Realized today that we have not had a ‘mystery launch’ quiz in a while so here we go – she was berthed in the estuary behind the Whangateau Traditional Boat yard.
When looking for a suitable photo to post this one just jumped out as it also features a rather special boat, the steam ship Romany II. I was gifted the tiller one day by her Captain, Russell Ward, on a misty morning on Lake Rotoiti & I was hooked on steam.
So woodys – who can ID the launch?
L>R – Russell Ward, Murray Deeble , Alan Houghton
Update ex Pam Cundy
Strange coincidence Alan, Sarina is going back in the water at the top of the tide today, see photos below. She’s been out for 8 months having a refit – out with the BMC Commodor and a reconditioned Perkins in as the replacement.
The builder does remain a mystery. Current owner, Kevin Lawton, took over his fathers boat after his passing. Sarina has been in the family for about 25 years.
Kevin seems to recall mention of Jack Telford building her at Milford around 1961-2. Can any one verify this ?
Mid week I dropped in to say hi to the Milford based boat builder, Geoff Bagnall & went next day to the Milford Cruising Club’s yard with the camera to snap a few woodys that are hauled out for the annual pre-summer love.
ps now I’m not a member of the Vindex fan club but there were two examples in Geoff’s shed getting makeovers, one in particular receiving an semi-enclosed cockpit, a job the Mr Bagnall does very well, Geoff has a very good eye for proportion & just getting the look right. Sorry no photos.
The above photo was found in two pieces in a collection of old Collings & Bell photos, Ron joined the pieces up & with a little photoshop work we have today’s image.. Given the source of the photo we could assume that the location is St. Marys Bay / what is now the Westhaven area.
Can anyone confirm the location & any luck ID’ing the vessels?
Input from Barry Davis
This is St Marys Bay before St Marys Bay Road was extended down to the foreshore sometime in the 1930’s? Until then the steps to the right were the public access to the beach. The building to the far left looks like the old Ponsonby Cruising Club headquarters. With the road being extended down to the foreshore the club rooms were moved forward and onto piles with another level added.
Tides Out At Collings & Bell photos & details ex Harold Kidd
When the Collings & Bell boat yard / shed in St Mary’s Bay was vacated due to the Harbour Bridge construction project, a lot of cool items were just left lying around, on a sneaky visit Barry Davis discovered a selection of Chas Collings’ glass photography quarter plates showing St Mary’s Bay during an ultra low tide in the 1930s. The photos show that in the days before dredging most of the launches and yachts are aground.
Even though the plates were cracked & damaged the detail is amazing & they could be blown up to view the boats in detail. To secure these negatives was a great find as most of the plates were tossed into the bay by the apprentices.
In photo #4 Harold’s father’s schooner TAHITIENNE is at right background out in the stream in RottenRow.
Miss Picton > Mitre Peak photos ex Charles Collings / Bill Wilson Collection via Ron Wattam
The above photo was sent to me by Ron Wattam whose wife’s grandfather was Charles Collings. Given this we can assume that the launch above is most likely a Collings & Bell, so the question is, can anyone name her & the year of build / launch. And if that happens, where is she today?
Harold Kidd Update
MISS PICTON launched 7/12/1933 for Captain M Steele of Picton. Later MITRE PEAK. She was very similar to DONALD SUTHERLAND launched in January 1936. MISS PICTON was built to replace TINOPAI which C&B built for Steele in November 1932 but which was destroyed by fire when only a moth old. They were identical but TINOPAI was painted a dark colour, not white like MISS PICTON.
Wynyards (Lushington’s) Bay photo ex Mac Taylor Collection
Now I’m sure to some / most of you the bay in the above photo will be very familiar but not to me. I have a good hunch but I’ll let you all chip in. Remember you can click on the image to enlarge & if you click again on the enlarged photo it will zoom in even more.
Wirihana 1
The 2nd part of today’s post is a great photo, below, I found in Mac Taylor’s album, the launch is the first Wirihana (1) – there is a great story found at the link below concerning Wirihana (1), which most likely became Lady Gay (1) + how Wirihana (2) & Lady Gay (2) fitted into the scene. Great reading & a fine example of the ww blog really working.
Seems everyone is right on the button with ID’ing the location – Harold Kidd sent me a link to the Henry Winkelmann photos (post card) ex the Auckland Museum collection below, taken in 1899. It is ‘Rodmershaw’ the residence of Mr Lushington.
I’m very familiar with the location as early one morning during a Mahurangi Regatta weekend, I had to retrieve my #1 kauri clinker dinghy from the beach after it went walkies in the night & washed up there, undamaged. The gods were smiling on me that weekend 🙂
Update from Harold Kidd The photo below, ex Auckland Museum collection, shows Mrs Lushington sitting on the ballast of her husband’s Robert Logan-built yacht MURITAI in 1899 at the property. The 22ft mullet boat on the beach behind MURITAI is the 22 footer BELLE built by Hewson & Melville in 1883 also owned by Lushington. BELLE was converted to a deadwood keel yacht & later renamed LOTUS.
Muritai & Belle (Lotus) c1899
Pam Cundy Input
Pam sent me the photo below of of her partner, George Emtage, grandfather Captain George Samuel Emtage. They lived in a bay just around the corner from the bay shown above and worked for the Lushingtons and the Chandlers on Motuora. The excerpt from the book Jade River tells the story of how George’s family inherited Motuora island.
BAILEY & LOWE photo ex Angus Rogers ex Northcote Tavern
The only photo that I had of the Bailey & Lowe yard at Sulphur Beach, Northcote, was one I took with the iPhone from a library book & it was very average.
The above is hanging on the wall in the Northcote Tavern & was snapped (via iPhone) by Angus Rogers.
What Angus was doing there is a mystery, must have taken a wrong turn & missed the Remuera motorway turn off 🙂
Recently Geoff spotted the launch Islay II on ww & contacted me to advise that approx. eight years ago while dinghy sailing around Bon Accord Harbour he identified the Isla II as the launch, Maewa, his father, Ted Cooper (E.R. Cooper), built in the years 1936, 37, 38. Geoff was invited aboard & the interior inspection positively confirmed the history of the launch. The then owner told Geoff that when he bought her he was told she was built by Billy Rogers in 1953. Somewhere along the way her cabin has been rebuilt and she has been extended as she is longer now.
Geoff’s father had the use of Billy Rogers shed at the bottom of Curren Street, Herne Bay on the beach to build her. The photos above, during construction, confirm to Geoff that Islay II is the Maewa.
Can any woodys input more on her past? She ‘resided’ in Milford Marina (creek) for a period in recent years. Her present owner has had her for approx 2 years.
On the original Islay II ww post Harold Kidd commented that he had Billy Rogers 1956?, alongside her name in his files, could this have been when the rebuilt cabin & water line extension was done? In my eye, as launched, she was a very smart launch 🙂
The photo below of Islay II was taken by Dean Wright in Te Uenga Bay (part of Parekura Bay), Northland.
Mason Bay (originally named San Guisepp) was built by Curnow & Wilson c.1956/57, while she has spent most of her life as a work boat she is now a very comfortable pleasure craft.
Details: LOA 14m, BOA 4m,.DR 1.5m 22Tonnes, 1500l diesel,800l water. Engine is a 6BD1 ISUZU 3 with a Capitol box, prop = 29in X 17in. The hull is 3 bl. 32mm Kauri copper fastened on 3 stringers/side. Below is a summary in chronological order of her life – her present owner Gary Underwood would like any input to confirm or add to these details.
To view more details on her & the restoration visit gazzabomasonbay.blogspot
HISTORY OF MASON BAY
1956/7 Built Curnow and Wilton, Nelson for Tony Bonica, Island Bay Wellington as a day fisher. Launched as “SAN GUISEPPE”. Powered by a Lister JP3 (tbc) 1974 Ian Boyce went to Napier as she was for sale as “MARY LW”. Owned by Willy Watson. Had a Fordson (6?) and the Capital 3:1 1974 Late 80’s in Port Chalmers. 1978 Big NE blow (see newspapers) and 8 boats caught off the Nuggets, Otago bar closed “SEAWITCH” (sistership to DORADE) lost with 2 crew, Warren Wilson skipper & Les Walker (leadboots) MASON BAY all ok. ( Not sure if those 2 guys were on Mason Bay or Seawitch) 1985 Big refit at Miller and Tunnage. new bulwarks, and the 6BD1 Isuzu was installed with the 3:1 Capitol box. Then sold to a Mr. Hall in Nelson/Motueka. He also had “PEARLY SHELL” I believe 1993 Bought by Ian Boyce (from whom a lot of this info comes). Based in Tauranga with the “SEA BEE” and fished tuna off the west coast of the South IS. 1995 Sold to “Blondie”who had her for 2 years and ended up in Bluff 2001 Seen and photographed fishing in Lyttleton Hbr. 2007 Bought by Russell Keen from a finance company. 2009 Sold to Gary Underwood 2010 Motored north to Whangarei in Jan. 2010 May – hauled at Norsand boatyard for refit/rebuild and conversion to pleasure. Shipwright was Marcus Raimon 2012 Re-launched and now home port is Whangarei Town Basin.
THE RESTORATION OF AKARANA Details & photos below ex Dick & Colleen Fisher. Edited by Alan Houghton. Above photo ex Dean Wright
Akarana was designed by A.J. Collings & built by W.G. Lowe in 1960 for the Port of Auckland. They sold her 34 years later in December 1994 to Peter McDonald of Whangarei, Peter (deceased) was a long time friend of Dick Fisher & Dick purchased Akarana off Peter in April 2000. Akarana is built using single skin 1 ¾ inch thick Kauri planking on spotted gum ribs with a hardwood keel & her displacement is 42 ton. W.G. Lowe had the contract to build her & allowed 23,000 man hours for her construction. When Port of Auckland sold her in 1994 she was on engine #6, having worn out 5 engines while working for the Auckland Harbour Board. From a couple of her log books that Dick has he would estimate that she has traveled somewhere between 600,000 + 700,000 miles during her working life as a pilot boat on Auckland harbour. The 8L3B Gardner engine which Dick re-built was originally installed in an oyster dredger based in Bluff. This engine was built by Gardners in 1960. The same year as Akarana. She cruises comfortably at 10 knots. After purchasing her, Dick took Akarana to his workshop at Kamo & then constructed a shed over her. You will see from the photos that shed is a little bit of an understatement 🙂
The photos below will give you an insight into the scale of the project & the stamina, patience & dedication of Dick Fisher in undertaking this restoration. Akarana is a magnificent vessel & a visit to her engine room normally sees most males gob-smacked at the attention to detail & cleanliness that would equal the finest medical operating theaters.
In additional to being a very skilled artisan, Dick is just a seriously good bloke, he once drove down to Auckland from Whangarei so I could show a visiting classic boater from the USA, who was a Gardner nut, over Akarana. You would struggle to find a more hospitable couple afloat than Colleen & Dick Fisher. One day I’ll post on ‘Hamel’ the Fisher families other wee ship 😉
I have captioned the images – scroll over to view, also remember you can enlarge a photo by clicking on it.
At the bottom of the post (part two), for your interest I have included some papers that Dick acquired from the old Auckland Harbour Board.
A. Harbour masters comments prior to letting tenders. B. Some of the requirements for the construction of Akarana. C. AHB reviewing costs. D. Breakdown of building costs. E. Copy of daily log, note the totals for the month of July 1982 were 278 pilots, 510 hours running, & 2791 miles.
Photos below during her build at W.G. Lowe in 1960
W.G. Lowe 1960
W.G. Lowe 1960
W.G. Lowe 1960
As sold by Auckland Harbour Board – 1994
At Westhaven,as sold, Dec 1994
The restoration
April 2000 as purchased by Dick F
Arrives at Kameo
New shed at Kameo
Blasting paint from hull
Blasting paint from interior
Paint off
Old engine removed
Rebuild of wheelhouse & cabin top
Rebuild of wheelhouse & cabin top
New bulwarks
New laminated beltings
Re caulking
Steering compartment
Steering compartment
Teak deck – 1&3/4″
Hatch
Funnel
Some bling
Almost finished
Business end
Rebuilding the engine
Rebuilding 8L3B Gardner
Rebuilding 8L3B Gardner
Rebuilding 8L3B Gardner
Installing engine
Gearbox
8L3B Gardner Installed
Relaunching
Leaving Kameo shed
Ready for launching
New home at Kissing Point Whangarei boatshed
Back in her happy place – April 2005
At home, 2005
Supporting paperwork
Helm Photos
10-04-2018 Update – Photo below of Akarana on launching day. Photo sent in by Paul Drake, taken by his brother Michael.
Update 09-01-2021 – Photos below of Akarana in Kent Passage, Bay of Islands – 6th Jan , sent in by Grant Anson
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