Category Archives: Launches

Mystery Whangrei Harbour Launch

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Mystery Whangarei Harbour Launch

It’s a little hard to back up yesterdays WW coverage of the CYA Classic Yacht Regatta – big numbers viewing, including the USA and UK.
So today we have a very cool b/w photo of an unknown launch pictured at anchor in Whangarei Harbour, its dated c.1900’s and that woodys is all we know.
Can anyone help us ID the boat?
(thanks to Lew Redwood’s fb for the image)
12-03-2020 Input from Harold Kidd – I think it is the 32ft KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1908 for A.R. Pickmere of Whangarei with a 10hp Gardner petrol engine, 6ft shorter than GLADYS/GISPA but from the same stable and a year or so earlier.
And if you missed yesterdays WW story (100+) photos – just scroll down 😉
Input from Denis O’Callahan (MV Tasman) – The lines of the hull look similar to my father’s boat, Mapu, designed by H E Cox in 1927 for H A Adams. I think she was built by Col Wild. She had a 2 cylinder Kelvin sleeve valve engine which was run on kerosene during WW2. The photo below of Mapu at the Needles Eye, Birkenhead some time in the 1940s. This was where Jim Young had his boat shed back in the day.
Mapu at Needles Eye 1940 something
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2020 New Zealand Classic Yacht Regatta Photo Gallery – 100+ photos and videos

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A7 – Thelma / A2 – Rawhiti

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2020 New Zealand Classic Yacht Regatta Photo Gallery – 100+ photos and videos

As I have mentioned in the last two WW stories, the Classic Yacht Association of New Zealand have over the last 3 days been running its annual classic yachting event on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour.
The near perfect conditions on all three days made for happy skippers and a relieved race organisers. I was on the water for two of the three days and had a blast. The gallery above is a mix of Races 1/2/3. If your boat doesn’t make an appearance, I apologize, I was only a passenger, so captured those that were within range.
On the second day, James Dreyer and myself hosted the world acclaimed marine photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz onboard Jame’s motorboat – Laughing Lady, the perfect platform for recording the on the water activities.
For me it was a master class in boat positioning and photography angles, I tried to keep out of Ben’s way and took the above photos / videos when I could without being in Ben’s line of sight.
These days the CYA run the regatta using the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron as Race HQ and entertainment hub, it is the perfect venue and as always the service and staff were 10/10.
 Scroll down for the official regatta results below
As always – click on photos to enlarge.
Race Course Videos Below (Races 2/3)
RANGER

PRIZE

A DIVISION

ARIKI

RAWHITI

CORONA

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Ngarurua + CYA Regatta Sailing Photos

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NGARURUA

The 37’ Ngaruroa was built by Nobby Clark, a commercial boat builder and launched in 1965. Built from carvel plank, heart kauri. Powered by a 120hp 6 cylinder Perkins diesel engine. 
Over the last 8 years she has been under gone an extensive re-fit and her owner now finds themselves just too busy to complete the project – so if there is a woody out there handy with their hands – Ngarurua just needs her interior finished and a lick of paint. She is fully operational in its present state. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the tme heads up.

CYA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA UPDATE – DAY TWO (Races 2&3)
Yesterday morning I was dock side at Race HQ co-ordinating a meet up between renowned wooden boat photographer Benjamin Mendlowitz and James Dreyer (MV Laughing Lady) and I got ‘press ganged’ into accompanying them on LL for the day. Was not what I had planned but sometimes you just go with the flow.
Had an amazing day and got some great sailing photos. A taste below – full story on Monday.
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A10 – Thelma / A7 – Rainbow

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A7 – Thelma / A2 – Rawhiti

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A16 – Little Jim

 Classic Wooden Launches + Classic Sailing Regatta Photos

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Help Needed Identifying Classic Wooden Launches

The above photo shows three launches (+ a peek on a 4th on the far left) moored in Hobson Bay, Auckland. The photo is from the Edward Double Collection (1930-1940), and comes to us via Maurice Sharp’s fb.
Can we ID the boats?
2020 CYA Classic Yacht Regatta
The annual 3 day sailing regatta is in progress and yesterday I crewed on Jason Prew’s 1904, Logan built gaffer – Wairiki in Race 1.
Now I have always heard dock chat that Wairiki was a wet boat, well folks I can confirm thats an understatement,
I think you would be dryer on a sail board 🙂 Water aside (it was warm) it was a great afternoon with nice people – Jason Prew, Steve Horsley, Micheal O’Dwyer and Joyce Talbot.
In-between waves and spray I managed to snap a few photos – a taste below – more tomorrow. Enjoy.
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Ariki – 1904 Logan

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Windhaven II – Colin Wild

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Wairiki – Onboard foot spa

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Jason Prew & Steve Horsley (L>R)

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Race HQ @ RNZYS

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Mike O’Dywer, Steve Horsley, Alan Houghton

Lady Ellison

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Lady Ellison

The photos above of the 36’ c.1952/53 possibly Sam Ford built – Lady Ellison were sent in by John Burland and show her at Nelson Marina.

The lady has made two appearances (July 2015 and May 2019) on WW, links below, from the photos above its obvious that she is now a well used, semi commercial vessel. Read the links and comments sections –  lots of chat on her past.

Two photos below – b/w = as launched. Colour = 2015 (click to enlarge)

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Kotare – 4sale

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KOTARE
 
Over the Xmas / NY (2020) period Barbara and David Cooke were cruising aboard their launch – Trinidad and anchored near the ex work boat Kotare and as you do, introduced themselves to her owner, Laurence Ryan.
The photo gallery is a mix of photos from Barbara Cooke and her owners.  
The story below was sent to Barbara by Laurence and is reproduced unedited.
 
“Kotare was designed and built by John Miller who was a boat builder who worked for Miller and Tunnage in Dunedin. However, I am told he is not one of the Millers, as such. She was built in 1940. Solid oregon plank construction, hull and decks. 15 m OA, 13.8 m on the waterline, 2 m draft, 31 tonnes fully laden. Beam 3.66 m. She was built as a trawler and fished out of Dunedin and possibly Lyttleton. She fished at the Chathams and features in the book “Shipwrecks of New Zealand”. She was in a convoy of some six fishing boats making the trip to the Chathams in extremely bad weather. Two of the vessels were lost with all hands – Kotare made it!
 
She was first converted into a pleasure boat in 1987 by the owner, John Liddell, from whom I bought her. The conversion was undertaken by Careys in Picton. A further variation was completed in 2000 where the final configuration occured.  John Liddell had her in SSM and she spent most of her new life in the Marlborough Sounds doing some fishing charters. John took her to the Chathams, Stewart Island, Fiordland and she circumnavigated NZ twice.
 
She is powered by a Detroit GM 6/71 2 stroke diesel, 225 hp de-rated to 195 hp, Alison 3:1 gearbox.  The whole engine was rebuilt in 2006.
 
I purchased her in September 2016 and we sailed her up the east coast from Mana that Labour weekend, 72 hours non-stop!”
 
Below is a photo of Kotare, before the alterations – trolling off the Otago coast.
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Ajax

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AJAX
Duncan McKee dropped me a note recently to let me know the 1937 Lanes built launch Ajax is alive and well and moored in Evans Bay Wellington at present.
 
Owned by the McKee family, Ajax is in regular use and enjoying Wellington Harbour and Cook Strait as she has done for the last 80 odd years.
 
Back in 2018, Ajax made a cameo appearance on WW when woody Dean Wright snapped a photo of Ajax while mooching around Mana Marina – WW link below
 
Can anyone tell us more about this very smart looking motor boot?
 
UPDATE 07-07-2023 – Video below of AJAX leaving Evans Bay Wellington to cross Cook Strait in March 2023. Cruising at 6 knots it takes 5 hours to Tory Channel entrance. On board Brereton and Duncan McKee (who sent in the video)
 
 
 
 
 

Yesterdays Quiz – ID The ‘Hidden’ Boat Winner was Bill Brown of Mt Eden, Auckland. And woodys there was a new record number of entries and 90% had the designer right (Des Townson) and the entries were split 50/50 between 28’ / 32’ re the length.

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Ponui + Win A WW t-shirt

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Ponui

I spotted Ponui anchored in Oneroa last weekend, the name has popped on WW before in regards to other woodys – can anyone tell us about this one?

Update photos below ex Nathan Herbert. Nathan floated the question – could she be Ponui II ?

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ponui ii

A Quiz – Win a WW t-shirt – first person that can correctly tell me what the craft pictured below started life as – designers name and length – all entries via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

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Mystery Launch At Waiheke Island

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Mystery Launch At Waiheke Island

Mooching around Sandy Bay I spotted the above woody – it looks familiar. Not anchored, on a mooring so maybe she is an Island boat.
I’m sure someone smarter than me can ID her.
Woodys Classics Waiheke BBQ & Pizza Lunch – Trip Report
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Another great turn out for Saturdays gathering at Little Oneroa – I counted 16 woodys in the bay, rowing past a couple I may have detected a whiff of PVC but they were lookers and all had a healthy mix of timber and bronze. Attending boats tagged in the story.
Most people decided to order lunch from the wood-fired pizza caravan and were not disappointed – very yum.
The timing seemed to work for everyone – several boat travelled long distances to participate and 1/2 the fleet were just there for the day. Also dog friendly venues are appreciated – again 1/2 the boats had pooches aboard. Perfect weather and very low numbers of what the islanders call ‘day trippers’.
As proof that all you need to be welcomed at a Woody Classics event, is a passion for wooden boats – my boat of the day was Allan and Pam Hooper’s – Katherine. Her dinghy (built by Allan) gets her a 10/10 tick in my book.   You can read more about Katherine here https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/02/03/katherine/

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Katherine

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Little Oneroa – Waiheke Island

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I spotted Allan’s dinghy ashore on Sunday morning  at Oneroa – now Allan is a perfectionist, so his score drops to 9.9/10 – he left the stickers on the oars 🙂
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Simpatico

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SIMPATICO

Hopefully when you read this I’ll be enjoying breakfast aboard Raindance somewhere near Waiheke Island, having had an enjoyable day / evening at the Woodys Classics BBQ & Pizza lunch at Little Oneroa,

Today’s woody has been sitting in my files for a while, waiting for a lazy day e.g.when I’m afloat. So here goes…………
Simpatico was built in 1968 to a Henry Shield design. She measures 42’ in length and has a Ford 120hp diesel pushing her along at a cruising speed of 7 knots.
For sale on tme, she is a very big girl BUT woodys………………… that hothouse has to go 🙂
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