Category Archives: CYA Boat

Little Jim – Price Reduced

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LITTLE JIM – Price Reduced

Little Jim is a rather special boat, bermudan rigged she was designed & built in 1934 by Arch Logan & Bill Couldrey.
LOA: 42’10”, LWL: 28′, BEAM: 9’1″, DRAFT: 6′

A gentlemans racer cruiser & arguably the NZ’s best classic yacht in terms of pedigree, condition &  sail-ability.
Fresh from a Peter Brooke repaint in 2014 & a full Brookes restoration 2007-2009.

Folks – not wanting to sound like a real estate sales rep but opportunities like this do not happen often, this is your chance to own a piece of NZ maritime history, presented in better-than-new condition for less than the price of a tried old Beneteau 9.85m or an old Wright 35. For around $120k LJ will be yours.
Buy it or one day you will kick your self for not leaping at this opportunity.
Link below – you can also view more photos by searching Little Jim on ww

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/boats-marine/yachts/keeler/auction-942245200.htm

Contact owner on 027 561 4257 or rm@drivenevents.co.nz

A Woodys Weekend

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Manapouri,Lady Crossley,Silens,Trinidad,Raindance,Wairiki
Raindance & Wairiki
Wariki & Raindance
Silens
Silens cabin
Wairiki. Raindance & Trinidad
Raindance
Peter Mence
Peter Mence
Otira
Otira
Not really classic 🙂
Mokoia
Moana
Maristella
Manapouri
Manapouri
Lady Crossley
Lady Crossley
Yum
Lady Crossley

A Woodys Weekend
photos ex Alan H

Just back from a really great woody weekend. The CYA hosted a gathering at Fairway Bay Marina, Gulf Harbour that saw the boats all rafted up in the ‘gated’ upper lagoon. We were greeted by Grant the marina manager in his tender that made berthing easy for those without bow-thruster ;-). In fact Grant was the perfect host & made the weekend extra special.
I have to say that rafting up & boat hopping is such a cool thing, perfect way to catch up & tell fibs about your boat while enjoying a refreshing .
When I slid Raindance alongside Trinidad the smell was amazing, bread baking – the latest additional to Trinny is a ‘fitted’ bread maker. It doesn’t get much better than waking up to the smell of bread baking 🙂
Nice to see CYA vice chairman Peter Mence mooching around in his rather cute gaff rigged clinker.
After an afternoon of socializing we all went ashore for a BBQ at the marina bar. Nathan Herbert & Jason Prew were the the chefs on the BBQ & did a superb job, its not often I trust someone to cook my thick-cut aged sirloin steak.
Special mention to the CYA members that turned up by road, Sue & Mark Edmonds (Monterey), Ian Miller (Alpheus) & the new owners of Young Nick.

Included are some random photos of woodys I spotted along the way. Enjoy.

ww is not the place to air ones dirty laundry but I have to say that despite the amazing job that CYA launch captain Nathan Herbert did promoting & hosting the weekend – 7 boats is a p_ss poor turn out from a fleet of 200+ vessels. For those that did not attend, again you missed a great event. Maybe next time………………………?

Photos below from Ken Ricketts taken at arrival & departure.

Lady Crossley
Silens
Raindance arrives
Otira enters the lagoon
Lagoon closes

OOPS
Now heading back I got a call on the mobile from Jason Prew to say Dolphin had entered Milford Creek (marina) on the wrong side of the channel mark & was aground & could I try & tow them off. When I arrived it was looking like a long day/night for the crew of Dolphin………., Milford is intimidating to even the locals so I was on high alert as we nudged Raindance in VERY close. Robyn was on rock watch & telling me “they are right in front of us”. We managed to get a line bow to stern but she would not budge – not surprising when you look at the photos from later in the day, with the tide out. Hopefully she re-floated last night. She was on-route to Geoff Bagnall’s boat yard so any damage will not be a problem to Geoff & his crew. One negative was that in the process we pulled the outboard off the stern 😦

With outboard
Those rocks look close
Minus outboard 😦
Holy cow – thats scary

 

Its That Time Of The Year

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Retawai
Katie Didit
Katie Didit
Time Piece
Time Piece
Lucinda 🙂
Valhalla

Its That Time Of The Year

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 Sail ‘v’ Power Relationship

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The Sail ‘v’ Power Relationship

In a ww post back in August 2013, I (tongue in cheek) stated that I had found photographic evidence of the exact day & event when the relationship between power & sail soured– 29 January 1953, Auckland Anniversary Regatta. View photo & story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/01/yachts-versus-motor-boats/

Well folks I got it wrong, it was much earlier than that – it was early December 1930. In the above photo ex Peter Loughlin’s (current owner) facebook page, we see Lady Margaret (1928 Colin Wild), described in the NZ Herald, 11th Dec 1930, article as a fast cruising launch ‘passing’ some of the M-Class sailing fleet. Passing was a rather polite term for ‘going thru at full chat’ 🙂

For the train spotters Maratea is in the lead (& won) followed by Mercer?? & Manu

Thankfully most classic motorboat owners are a wee bit more considerate these days, can not say the say about the average Riviera owner & a remarkable number are flying a RNZYS burgee 😦

La Rosa, John Dory & Kelvin

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La Rosa, John Dory & Kelvin
photo ex Baden Pascoe

The above photo was taken 2 weeks ago at Auckland’s Maritime Museum, La Rosa & John Dory had just returned from the CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead hotel & according to Baden Pascoe they all rafted up alongside Kelvin for afternoon tea, I suspect the word ‘tea’ covered a wide selection of beverages 😉

How lets see how clever you woodys are – these 3 vessels share one connection – who will the first to ID it. And it goes without saying that Ward House, Baden Pascoe & David (Davie) Jones are excluded 🙂

Venture

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Ann Michelle & Venture at Riverhead

VENTURE
photos ex AH, Chris Miller & Rod Marler

On the weekend CYA cruise to the Riverhead Hotel we were joined by (to me) a new classic on the CYA scene, Venture. Keen to learn more about her & what lies underneath the ‘addition’.

Neil Lineham has advised Venture was built in 1961 by Morrie Palmer and apprentice Chris McMullen for Stuart and Peter Opperman. The boat built after her (1963) was Neil’s fathers boat Oranoa, built in the old police station at Clarance St Devonport. Oranoa is still owned by the Lineham family.

04-11-2015 Input from owner Jeff Norris (edited by Alan H)

Venture was built by M. G. Palmer at Devonport launched in 1964 the first owner was a Mr Hudsmith he owned her for 30 years . The design for the 36′ Venture was ‘influenced by’ Colin Wilde. She is powered  by 86hp 6cyl Ford Trader she used to have a 30hp Perkins wing motor it was removed by the owner before Jeff. Jeff has owned venture for 15years and is in the process off doing a tidy up and a repaint off the top sides . They are going to glass the hull next year and maybe a re-power as the trader is getting very old but still runs perfectly, Morrie told Jeff , there is a sister to Venture but it is a bridgedecker , Morrie built Venture for himself but had to sell her before she was finished . Venture was a very good game boat in her day but now she is just a cruiser.

02-05-2016 Photos of Venture at the CYA Raft-up at Salthouse Boat yard (Alan H/Ken R)

VENTURE 30.4.16

22-10-2020 UPDATE – WW has been advised that the 36’ Venture suffered some damage in March this year when she was pulled out for antifouling. As a result she was leaking about 10litres a day and has been out off the water for about a month now. Owner Jeff Norris commented that she is a  easy fix to make her dry again, e.g. the hull needs  a really good rub back and coat of paint, some corking and scrape back.

Jeff has decided to sell her as is, and at a price of around $15k, could be a good entry point to classic wooden boating. Move quick – she goes on trademe soon.

And just in, a trip report from CYA chairman Rod Marler, currently in New York. Rod did a circumnavigation of Manhattan on this fine ship yesterday. I would say she is a replica but her heart is in the right place 😉

Riverhead Hotel Classic Cruise

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Riverhead Hotel Classic Cruise
photos by Alan Houghton & Hamish Ross

Yesterday was a special day – the AB’s did what we all had been hoping they would – won the rugby world cup. After a very early start, up at 4.00am , 1/2hr after the whistle blew we were slipping the lines & heading off on a CYA launch cruise to the Riverhead hotel. A combination of the rugby & the Auckland Marathon (blocking waterfront streets) saw only a small number of classics making the trip up the  river but a good number traveled by car for the brunch gathering.
As always a great trip.

Some stunning photos over here http://buggeritweareoff.com/2015/11/02/classic-boat-day-out-to-riverhead/

The Smuggler’s Cave

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THE SMUGGLER’S CAVE

story by Peter Stein, movie ex Roger Guthrie

Back in the early days of ww (2013) I did a post featuring a really cool black & white ‘home’ movie from the late 1920’s. Peter Stein’s father (also Peter) featured in the movie & its production & Peter jnr. has kindly written an article, below, on the movie, the people featured & the location.

The cameramen doing the filming were Alec and Alan Lambourne.  The Lambourne’s house (now owned by the Brooks) is above the jetty in Arran Bay.  They had the jetty  built in the early 1920s.

The three girls were Joan Woollams, Cynthia Restall and Shirley Vicary.  Joan was the dark haired girl who rowed the dinghy.  The Woollams owned the house on the south side of our house (Arran House).  An early scene shows them picnicking at Bulls Bay (Anita Bay) at the north-eastern end of Waiheke.  The “Smuggler’s Cave” is in the main headland between Bulls Bay and Hooks Bay and is easy to find.

The smugglers were my father, Peter Stein who was a Master at Auckland Grammar School from 1918 to 1965.  He was the one on the oar.  The other smuggler was Arthur Nicholson also a Master at Auckland Grammar School who later became the first Headmaster of Tauranga Boys’ College.

Our boat the “Pelican” was their transport.  She was named after Sir Francis Drake’s round the world ship which during the voyage had a name change to the “Golden Hind”.  The Pelican was 14 feet long and was an ex ship’s lifeboat.  She was clinker built.  The motor was a 5hp single cylinder “Du Brie” which gave her a speed of between 4 and 5 knots.  Ignition was the current from 4 large 1.5volt dry cell batteries passing through a coil.  The motor was started by crank handle and had a dog clutch so there was no reverse.

The tender was the dinghy “Beagle” named after Charles Darwin ship “HMS Beagle”.  She was 10 feet long and was heavily planked which made her ideal for boating activities around rocky coastlines.

The Coastguard vessel was the “Waitangi” which I described in my article about “Beautiful Waiheke” (posted on 2 September 2015).  The skipper was my Uncle Tom Stein and his armed assistant was Dean Ellingham another holidayer from Arran Bay.

It must be remembered that this was the late 1920s and home movies were in their infancy.   The cast were a group of people who only came together when they were holidaying at Arran Bay.  My father told me that they all had a most enjoyable time putting it together which is evident from the film.

Special thanks to Roger Guthrie for forwarding this footage to waitematawoodys.

The Des Townson Story & The 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition – Part 2 – Sailing Sunday

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The Des Townson Story & The 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch  Exhibition – Part 2 – Sailing Sunday

Today’s post features the yachts, both keel & trailer, that are on display at the Tino Rawa Trust hosted exhibition & gives you a peek at the collection of memorabilia & models also on display.
The show is open today from 10.00am > 4.00pm at the Viaduct – details in yesterdays post (scroll down). So if you are looking for something to do post chapel ;-), come on down.

I’ll let the photos tell the story. Enjoy

Remember click on only photo to enlarge 😉

Tony Stevenson
John Macfarlane
Sue Townson
Bill Townson
Brian Peet
Martin Tusker, Tony Stevenson, Peter Montgomery, Greg Fenwick

Updated – dropped down to the exhibition late this afternoon, primarilly because Colin Pawson told me I had over looked the best Townson yacht on show – Caper. I did have one photo of her, but most of the time I do what I’m told 🙂 so back I went.

So glad I went back & introduced myself to the owner & had a wee tour – simply stunning, & yes would get my best in show. Check out the bilge photo, I suspect the pump does not see a lot of use, a duster would be all that is required 😉

I also had a peek on-board the launch Aristos, she too is a work of art.

 

The Des Townson Story & The 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition – Part 1

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The Des Townson Story & Aristos

Yesterday I was privileged to attend the opening of the 2015 Classic Yacht & Launch Exhibition, now if you have been living under a stone & are not aware of this annual event hosted by Tony Stevenson & the Tino Rawa Trust, the concept is simple but a winner. Each year one of our wooden boat designers is profiled & a collection of their craft is assembled & displayed. In recent years profiled designers have been – Jack Brooke & Colin Wild, in 2015 the event celebrates the life & work of Des Townson MNZM. In the nicest way, Des Townson was a freak, every boat from a 2.4m pram dinghy to a 12m cruiser/racer he designed was a work of art. A Townson will always be the prettiest yacht in the bay, their classic styling & purity of form was a winner on launch day & remains so to this day, over 3,500 Townson yachts have been built – that alone is impressive.

Today on ww I have featured Des’s one & only motorboat, Aristos, the 11.4m displacement launch built by Noel May. Tomorrow I will open the flood gates & post photos from the opening function & the fleet of stunning yachts on display at the Viaduct.

The event runs today & tomorrow, between 10am & 4.00pm at the Viaduct, alongside the draw bridge & in front of the old Team NZ base, entry is free & if you are passionate about beautiful boats you need to be there – the collection of craft on & off the water & Townson memorabilia is amazing.

As part of the celebration – the Tino Rawa Trust have produced a glossy journal profiling Des Townson’s life & designs – its available at the exhibition marquee for $20 & this wonderful publication complied by John Macfarlane, has to  be, a must have in your collection. I have two copies to give away to woodys – I’ll make it simple, the first two woodys that correctly name the design of the Townson yacht that was the most popular i.e the most built (excluding the Electron model yachts)- I’ll give you a clue- it shared its name with a popular model of automobile, wins a copy. Because some of you struggle to work out how to use the ww comments section 🙂 I’ll split the prizes – one via email entry at waitematawoodys@gmail.com & one via entry in the comments section. You can only enter once 😉

Now Aristos – even with the addition of a flying bridge & her once varnished coamings hidden under battleship grey paint, she is a Townson & that means that no matter what angle you view her, she is simply beautiful. Why only one was built I do not know, maybe there is a story there?

So folks, make your way to the waterfront this weekend & take advantage to this once only exhibition that showcases one of our most successful & talented craftsman.

Now the owner of Aristos, Ray Haydon, is a very clever & talented man with his hands – a wee example of his skills can be seen on the bow of Aristos, Ray has designed & crafted an anchor turner (ensures the anchor is presented correctly when retrieving by winch) – it looks a little like a big bottle opener, but I can assure you it will be ‘fit for purpose’. Rather than paying for the imported Italian ones, someone needs to market Ray’s design 😉