck of Rewa, Moturekareka Is.
On beach at Okahu Bay
Off Tiri
Don Ross (L) Graham Gordon (R) at Okahu Bay
Diving for bottles off Kohimarama

Bucklands Beach – c.1968

Bucklands Beach c.1968
Bucklands Beach c.1968

VENTURE – Sailing Sunday photos & detail ex Don Ross ex Merv Stockley. With lots of input from Harold Kidd The history of Venture (E38) goes something like this – she started life as a carvel lifeboat built on the Northern Wairoa by Barbour then was converted to a keel yacht by Bob Shakespear. Alan Coates (later a Magistrate) owned her about 1931 and sold her to Dick Bakewell in 1936. Harold imagines Dick sold her on when he bought JEANETTE from Ted Le Huquet in 1948. Don Ross purchased her from Dick Bakewell about 1939-40 (dates a bit out, but you get that), Don thinks she was built of island kauri and thought she had been built in the islands and sailed to NZ, this contradicts Harold’s records but Don’s version is only ‘dock chat’. She was only 18ft and a carvel double-ender. Don later swapped Venture’ for the launch Ngaroma from Snow Harris who Don believes was a well known yachtie in Mullety circles from Auckland. At the time Snow lived at Hansen’s Island (after Charlie Hansen had passed on) and wanted a yacht instead of a launch. Don lived for most of his younger years in Auckland and sailed all round the Gulf. One of his favourite trips was to sail up to Hansen’s Island for the weekend. He has a number of letters from Charlie Hansen. In 1949 Don,his wife and daughter Lyn headed off to Whitianga in Ngaroma where he used her for game fishing until 1962. Merv Stockley believes they saw Venture up on Bucklands Beach in Auckland around 1968 and took the above photos. Some of her original keel had been removed then. Merv has commented that of all Don’s boats Venture was closest to his heart as he & his late wife, Joan,  did a lot of sailing in Venture & he would love to know if she is still around. Harold Kidd Input Merv is undoubtedly right that Don bought her from Dick Bakewell c1939. My date of 1948 was the most recent limit date, logically. The first mention of her I can find (amongst a scrum of other VENTUREs) is in 1933 when she took part in an Otahuhu Sailing Club race to Bucklands Beach, so she was obviously up the Tamaki at that time. Dick Bakewell told me she was built by Barbour as a lifeboat for ARATAPU which he built in 1878, a sister-ship to HUIA. ARATAPU was sold overseas in 1932, so that kind of works. Did I say Alan Coates owned her in 1931? All I know about his ownership is that he sold her to Dick Bakewell in 1936. Alan was a keen yachtsman in his earlier days and was associated with the Richmond, Otahuhu and Manukau clubs.Lovely bloke. It’s possible that he bought her when ARATAPU was sold, and had Bob Shakespear convert her to a deadwood keeler, but that’s conjecture. She was registered as E38 when it became necessary to wear sail numbers during WW2. Update from Russell Ward – 12-05-2015 1987 photo below of Venture moored at Okahu Bay, off the slipway over towards Pooh Pt. Russell had just launched SL Gypsy and admired Venture’s style. In typical Mr Ward style he warns us to not get sidetracked by the elegant steamer centre frame 🙂

Tiromoana, Orinda II & Omana

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Tiromoana (L) – Orinda II (R) c.1965/6
Tiromoana (L) – Omana (C)- Orinda II (R) late 1960’s

Tiromoana, Orinda II & Omana
photos ex Helen Andrew ex the Coggan Collection

Several nice early photos of Tiromoana, Orinda II & Omana from the Coggan Collection. Ken Ricketts commented that the one  below of Tiromoana with PT105 on her stern was when his father Ralph & Roley Gillett (Orinda II) played a practical joke on Tiromoana one night after an evening of celebration & put a new name on her stern, without Joe Coggan’s knowledge of course.

Tiromoana (PT105)

Lady Allison (Lady Helen)

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Some before, work-in-progress & ready for relaunching photos

Lady Allison (Lady Helen)

On Thursday we had a ‘Mystery Boat’ on ww that had a few speculating on its origins. If there was a 1st Prize it would go to Nathan Herbert who was spot on with his call of both the designer & builder i.e the Salthouse yard & ID’ing the actual boat – Lady Allison.
I was sent Thursday photo by CYA member Richard Farrar who resides in Nelson. Richard until recently owned the wonderful Lidgard motorsailer – Neptune, now back in Auckland & owned by CYA member Paul Burton (we like that).
At some stage Lady Allison has undergone a re-birth with the additional of a ‘second level’, now I like Richard & I like how he looks after his boats so I’ll stop now on that subject. Richard has relied re Thursdays post & sent me photos of her as today. I have posted his reply below.

“Interesting to see what surfaces in the comments about this boat.
Shotguns!, chainsaws!, sledgehammers!, Shame on you.!!!
This boat was designed by Bob Salthouse and built by Salthouse boats and launched in1965.
She would be a sister ship to Seafever and Kailua, so well done to Nathan Herbert and Simon Smith.
Now I have always been a great fan of classic wooden boats and this boat is the fourth that I have had the privilege to own.
The first was a boat built by Mc Phearson in Dunedin,( Lion 1916) the second, a motorsailer built by Mc Gruers in Scotland,( Yvalda 1936 ) and the third built by Fred Lidgard,( Neptune 1956) They  all remained pretty much as when they were first launched plus a few upgrades here and there.
I understand,  that the boat shown as the mystery boat was launched as Lady Helen but I’m not sure about this and someone might be able to confirm this. Soon after the Mystery Boat photo was taken, the new  owner was asked by his grand daughter if the boat was named after Helen Clark. He promptly gave the boat a new  name.
Anyway, after selling Neptune I began to search for a replacement boat.   I looked at many and always had it  in the back of my mind that I did not want a boat with a fly bridge or apartment on top and that is how I felt when I first saw Lady Allison.
It was love at first sight however and I went away thinking about how I was going to remove the apartment. Yes, the chainsaw did come to mind.
As time passed though, I began to get used to seeing the apartment on top. It is well built and is a great place to drive the boat from. Great view and not much engine noise.
Lady Allison as she is named now,  of course had a recent massive facelift both inside and out and she is, in spite of the fly bridge, a really lovely boat.  I don’t think Bob Salthouse would be disappointed with her if he could see her today.”

Now woodys the question of the day is what was the original (as launched) name? Has Harold has advised that neither the name Lady Helen or Lady Allison appear on the list of Salthouse builds. John & Judy Salthouse are ww followers so maybe they can help out.

Photo of Lady Beryl ex Harold Kidd for comparision

 

Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #20 – Xmas 1967/68 Cruise On Kiariki & Defiant

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Jack Brooke Cruise Collection #20 – Xmas 1967/68 Cruise On Kiariki & Defiant

Another Jack Brooke drawing, published on ww thanks to son Robert for making them available to ww followers. Jack produced a hand drawing on each cruise. Today’s post is the 20th featured – this one shows the xmas 1967/68 cruise aboard Kiariki & Defiant. A lot water under the keel on this trip – Kawau Island, Bay of Islands, Whangaroa & Great Barrier Island. It appears there was a little fire incident. Crew list below – you’ll note there was a mutiny* post Kawau 🙂

Crew On board Kiariki : John Brooke, Elsie Brooke, Howard Wallace, Monty Wallace, Peter Walker

Crew On board Defiant : John & Judy Salthouse, Philip, John Brooke*, Elsie Brooke*

Manuwai

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MANUWAI – a Wellingtonwoody
photos & details Paul Kerr-Hislop

Todays post is a Wellingtonwoody & her owner Paul Kerr-Hislop understands Manuwai was built in Porirua in 1960 by Paul Bradey for the Mexted family of Tawa to a Shipbuilders design.
LOA is 30’8” & beam 10’6”. She has a 1 1/4” kauri planked hull which has a hard chine and flat bottom towards the stern presumably to enable semi-planing. A 140hp 135T Perkins diesel engine linked to the prop shaft via a vee drive provides a cruising speed of 9-10 knots and a top speed of around 13 knots. The engine compartment is ventilated by a couple of rather beautiful solid copper vents to two cowls on the cabin roof.

The Mexteds kept the boat on Lake Taupo for around twenty years before it was returned to Porirua and the Mana Marina. There it was used for a few more years by the Mexted family before changing hands and moving to Picton. The boats log book mentions a few trips between Picton and Christchurch in the late 1980’s and subsequently, Paul understands the boat was used by the GP in Havelock (south) to do his rounds in Kenepuru and Pelorus Sounds.

Paul purchased Manuwai in Picton in 2009 and moved her to Mana Marina shortly after. The hull is still in pristine condition observed when they stripped back the paint to the bare wood. She is a very sturdy boat – ideal for Wellington and Cook Strait conditions. Manuwai is now in Picton on the “catwalk” jetty and is used in the commute to Pauls Sounds property in Resolution Bay.

Barra Dee

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BARRA DEE
photos & details ex John Wicks

Barra Dee is currently hauled out at Westpark (now called Hobsonville Marina) & John estimates that she is approx 11>12m in length. Her owner nothing about her past other than she was most likely built in the 1960’s, her shape would support this.
Judging by how far forward the prop and (temporarily removed) rudder are, John thinks that she’s been lengthened. If so, whoever did it did a good job; it’s not immediately apparent and the sheer hasn’t been allowed to sag towards the stern.

Can anyone enlighten us & the owner on her past?

ps she may be 4sale if anyone is interested.

The Birth Place of Many Woodys

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Freemans Bay c1961
Baileys Yard c1961

The Birth Place of Many Woodys
photos ex Chris McMullen ex Gilbert Littler

The two stunning aerial photos above of the Beaumont Street boatyards, taken in the early 1960’s by Whites Aviation, were sent in by Chris McMullen via his friend Gilbert Littler. These days Gilbert lives in Boston, USA but in the 1960’s worked at the Baileys yard (2nd photo above) as a boatbuilder. Gilbert was back in NZ recently to sail on Chris Bouzaid’s Rainbow II during the ‘One Ton Revisited Regatta’, which they won.

Chris commented that back in the 1960’s when the photos were taken, any interested young boy could go into a boatyard and watch what was going on. No health and safety regulations. An older guy told Chris one day “Don’t be a —— boatbuilder sonny ‘’  “Better to be a builder.” He told him the boatbuilding industry was too unreliable, hard dirty work and way under paid. Well Chris says he was right, but he ignored the old boys advice and some how survived, with no no regrets.

There are a lot of woody’s in the photos. Lots of history too. Lowes old yard is just south of the Atlantic oil depot. Chris’s old firm, McMullen & Wing Ltd, set up a travelift operation there to replace the St Marys Bay haul out, taken by the Harbour Bridge approach.
Chris commented that they filled the site with brick and concrete from the Union Steam Ship building. The date about 1980.  The site was leased from the old Auckland Harbour Board and had some very restrictive conditions over activity and building on the site.  It was too tough and Chris got out and left it with his business partner the late Eric Wing. He sub leased it to Kip Kempthorn who eventually bought the lease and managed to change the terms through negotiations with the new land lord  “Ports of Auckland “. Chris isn’t quite sure how he managed that but it happened. What is on the site now would never have been allowed under the original lease.  The McMullen & Wing site was next to the old Harbour Board slip and is now called Orams number two yard. As an aside Chris recently bought back their original travelift that has been worked flat out for over 33 years.

(remember to enlarge a photo, simply click on it)

Mystic

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MYSTIC
photo & details from owners Lorraine & Colin Davis

Mystic was built by Swanson’s in Picton & launched in 1965. Currently moored in Waikawa Bay, Marlborough for the past 3 years.
Her hull is double diagonal kahikatea glassed over to the chines, decks and cabin tops  are all glassed.
She is powered by a Toyota HD turbo diesel 140hp, giving her 7.5 knots at 2000 revs, burning 10 litres an hour  .
Recent improvements have included cutting in a stern door, an unusual feature from new is her a tandem roof which slides back and  opens up for use on sunny days.

Anyone able to throw some light on her past?