Category Archives: Launches

Classic Woody Boating Long Weekend Cruise

Posted on by
3
Moturekareka Island
Sunset – Smelting House Bay, Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau Island
Sunrise – Smelting House Bay, Bon Accord Harbour, Kawau Island
Lady Adelaide
Vivian Bay, Kawau Island
Ngaio
Meola & Whio

Classic Woody Boating Cruise

For all the wrong reasons I didn’t do a lot of boating (on my boat) this past winter, so the looming long Labour weekend was always going to see me leaving the dock even if the weather was ‘inclement’. Luckily it wasn’t and I slid away early Friday afternoon with the ultimate destination being Kawau Island. The boredom of mostly straight line motoring was broken up by Team NZ cutting up the gulf in their AC40, so so quick.

Decided to spend Friday night anchored at Moturekareka Island, the resting place of the wreck REWA (unsuccessfully scuttled as a breakwater) , not the most settled of spots but the sunset and the bird song made up for it.

Moved on earlier Saturday to Smelting House Bay and picked up a pre-booked mooring, now before you all call me a softy, we had the new dog onboard for its 1st trip and wanted to be close to shore – didn’t want an oops on board. I can report she was an angel – woke me at 5.30am for a row ashore. Sadly she also seems to think the #1 bunk is hers 🙂 The bonus of the dog pee row ashore is catching the sunrise, almost as fine as the sunset.

Mostly just relaxed mooching around, had a drink and dinner catch up with the crews off Meloa, Ngaio, Lady Adelaide and Golandrina at the Kawau Boating Club, which had just taken the shutters down after the annual winter hibernation. Food and service was first rate – if you are not a member – join, they need good support to keep doing what they do so well. The next day we dropped the pick in Vivian Bay – very quiet and later in the day several woodys arrived – seems to be the go-to destination for the Sandspit marina crowd.

I spied a stunning villa on the waterfront in Vivian Bay – photos below, will need to keep buying Lotto 🙂

Trip home on Monday was just about perfect for a straight stemmer e.g. wind and tide on the nose – 3 hours 45 min from KBC > Bayswater, that’s a good clip for my 94 year old girl.

UPDATE 03-11-2022 – Photo below of Rewa as scuttled (incorrectly). Comes to us from Auckland War Memorial Museum libray via Maurice Sharp fb.

SUNDAYS MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ WINNER

Well done Ken Ricketts, the winner from the many woodys that correctly ID’ed the launch as Sobrine. The pool was reduced significantly by a large number spelling the boats name – Sabrine. Link to a previous WW Sobrine story below https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/05/31/sobrine/

Tamure

Posted on by
6

TAMURE

 The photo above of the launch – Tamure comes to us via Mitchell Hutchings family boating album. The photo was tagged 30-01-1978, and that woodys is all we know about her. Safe to assume its ex Navy, but I’m often wrong.

Do we know more about her and what became of Tamure?

Hopefully lots of boating photos tomorrow from my Labour weekend sortie in / a around Kawau Island.

RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Kawau Island Woodys

Posted on by
2

KAWAU ISLAND WOODYS

Hopefully todays photo will slightly resemble my view this morning, the Labour weekend cruise had a target of Kawau Island, weather permitting.

The photo above comes to us from Mitchell Hutchings fb ex the wonderful Parsonson Family collection. Thank you Mitchell for sharing.

WIN A WW T-SHIRT

All correct answers to naming the launch bottom left in the photo will go into the draw for a WW t-shirt, fresh off the screen printing press. Close off will be Monday 24th Oct at 5pm. Email your answer to waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys

The launch is – Sobrine

Pastime + VOS Shed

Posted on by
Reply

PASTIME

Todays woody story comes to us via John Dawson who sent in a link to a Auckland Museum collection file on the 1914 Auckland Power Boat Association race to Cowes Bay, Waiheke Island. The event was run on the 7th March, 1914.

The launch featured is the 24’ Pastime, previously on WW  we learnt that she was built by T. Le Huquet in late 1912.

Quite an unusual cabin/cockpit top, the owners must have been years ahead of the ’stay out of the sun’ crusade.

AND THE QUESTION OF THE DAY – Whats happening with the Percy Vos Shed ?

All dressed up and ready to shine BUT a peek in the door reveals a dust bowel – appears nothing has happened since I was last inside for the August 12th 2021 offical launching party…….. that’s 62 weeks ago. As numerous people have told me, the Maritime Museum (who ‘control’ the building) couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery. At the August 2021 function it was announced that both the NZ Classic Yacht Association and the New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School would be tenants – anyone able or brave enough to supply an update?

The one positive from this is that the muppets at the CYA pushing the new Heritage Basin Yacht Only Marina will probably be long dead before the Maritime Museum gets around to making the yacht only marina a happening thing 🙂

Allergy – Auckland’s Most Engaging Classic Craft – Offered For Sale

Posted on by
5

ALLERGY – Auckland’s Most Engaging Classic Craft – Offered For Sale

Allergy was launched in 1985, built by Kerry Huntington for prominent Auckland businessman Alan Gibbs. Her design is ex Pete Culler / Denis Ganley and length over all is 58’ with a beam of 14’, so woodys she is a rather big girl, and after Auckland sailmaker Dave Giddens purchased her she has acquired a reputation as one of the most hospitable boats in the Hauraki Gulf. 

As you would expect being owned by a sail maker Allergy sports an impressive sail wardrobe but most days she slots comfortably into the motor-sailer division. Forward motion (>10 knots) is via a Ford 130hp diesel, that was installed new in 1985 when launched.

The craft was designed and fitted out for cruising in comfort with a separate owners cabin + 2nd double berth and upwards of 3 single berths. 6’6” cabin headroom and large dining area, that I have seen 10 seated at dinner. The cockpit would be one of the most comfortable roomy area I have experienced on a vessel, a reflection of the trade skills of owner. Her ample side decks allow for morning exercise laps + perfect for the pets, kids could even bring a small pony 🙂  With her center board up, she only draws approx. 3′, perfect for securing the best anchoring spot in the bay.

If todays story sounds like a for sale notice – it is, after 30 years of ownership, Dave Gidden has asked the Wooden Boat Bureau to identify the next custodian for Allergy – so woodys if you or anyone you know is looking for the penultimate floating holiday / getaway venue – Allergy is it. And it is priced to sell. Serious enquiries to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Todays WW story hopefully will solve the question – “where are we going for Xmas” for one lucky family.

28-11-2022 UPDATE – some ask me does it sail – of course , see below

Gulf Star

Posted on by
3
Labour Weekend 1980

GULF STAR 

The two c.1980 photos above come to us via Mike Mulligan ex his families photo collection.

The question of the day – is the launch above the same craft as featured below that we featured back in Sept 2014 on WW, at the time she was for sale and thanks to Harold Kidd we uncovered some of her background. Link here to that story   https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/25/gulf-star-cirrus-lady-edwin/

As always ,interested in your thoughts.

RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Mystery Launch Off Devonport Yacht Club – Raumati II > Moeraki

Posted on by
6

MYSTERY LAUNCH OFF DEVONPORT YACHT CLUB – Raumati II > Moeraki

Todays mystery launch photo comes to us via Mitchell Hutchings fb from the Parsonson Family collection.

There appears to be a working-bee underway at the Devonport Yacht Club on what must be the western slipway.

The Mason Clipper in the photo must help date the photo.

19-10-2022 INPUT FROM FRANK WARNOCK – I am almost certain that the launch in Mondays report moored off the Devonport Yacht Club was Happy Wanderer owned by John Senior. The working bee was replacing a rail on the Western slipway or cementing an existing one back after a storm. The date would be the 1960s.

30-10-2022 INPUT ex Nathan Herbert – the vessel is Raumati II > Moeraki

2023 TALL SHIPS REGATTA – DETAILS BELOW

RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Spindrift – The Build & Launching

Posted on by
3

Spindrift – The Build & Launching

On Friday we featured the launch – Spindrift and asked for more details – well as you can see from the above photo gallery we certainly got an answer 🙂
Firstly Spindrift is a new build, launched in early December 2021 – designed by Gary Underwood (design #71) and owner built by Hilton and Melva Ward. 
To quote Hilton she is a 10 metre, multi-chine ply passage maker powered by a 35hp Beta (Kubota) engine.

Hilton has a very informative blog on the whole back story from design to first cruise, link below. I have just ‘cherry picked’ a selection of photos for todays story.  https://thenewspindrift.blogspot.com/?m=1

Spindrift calls Ngunguru Estuary, Northland home, but there are plans for some serious cruising this summer. The build commenced in early 2016, but Underwood did the design work two years prior  – see sketches below + model Hilton made to see how it would look in real life.

As always – click on photos to enlarge 😉

01-06-2024 – photo below ex Natalie Collinson fb anchored at Ngunguru

Rata

Posted on by
6

RATA

The launch Rata recently made an appearance on Lew Redwoods fb, a WW search comes up with several craft of the same name but not this woody. The location looks ’southern’ to my eyes.

Can we expand of her past and current location?

19-10-2022 Input ex Ray Morey – After Whangarei Towboats folded up, (Jack Fisher, Kay Fisher and Ivan Rolfe) Ivan bought Rata from a ship broker in Auckland where she was lying. We brought her up to Whangarei where we put a heavy panting beam across behind the engine and mounted a towpost bridge behind the wheelhouse, after the style of the Alert, where the load was transfered to the deck, not the cabins.She had a 4-71 with 2:1 red box so swung a decent prop.I spent a lot of time towing one of the W.H.B. bottom dump suction dredge barges, mostly “Rua” with her mainly on the main channel before Westminster came in and deepened the place. We also did provisioning of the oil tankers at Marsden Point and bunkering oils for the ships. I knew she had come from the sounds area origionally. When “A.A. Tankcleaning” sold her I believe she went “up to the islands” as a village supply boat but was lost soon after. I was driving her about 1964-65.

Photo Below – by again ex Ray Morey of Rata off Onerahi about 1965 when owned by Ivan Rolfe.

Something From Left Field 

Like most classic woody boating enthusiasts I’m not a fan of jet skis / personal water craft etc – they have a habit of shattering the peace and quiet in a bay. The ones used for fishing are all good. The one below is almost starting to look ok, lose the white on white paint scheme and it would be very cool.

Another Day Another Woody Boat Yard

Posted on by
2

Another Day Another Woody Boat Yard

The Milford Slipway was looking very woody friendly this week, the yard full + Pacific was slotted in next door at the Milford Cruising Club yard.

The TCL is continuing on Valsan and Laughing Lady up for a pre summer tickle up.