Category Archives: Events

BABY LU / WARATAH DNA CONFIRMED

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BABY LU / WARATAH DNA CONFIRMED

Recently there was some debate on a WW story (link below) regarding the DNA of a launch named Waratah. Now thanks to the above stunning photo sent in by Harold Kidd we can close the case – all 3 craft pictured in the WW story are the same boat (ttps://waitematawoodys.com/2023/10/20/baby-lu/

Normally I would have just added the new photo to the existing story, but its such a cool photo it deserves to stand alone – you have to love the attire of the gents onboard – collared shirt and necktie 🙂

TIME TO RSVP FOR THE WOODYS LUNCH CRUISE TO THE RIVERHEAD TAVERN – SUNDAY NOV 19th – rsvp to the email address below with boat name and approx crew numbers (if known) RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Tinopai

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TINOPAI

Back in Oct 2015 we ran a ‘mystery launch’ story – the boat was ID’s as Miss Picton (later named Mitre Peak) thanks to Harold Kidd we learnt that Miss Picton was built by Collings & Bell for a Captain M. Steele of Picton and was launched in December 1933.

Miss Picton was a replacement for Steele’s 45’ launch Tinopai that was also built by Collings & Bell and launched in November 1932, sadly Tinopai was destroyed by fire in Marlborough Sounds just on month after being launched.

Today thanks to a NZ Herald press clipping, sent in by K Ricketts we get to view the short-lived – Tinopai

Oct 2015 Miss Picton WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/10/28/mystery-launch-28-10-2015/

INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD – vastly better photo 🙂

Proof I’m A Nutter – suffering from post AB’s loss blues so Sunday afternoon was spent polishing the engine and upgrading the old engine box insulation 🙂

Baby Lu

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BABY LU

Earlier in the week Ken Ricketts sent in the above photo of the launch Baby Lu. The photo is ex the NZ Herald 12 October 1929 issue, and comes to us via fb.

The NZH story was highlighting the fact that the previous week, Baby Lu had been stolen from her Auckland mooring and was found abandoned several days later afloat off Bucklands Beach.

Back in March this year we ran a story around a mystery launch ist photo below, at the time Nathan Herbert commented that (with a few alterations) Baby Lu could have morphed into this launch. NH also pointed out the similarities to another craft – named Waratah, 2nd photo below) that has appeared on WW.

Now that we have a tagged Baby Lu photo – what to the brains trust think around the DNA of these craft.

MYSTERY LAUNCH 23-08-2023
WARATAH 16-03-2023

01-11-2023 UPDATE – Photo below of Baby Lu > Waeatah ex Harold Kidd

15-01-2024 UPDATE – photo below ex K Rickettsis probably Baby Lu (confirmed by Nathan Herbert)

WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL TRIP REPORT

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WHANGAREI MARITIME FESTIVAL TRIP REPORT

A little late posting todays story – its been rather a full on weekend – on Saturday we had our general election, which resulted in a change of government (very happy with that). Then early Sunday morning the All Blacks had a do or die clash with Ireland in the Rugby world Cup which resulted in a well deserved win for the AB’s. 

After the final whistle I was in the car and heading north to Whangarei to check out the Whangarei Maritime Festival. The temptation to stay in Auckland and enjoy a celebratory breakfast was very strong but wow I’m so glad I didn’t – I was rewarded with a most enjoyable day out.

I’ll start by thanking Druce Dunlop for alerting me to the upcoming weekend and also say that the organisers did an great job promoting the event on social member. Anyone contemplating hosting a similar event  could learn a lot from mirroring the WMF. It ticked all the boxes and was rewarded with a huge turnout.

A wonderful collection of mostly wooden craft on display that given the location / layout of the dockside, allowed the public to get up close and experience the vessels.  

Well done to everyone involved – both on and off the water. Enjoy the gallery of images.  As always – click photos to enlarge 😉

EPIC WOODYS DAY – 10 MILLION VIEWS + How To Tips

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EPIC WOODYS DAY + How To Tips

Yesterday was a very big day at the world headquarters of waitematawoodys – we passed the 10,000,000 views mark. Seems just yesterday when I watch the counter tick past 1,000 and thought – ‘wow, maybe other people are interested in what I am’. 

Some history – In the beginning I chose a blog format not a website, forum or a facebook page , this decision was a winner as using a blog allows me to keep the site pure to its DNA – 

the study & appreciation of wooden boats. We do this via telling stories about the history of our classic wooden boats, the craftsman who built them & characters that owned & crewed on them. Along the way the site has morphed into a resource tool for classic woody boats and everything else connected to the movement. On any given day approx. 1/2 the site visitation is research driven e.g. people looking for a particular boat , a person or help with a problem. Covid did amazing things for the site – the number of individuals visiting the site and signing up for the daily email alerts more than doubled and most of them liked what they saw / read and have stuck around. I made a decision a while ago and commenced loading a lot more stories on boats that maybe a few years ago wouldn’t have passed the grade in terms of the wow factor, the reason being to build a more extensive ‘library ‘ of content – so if sometimes you think “what the …. how did that make it onto WW, its there for historical reasons 🙂

I’d be lying if I told you writing a daily woody story and maintaining the site was undemanding – as the numbers have grown the email inbox swells, so I apologise if my email etiquette isn’t always to your liking.

Some Suggestions On How To Best Use The Site

1. If are aren’t already – sign on to receive email alerts when new stories go live

2. Use the COMMENTS section – there is no such thing as a dumb question

3. LIKE (click) a story, that way if new content or comments are added, you’ll get an alert 

4. Use the OLDER POSTS button, the site only shows a limited number of current stories, this speeds up your access to the site

5. Use the SEARCH box to find anything on the site

6. Use the POPULAR TAGS to find the most viewed content

7. Use the FIND STUFF tags to search by category e.g. all work boat stories

8. Use the SHARE links e.g. email the story to a friend, post the story on your facebook 

9. Buy the WW merchandise – it helps oil the wheels – hosting over 50,000 images in cyber space isn’t cheap and WW has to pay to stop advertisements for products like Viagra and hair transplants appearing on the site 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/

10. Support the advertisers on site

11. If you have a business in the marine game – consider advertising on the site.

AND LASTLY –   Send in any photos or information you have, it might not be enough for a story, but more often than not someone else sends in something and -snap – combined we have a story

Big thanks to everyone for helping make waitematawoodys what it is and special thanks to those that send in material 

Dolly – AK1901

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DOLLY AK1901

A bit of a sober story today, probably brought on by its Election Day in NZ and probably the biggest one in my (voting) life time. Most of the time WW is politics free, so I’ll bite my tongue today.

The photo above of the launch – Dolly comes to us from a fb post, via Ken Ricketts. It shows the early 1900’s 33’ launch – Dolly that was lost at sea in early December 1927. On board were owner/skipper Joseph Henery Maslam and crew Thomas Hook.

I have done some research and the story goes like this –

Maslam left his home town of Whangrei on November 14 with the intention of buying a small fishing launch and returning to Whangarei, the launched purchased was Dolly.

About November 18  he engaged Hook to work for him as a fisherman, on the same day Maslam had the Customs Dept. inspect the launch and confirm the Marine Dept. fishing license number AK1901 was painted on the side of Dolly. The departed Auckland on November 22, heading to Little Barrier to fish, and the intention was to take the catch to Whangarei. The departure date was confirmed in a telegraph that Hook sent this wife on November 22.

On December 3 a fisherman named Matthew Janovich, owner of a launch named  Busy Bee, who sited Dolly that night in Nelson Bay, Kawau Island. At the time in a conversation with one of the men he was told Dolly had been fishing for Hapuka. When Busy Bee left the bay the next morning, Dolly was still there. Janovich is on record stating that there was a strong southerly gale for a couple of days after he had seen Dolly, the weather compelled Janovich to return to Auckland.

Dolly was not sighted again and a hearing in Auckland Magistrates Court found that Dolly was lost at sea on or about December 5.

(Thanks to Sun Newspaper – December 8 1927 and the Northern Advocate = 31 May 1828 for intel)

Question of the day – do we know who designed / built Dolly and when she was launch – she was 33’ x 9’ x 3’ – and possibly powered by twin engines 

Milford Cruising Club – A Peek Back In Time

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Pirate Ship c.1930
Swimming Pool c.1928

Milford Cruising Club – A Peek Back In Time

Following on from Saturdays WW story on the MCC 100th Anniversary weekend, today thanks to the photo gallery the club hosted. We get to see what the area surrounding the MCC looked like in the late 1920’ > early 1930’s. Sadly most of the infrastructure we see in the photos is long gone, but the club and marina have never been in better shape.

We also get a look at a few of the clubs on-the-water outings.

Some of the local businesses in the area took the opportunity to join in on the festivities – well done The Slipway Milford for dressing the yard, special thanks to the ‘gent’ that lent me the navy signal flags and pennants 😉

On the Saturday, despite the weather the MCC held a parade of club craft out of the estuary and along Milford Beach – as always the quicks couldn’t help themselves – video below filmed from Jason Prew’s classic launch – ‘My Girl’, the motorboat attempting to kept up is – ‘Waikiore’,owned by Murray Deeble .

Another view 🙂

Woodys Classic Launch & Motorbike Stillwater Picnic Trip Report

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Woodys Classic Launch & Motorbike Stillwater Picnic Trip Report

Saturday was one of those days when what weather conditions you had depended on where in Auckland you where. A few woodys made the call early and stayed home, the glass half full woodys were rewarded with a good day. The only H2O arrived around 3pm as we were getting ready to head back down the river. Once out of the river mouth it was ‘thank god’ for GPS, sea mist and a light drizzle covered the coastline.

As always its great to catch up after winter and see who’s been doing what to their craft.

Big thanks to the skippers and helpers that assisted with the wharf docking, made harder by a bin-liner (my new name for Bayliner plastic launches) that was claiming squatters rights at the end of the wharf. Good skipper handling skills and many lines saw everyone alongside without any grazes or bruises.

Lastly special thanks to Mark and Sue Edmonds for co-ordinating the location and organising the classic motorbikes that joined us on the lawn. Everyone was very smitten with the 3 wheeler –  I understand a Morgan with a Matchless V twin transplant. 

MILFORD CRUISING CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY 1923 > 2023

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MILFORD CRUISING CLUB 100TH BIRTHDAY 1923 > 2023

Rather a big weekend in and around the Milford Creek – the Milford Cruising Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend. I would have lost money on that – for some reason I wasn’t aware there had been woodys sliding in and out of the creek for that many years.

Yesterday I joined a group of past commodores, life members, patrons and quests for afternoon tea – so many familiar faces . Clubs need to do more of this, the collective age in the room would have been seriously high, and sadly the numbers are dropping.

Todays photos are to give you a snap shot of the amazing photo gallery that has been pulled together recording the clubs history – the club rooms are open Sat & Sunday from 10am > 4pm for anyone and everyone to visit and experience the exhibition.

Also today at 2pm there will be parade of vessels out of the marina , down the creek and along Milford Beach.

Clubroom address is 24 Craig Rd. Milford 

Life On A Swing Mooring

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Life On A Swing Mooring

How did the owners of these launches sleep at night ? In the top photo dated 1975 we see the sad sight of a launch being pounded on the Tamaki Drive breakwater , a not uncommon occurrence . Anyone know the name of the launch.

In the images below this photo I have cropped in to show some of the moored craft.  Can the hawk eyed woodys ID any of them. I think the Roy Parris built – Pleasure Lady is centre in the second photo. (photo ex Lew Redwood fb)

INPUT ex Nathan Herbert -Boat on the rocks appears to be Te Kowhai, boat identified as Pleasure Lady is Istalena, at left is Almana, and perhaps in distance what looks like Adelaide V with previous low bridgedeck.