SPIRIT OF TRADITION LIONEL JEFCOAT WOODY
During the week WW was contacted by John Spooner concerning his 35′ yacht – GLOWWORM. Built in 1971 by master boat builder Lionel Jefcoat to a Cox design.
As we can see from the photos GLOWWORM is a very salty looking vessel and wouldn’t be afraid of the odd blue water wave, probably GOOD THING GIVEN HER HOME PORT IS WELLINGTON.
Check out the stove, would be very cosy down below at anchor.
Do we know anything GLOWWORMS past.
CLASSIC MOTOR SAILER – ASTROLINDA + 4Sale
Todays classic wooden motor-sailer ASTROLINDA has a magnificent provenance – designed by Athol Burns and built professionally by Morgan Boatbuilders of Picton in 1966 (named MANUTAI when launched) Built of carvel construction, 34’6”, with kauri hull and decks, mahogany cabin sides and ply deck-head. Put simply an elegant classic with pedigree and class, she fully retains her original aura, character and pedigree. But at the same time, a careful integration of modern systems and technology ensures the very latest in comfort – auto pilot, cabin heater, furling headsail, hot shower, + extensive systems upgrade, sleeps 4>5.
ASTROLINDA has benefited from a succession of caring owners that have all maintained her in consistently exceptional condition.
Her current owners have enjoyed her for approx. 10 years, during this period they have undertaken the following projects – (overview only) –
• Powered by a Ford 80hp 4 cylinder diesel engine – fully reconditioned • New fuel lift pump, new starter motor, new alternator, reconditioned raw water pump • New Maxwell RC10 anchor winch installed with remote control • New 12 volt batteries installed • Mast removed and all rigging stripped off > mast paint stripped/sanded and repainted with 8 coats of paint, halyard winch fitted > mast fitted with new wiring and new riding and steaming lights plus new deck floodlights. Rigging checked, reassembled and mast reinstated • New Simrad radar + chart plotter/sounder + / VHF (AIS capable) installed • New 1 KW transducer installed • New 12/230 volt fridge fitted • New 80 m x 10mm galvanised anchor chain fitted • New gas detector and electric solenoid safety on/off valve installed
ASTROLINDA is a practical classic motorsailer that is fun to use and with the use of low maintenance materials is easy to maintain. An inspection will showcase the quality of materials, construction and craftsman ship evident throughout and attest to the fact she has been well loved and cared for by her owners, past and present.
Now offered for sale to the next generation of cruising sailors and their families. ASTROLINDA should be a must-see for anyone in the market for a well-maintained, classic sailing yacht on which to have their own adventures, whether that be as a floating bach in the Picton or relocated to the northern cruising grounds.Interest parties wanting to learn more about ASTROLINDA to initially contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Possibly when launched
Click images below to enlarge
Today’s woody has us scratching our heads — can anyone put a name to this classic?
We’re told she was built in 1946 by Bailey with a kauri hull, and measures 35’. Power comes from a 146hp Perkins T6354 diesel.
A recent appearance on tme — thanks Ian McDonald for spotting her — suggests she has benefited from a number of systems upgrades and maintenance work in recent times.
At under 15k, she could represent a very affordable ticket into the world of classic wooden boating.
If you recognise the boat or know anything about her history, drop a note in the WW comments section. Home is Opua, Northland.
INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – her name is SAGA https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/06/saga-a-peek-down-below/
It seems the southern woodys haven’t quite received the memo about the classic wooden boat market reset.
Back in 2018, while wandering the Picton waterfront, I had to be practically dragged away from the 1913 bridge-decker STERLING GIRL.
Back then, she ticked just about every box for me — 35 feet, Bailey & Lowe, ex-workboat, a wood fire and, best of all, a Ford Model T steering wheel/helm. (Yes, I know… I’m shallow.)
And in my eyes – absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
At the time, STERLING GIRL was priced at 26k, which seemed pretty fair value. Fast-forward seven years and she’s apparently still looking for a new custodian — but the asking price has risen to 29k
Perhaps she has been re-powered or received some serious TLC along the way. Or perhaps there’s simply now a broker involved and a commission to accommodate…
The real challenge may simply be geography. For a northern-based woody enthusiast, getting STERLING GIRL relocated could add a significant chunk to the purchase price.
Seven years later, I still think she’s a stunner.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – PRINCESS
Today woodys our classic wooden launch is named PRINCESS and we know little about her other than in November 1911 she won the RNZ Yacht Squadron race to Matiatia, Waiheke Island.
The top photo appeared in the December 30th 1911 issue of The NZ Yachtsman magazine.
The other photos ex the Auckland maritime museum via Lew Redwood were probably taken by a Robert Stewart and were in an envelope marked ‘Princess? / Sceptre’.
Can we confirm her name and learn more about her.
HAROLD KIDD INPUT – Bailey & Lowe built PRINCESS in December 1910 for themselves (Walter Bailey and Bill Lowe) as a showpiece for their firm. She was 35ft loa and had a Sterling 18/25hp engine for which they were the agents. PRINCESS was the model for their 35’x8’x 3’6″ tuck stern single skin launches that found their ultimate version in the raised-foredeck ROMANCE II. They sold her to Dr H D MacKenzie in 1916 She was later VANESSA and KAIPARA PRINCESS. and was derelict in 2012 on TradeMe.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ASEREHT -A PeekDown Below
The classic wooden launch – ASEREHT has only made one brief appearance WW, back in 2020 when I spotted her mooching around Rakino Island.
Back in January of this year she was for sale and thanks to her listing we get to see and learn more about her.
Built in 1989 by Geoff Bagnall she is 34’ and powered by 135hp D Series Ford that gives ASEREHT a comfortable cruising speed of 9.5knots.
As with anything that came out of Geoff Bagnall’s Milford shed she very well built and appointed with all the systems needed for safe , comfortable cruising.
1908 CLASSIC WORKBOAT WOODYS PICNIC
Todays woody photograph was taken by A. J. Watson and originally published in the Auckland Weekly News in February 1908.
The photo captures the Thames fishing fleet departing for a community picnic ‘up the river’, which usually refers to a trip toward Kopu or further up the Waihou River, a common tradition for the local heritage groups and fishing families to celebrate a successful season.
While the full names of every vessel in the 1908 fleet are not all documented in a single public list, we can identify several based on the registration numbers visible in the high-resolution original:
Identified Vessels
T 547 (Left): This is the DREADNOUGHT. It was a well-known launch in the Thames fleet during this era.
TS 35 (Right, background): This vessel is the VIKING The “TS” prefix was common for Thames-based sailing or auxiliary vessels.
T 514 (Right, foreground): This is the MIZPAH.
Historical Context- The fleet shown here represents the early motorisation of the Thames fishing industry. At this time, many of these launches were owned by local families (such as the Judd, Maxwell, or Mears families) or by the growing Dalmatian fishing community that revolutionised the Hauraki Gulf fishing trade.
FRIDAY FLASH BACK – CLASSIC WOODY BOATING CLUB LIFE
Todays woody story comes to us from the Shelly Park Cruising Club (East Auckland) via woody owner James Dreyer (MV LAUGHING LADY) . James sent in the above video that was pulled together by one of the club members from the clubs archives and with the help of AI (image retouching and historical data input) we get to have a flash back to how the boating club scene snowballed in the 1970’s > early 1980’s.
After the first minute we get to see some amazing craft, a lot of which are still very active in the classic wooden boating movement today.
The film is less than 5 minutes so make yourself a cup of your poison and sit back and enjoy the film.
THE WOODY WEEKEND THAT GOT AWAY (sorry this is Mondays story, bloody set the wrong date 🙃
Ever have one of those weekends when you thought long and hard about slipping the lines and decided against it and then missed one of the best boating weekends of the season. And it was a long holiday weekend……….. Well that was me.
First up Angus Rogers sent in two great photos of MAITA I – the 30’, 1928 Collings & Bell built launch anchored in Sandy Bay, Waiheke.
Then a Waiheke resident sent in the three photos of Oneroa, the most crowed I have seen it in a long time.
Then Rob Griffin was mooching around the Waiheke Marina and spotted a new arrival – KERERU – the 35’, 1911 Chas Bailey Jnr built double ender launch. We learnt last Wednesday that she had recently relocated to Auckland from Picton. Looks like Waiheke Island will be her new home. Link below to Wednesday story https://waitematawoodys.com/2026/04/22/classic-wooden-launch-kereru-arrives-in-auckland/
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH KERERU ARRIVES IN AUCKLAND
Back in October 2025, Ian McDonald tipped us off that KERERU — a 35’ woody built in 1911 by Chas Bailey Jnr. — was on the market down in Picton.
At the time, we uncovered a rich slice of her history (link below), but by December there was still no sign of a sale. She was then powered by a Ford 80hp diesel and, by all accounts, was a tidy example of a Bailey built launch. https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/10/20/1911-classic-wooden-launch-kereru-a-peek-down-below/
Fast forward to this week, and Ian — never far from the action — spotted KERERU hauled out at Half Moon Bay Marina. A bit of quiet dockside sleuthing revealed she had made the journey north by road from Wellington.
A close look at the latest photo suggests she’s in need of a little TLC — nothing unusual for a 115 year old classic wooden launch.
The big question now is: what’s brought KERERU to the Waitemata. That’s a long trip for a simple spruce-up, so with a bit of luck we may be seeing another salty looking canoe-stern woody joining the local fleet. Can we learn more.
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