Todays story is a photo essay from the recent Canadian CYA – Fleet Rendezvous at Ganges, Salt Spring Island and comes to us from the camera of Cecila Viktoria Rosell.
Enjoy – oh to have a marina like that. As always, click on photos to enlarge 😉
Sad and happy to see that Mike O’Brian has found a new custodian for Euphemia II, I had the pleasure of hosting Mike and Peggy in Auckland a few years ago. Special people and a special boat. The photo below records the transfer of ownership.
The 40’ launch Norana was designed by Joseph Gillanders and built in 1913 by Miller Bros at Port Chalmers for Charles William Sundstrum. She had a beam of 9’ and draw 3’6″.
Sundstrum was a Dunedin dentist who was a key figure in Dunedin yachting circles for many years. His first launch was the 31’ clinker double-ender Valmai of 1910 which had a Dunedin-built 5hp Viking engine. He raced her with the Otago Yacht Club including one of their Ocean races to Timaru.
He replaced Valmai in 1913 with Norana, which had a 16-18hp Jersey Standard marine engine, that gave Norma a cruising speed of 8 3/4 knots. He sold her to Arthur Brett of Auckland in 1927. During WWII she was taken over by the RNZAF and sent to Fiji for towing work.
In the top photo that appeared in a supplement to The NZ Yachtsman, June 5th, 1915, ex Lew Redwood fb, Sundstrum was the then Rear Commodore of the Otago Yacht & Motor Boat Club.
In the bottom photo which appeared on WW back in Sept 2015 as part of a story on the launch Thetis. Sundstrum sold Norana and had J McPherson, Dunedin, build Thetis for him. Thetis measured 35’1” x 8’1” x 2’9” and was launched in 1929. A serious speed machine – as launched she was good for 18 knots. During the war years with a bigger engine, that speed increased to 26+ knots – read / see more at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/09/07/thetis/
Back in May 2020 we ran a story on the spirit of tradition classic launch – Caravel (link below), at the time the story would have broken the WW record for the number of people emailing me about a boat. Seems she ticked all the boxes for people considering doing laps of NZ in their retirement 🙂 Stunning photos ex Dean Wright at the link + the photo today is Deans also. https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/30/caravel/
We subsequently learnt that Caravel was built c.2004 in Picton, strip planked but using an unusual boat building timber – poplar. Fast forward 10 years and she was hauled out at Tauranga being re-skinned with double diagonal kauri and glassed, boat builder Alan Craig commented that she was now built like a brick-out-house.
Some details – designed by Bob Salthouse, 42’ in length, beam of 14’6” and draws 5’. Built by Miller and Tunnage, Picton.
Forward motion is from a John Deere 135hp diesel that gives her a comfortable cruising speed of 8 knots.
The 43’ 1920’s built launch – Estrela has made a few appearances on tme over the areas and has sadly slipped into the ‘Live-Aboard’ category these days. Its being promoted as the cheapest home you can buy in Auckland.
She was built by Joe Fell, is a double-ender built from triple skin kauri and powered by a Hino H07C 158hp diesel.
Her Panmure River berth is available for rent – so woodys – a waterfront home or rescue her and set her free on the Waitemata again 🙂
(Thanks Ian McDonald for the listing heads up)
She appeared on WW back in 2018 and there was some discussion re her provenance – possibly not a 1920 Joe Fell boat, read this link for more info. Remember to also read the comments section 😉 https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/10/03/estrela/
Back in May 2018 when I was loitering around the waterfront at Sandspit I was taken by the 40′ canoe stern 1904 launch – Tamahere. She must have changed hands around the same time and at some stage relocated to Kerikeri, Northland.
Sadly she has suffered a mishap due to deferred maintenance and has taken of a lot of water, but didn’t sink. There is a long list of required work to get her sea worthy again but her current tme price / bid is sub $600. Auction closes this Sunday at 9.52am. (thanks Ian McDonald for the listing heads up)
As the owner states ‘definitely a project not for the faint-hearted’ – but a bargain entry into the wooden boating movement.
The 40’ carvel planked – Heather was built in 1965 by Doug Robb and spent her first 35 years as a commercial fishing boat. In 2000 Miller & Tunnage converted Heather to pleasure boat and installed the 1996 Gardner 6LXB, which was brand new at the time. Like all good Gardners she is very efficient e.g. at 5.5 knots, running at 800rpm, she sips 1L pnm. Normal cruise speed is 7.5 knots, but can be taken up to 9.5 knots max.
To use the old car dealer term – Heather comes with all the fruit, incredibly spec’ed and all set for some serious cruising.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme heads up
04-10-2022 INPUT FROM Philip Trow
“Hi, Philip here….the present owner of Heather (2022). It is great to see a correct and largely accurate report on Heather. A couple of things to add: MV Heather was originally built by the Heberley family of the Marlborough sounds. She is named Heather after Heather Heberley (NZ author of some note).
Heather has been a particularly reliable and forgiving vessel for myself and previous owners. I have taken her around most of the South Is and I know previous owners have also used her for some great trips around the North is. She is very economical to run (1l/nm @ 800rpm/5.8kts exactly and circa 9l/hour at 1050rpm/ 7kts average.) Large 1200l+ tanks give her a very usable range. She also has a 6kw gen set and 800watt+ solar panels to handle long periods at mooring or unattended. As of writing she has less than 3600 hours from new on the Gardner 6lxb. That is very few hours on a Gardner.
Heather was rebuilt around 2000 and a great deal of heavy duty good quality equipment was installed. All of the fittings and equipment are much more robust than you would typically find on a pleasure vessel.
MV Heather has benefited from myself and previous owners who have maintained her to a good standard and also spent significant amounts keeping her up to date with features like AIS, drip free shaft seal and Blackwater.
I have retired from aviation, and now have a larger “Bluewater boat”, hence Heather is somewhat regrettably on the market.”
WOODY CLASSIC BOATING 2022 – 2023 CALENDAR Time to get the pencil out and circle a few dates in the calendar. Our 2022 > 2023 classic woody events focus equally on the boats and the people – its all about getting off the marina and meeting up with like minded people. As always, some dates may change and the weather is always a factor – but as the dates approach we will be in touch with more details.
Please feel free to share the calendar with your classic friendly boating enthusiasts. Where tide and draft permits – woody cruising yachts are always welcome to join in, so also share with the stick and rag woodys 🙂
AND TO ENSURE YOU GET A WOODY FIX TODAY – CLICK THE LINK BELOW Video footage from the 2022 Moreton Bay Classic (thank you Andrew Christie)
The 42’ John Lidgard designed and built launch – Participate very comfortably fits into the ’spirit of tradition’ classic category. Launched in 1982 she is quite beamy (approx 12’) and draws 3’2”. Built from kauri double diagonal planking and glassed.
Get up and go is via a Volvo TAMD 70, derated from 380hp to 300hp. This gives the her a very respectable cruising speed of 14 knots, and tops out at 19 knots.
As you’ll see from above photos, lots of living space and at a pinch can sleep 10.
Participate is kept in immaculate condition and yes she is for sale and at a very favourable price. Price indication included to stop the fender kickers filling up my email inbox and allow serious buyers to consider the vessel – Participation will sell in the low to mid $200’s. That woodys is a very fair price for a boat of her size, condition (turn key) and looks.
The double-ender Raiona or Alcestis as see was called when launched in 1919 , was built by Joe Slattery. She would have to be a contender for the most appearances on WW, mainly due to the wonderful photographic collection ex the H.D. Guthrie collection from the early 1900’s. Search both boat names in the WW Search Box to read and see more.
Almost exactly two years ago (July 2020) the new owner of Raiona hauled her out and trucked her off to Colin Brown and Josh Hawke’s – ‘Kauri Classics’ boat yard for a birthday.
We will cover the extent of the work in another story – today is about celebrating the relaunch of Raiona and to step back and admire the craftsmanship of Colin and Josh.
Photo below taken in 2018 prior to Raiona changing hands – it was never a dull day when Raiona was in your bay 🙂
B/W photo below ex Graham Guthrie shows Alcestis in the 1920>30’s period when owned by the Guthrie Family
Following on from yesterdays story showcasing the inaugural running of the Moreton Bay Classic – probably the biggest classic one day on-the-water event in Australia, today we get to see the race fleet up close. The last group of photos are from the post race festivities in Horseshoe Bay. If you missed yesterdays story – scroll down to view it or click this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/07/04/the-race-social-event-that-stops-the-bay-the-moreton-bay-classic-part-one/
As mention yesterday – the time is long overdue for an event like this on the Waitemata – no drag racers, no show ponies, no big ego’s or bad attitudes and no 24hr marathons – just a good old fashioned woody day out accumulating in a bay for a BBQ. Details soon.
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