Keith and Heather Nicholson sent in the above photo of an old post card of the Whangarei Town Basin. The photo first appeared on a Mitchell Hutchings fb post.
In the photo, lower right, we can see a launch hauled out – so todays question is – can we put a name to the boat?
Heather mentioned that their beloved woody – Paea (photo below) was for sale on tme. An amazing classic, the 72’, 1942 ex Harbour Defence Motor Launch (P3552) offers so many boating opportunities.
29-09-2023 UPDATE – photo below of Paea about to be relaunched after some TLC – TLC doesnt really fit a vessel the size of Paea 🙂
05-10-2023 UPDATE – Back in the water. we understand that six months ago the boat was put inside a shed and dried out, the seams were splined and the hull was fiber-glassed. The Fodens were removed and replaced with Cummins. (details & photos ex Ken West)
Judith Gardiner sent in the stunning photo above of Te Rauparaha when owned by Mr Harry James Mills of Upland Road in Remura, Auckland. Harry had 4 sons – Adrian, John, Douglas & Robert.
Judith commented that her father Walter (Keith) Young was friends with Robert Mills. Keith, born in 1925 and a builder, also built boats in his spare time. Later on, he went farming in Silverdale, just north of Auckland. One such sailing boat was called the Iona.
Judith recalls that Keith would often talk about the Baileys, through his family line, his father’s side he / we are related. The Baileys, Scotts (From Scotts Landing in the Mahurangi) and Archibald Young ( Judith’s 2nd great grandfather) were all involved in the ship building and related activities. Archibald was apprenticed to George Darroch and Archibald was at one time the master of the ‘Sovereign of the Seas.’ When he retired from the sea, he worked for George T. Nicol who was also a boat builder.Judith also sent in the 1914 photo of the Bailey family.
I have also posted below photos of Te Rauparaha (named Samara) from her current tme listing, I understand home port is Noumea, New Caledonia. I won’t comment………..
The 36’ launch Tuatea was built by Millers in Port Chalmers Dunedin in c.1930. Dock-side chat has it that she was built for the Hudson family of Cadbury Hudson chocolate fame and during WWII she was used by the NZ Navy Auxiliary Patrol Service, in Lyttleton Harbour from May 1942 > February 1944. Her pennant number was Z124 and is documented in the book NZ Navy Vessels by R J McDougall.
Built from kauri she was extensively rebuilt 15 years ago – with a new kauri full head room cabin, hull fully restored, fibre glassed over ply deck. Forward motion comes from a BMC Commodore 3.8 ltr., 62hp Nufield diesel engine. From her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) she looks to be a project boat i.e. some finishing work, but the big jobs appear to have been done.
First Tuesday of the month tomorrow – so there must be a Classic Yacht Association committee meeting happening (via Zoom) – so the banner below is a reminder to elected members to be kind and support inclusion not segregation on the topic of the new Heritage Basin marina 🙂
Melodeon was built in 1934 by Chas Bailey & Sons in Auckland. She has spent most of her life fishing all around NZ, except when she saw service in the Pacific during WWII with the US Navy.
When Dick bought Melodeon she was powered by a T8 Kelvin that is only her 2nd engine, which has seen 100,000 hours. The engine was in remarkable condition and is also getting a ‘holiday’.The ship measures – 57’ length x 15’6” beam x 7’ draft. The scale of the project is immense but that is what spins Dick’s wheels. The photos above are from June 2021, so no doubt things have moved along even further – Enjoy 🙂
Input Below From Robert Nola
"I have often wondered what became of the Melodeon on which I spent much of my boyhood. It was owned by my father Bob (Boze) Nola and his partner was Jack Raos (who did not fish) from 1950s to early 1970s…In those years they fished for Pearl Fisheries in Auckland. Now I see that it has been fully renovated. But then It used to be very different when we owned it. The wheelhouse was much narrower and the bunk area was in the bow. It was very stylish then. It anyone would like to get in touch with me I would be glad to hear. The Melodeon was very much part of my youth. Glad it still survives. And is being looked after. It cannot be the same Kelvin engine my father installed?"
Today’s photo is of the magnificent Royal Australian Navy sloop Una. HMAS Una was built in 1911 at the Bremen Vulkan shipyard (Germany), named Komat. On October 9, 1914 she and her 57 crew were captured by an Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. She was then sailed to Sydney as a war prize. I have to say a very impressive score 🙂
During the time in which the Una was in service under Australia, the sloop was used as a Patrol and General Purpose Vessel. The sloop was used to patrol the areas of New Guinea, New Britain, New Hebrides and Malayan waters. After World War I, Una was decommissioned and taken to Port Phillip Bay, renamed Akuna and used as a pilot vessel. She was finally broken up in Melbourne in 1955.The small launch in the foreground was named Rex.
SOS at Scotts Landing
I received an email from James Groenhart giving me a heads up re a very smart double ender named Sentosa that is currently on the piles at Scotts Landing, & is at imminent risk of having an outboard well cut into her lovely hull. James commented that he had been told she was a slightly smaller sister ship of “Tuna”, possibly built on the Kaipara circa 1906.
She is for sale, for probably not much money. No engine or prop. Shaft is still in place but has been cut to remove the engine. Interior is basically stripped out. She needs a lot of work, but the hull looks pretty good, & she has some nice original features eg the original D front cabin has a nice profile. Someone save her – Owner is Paul 021 182 8135
MOVARIE Movarie the 1938, W & G Lowe built bridge decker has just popped up on tme, she is a very well built woody with an amazing pedigree.
One of the better woodys around – Russel Ward, once owned her – RW has a good eye and nose for great boats – BUT, she will sit on tme for a long time, because the seller hasn’t posted any photos and the only details are as below.
Photo below ex Greg Philpott, of Pirate next to the Deeming’s boat shed at Tapu Point across the water from Opua.
PIRATE – A Peek Down Below
Unless you are a Warkworth river rat, mooching around the upper reaches of the Mahurangi Harbour you wouldn’t have seen much of the stunning 1939 46’ launch – Pirate. Launched in 1939 at Matauwhi Bay in Russell, Bay of Islands, designed and built by Leon Warne. She has spent a large chunk of the last 18 years berthed alongside the old Cement Works. She always makes an appearance over the Mahurangi Regatta weekend and is one of those boats that just look right from any angle.
Pirate is constructed in full length kauri carvel plank and has twin Ford 6 cylinder 100HP diesel engines.
Pirate has an interesting provenance having been built for a German wool buyer (Otto Sommer), commissioned by the NZ Navy in World War II and used in degaussing operations, and subsequently in 1944, became Auckland’s second Police launch, replacing Tirimoana. Later she was a well known big-game fishing boat in the North, hosting among others Lord Mountbatten, who signed the Log Book.
She is a fine example of a classic launch restored and cared for by passionate owners (18 yrs), these owners have just made the hard decision that it is time to pass Pirate onto her next custodian – so woodys, this is a unique opportunity to own a classic wooden boat of the caliber of Pirate. Expressions of interest should be directed to waitematawoodys@gmail.com BUT – do not hang back, boats of Pirates size, presentation and provenance find new owners very quickly
Royal Saxon 1989 > 1994 The top photo made a brief appearance on Lew Redwood’s fb and Nathan Herbert correctly ID’ed the launch as the 33’ Colin Wild, 1930 built – Royal Saxon, anchored in Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island. At the time I would suspect she was owned by Rick McCay (MV Luana), so sometime between late 1980 and 1994, when he sold her. These days Royal Saxon resides at the top of the South Island, at Motueka. The WW link below and comments section will tell you all about the boat and how she ended up down south.
The 2nd photo I took 2 years ago of her anchored at Kaiteriteri, when we were on-route to the Abel Tasman National Park. Fantastic to see her unchanged after 30 odd years, another example of how beautiful Colin Wild’s designs were and how most remain so today 🙂
15-03-2021 Input From Mark Newcomb – I am pretty sure I recall being a young boy on a trip from Tauranga to Mayor Island on the launch Royal Saxon. It must have been the mid 1950’s, and I had thought the launch belonged to Arthur Honeyfield, a well known farmer and businessman who had a lovely farm at Kauri Point(?) near Katikati. Honeyfield was a member of the Tauranga Harbor Board and had somehow managed to get a substantial wharf built near the farm for easy access to the inner Tauranga Harbor. We embarked on our journey from this wharf. I recall a lodge on the island at SE Bay, not sure if we stayed there or on board. I still have some obsidian that I found on the island. It is entirely possible that Royal Saxon was owned by a friend of Arthur’s, or was on charter. Sadly, the son John Honeyfield, died last week, so that avenue of follow up has gone.
CYA BUMPER BOATS – I hear that during race one of the Classic Regatta the other week, the A Division boys were playing silly buggers again. At the start 3 of of the ‘stars’ of the A Class fleet all got hooked up on the start line and ended up all doing an unplanned buffalo girl 🙂
Late January > early February is always a big weekend on the yachting calendar – it is Auckland’s birthday and one of the lead events is the Anniversary Day Regatta – started way back in 1840 it is New Zealand’s oldest sporting event and in fact even pre-dates the America’s Cup by 11 years.
In recent years as competition of peoples leisure time has increased, the number of competitors has dipped, but the good news from a woody view point is the event has been propped up by the classic boating fleet and in recent years the inclusion of Tug/Work boat race and a classic launch, round the buoys drag race. If you are not away boating this long weekend, I would encourage you to visit the waterfront to catch some of the action – the Tug/Work boat race at 10am is a hoot. Best viewing spots found here https://regatta.org.nz/regatta-spectators/where-to-watch-the-regatta-action/ Timetable. https://regatta.org.nz/regatta-participants/schedule-of-regatta-events/
BIG WW STORY TOMORROW – 100+ PHOTOS FROM THE MAHURANGI REGATTA WEEKEND
Back in 2013 we ran a story on the 1938 Chas. Bailey Jnr. designed, Chas. Bailey & Sons Ltd built 55’ launch – Te Rauparaha. The focus then was what had happened to her and where was she. Good chat (link below) uncovered a lot – we discovered in 1979 she went to Noumea, New Caledonia under her own steam to start life as a charter vessel, and was renamed Samara. https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/22/te-rauparaha/
Fast forward 7 years and I get an email from her owner Valk Delevaux from Noumea, included with the email were the photos above. I think I could safely say that the Bailey family would struggle to recognise the boat they designed and built. But any owner has the right to do what they want and its only wood so someone else might one day convert her back closer to original. I understand she is for sale so if you’re looking for a old/new woody………………….
21-01-2021 Update – the engines are 2x300cv Cummins Bt06. Drive is the same but with a all new hydropique system.
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