Todays woody shouldn’t be too hard to name, from Lew Redwood’s fb we know that it was owned by Edward Bullmore and in the photo which is dated 1993, she is afloat on Lake Tarawera. And then there’s those rather distinctive ‘decorations’.
So woodys – boat name, builder, year ? The Drake brothers will be able to enlighten us I’m sure.
Ngahere L34
Have been contacted by Jonathan Edmeades whose grandfather – Graham Cole, owned Ngahere back in 1947/48. On a WW story, there is mention that she is now owned by Chris Harris, Jonathan would love to contact Chris and if possible, view the yacht. Could anyone that knows Chris email me his contact details – Jason Prew? (thanks JP – passed on) waitematawoodys@gmail.com
And remember woodys – on Saturday May 1st we have the 100th birthday of the Lipton Cup. Details below
The above photos of the launch Moe Ra just popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb (via Te Papa > Christopher Bede).They are dated 1969, not sure if thats the build year of photo year, could be both. The boat draw a total blank with me, so suspect its had a name change along the way. Can we learn more about her?
Harold Kidd Input – MOE RA was built by Alan Orams in Whangarei in 1966.according to APYMBA records when first owner Eric Lane registered her.
MENAI – Has a new owner 🙂 after many years of being almost a permanent structure at the Classic Yacht Association’s viaduct marina – yachty Bruce Tantrum has in his words “moved over to the dark side” and bought the classic launch – Menai. (Disclosure: not a Wooden Boat Bureau sale) We look forward to seeing her out and about again on the Waitemata.
Speaking of the CYA marina (Heritage Landing) if you are a CYA member and have a well presented (NZ designed & built) classic launch and are looking for a marina, Put your name on the CYA waiting list (I’m told its a very short list e.g. no one on it) Added bonus I understand it costs less than $100 a month 😉
The Minerva Talking with woody – John Wright the other day and he mentioned that he spotted an old framed photo in the dump bin at the Te Atatu Boat Club, a quick bit of bin diving reduced the photo, which John sent me a copy of and asked for more intel on the vessel – The Minerva, the photo is captioned – ?.N. Jones Family 1986.The rear of the family has a lot of detail, but sadly very hard to read – it says she was built by Chas Bailey, most of the other detail is just too hard to read. Well jackpot – Minerva featured extensively on WW back in March 2015 and we uncovered a lot about her provenance.Snapshot – built in 1910 as a Auckland harbour ferry, she had a very shallow draft for negotiating creeks and estuaries. Her original power was steam via a coal fired boiler, that fuelled two 14hp George Fraser & Son engines. Around 1922 she moved over to the Kaipara Harbour and worked there until the late 1940’s. Around this time she was converted to diesel power and remained a work boat until c.1945. Around then she came back over to the east coast and was rallied and rolled into 1964 when she dropped out of site. There was a reported sighting of her back in 2015 under a cover in Kerikeri. Read / see more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/03/04/the-minerva/ Does anyone know her current status / condition?
Photo below dated July 2019 ex google + link to TVNZ story on the restoration project. Both ex K Ricketts
Sad Woody Day Across The Ditch Received a note from one of our Australian WW followers – Andrew Christie given me the heads up on the recent demise of – Nering, the 42’8” Percy Tripcony (Breakfast Creek Brisbane Australia) carvel hull cruiser built in 1950 – that went ashore on Double Island Point south of Fraser Island.
She was a very similar boat to the South Passage also from the same builder. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2aFp8lLK24 She was of note in that she had a passage connecting the forecastle cabin to the trunk cabin under the bridge deck on the starboard side a layout used in a few Moreton Bay bridge deck cruisers of her period.
Nering had fallen on hard times recently and had sold twice in the past few years at rock bottom unloved wooden boat prices. Reports are she was on her way from Coffs Harbour in New South Wales to Maryborough for a restoration. Double Island Point is a stopping point for boats heading north across the Wide Bay bar.
Social media chat reports that Nering was beached as she was taking on water and sinking. Her crew managed to safely get ashore and call the alarm. Always sad to see a woody come to an endlike this, but you have to question the decision to take her to sea, given her condition and again on-line chat says her bilge pump/s were worked overtime before she left the dock.
At the weekend I attended a celebration to mark the 1921 Arch Logan built launch – Ngaio reaching the grand age of 100 years.
In the last decade Ngaio has been blessed with very good owners, starting with Ian and Lancia Kohler who commissioned the 2013 refurbishment of Ngaio and then passed ownership onto Jan Barraclough, the host of the birthday party. The launch is a stunner but you expect that from the Logan stable.
I was dockside admiring the finish on the hull and I was advised by an old boy that she had been splined and fibre-glassed (I had forgotten), obviously in his eyes not what you should do to a Logan. In the interests of not wasting any more time getting to the bar, I wasn’t going to let him know that 1/2 the Logan A-Division yacht fleet were glassed 😉
Following on from Sundays story on Matahorua the sailing cutter tied up at the Riwaka river / estuary , today we follow the camera of Tim and Pauline Evill as they explore the craft that call Riwaka their home ‘port’.
A fine collection of woodys, all appearing to be well loved – if you had the Riwaka agency for marine varnish , you wouldn’t remain in business for long 🙂
MYSTERY LAUNCHES AT ORAKEI – Prize To Be Won Todays photo comes to us from the Auckland Libraries Kura – Heritage Collection via Nathan Herbert. We have 3 very smart looking woodys hauled up at Orakei for I suspect their winter maintenance.All quite distinctive looking so hopefully we can ID therm L > R.
During the week we had a prize on offer of a copy of Brian Peet’s book ‘Des Townson – A Sailing Legacy’, it was won by Albert Birnie . Albert advised that he was given a copy last Christmas so kindly asked that his prize be given to another woody – so Woodys, here we go – all entries that correctly ID the 3 launches (L>R), go into the draw for the book. Entries via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com. Entry closes 6pm 21-03-21
DELFINO A few months ago while trying to follow some very vague instructions on where to find a woody berthed at Westhaven Marina I stumbled across Delfino. As Sargent Shultz used to say on Hogans Heros “I know nothing” – so can anyone tell us more about her – obviously crying out for some TLC 🙂
The stern escape door is an unusual feature.
Updates
Bill – The original name was Carla and built by John Lidgard early 70″s had a 180hp ford engine was in one of the Atlantic 100 Rallies I think won the launch section built from double diagonal kauri. The first owner I think was Charlie Gilberd
Nigel Armitage – John Lidgard design and built , I was an apprentice there at the time of construction. Built for Charley Gilbert in the early 1970’s
Harold Kidd – There is a discussion about CARLA in Sea Spray of September 1971, comparing her to VINDEX. C.G. Gilberd of Sarsfield St owned her new. She had a 180hp GM diesel. Took part in the 1978 Atlantic Power Boat Rally, came 7th overall and was the heaviest of 66 entries.
23-03-2021 Input from Alan Sexton – The article below was sent in by Alan, ex the July 1971 issue of NZ Boating World.PDF file here – might be easier to read
I was sent the above photo of Tiakina by Lindsay McMorran, they took the photo of her berth in the Viaduct, Auckland.Lindsay commented that she is an ex Wellington pilot boat, built c.1952 and her normal home port is Dunedin. Tiakina is visiting Auckland for the A-Cup regatta.
Anyone able to enlighten us on her background / past?
Input from John Bullivant – another photo below of Tiakina. John also commented that she may have been built in the UK.
Input and photos below from Cameron Pollard – She was built in the UK. After being disposed of by Wellington Harbour Board she did a stint as a tuna longliner.Refit to pleasure use was done at Jorgensen boat yard.
A couple of photos below – I took today at the Viaduct
Input from Paul Drake – TIAKINA (to take care of) designed by Alex Collings and built by M,W. Blackmore and Son in Bideford England, planked with 52mm makore and powered with two ERL 5/75 Crossleys, each 250hp. She departed Exmouth on October 1 1953 with a crew of eight and arrived Wellington February 12 1954. She required slipping at Colombo after weather damage crossing the Arabian Sea. Voyage distance was about 14,100 nm (26,000km). At 83 feet LOA and 80 tonnes, she was the largest pilot boat on the NZ coast. After just two years service she required major remedial work due to ‘green’ timber being used in her construction. This work took nearly two years and was done by Wellington Harbour Board’s shipwright staff. In 1982 she was extensively rebuilt and re configured by Jorgenson’s of Picton and continued in service. In 1992 she was retired and sold to Auckland owners for a bargain price. She was used for fishing etc before ending up in Dunedin where she fell on better times and is now clearly well loved and transformed into a luxury charter boat. As a retired Wellington pilot, it is heartwarming to see a boat I knew so well still giving good service after nearly 70 years.
18-03-2021 Input from Captain Charles Smith – Like Paul Drake’s fine comments above, I am similarly heartened to see that Tiakina is being well looked after and regularly used. I can add a little to the history. I commenced a 48 year piloting career on Wellington Harbour as skipper of Tiakina in 1972 before being promoted and I experienced many severe conditions and hard knocks whilst on board. Having experienced many other pilot vessels she was firmly my favourite. Tiakina suited the robust sea conditions at Wellington entrance. She was built to last although the constant knocks alongside ships at sea eventually took their toll with framing, particularly on the shoulders. Assembling construction timbers took time. Timbers used included 52mm thick makore hull sheathing, heart pohutukawa branch was used on the stem and stern crooks and the keel was one length of heart tallowwood or ironbark. Being severely tested in daily service it took a team of shipwrights to keep her in service. Heart kauri was used in many places. The nineteen week voyage from the UK via Suez, and north Australia (30 September 1953 to 12 February 1954) was made without the benefit of radar, AIS, PPUs, gyro compass or ECDIS – just skill and a magnetic compass by the eight crew. The contract made by the Wellington Harbour Board was for a price of £35,000 with £5,000 allowed for the delivery voyage. The Harbour Board sought quotations from builders in NZ and Australia before settling on M W Blackmore in Bideford UK. Radar was fitted on arrival in Wellington at a cost of £1,590. Tiakina was constructed to operate in open water conditions off the port entrance after pilotage was deemed to be compulsory from 1 October 1952 (after a collision between two large ships in the entrance channel in May 1950). With port managers at the time having lived through WW2, Tiakina was also designed to be a cruising examination vessel in times of hostility, hence her generous accommodation.
YESTERDAYS MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ WINNER – Albert Birnie, Onehunga. The correct answer was – Cyrena, built in 1923 by Dick Lang for Peter Smith
MYSTERY LAUNCH – Cyrena Yesterday we probably exceeded the volume of varnished wood allowed in a single wooden boat with the Arohanui story 🙂 so today we revert to an old black and white photo sent in by Paul Drake.
19-03-2021 Harold Kidd Input –
CYRENA was commissioned from Dick Lang by Peter Smith whose business as a marine engineer and the local agent for Alpha marine engines was next door in St Mary’s Bay. Dick built a lot of launches for Smith but his name was always secondary to Smith’s in the publicity. At this point Dick was about to take one of his many walkabouts, this time to Sydney, so CYRENA was completed by Sam Ford who had leased or somehow acquired his business. She was fitted with a big 25hp Alpha engine. I think Alpha were made in Denmark, but will check. The hull was completed in August 1923 and the engine fitted in early November (when the engine got off the ship, I think). Smith sold her to the Manukau in November 1924. Gordon Ferner “Boy” Bellve bought her in January 1926 and brought her back to the Waitemata. Boy sold her to A.M. White of Ngatapa, Gisborne and he had her trucked to Lake Waikaremoana in October 1938 as MARITZA.
So let’s keep it simple – what’s the name of boat and who built her and when ? Entries via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com – Closes and drawn around 8pm 16-03-2021. If more than one person gets the right answers, there will be a draw. I do not know the answer, so I’ll be relying on Mr Kidd and Mr. Herbert to help me out 🙂
Prize? – let’s make it a goody – a copy of the book – ‘Des Townson – A Sailing Legacy’ by Brian Peet.
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