The Rudder Cup – A Celebration of Classic Launch Racing Dec 14>15 2018
Now woodys, if I had $10 for everything woody launch owner that has told me they are entering the 2018 Rudder Cup launch race, I would be a wealthy man.
But guys, we are very fast approaching the stump up or shut up stage – entries close on 23 November, so if your going to be on the start line, we need to hear from you.
& he will send you an invitation, entry forms, notice of race etc etc.
Numbers are looking good & the standard of entrant is very broad – its not just the zoom zoomers that are entering, & in case you forgot its a handicapped race, so everyone has an fair chance of taking out the #1 prize.
If you would like to read more on the history of the Rudder Cup, click the WW link below. Also Harold Kidd has just published an article on the 2018 race in the November edition of Boating NZ magazine – it is titled ‘Old donks, young hearts’ & is a great read – its out now in good bookshops & supermarkets.
If you think being passionate about wooden boats is niche – think again, there are a lot of us out there. Waitemata Woodys has just passed 4 MILLION views and we celebrate with over 100 classic wooden boating photos
Never in a blue moon when I started this site could I have seen it becoming as popular as it has. Along the way the site has morphed to also become an awesome information source for just about anything connected to wooden boating. Some facts:
4,000,000 views
370,000 people have visited the site, most of them come back – some daily, some weekly, some just when they need to know something
2,469 stories
20,000+ photos published
A 50,000+ photo library
It wouldn’t have happened without in the early days a few fireside chats from people way more worldly in the wooden boating community than myself. The list of people that have shared their family photo albums, stories and knowledge with us is huge and the site just wouldn’t be what it is today without these people.
I’ve made so many friends, and been fortunate to rub shoulders with a lot of you in person.
So where to from here?, I would be a lier if I said I had not considered pulling the pin a few times, its a big ask publishing a wooden boating story 365 days of the year, but for every one dark day when I’m questioning why I do it – I have 100 days where someone tells me that the first thing they do every every morning is check out Waitemata Woodys, or that they print the stories and once a week when they visit grandad they read them to him, because he is nearly blind, or when we uncover the provenance of someones boat, or when we find someones long lost family boat etc etc
Aside from thanking you all for your support and asking you to keep following Waitemata Woodys – I only have one request – please keep sending us your stories & photos – you may be thinking they won’t mean much to us, but at some stage, someone will send in something and SNAP, they match & we have the makings of a great story. Email them to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
The following link takes you to a Waitemata Woodys story that epitomises all that’s good about the site – you wouldn’t find content like this anywhere else – it’s gold
And in answer to all the emails re when I will be doing another Waitemata Woodys t-shirt run – the answer is before Christmas, so start saving your pennies. I’ll do another post soon re taking orders 🙂
Again many thanks to everyone. I hope you all still enjoy the site as much as I do pulling it all together. Shortly I will be sharing with you some exciting news on how WW will become even more relevant to wooden boat owners, but for now I have pulled together a random selection of 101 woody photos that have appeared on the site – enjoy 🙂
Last up is Donna Maree, featured on WW as Donna “Marie” with a Dean Wright photo & an article entitled “Some days are just made for a wheelhouse” (link below). She has a very beautiful hull.
Just had an update on Bruce Mitchinson’s Lady Ellen restoration project, I wish everyone was a s good as Bruce is in sending in work-in-progress reports 🙂
Bruces words – “Strut and rudder all back in place, below waterline fairing is going on at the moment.
Fairing done on the topsides, final fill and longboard, all over, will happen over the next few weeks.
Toe rails and beltings have been repaired and reinstalled.
Looking to undercoat topsides, deck, and below waterline early next month.
Inside we have stripped the paint off the underside of the cabin top and the decks, ready to be sprayed, along with the rest of the interior, as we move from aft, for’ard.
Cockpit complete with draining floor and seating, plenty of locker space, and gas bottle enclosure.
The existing rod steering, that used to be buried under the old water tanks, has been refurbished and can now be accessed through the new lockers.
Galley and saloon trim underway this week.
Painting inside the hull, to get ready for fitting out below deck.
Keeping the original layout apart from opening up the hanging locker into the for’ard cabin with a McGeady style window opening through the bulkhead.
No guesses as to what I will be doing this Labour weekend.”
I was mooching around the Milford Cruising Club yard yesterday afternoon checking out the process of Pacific & My Girl.
The answer is Pacific should splash in 2 weeks & My Girl, in early November.
While there I spotted the Grand Banks woody – Katie Didit, from the presentation of her bottom I would say that the x-foul-e-8 team have done the business to below the waterline. An amazing process, smooth as the proverbial ‘babies b_m’
Her teak / mahogany? planking can’t be faulted.
Interesting that she is single screw, I thought most of them were twin screw.
Her stern says Gulf Harbour, what more do me know about her & when she arrived in NZ? There must be an interesting tale behind her name?
19-10-2018 – Input from Brett , the owner.
The came from the American wife of a past owner. The husband was away in the Navy & each week/month when his pay cheque was sent to her she squirrelled some away into a secret bank account.
When hubby came home he told her he wanted to buy a ‘yacht’ & pointed out his dream being a 36’ Grand Banks. While Katie dipped into the fund & bought it for him. Hence the name.
Brett advised that Katie is still alive, in her mid 90’s in San Diego & he has meet her – its a small world 🙂
A couple of Pacific / My Girl photos below – in one we see what really happens down there, Mr Herbert, Prew & Deeble in a deep philosophical chat about what colour anti-fouling 🙂
The Gables Hotel, Russell, Bay of Islands + Mystery Launch
Today’s photo of the Russell foreshore, comes to us from Lawry Williams via the ‘Old North Auckland / Northland fb page.
Anyone able to ID the launch on the beach? The canoe stern should help.
Recently I hosted one of the worlds foremost boating photographers onboard Raindance. We were out shadowing the CYA classic yacht race fleet. At some stage I’m sure Ben’s photos will appear somewhere very public. He was very taken with Waitangi, the most photographed yacht on the day. Ben snapped a photo of Raindance – see below, probably the only photo I won’t remove the photographers tattoo from 🙂
Also out on the day was the RNZYS photo boat, who kindly shared with me some photos they took, the one below I like a lot (enhanced a little by mate Chris Miller, the light was poor)
2018 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition – The New Zealand Sailing Dinghy
This years Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition, hosted by Tino Rawa Trust, at Karanga Plaza in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, was a 3 day celebration of the New Zealand Sailing Dinghy.
The event showcased many of the successful designs that created our world class sailors & formed the backbone of your sailing clubs.
I went along on Friday morning to the opening morning tea 🙂 & rubbed shoulders with some of our wooden boating legends, these morning teas are always a special treat. We were entertained by another of Robert Brookes talks – always beautiful delivered & an entertaining insight into Auckland’s sailing past. If you have not seen Robert’s & the Brooke families latest book ‘Memories – Roads of Destiny’ (WW link below) grab a copy at Boat Books in Westhaven – its a must have / read.
I’ll let the photos tell the story of the show – enjoy.
I have had a long vicarious association with Lucinda, myself & friends used to sit in the Devonport Yacht Club & look out at her moored in what appeared to be the main channel of Waitemata Harbour. I think we even took bets of how long before she sank, then one day Nathan Herbert rocks up, tracks down the owner & buys her. Her extraction & removal of her beard was covered off on WW her at the link below:
Then she was towed to Milford Marina & hauled out for a 2+ years restoration (some photos from then included above). Nathan is an engineer & very fastidious so all the work was 120%. You can view her relaunch at the WW link below:
I do not normally do ‘long’ 4sale features on WW but (a) Nathan is a mate (b) Lucinda would have to be the best presented, best looking, value for money classic woody on the market. For $30k, you will be boating this coming weekend. And for the record, given the extent of the work done on her – I think Nathan is a little low on the asking price, it should be closer to $40k in my eyes.
And the question you are all most likely thinking – “Why is he selling?” – simple answer, he had the opportunity to purchase a classic woody that has been in his family for 100+ years, you don’t pass on something like that, so Nathan is back in the restoration mode.
My advice to anyone interested in her – buy her & quick, unlike most classic woodys, she will not be on the market for long.
Below is her story & details on the restoration project.
Lucinda was built in 1930 in Auckland by LC Coulthard and has a beautifully sound single skin Kauri hull with solid kauri cabin. With the help of classic boating experts, I completed a 2.5 year restoration/rebuild of her that saw her stripped back to bare hull and cabin sides, fully checked over and all other components rebuilt/replaced. Lucinda has covered over 1000 miles since relaunch in 2016.
She is a good looker from every angle, is extremely roomy for her 27ft and uses very little fuel with her relatively modern diesel engine.
Lucinda is very seaworthy and with her high bow and V-bottom hull shape she barely rolls and rides over waves well. She is easy to manoeuvre and with her 2ft 6” draft it is easy to find safe anchorage close to shore!
All of Lucinda’s gear is built to last and top quality.
Hull
Stripped bare inside and out and repainted in Altex system.
Kauri carvel construction with copper fasteners.
Large pohutukawa knees throughout with extra large kauri knees in the bow area.
All sawn frames re-fastened.
Both bulkheads replaced, with extra sawn hardwood frames added in these areas.
New solid Jarrah engine beds fitted.
All keel bolts replaced with large custom-made copper bolts.
Keel is solid kauri with no hogging.
Decks
Foredeck (bow area) stripped back to original laid kauri deck. Some planks replaced, then whole deck ply covered and fibre glassed over.
Side decks excellent condition kauri planked with solid pohutukawa belting. Stripped bare and laid over with new fibre glass.
Cockpit roof completely replaced with treated plywood and fibre glassed over. Other cabin roofs are sound, and fibre glassed already.
Cabin sides
Solid Kauri sides stripped bare inside and out and repainted in Altex system. Windows all removed and resealed with sikaflex.
Drivetrain
c.1990 Perkins Prima 50hp diesel rebuilt (new pistons, rebuilt block, crank, valvegear, head) by Taylor Automotive in 2017.
Borg Warner velvet drive 2:1 hydraulic transmission.
Solid bronze shaft. New custom- made 4 blade propeller to match.
Steering gear
New marine grade stainless steel rudder. Teleflex cable steering.
Solid bronze shoe from keel to rudder pintle
Practical and unobtrusive Garmin GPS/fishfinder etc.
Interior
All upholstery replaced, with double V-berth in bow and two singles in saloon area.
Sink and solid kauri bench / seating in cockpit. I have always used a portable gas stove and a portable compressor fridge for simplicity, which are not included in the sale.
Full headroom in the cockpit and bridge (very tall interior in bridge) and about 5’5” in saloon area.
Marine toilet located underneath a lifting section of the for’d berth to starboard.
General fittings
Solid bronze cleats, bow roller, electric anchor capstan etc etc.
Manson Boss anchor with 16m chain, spliced to rope, very safe system.
Full-height varnished hardwood Samson post for anchoring.
Oregon mast on bronze tabernacle.
Varnished hardwood grab rails.
Top quality fitted cockpit covers.
Automatic deluge-resistant ventilators on foredeck.
Today I hosted Ben Mendlowitz on Raindance, Ben is the number one wooden boat photographer in the world & shoots for just about every boating magazine there is & produces the world famous “Calendar of WoodenBoats’ + has authored dozens of books on the subject.
While in New Zealand Ben was keen to photograph some of our classic fleet, so we headed out yesterday to catch the classic division of the RNZYS Winter Series race.
Ben will have some stunning photos, I was just the driver today so only took a few, very average photos – I did however capture 2 rare events:
1. Thelma going a ground off Stanley Point – some very red faces
2. Jason Prew venturing forward of the mast on Rawene – he didn’t look comfortable 🙂
Photos below – enjoy
THE NEW ZEALAND SAILING DINGHY EXHIBITION
In case you missed it – in 2 weeks (Oct 5>7th) is the annual Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition at the Viaduct – this year the theme is ‘The New Zealand Sailing Dinghy’ – I’ll post more on the event during the week – but right now Tony Stevenson is doing a call out to anybody interested in displaying their classic NZ designed and built sailing dinghy, yacht class information or memorabilia.
Please contact Tony Stevenson tonys@nwv.co.nz or 021 977 456
Whitianga Mystery Launch + Akarana Launch Day ‘Home’ Movie
Great photo above dated December 1950 of a lot of pleasure craft at Whitianga – the question is can we ID the white launch in the middle of the photo? Baden Pascoe will chip in, I’m sure 🙂
The Launching of Akarana
I was sent the above 2 minute ‘home’ movie by Ngairene Rogers of the launching of the 1960 Auckland pilot boat Akarana, designed by A.J. Collings & built by W.G. Lowe. Ngairene promised me the a copy of the movie approx. 8 months ago & I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived in the post. I’m sure Dick & Colleen Fisher, owners of Akarana, will be rapt to view it. So thank you Ngarene for sharing it with us.
(sorry about the ‘tattoo’s the middle off the screen – the price you pay for free hosting)
Ngairene’s brother Wade worked on Akarana when he was an apprentice in the early 1960s. He also did all the interior and detail work on Deodar (the harbour police launch), Ngairene commented that Wade was such a good boatbuilder that all the wealthy “yachties” used to ask that he be the one to work on their precious yachts, even though he was an apprentice.
The movie is in two parts, one section in black and white and the other in colour. There are also a few of bits of the boatbuilders clowning around (or working?), such as putting a plank of wood into a steamer.
Ngairene occasionally is in contact with one of the apprentices (Ross MacIntosh) featured in the movie, Ross lives in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill. In the movie Ross is the one wearing a pale short sleeved shirt and (short) brown shorts with a hammer sticking out of the belt on the left side – he walks away from the camera at one point then looks back over his shoulder and bends his left arm backwards as if waving.
You can view/read more on Dick Fisher’s restoration of Akarana here
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