For several years I have been ‘following’ on-line a YouTube weblog named ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. The Chanel is hosted by a gent named Peter Knowles and Peter has been recording the restoration of 3 classic wooden cruisers, plus we get to go/see his annual cruises in and around the Vancouver, British Columba, Canada area. Amazing location.
Earlier in the week Mark McLaughlin posted on WW a link to Peter’s latest story that includes a visit to the 2023 Victoria Classic Boat Festival – see above. Well worth checking out, lots of boat porn to view + I would encourage you to check out the past episodes of – ‘Boat Life – Travels With Geordie’. Link to more details on the site here https://www.youtube.com/@TravelsWithGeordie/about Warning it can get slightly addictive 🙂
Woody John Wicks was recently visiting Wellington and tooth opportunity to do a spot of marina mooching at Chafers Marina.
One woody leapt out to the eye, hard not to when painted ‘Rescue Yellow’ 🙂 John was unable to sight a name, but dockside chat is that she may have come down from Auckland.
Given the colour – hopefully we can ID her and learn more about her.
Nathan Herbert Input – That’s the Rehutai, ex Arawa, Nomad, Irihapeti. Converted to this guise by Allan Williams in Milford
FREE TO THE RIGHT HOME– Have been recently contacted by a gent that has a pair of wooden game poles (5m high x .800m wide) that he will donate to someone that will use them – so no profiteers need apply 🙂
HELP SAVE ORAKEI HARDSTAND + Happy Fathers Day Orakei Hardstand – We Need Your Support
The Auckland Council are seeking feedback on the changes at what was the Orakei Hardstand area. You will recall that the elected members on the Orakei Local Board controversially voted to scrap the hardstand and in their speak – adopt a transformation concept that would see the traditional hauling out of vessels for repairs and maintenance banned and the area converted to other use eg multi sport paddling centre , a park and other uses – BUT no haul out area.
So if you are worried about the demise of areas in Auckland to affordably haul out pleasure craft – please to do the following: 1. Click this link to open the on-line survey – note: there are only a few fields / questions (marked with an asterisk *) that require an answer. Also at the end they ask for a name – just make one up 🙂 and you do not have to enter our email address. SURVEY LINK https://akhaveyoursay.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/thelanding2023?tool=survey_tool&tool_id=feedback-form#tool_tab 2. On the form – first question – tick ‘Do Not Support’ 3. On the second page of the form, under the question – ‘Do you support retention of a short stay haul out and hardstand facility for boat cleaning and/or anti-foul application?’ – please tick – ‘Strongly Support’
Many thanks for taking the time to help complete the form – hopefully we will get enough support for the Auckland Council to review / revise the situation. And what ever the outcome – come the next local election – vote out the dullards who voted to scrap the bailout facility, particularly the chairperson who ‘drove thru’ the outcome for no hardstand.
Here are – those that voted to close the haul out – Remember at election time
Scott Milne • Sarah Powrie • Margaret Joyce • Angus McPhee • Penny Tucker
Work Boat Wednesday – Seastar + Fathers Day Sorted
Todays woody photo comes to us from the Tauranga Museum collection via Dean Wright. The vessel on the slipway is Seastar, and her home port is shown as Gisborne. The photo is tagged May 1965 and that woodys is all we known. Fingers crossed that one of the Work-Boat group can help out with some details.
Sick Of Getting Socks For Fathers Day
This year grab the reins and tell the family what you really want. Today is the un-offical launch of the new waitematawoodys burgee – a long time in the making but I picked the first batch up yesterday. I’ll do a longer story on them later but the quick over view is – 100% canvas, printed 2 sides with the Waitemata Woodys logo using old-school screen printing methods = long lasting. Size is 40cm x 30cm. Sorry about the bad mast photo, no wind yesterday -:) See flyer below – Burgees are $40, caps $38. P&P is $7 – Buy both and WW will pay the P&P. Email orders to waitematawoodys@gmail.com with your address and we will send them off and let you know payment details etc.
Major (christian name, not a rank) Bailey built four launches that we are aware of – thanks to Ken Ricketts and Graeme Varcoe today we get to see them together, excluding the last built, those name is not recorded. The First built was – Florae / Floray (seems to have had an identity crisis over time) , later named Leilani and currently high and draw in a Thanes paddock.
Second was – Flolaine, now named Awatea
Third was – Christine
Fourth – unknown – anyone able to help with details. Amusing (in hindsight) launch day story below ex KR. The Launching And Near Sinking Of #4 Boat
KR commented that Major Bailey had some radical views on boat systems and fit out. With the fourth boat he developed a steering system which was or looked like half a petrol or oil drum encircling each propeller and turning right left which was supposed to direct the prop wash and steer the boat but when you turned the wheel absolutely nothing happened, as much of the prop thrust water just went out the back and the prop thrust was simply lost completely.
#4 had two 6 cyl. second hand Fords, very poorly home converted, and badly installed in the stern with detached vee drives, along other bits & pieces. All the underwater gear seemed to leak through the hull and added to almost sinking post launching, refer below.
KR commented that on launch day she almost sunk immediately on launching and would not steer. The yard would not lift her out again due to a dispute, so they steered her as best they could with the engines as quickly as they could downstream to Eastern Marina Services (Terry Burling). There they beached her on the ramp, to effect urgent matters to make her seaworthy and steerable.
The boat had all sorts of unique bits about her all of which mostly designed by Major Bailey and mostly just did not work.
KR also commented that #3, Christine was very ugly, with the hull, all rough and showing all the planks & seams, and the flare was horrible with a slanting forward deck line at the bow. He was putting more & more radical & impractical ideas in the succession of his boats as they went on.
So woodys it appears and KR agrees that Leilani was the pick of the bunch 🙂 I wonder what became of the fourth build ………….
Last week WW was contacted by Tim Munro enquiring about a 16’ run-about that his father-in-law, Bryan McLeod, built early 1960’s. The vessel was to a design by Carl Augustin and built in his farm wool shed. Bryan used the run-about regularly into the 2000’s, particularly on the Kaipara Harbour which his farm backed onto but he also took it into a few events on the Waitemata Harbour, as seen in the photo above.
Bryan passed away last year in his mid 90s and the family are getting the boat refurbished.
The reason for Tim’s email to WW and todays question is – does anyone have a copy the Carl Augustin plans that Bryan will have used for the build. And /or is there anyone that has an interest in the designer that Tim could chat to.
UPDATE 10-08-2023 – WW Rocks – Cam Malcolm at The Slipway Milford has a set off full plans and build instructions- photos below just to show the detail included.
2023 Thames Traditional Boat Festival + Woody Kawau Long Weekend
Following on from Sundays story on Olaf Wiig’s slipper launch – Vega, todays photos comes to us from Olaf who attended the Thames traditional boat festival in his slipper launch.
There is an awful lot of varnish on display and the attention to detail is spot on. The festival is on my bucket list. Olaf commented that this years festival didn’t have the usual sparkling weather but there was still plenty of varnish on display. He focused the camera on some of the interesting smaller boats.
There are a few woody events coming up as we enter spring > summer, but I wanted to highlight the plan for Labour weekend (October 21>23). If your anything like me this year has been a non event in terms of over nighting on the boat, so lets all try and make Labour weekend special.
As a bonus the Kawau Boating Club will be re-opening that weekend after a refurbishment, if your not a member I encourage you to join, the club needs help to continue to operate as a haven in the gulf.
Ps you don’t have to be a KBC to enjoy the weekend.
More details closer and pre-xmas event dates below.
Back in March we sadly reported that the Jim Young designed launch – Lady Gazelle (formerly Gazelle) had been struck by another vessel and came free from her Coromandel Harbour mooring. Lady Gazelle ended up on the rocks and sustained enough damage for the insurance company to write the vessel off. Link below to that story.
We were heartened to learn that a new owner had stepped up and bought the boat and had started to repair her.
Today we can report that she was relaunched this week at Clevedon and looks as new. Well done to all those involved in her rebuild.
Over the last 12 months there has been chat (off-line) about the Centaurus’s launch date. As always with events 50+ years ago, things get a little hazy. Last week we were contacted by Graeme and Flo Varcoe and Graeme wanted to clear up any confusion regarding the launch date.
The original owners of Centaurus were the Sibun family and Graeme’s mother was married to Sonny Sibun. Speaking with his sister Graeme was reminded that she was pregnant during the final stages of the build and her daughter, Graeme’s niece was born on March 19th. 1969 and was 3 weeks old at the time of the launching of Centaurus.
So woodys the dates are: Built – 1967/68 – Launched – April 1969
In the last photo above, a close up of her wheel – there is a plaque that states “Built By Baileys 1967” – this is correct, the build did start in 1967, a little unusual to record that rather than the actual splash date – but not for me to question.
During the brother ./ sister discussions a newspaper clipping came to light that Graeme believes was published by the Half Moon Bay Marina. That article appears above, it is a great read, I have also attached it as a downloadable PDF to make it easier to read.
We learn how Centaurus acquired her name – the boat was built in the 100th year of the Chas Bailey yard, so the ‘Cen’ reflects the century and ’taurus’ comes from owner Sonny Sibun’s zodiac sign – Taurus.
As an added bonus the article backgrounds how that lump of an engine – the Cummings V6 215hp diesel (photo below) ended up in the boat. As designed the intention was for a pair of Ford 100hp diesels. Regular WW readers will be aware that Centaurus’s current owner, Angus Rogers has just installed a 175 hp John Deere (photo below)
Centaurus is nearing the end of an extensive refit, and as with most things Angus Rogers rubs up against – Centaurus will be glorious.
UPDATE – Angus Rogers advised the gearbox (Borg Warner) mentioned in the article is incorrect – it was a Capitol.
Todays very impressive photo comes from the Tauranga Museum archives via Dean Wright and show the launching of the launch – Sapphire, also centre stage is Lady Lynn. Photo dated Dec 1969
Lady Lynn – 48’ built by Oliver & Gilpin – later named changed to Lady Sophia and currently Tide Song. Read and view more about her here https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/09/06/lady-lynn-lady-sophia-tide-song/
Sapphire – Don’t know anything about Sapphire but In May 2016 Dean Wright snapped the 1st photo below of Sapphire in a berth at Whangaroa Marina. And again in Jan 2017 she popped up again in a gallery of photos that Dean sent in from the Far North, 2nd photo below.
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