NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show 2015
March 7>8th Lake Rotoiti – Nelson Lakes
This South Island event is world class – if you are in or around Nelson on the weekend of 7th & 8th of March, make an effort to attend.
More details here http://www.nzclassicboats.com
Iawai (Tidesong)
The above photos were sent to me by Andrew Pollard, owner of the 1913 Tom Le Huquet launch Aumoe.
Andrew received them from the grandson of Aumoe’s original owner, Mike Brookfield.
Can anyone ID the launch? (done)
Harold Kidd (+ Baden Pascoe) Update
She’s the 55 footer IAWAI, built for Judge H.G. Seth-Smith of Russell by James Reid’s brother David Reid at Customs St W in late 1911. She had a 40hp (rated) heavy duty 4 cylinder Buffalo engine. She was the largest pleasure launch in Auckland at the time. Seth-Smith donated her to the Government in 1915 for war work. The Government sold her to R.B.S. Hogwood in 1922 and then she went to Auckland metal and carrying contractor A.W. Bryant and used for commercial work, heavily modified from this configuration, but looking very smart. I’ll post a pic later. Baden and I struggled over this pic for some time until Baden hit the spot.
In 1933 she was renamed TIDESONG and run by C.D. Cooper until 1938 when F.D. Cadman bought her and had her renovated by Joe Wheeler at Bayswater. She was taken over by the RNZAF as W95 by 1942 for towing at Hobsonville. She also possibly went to the flying boat base at Lauthala Bay. There is some confusion in the RNZAF records on this (and her correct W number).
Post war she was used as a hire launch at Gisborne and Tauranga. She finished up being a total loss when she sank at anchor in Shipwreck Bay, Northland on 23rd June 1972 when owned by Roy Callister of Browns Bay.
Photos ex Harold Kidd
23/02/2015 – A message from Shelley Arlidge , the Curator at the Russell Museum
Hi Alan,
I was able to narrow down the date of that photo of Iawai to about a five year window. Your commentators say that she was built in 1911. There was a Russell Regatta in 1912 after a gap of some years and then every year after that until the 1950s. There is a building in the background of your photo of Russell’s first town hall. It collapsed in a storm in 1916 and a new one wasn’t built until 1922. So this photo must have been taken in the years 1912 to 1916.
Centaurus – A peek down below
Last week I posted some on-the-marina photos of Centaurus & on Sunday I spotted her anchored in the upper harbour. Thanks to Tim Jackson I can now share some interior photos with you.
We know that she was built by Bailey Bros & owned by the Sibun family for approx 40 years, her present owner purchased her off the Sibuns & has had her for 10 years. I’m told she still has her original 1965 Cummings V6 engine. Based on this comment I’m assuming she was launched in 1965.
Rather smart.
Mechanics Bay April 1945
photo ex James Dreyer ex ‘Old Auckland’ facebook
I thought it was time for an old b/w photo & a who can tell us more about the motor boats featured.
Updated ex Harold Kidd
My pennyworth is the the left hand launch is one of the Hubert Scott-Paine designed control tenders, built by his company, British Power Boat Co, in 1939 for Tasman Empire Airways Ltd for the flying boat base at Mechanics Bay and later copied here. They floated around between RNZAF and TEAL operated by the Civil Aviation Board so it’s hard to be precise, at this distance, on which one she was. The first Hythe-built one arrived on EMPIRE STAR in June 1939 and was 37ft 6ins x 8ft 6ins and had twin 100hp petrol engines (Meadows I think, as fitted to Invicta and Lagonda sports cars and those Bren Gun carriers which didn’t have Ford V8s). They were guaranteed to do 18 knots but could touch 25.
I think the middle launch is TASMANAIR, built for TEAL by Colin Wild in July 1941 with a very similar spec to the Scott-Paine boats, but had a large passenger capacity.
The right hand boat is possibly the Scott-Paine 23 foot aircraft tug brought out on the EMPIRE STAR in 1939, fitted with a single Meadows.
My Standard 5 and 6 classrooms at Devonport School, high up on Mount Victoria, had splendid views of proceedings at Mechanics Bay. We had one student teacher who would stop the class and let us see all departures and landings. There were some hairy ones, especially Catalinas in a strong westerly.
PS the little launch coming in at left is probably one of the locally-built runabouts used at Mechanics Bay for general purposes, often in charge of Flight Sergeant Johnny Wray of NGATAKI fame. Dave Jackson will probably be more precise on that one as his father was in the RNZAF Motorboat Section. It could even be the Collings & Bell 28 footer PIRI PONO which got rather modified by the Air Force and had a Chrysler Crown installed in place of its “orphan” 150hp Niagara..
Additional photo added ex Pam Cundy
Harold Kidd input
It’s a pity we can’t see if the Scott-Paine launch in the foreground of Pam’s pic has a W number on the bows, which would identify it precisely. My guess is that she’s W6 which was returned to Auckland in May 1944 from Lauthala Bay, Fiji. The plane in that image is an RNZAF Short Sunderland.
The planes in the top pic are the Short Empire class civilian flying boat ZK AMC “AWARUA” in the foreground, 3 RNZAF Sunderlands and an RNZAF Consolidated PBY5 Catalina at the rear. As a child, I thought it strange that AWARUA had been named after the Auckland Meat Company.
Photos below ex Suzie Wang (Manapouri)
CYA Launch Cruise to Riverhead Hotel
Yesterdays cruise up the upper reaches of the Waitemata Harbour to the waterside Riverhead Hotel was just one of those days – great weather, cool boats & nice people.
David Cooke (Trinidad) & my wife Robyn several weeks ago came up with the idea of splitting the trip into two & having a raft-up for pre-lunch drinks. Now that might not seem like rocket science but the launch group do not normally raft-up, what happens in a bay is everyone wants to secure a good spot to anchor & the boats get spread out across the bay. Todays raft-up was a winner & the vote was “lets do this again”.
With the new extensions to the hotel, the venue has just got even better & with our own area, the afternoon was very relaxed.
Great to catch up with those that made the trip by car & extra cool to see Ian Gavin with a smile on his face, a burger in one hand & a beer in the other – proof that that the big C doesn’t always win 🙂
Special thanks to Michelle Khan & Tony Stevenson for piloting the NZ Yachting Trusts big tender, Whistleblower, that provide a safe & dry transfers from the boats to the hotel wharf.
2015 Australian (Hobart) Wooden Boat Festival
photos ex Simon Smith & Baden Pascoe
Several CYA members crossed the ditch for the bi-annual wooden boat festival in Tasmania. A group transported the kiwi skiff ‘wee’ Tawera over to take part in the rowing section of the regatta & I understand did us proud with a win.
Rumour has it that Neil Chalmers was cruising the docks & hopefully took the Box Brownie with him.
Simon Smith sent in the gallery of boating photos below + a couple of stunning scenery shots, love the one of Hobart town bathed in sunshine.
This event is on my bucket list. Enjoy 🙂
19/02/2015 – more photos ex Simon Smith
POAKA
photos & details ex Harold Kidd ex John Blundell
In 1960 Stan Blundell had Alan (Snow) Waters design and build him this pretty little launch, Poaka, although Stan had a big input into the design. Her dimensions were 26’ x 25’6” x 8’9” x 2’9” and she was powered by a 90hp Zephyr engine. In 1962 Stan sold her to Athol Mellars of Ohinerau St., Remuera who had always expressed the wish to buy her if she ever came on the market. Athol died in 1972 and she was taken over by his son John who kept her at Whangaparapara, Great Barrier Island.
Where is she now?
MAKO
Last weekend at the 2015 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – I spotted a boat in the parade that really caught my eye. Named Mako, owned by Paul Adams from Tauranga. There was no details listed for her in the parade directory so I asked the organisers if they had any details on hand. They sent me what Paul had supplied them – the copy below & a b/w photo – something tells me Paul has a sense of humour 🙂
“It is a narrow wooden boat with inboard motor, built of Kauri in 1924 at Okawa Bay Boatbuilders.
It is lacking maintenance ,so not presented as well as it should be!”
I took these photos at the picnic & you can see why she appeals to me.
Needs a little TLC but the bones are there.
Anyone able to shed some more light on her past?
Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade Update
photos ex Chris Miller
As I mentioned in Mondays post I traveled to Lake Rotoiti with Chris Miller, Chris is a very talented pro photographer & on this trip packed a lens that was longer than my arm. This enabled him to get up close to the boats & shoot from a better angle (sun was a problem). He’s also a dab hand with photoshop so these photos are stunning.
Also today we have a link to the TV3 news coverage of the event http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/vintage-vessels-invade-lake-rotoiti-2015020717#axzz3RGmeg9GX
CENTAURUS
Firstly a record day yesterday on ww – the previous record for people looking at the site was 8,600 views – yesterday we did 13,000+ views in a 24hr period. Totally amazing.
Now onto todays post – maybe I live a sheltered life but I know nothing about the launch Centaurus other than she was for sale late last year when I snapped the above photos at Westhaven. She was immaculately presented, in fact almost too perfect – I suspect she might have been glassed, if not I want to meet the painter 🙂
Who can shed some light on her & where she has been hiding?
16/02/2015 – new photos added
