Category Archives: Events

Mansion House Opening Labour Day 1979

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Mansion House Opening Labour Day 1979

The above photos of Mansion House, Kawa Island were sent in by Juliana Cooke.
Quite an impressive turnout but a lot of plastic floating in the bay, and also the tenders tied at the wharf are predominately plastic.
Still I can spy some well done Woodys at anchor.
These days you wouldn’t see the ferries rafted up like that – Fullers far too precious to do that, but these days on a peek holiday period – one would have broken down, one would be out for annual maintaince and the remaining ferry would be running 1hr late 🙂
06-09-2019 Input from Neil Chalmers –  see below, souvenir cover bought on the day at Kawau. Neil recalls Sir Keith H (Governor General) arriving in the SeaBee widgeon (or was it a goose) and giving a speech at the opening.

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JEANETTE C23 – Updated Story

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Start of a cruise down the gulf. Barbara, Dick’s elder daughter at the tiller.

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Jeanette cruising. Ngataringa coming up astern. Takapuna shore in background.

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Wet decks from stiff westerly. Running close during race to Islington Bay. Dinghy lashed on deck for more speed. Rangitoto on port bow.

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(This picture dated 28 January 1961, so must have been sent to Bob when he’d returned to the UK. ) Jeanette at the start of the Trans Tasman Race. Bob. Bill Patterson at tiller. Bob Watham in the cockpit. Harry Pope up forward.

JEANETTE C23 – Updated Story
 
Back in June 2019 I did a story on the 1933, Ted Le Huquet built yacht Jeanette, WW link below, this prompted Drew Glasgow to send in the photos above taken in the early 1950’s by his late father Bob Glasgow, who often sailed in her, together with Dick and Barbara Bakewell, who bought the yacht off Ted Le Huquet.
According to Bob’s description, written on the back of one photograph, she was a 34′ marconi-rigged cutter.
 
I have captioned each photo with text supplied by Drew from the back of the photos, penned by his father.
Question of the day – any one able to tell us how the above yacht ended up in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA? Is it a Kiwi boat or just been named by a Kiwi?
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WOODY CLASSICS WEEKEND 

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WOODY CLASSICS WEEKEND
The response to the Woody Classics Weekend cruise to the Riverhead Tavern on Sunday 8th September, has been amazing and we predict a record turn out of classic wooden boats and crew.
If you have already RSVP’ed to Barbara Cooke – thank you for being so polite, to the rest of you that forgot – do it today. A simple email to the address below with your name, boat name and approx. number of passengers (if you know).
In the poster above I have highlighted for you the important times for the afternoon.
Later, next week I’ll come back to the confirmed attendees  via email with details on dining options, where to drop anchor etc.
Have a great weekend and I look forward to catching up with you all, in particular the Creek Virgins i.e. first time up the creek 🙂
Ps remember if you are boat less, come by car.
Will You Be There? The Brothers Did Dummy Run A Few Days Ago
Brothers

Maristella

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MYSTERY LAUNCH 27-08-2019. Maristella

The above launch is seen here in the flotilla of pleasure craft welcoming the SS Gothic into Auckland in 1953.

As mentioned previously SS Gothic had very special cargo aboard – the Queen.
Can anyone ID the launch? Its been ID’ed as the 1936, Sam Ford built – Maristella. Details at the WW link below

WCW Riverhead2019

Click Link to RSVP https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/08/08/how-often-do-you-use-your-classic-boat/

Edelweiss – Sailing Sunday

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EDELWEISS – Sailing Sunday
 
Edelweiss was a triple skin kauri sloop designed and built at home by ‘Minkie’ Goodman – a foreman at Chas. Bailey and Son. She was built for, and sailed in, the 1956 Suva raced which was won by Tom Buchanan’s Wanderer. Edelweiss was 3rd. Her dimensions are LOA 33’, LOW 29’, Beam 8’6”, and a draught of 6’3”.
Under Goodman’s ownership she had no motor but when he sold it to Kay Perry she had a temperamental Ford 10 100E fitted. She had no head  at the time the late Sam Bestall bought her in 1963.
John Newsham, who sent in the details commented that he joined her in Aug 1963 aged 21 and sailed with Sam till 1971. John soon became senior hand and later relieving skipper as well. Bestall owned Edwlweiss for approx. 6 years. After a major refit she was sold to Tauranga and Bestall bought the 39’ ferro Stewart sloop Wendella from it’s builder Claude Spooner.    
During Bestall’s ownership he had a head fitted and later a Simpson Lawrence (UK) gas cooker with oven installed and a Volvo Penta MD2 diesel. 
John commented that they went away for a weekend cruise almost every weekend between Labour Day and Easter and often had a week at the Barrier in March and the Xmas cruises were ‘legendary’.
Sam later had the 40’ Choy Lee ketch Sarrie built in Taiwan and he sailed this with new his wife and her 3 children from Taiwan to the Red Sea and later from the UK to NZ via the Panama Canal.
(Photo credit – top photo ex Playdate magazine (Kerridge Odeon) and smaller photo ex Northland Gazette) 
Input fro Robin Elliott –Edelwiess was built/launched in 1956 by Guy Goodman as you know. She was originally registered as C-10 and took part in the 1956 Auckland to Suva Race

She was re-registered as F 21 in 1958 to Mrs K.E. Perry.
Subsequent owners were: N.S. Murch (Taupo) 1961+?; S.S. Bestall 1963/69+?; S.R. Clay (Te Puke) 1970?/71+? (Still Registered as Owner NZYF 1981); No registered owners after that date

She was issued with NZYF number 721 in 1969

Dims were
33’5″x27’2″x8’6″x6’1″ 290sqft 2.5ton 6cwt 1958
33.37’x28.88’x3/37’x5.26′ 264.6sqft Ford 10 1961

SS Aug 1963: Entered Onerahi YC’s Whangarei – Noumea Race.
SS Apr 1964: Entered for Onerahi YC’s Whangarei to Noumea race.
SS May 1970: Edelweiss has joined the Tauranga fleet.
SS Dec 1979: Once owned by Mike Morrish

RAYC: Wood Memorial 1959 (=windward); Moon Pearce Cup 1960; Amuri cup 1961

Harold has already posted that she was last heard of in Brisbane but from the look of the raw data on the Australian Maritime Safety authority, August 2020. She is now in Townsville.

A call to the Townsville Yacht Club or marina might bring forth the name of the current owner.

https://www.amsa.gov.au/vessels-operators/ship-registration/list-registered-ships/edelweiss
EDELWEISS 852328 10.16 1955 Yacht Townsville General Register

WCW Riverhead2019
 

Meola – A Peek Down Below

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Meloa – A Peek Down Below

I was sent a link to the amazing collection of photos above of the 1961 Miller & Tunnage  ex work boat Meola by woody Peter Mence. Owner Iain Forsythe  has had Meola for 4+ years and in this time he has used his eye & hand skills to turn her into one of the saltiest boats in our woody fleet. Check out the link below for more photos and detail

Meola

Input for Harold Kidd – Her first skipper was Charlie Miillett who served his time as a boatbuider with Chas Bailey & Sons, went to Tauranga boatbuilding and became a top skipper in the game-fishing fleet there.

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE

And if you were off the radar yesterday – scroll down to view yesterdays story on how classic launch owners can enjoy their pride and joy more or be lazy & just click this link below 🙂

How Often Do You Use Your Classic Boat

How Often Do You Use Your Classic Boat

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Want To Use Your Boat More?
There is a recurring comment I hear constantly and thats “I just don’t use my boat enough”. Over the last few years the opportunities for classic launch owners to get out and about on the water and share the fun, friendship and fraternity that comes with owning a classic wooden boat have declined.
A group of passionate woodys have decided to address this situation and today I can advise that we have put together 4 classic launch events prior to the end the year – these events will be under the handle of – Woody Classics Weekend.
One of my eye openers when setting up the waitematawoodys website was the high % of woody owners that are not Classic Yacht Association members e.g. only 16% of the vessels featured on WW are on the CYA boat register. So in the interests of being all-inclusive, participation in the Woody Classics Weekend events is open to anyone and everyone, you don’t even have to own a boat – only one condition – you must have a passion for wooden boats.
The events will include a Riverhead Pub cruise, a waterfront (with private jetty access) picnic and a beachside BBQ on Waiheke Island. Details to be confirmed but put the first two dates below into your diary. I can confirm today that the first Woody Classics Weekend is a Spring Cruise to the Riverhead Hotel on Sunday 8th September. More details closer to the event.
Woody Classics Weekend 2019 Events
• September – 8th
• October – 20th
• November – date tba
• December – date tba
So people, this is a call out for your support and attendance at these events – if we are going to continue to attract people to the wooden boating movement, owning a woody has to be appealing to both individual owners and their families. In the long run – successful, fun events helps all of us i.e. more people equals more demand for classic wooden boats > equals better resale values 🙂
Next step – RSVP for the September Riverhead Pub Woody Classics Weekend to Barbara Cooke – link below
All we need is your name, boat name and if you know it, approximate numbers attending.
Yours truely – Alan Houghton (Raindance), Barbara & David Cooke (Trinidad), Jason Prew (My Girl), Nathan Herbert (Pacific) and Sue & Mark Edmonds (Monterey)
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 dbcooke@outlook.co.nz

Kumi

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KUMI
The 1905 Bailey & Lowe 40′ launch Kumi has appeared numerous times on WW but Nathan Herbert was recently poking around in the Auckland Library Heritage Collection section and came across the above photos attributed to Mr. and Mrs. MF Russ. National Publicity Studios; Riethmaier. Nathan asked me if I supported his belief that the boat featured was Kumi. A quick search in my WW files popped up an email (repeated at the bottom of this story) that Kumi’s owner Haydon Afford sent me back in August 2014, that made a reference to Kumi being used as a cray fish boat between 1955 and 1975 in Whangaroa, Northland, by a Mr Russ – so jack pot – its Kumi. Catch out the size of those cray fish.
Now if you know Haydon you would have to be surprised that he had communicated with me via email – in fact he told me I was the first person he had sent an email to 🙂 Haydon is a wonderful man, they broke the mould after he entered this world. Back in the summer of 2012 > 2013 Haydon undertook a 3 month circumnavigation of New Zealand in Kumi. This achievement was acknowledged in late 2013 by the NZ Classic Yacht Association awarding Haydon the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award In Seamanship’. Below is a photo of Haydon accepting the award along with his father. A group of woodys motored out to welcome Haydon back into Auckland Harbour after the circumnavigation – he celebrated with a pint of ice cold beer.
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Haydon shared his story of the trip with CYA members at a special evening at the RNZYS and it was pure gold, good old school story telling at its best. Unfortunately no-one recorded it but prior to the evening I twisted Haydon’s (writing) arm to tell me about the trip, I typed this up and you can read it at the WW link below
HISTORY OF KUMI / ELIZA
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CLASSIC YACHT ASSOCIATION NEEDS A NEW LAUNCH CAPTAIN

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ATTENTION CYA LAUNCH OWNERS  – THE CLASSIC YACHT ASSOCIATION NEEDS A NEW LAUNCH CAPTAIN

THIS IS AN URGENT CALL TO ALL CYA LAUNCH OWNERS TO CONSIDER STANDING FOR THE POSITION OF LAUNCH CAPTAIN FOR THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON
For all sorts of reasons over the last few years the Launch owners interests have been a tad in the shadows, so someone needs to step up and carry the torch for the Launch group on the CYA General Committee.
I did it for 4+ years and enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship the role generates.
The pay is terrible but I’ll give you a waitematawoodys shirt and cap 🙂
Nominations close next Tuesday (30th) at 5pm – see link below to download the nomination form. If I know you and your a good bugger 🙂 , I’ll even nominate you 😉
NOTE: this is a private message to waitematawoodys readers and has no link or endorsement by the NZ Classic Yacht Association Inc.
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JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES VIDEO SERIES

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JOHN STREET – ONE MAN’S TREASURES VIDEO SERIES

Over the last week each day we have been featuring video footage of John Street’s recent speaking engagement that supported the exhibition – ‘One Man’s Treasures’ at the New Zealand Maritime Museum, MC’ed by Larry Paul. For the overseas readers, John Street was at the helm for over half a century of Auckland’s historic ship chandlery – Fosters. Such was John’s influence on the New Zealand boating and marine scene, that the late Sir Peter Blake tagged John the ‘Waterfront Mafia’. These days John has a mighty passion for preserving New Zealand’s maritime heritage. Videos’ enhanced & edited by Andrew Christie.

There are 6 videos in the series:

  1. Fosters The Beginning
  2. History of The Breeze
  3. The schooner Daring + TV1 documentary
  4. 2012 Americas Cup
  5. The steam crane ship Rapaki
  6. Tug Boat Racing on the Waitemata Harbour

Today I have pulled them all together in one place for ease of finding them in the future and to highlight the series for anyone that missed a day. Enjoy 🙂