CLASSIC WOODY BOAT FESTIVAL AT THE WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – 48 Photos & Videos
The weekends weather in Auckland certainly wasn’t conducive to boating so on early Saturday morning I pointed the car north and headed to Whangarei for the 2024 Maritime Festival at the Town Basin.
Year two and a quick overview, – more tie-dyed tee shirt vendors and food trucks, a lot more general public – less launches, more large cruising yachts. Steam boat rides were the most popular offering – long queues of kids that probably walked away with a life time memory – well done to all the steam boat skippers and crew.
Nice to see a couple of woodys from the Waitemata make the trip north – RAWHITI and JOHN DORY.
As always when she makes an appearance anywhere Dick and Colleen Fisher’s ex pilot boat – AKARANA was the start of the show.
THE AUCKLAND WOODYS HAD AN INTERESTING TRIP HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON 🙂
During the week we were contacted by Rob Griffin regarding his classic wooden launch – MOANAROA. She previously appeared on WW back in Sept 2021, link below to that story. Rob advised they have just completed some maintenance work – I’ll hand over to Rob to tell the story – “Work included sand and repaint, a bit of re-caulking, Primocon and anti-foul, new engine mounts, servicing and retiming diesel injector pump and injectors, plus lots of other sundry items. Moanaroa was designed by Jack Taylor and built in Taupo by McLeod Brothers in 1949. She is carvel Totora planked construction, there has not been glassed. Powered by a 90hp Fordson Major diesel, 34.5ft long and these days calls Waiheke Island home.”
INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – MOANAROA ( more correctly MOANA ROA) was launched at Lake Taupo at the end of December 1949, on the day the Lake Hotel was destroyed by fire. Her ribs are spotted gum and everything else is heart totora, milled at Oruanui (near Taupo). Her build took two years, at the Tamamutu Street home of Don McLeod. She operated commercially for many years, skippered by Don McLeod’s father – known locally as Braces McLeod because he always wore braces in lieu of a belt.
In 1978 the Pointon family got hold of MOANA ROA in a very run down condition. Over a period of a few years they built a new wheelhouse with door and raised a forward cabin, which vastly improved her use-ability. She is a very lucky boat, having had loving owners for a long time. It is very heartening to see that her newish owners are continuing to love her
Many moons ago when I was launch captain at the CYA I had a lot of dealings with the then owner of – FORTUNA, the 35’ Henry Scheel designed motor sailer. As you will see from the photo gallery above FORTUNA is very well fitted out and in great condition for a 1949 built wooden craft.
Her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states over $580,000 spent on her, which is possible but I have no memory of the boat being in Peter Brookes yard……… 😉
Back into 2007/8 she had a back to bare timber refit, which included a re-power with a 135hp Lees Ford.
For a 35’ woody that has a 11’6” beam she is more than capable of extended cruising, with all the fruit e.g. water maker, auto pilot, 600L fuel and of course rigged to sail.
The 35’ launch – CYGNET was built in Auckland in 1913, builder unknown, and started life as the cream boat on the Mokau River. A 2016 WW story (link below) advised that she was restored in 1998 and operated on the Mokau as a passenger vessel.
In a story this week on ’The Kawhia Connection’ fb, Andrew Shaw commented that CYGNET was owned by a John Ruby between mid 1950’s and 1994, based in Kawhia. Also operated for a time by Grant and Pauline Taylor.
Andrew Shaw advised that they had nearly finished a 3 year restoration of CYGNET and a launch date is eminent (Thanks to Lew Redwood for the heads up)
Back in July 2015 we shared a photo of the 1911 Collings & Bell built 35’ launch. – DOROTHY, in the photo ex Barry Davis, she was under power and looked very impressive. Note: the photo had been retouched many years ago.
At the time of the 2015 story Harold Kidd contributed a wealth of intel on DOROTHY and her original owner – W.J. Quelch + her builders, Collings &Bell. Clink below to the story
Through the powers of the WW archives, Lynley Stone discovered the 2015 story and reached out to share todays photo of DOROTHY and to advise of her grandfather – Lindsay Burrell Stone connection to the launch – I’ll let Lynley tell the story :
“ The above photo of the Dorothy – I think it was probably taken summer 1915-16. It is from my grandfather’s photo album. Either he took it, or it was a gift from the Frys.
I have evidence that Roland Fry owned the Dorothy at least as early as September 1914.
My grandfather was Lindsay Burrell Stone. His father Arthur was first cousin to Roland Fry. Lindsay joined up when war was declared and sailed from Auckland with the Main Body of troops, leaving in September 1914.
In a letter he posted from Colombo, en route to Egypt in 1914, he asked after The Dorothy and sent his best wishes to Roland. This indicates that he had developed some sort of relationship with the launch before he left.” (Photo ex Lindsay Burrell Stone album)
Slight change of format today. Normally we do one big gallery of event photos, but the 2024 Auckland Wooden Boat Festival deserves two stories – why? Well in the eyes os of the woodys I spoke to, the off-the-water (in the shed) exhibition was on equal footing to the exhibition afloat. So woodys come back tomorrow to see the off-the-water gallery, you won’t be disappointed.
From my mooching the #1 feedback I got was ‘where do they all come from’ i.e. people have never seen this number of classic wooden boats together #2 (from owners) was ‘it is so great to meet all the owners / caretakers’. I think a lot of people were quietly hoping their partners were thinking “there are other zany people out there, my partner isn’t the only eccentric old boat nut in town”.
For a three day outdoor event in Auckland we were gifted to have two (Fri/Sat) days of amazing weather, Sunday was a on/off rain day but it didn’t seem to slow down the people. I believe over 8,000 people were counted thru the dock-gate (it was free entry).
The photos tell the story today – its takes a lot of people to pull something like this off, so well done to all those that rubbed up against the show and well done Tony and team for pulling it all together.
Mid last year the above photo popped up on a Keith Humphreys fb post – we learnt that the photo was from the Darroch Collection and the vessel is thought to be one of their craft.
We were told there is an ‘R’ carved in amongst scroll-work at the bow. And those port holes have to be a giveaway.
No mention of location but the photo is ex the Devonport Museum, she is flying an ‘Auckland Motor Yacht Club’ pennant + sporting a #8 – so may some Waitemata Harbour launch race / event?
INPUT EX NATHAN HERBERT – The vessel is Roma, she made a WW appearance back in August 2016, in that story Ross Dawson and Harold Kidd advised she was 35′ in lenghth, built in 1910 by Tom Le Huquet. Sadly she came ashore in 1918 and broke up.. Link to the 2016 story below https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/31/mystery-launch-31-08-2016/
HAVE TO RSVP’ed FOR RIVERHEAD TAVERN WOODYS LAUNCH CRUISE
Details below –RSVP to waitematawoodys@gmail.com with boat name and approx. crew numbers. DATE: Saturday 16th March TIME: Meeting at Lucas Creek area at 11am. Arriving hotel at 11.30am TIDE: HW @ 1pm – 3.3m
WW was recently contacted by Richard Heath regarding the whereabouts of his 1970 Woolley 35′ launch – Nereus.
The photo above was taken during Richards ownership period and they sold her c.2005.
Can anyone help with details.
Woody Aground
Dennis Macinaghie sent in the rather sad looking photo below of vessel that has been aground for several days now in Waiomu Bay on the Coromandel Coast, north of Thames. We don’t know the name or any circumstances but she keeps filling up each high tide. Looks as if its been ‘prepared’ for abandonment i.e. very bare looking.Could be wrong but I suspect there isn’t much real wood in her, has the plywood look.
Wow what a weekend , stunning weather, so many classic woody boats and as always at Lake Rotoiti – nice people.
Left Auckland at 5.30am to drive down – have to say the new Waikato expressway is so fast BUT so boring as a drive.
Arrived at my hosts Dave and Glenys Wilson lake front residence and collected the on-the-water transport for the day. Had a nice surprise in that the boat came with a skipper – local boatbuilder Alan Craig (Craig Marine) who over the last 10 years has rubbed up against most of the craft floating on the lake. This made my boat buddy – cabin boy, Grant Gibbs redundant but he accepted the demotion to #1 lackey.
After recent parade weekends have been effected by CV19 and weather bombs everyone was hanging out for a special day afloat and we got it in spades.
Todays photo gallery is loosely broken into 3 sections – Mooching About / Parade / Picnic.
Enjoy – if I missed your boat – sorry, next year. Tomorrow I will do a story on the Albatross runabouts that were a major part of the parade – I believe the biggest turnout in the Southern Hemisphere.
A couple of videos below.
REMEMBER – CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
09-02-2024 UPDATE – Video of the fleet at the Picnic
As regular readers of the waitematawoodys site know the last weekend of January is always a biggie on the wooden boating calendar. The Mahurangi Cruising Club year-on-year pull off the biggest wooden boating event in New Zealand – {the} Mahurangi Regatta. If you type that into the WW search box your day will be ruined – hundreds of classic wooden boating photos.
I’ll apologise upfront for the lack of sailing photos – these days there are a lot of other happy-snappers recording the racing – when and if I get photos or links, I’ll add them to the story.
It was a sub 24hr up and back trip to Mahurangi – I had an important family event that I have been dodging for years, and this year the message was – “be here” 🙂
I came away from Mahurangi feeling very upbeat for the health of the classic wooden motor boat movement – there was in excess of 50 classic woodys in the Mahurangi Harbour and from that fleet 32 skippers participated in the classic woody launch parade. A record turnout, so I say thank you those that took part and specially those that dressed their craft.
I was particularly heartened to see the return of several craft that had drifted away from the scene due to relocations, long tern refits and frustration with the community. Of note was Florance Dawn, Kumi and Raiona.
People linked to the supposedly organisation of the the parade (I’m not talking about the MCC) need to wake up to the contribution that the classic launches make to the event – 50+ craft is a mighty powerful visual vista. So fingers crossed the housekeeping improves to ensure the loyalist keep turning up.
After the speed bumps at the start, the parade got underway and a good time was had by the skippers, crews and spectators afloat and ashore at Sullivans Bay.
Enjoy the gallery of photos – some (most) boats appear twice, some I’m sure missed the camera, can’t be everywhere:-) Thanks to Steve Horsley for the photo of Raindance and Murray Deeble for the race start photo.
As always click on photos to enlarge 😉
A reward – first woody to tell me which boat in the above photos has the largest WW flag – wins a normal size WW burgee – enter at waitematawoodys@gmail.com
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