Category Archives: Military

AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC

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AUSTRALIAN WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES ACROSS THE PACIFIC

A Big Plug Today For The Biggest & Best Wooden Boating Event In The World – I encourage anyone with an interest in classic wooden boating to make this a bucket list item. Link below to a peek back at the 2021 Festival to give you a taste. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/02/12/woodys-on-tour-hobart-australian-wooden-boat-festival-day-3/

The Australian Wooden Boat Festival (AWBF) is excited to launch its 2025 Festival Program, proudly presenting “The Pacific” as its central theme. The festival will showcase this vast ocean region’s cultural and historical significance, featuring content from New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Japan, the US West Coast and other Pacific locales. 

Tasmania’s largest free event and the largest celebration of wooden boats and maritime culture in the Southern Hemisphere will be held 7–10 February 2025. Over four days, Hobart’s waterfront will reach its fullest potential and become a place of pilgrimage for 400+ boats and tens of thousands of visitors from across Australia and the world.

Highlights of the 2025 Pacific-themed program include the Pacific Seafarers Precinct presenting navigators, artists, curators, and maritime artisans who embody the ancient and ongoing traditions of the region, feature vessels such as the recently restored 1896 New Zealand built yacht Te Uira—one of the first racing yachts to make it to Australia—and the Australian debut of the Kumundar Gujo Project, a giant Japanese-inspired jungle gym that kids build themselves.

AWBF General Manager and Festival Director Paul Stephanus said, “The AWBF is a celebration of our collective heritage. The 2025 theme allows us to explore our connection with the Pacific like never before, bringing visitors face-to-face with historic vessels and remarkable people from across the ocean. We hope to create a festival experience that feels both grand in its spectacle and intimate in its sense of community.”

Festival favourites are back but with a Pacific twist. The ever-popular Wooden Boat Symposium will dive deep into stories of (mis)adventure and tackle hot-button issues, the Shipwrights Village and Noisy Boatyard will deliver demonstrations and workshops by master craftspeople, and the bustling Maritime Marketplace will offer unique wares. The Little Sailors Village and Constitution Dock will engage young hearts and minds with activities for all ages, culminating in the thrilling Quick & Dirty Boatbuilding Challenge and Race.

The 2025 AWBF program is available online now at awbf2025.org.au/.

CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – MOVARIE – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT – MOVARIE – A Peek Down Below

The 1938 launch – MOVARIE II has in recent years made as many appearances on tme as it has on WW.  We know that the bridge decker was built by W&G Lowe, is 40’ in length, with a 11’ beam and draws 5’. Powered by twin Ford 80hp diesel engines. The launch started life as a game fishing.

Numerous WW story – lots of detail and photos of her over the years – best I post a link to all of them –  https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=MOVARIE&submit=Search

Once owned by Russell Ward so must have been a goody back them. These days there are a few issues, reflected in the current tme listing having $5k start price.

RSVP – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

THE REVAMP OF REHIA

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THE REVAMP OF REHIA

Early last month we ran two stories on the 1938 Colin Wild built launch – REHIA and her upcoming refit at {the} Slipway Milford yard. Links to those stories below. 1st Report  https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/05/03/classic-launch-rehia-gets-a-birthday/

2nd Report https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/05/10/rehia-2024-refit-report-2/

Jump forward to last Saturday morning and she is sliding down the rails looking rather grand. It is always a big ask ($$) to bring these craft back to better than as launch presentation. But the feel good factor when you walk down the dock or row away from her in a bay is priceless.

There is a saying that I believe originated from Frances Herreshoff that goes like this “if as you walk away or row away from your boat, you do not look back at her, you own the wrong boat”

Over the last 2 years her owners have had one major focus – to retaining/ restore all her classic characteristics and charm. Well done to the Telford family and the team at the yard.

A few minutes before REHIA was launched my RAINDANCE also splashed after a brief haul-out for a face wash and bottom shave. Sitting for 2 months on her marina and with the engine not working, RD had a very impressive beard + a plastic bag around the prop 😦

(photos ex Jason Prew, Joe Telford, Alan H)

UPDATE 20-06-2024 LOTS OF WORKSHOP / HANDS ON PHOTOS HERE https://www.facebook.com/share/p/MtAdzgzeQt1oSUgG/

MYSTERY NAVY LAUNCH

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MYSTERY NAVY LAUNCH

Doing the fatherly thing the other day, walking the dog, I was doing a lap of the Devonport Naval Base (outside of the ’no go’ fence) when I spotted the above launch tucked under a tunnel house. 

Wasn’t sure if it was there slowly decomposing or whether the navy were refitting her.

I suspect the above question will be answered quick smart by Chris Leech and hopefully we might learn more about the craft.

Q406 > NEW VENTURE > MOTUNUI > WAITANIC 

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Q406 > NEW VENTURE > MOTUNUI > WAITANIC 

Todays story comes to us via Ken Ricketts, with details and photos begged/borrowed/ uplifted by KR from the following sources – fb/google/Lew Redwood/Ken Brown/Daniel Michaels and KR himself.

The ship Q406, is probably the last Fairmile left in NZ. She was used during WW2, as a N.Z. coastal patrol boat, and later in the Solomons. Once she and the other Fairmiles returned back to Auckland in 1945, they were decommissioned. 

Q406 was offered up for sale via tender and purchased by Rodney Farry, who fitted 2 x Graymarine marinised GM Detroit 6-71 diesel engines, and converted her into a passenger ship. In this configuration she operated around the Otago Harbour, until she ran aground on a sandbar, causing Farry to lose interest in the concept. 

She was renamed NEW VENTURE in 1949 and sailed back to Auckland, under command of a temporary crew. While sailing back, she struck a violent storm off the Castlecliff Coast, with the inexperienced sailors clinging near the coast. 

In 1950, she was sold to Waiheke Shipping Co. and had her name changed to MOTUNUI and was used as a passenger ferry, transporting people to and from Auckland to Waiheke, Great Barrier & Motuihe Islands. 

When Waiheke Shipping was sold to North Shore Ferries. MOTUNUI would continue operating under them until 1984, when she was sold into private ownership. 

Over the next 20 years she would switch ownership multiple times, one of these being to the late Ken Brown, an old friend of Ken Rs, who converted her to pleasure craft use, in the 1980s. She was kept at the bottom of his garden, on the water’s edge, in the Tamaki River. 

There were plans in 1997 to have her brought to survey standards in time to be used as a sightseeing boat for the America’s Cup. 

This was abandoned when relations between the joint owners, (& several suppliers) soured. Even though much work was done by then (including fitting an original wheelhouse taken from Fairmile Kahu). 

She was sold again in 2001 and 2006, when she took one final voyage to Tauranga, so her machinery could be removed, along with her superstructure. 

Her final owner was Barry Woods, who operated Woodlyn Park Motel, at Waitomo. MOTUNUI was hauled onto land, and converted into a motel, now advertised as the ‘WAITANIC’. A sad ending but better than a date with a backhoe and box of matches and she has some funky neibours for company – a Bristol Frighter and railway car, refer below 🙂 . (edited by Alan H)

Woody Fathers & Grandads

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Woody Fathers & Grandads

Be an instant hero and take the kids out for a day trip – this weekend the Matakana School are hosting the – Matakana Model Boat Show. Over 200 boats static and afloat + races.  And if there are no siblings around, even better – more time to enjoy it. See flyer below for full details.

If you go Saturday – take in the Matakana Market, I was there last weekend – great food, produce & coffee. Opens at 8am. And the new express way makes the trip a doddle 🙂

Special thanks to Mark Lever (MV Nereides) for the heads up + photos

LADY JOYCE (Sheik)

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LADY JOYCE (Sheik)
Some days the WW email inbox is full of only spam and some days pure gold. Last Thursday was a golden day – any email from Harold Kidd has a good chance of being special.When I click on it to open up popped three stunning photos of the launch Lady Joyce. These photos had been shared with Harold by Rick Norris. With both HDK and Rick’s ok I have included below Rick’s covering note to HDK

“I have followed with interest the various exchanges about the provenance of the launch the Lady Joyce. She was owned by my wife’s grandfather Shirley Harrowell for some years before and after WW2 and was named after his daughter Joyce.. Some time before the war my father, Reg Norris, with his friends Tom Jackson and Bill Harrowell ( Shirley’s son) holidayed on the Lady Joyce in the Bay of Islands.(The Jackson family had a house in Matauwhi Bay.) When my wife Nan’s nephews Paul Baragwanath and Mark Withers recently started taking an interest in the launch, which Mark mistakenly but understandably took for the Lady Shirley which he had seen at the Woodies Boat Show, I dug out some of dad’s old photos of the Lady Joyce to clarify the position. I thought that you would be interested in seeing the photos, which I attach. One of the photos shows Reg and Bill doing the dishes in the stern of Lady Joyce under the watchful eye of Shirley Harrowell.”

In a previous WW story HDK commented (refer below) that Lady Joyce was most likely built in 1922 by Leon Warne. When launched she was named Sheik.In c.1932 she was extensively rebuilt at the Lane Motor Boat.

Harold Kidd Input

Previous Lady Joyce WW Stories  WW March 2014 story https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/22/lady-joyce/
WW May 2014 story https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/05/16/lady-joyce-40yrs-on/

The Worlds Best Wooden Boat Resource Tool 


Regular WW readers will be familiar with the USA video blog Off Center Harbor. Over the weekend I received one of their regular newsletters – this one was all about maintenance on wooden boats – links to 40+ videos on painting, varnishing & epoxy use etc.   Because its a pay-2-view site I can not link you to it but the screen grab below will give you a peek at some of the cool content. Depending on the exchange rate – the annual sub is approx. NZ$80 – that woodys is minor compared to what you will save in time, materials and fixing oops. Subscription info here – https://www.offcenterharbor.com

NOTE – NOT LINKED – REFERENCE ONLY

NUKUTERE – A Peek Down Below

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NUKUTERE – A Peek Down Below

The 47’ motor sailer Nukutere last appeared on WW in Dec 2017 – link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/12/18/nukutere-part-2/  This story was following up on a previous story where her owner was seeking information about the vessels past – the request hit the jackpot when Bernie Warmington contacted WW and sent in extensive details and photos – of the bridge-decker built 1939 > 1941 by Arthur Sang for Bernie’s grandfather- Foster Warmington. Check out the link above to that story, it is an amazing insight into the history of Nukutere, from felling the tree > approx. 2016 when Gavin Warminton authored a family journal on the vessel. 

Today thanks to John Dawson sending in the above photos we get to have look at her as of 2023. ENJOY 🙂

Classic Wooden Boat Porn

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Classic Wooden Boat Porn

Todays woody was spotted by John Dawson on the UK site ‘Classic Wooden Boats on the Broads’ and was promoting the 2024 Thames Traditional Boat Festival.

The vessel is named Atta Boy and is 109 years old. She’s one of five 30ft craft built by JW Brooke of Oulton Broad in Norfolk, and was one of the first boats commissioned by the Admiralty as a fast motor launch for HMS Royalist, then she was simple known as MS436. 

MB436 was transferred into private hands in 1923 and renamed Atta Boy. Between 1955 and 1989 she was owned by C J Broom & Son, Brundall and used as a hire boat and tender. Boat number Y57. Significant restoration work then started on her to bring her back to her former glory, which continues to this day.

In 2012, Atta Boy took part in the Royal Pageant as part of the Historic Naval craft.

Devonport Yacht Club – Sea Talks – Harold Kidd

On Thursday night I attended the monthly ’talk’ at the DYC clubrooms – this months speaker was the one and only Harold Kidd. The topic was ‘Yachts & the Waitemata, HDK broke the talk into several time periods, I recorded the talk on my iPhone and with HDK’s permission will reproduce on WW. The filming was a last minute idea so the quality is a little average and on the night there were a few technical issue with the sounds. I have edited the best I can and tomorrow (Sunday) I will post PART #1 – The Early Years 1840 >1870.

Make sure you check out WW on Sunday.

SPARTACUS – Why You Can’t Stop The TLC

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SPARTACUS – Why You Can’t Stop The TLC

Back in August 2019 Baden Pascoe drew our attention to a 32’ launch named Spartacus that was parked up in a paddock in Waipapa, Northland (top two photos).

Fast forward 4+ years and she’s is on tme and looking VERY neglected and offered up for sale, a suspect a ‘on-behalf-of’ sale. There is talk she may have started life as a NZ Navy cutter.

Question of the day, did she sell or will someone in Kerikeri not need to buy firewood this winter?

RSVP > waitematawoodys@gmail.com